Travel Tuesday: Indianapolis

I've started a new feature called Travel Tuesdays. Each week I'll post photos, recommendations, or itineraries from trips I've taken or am planning to take. You can see past posts here. 

Today, we're going to talk about Indianapolis. I've been a few times (once for an wintertime *NSync concert and a few times on Megabus pass-thrus), but until a few weeks ago I'd never explored the area. While we went to Indianapolis so I could run a race, we ended up taking an extra day to sightsee. We had a great time despite the overcast weather and I think we're going back next year. Here are a few areas to visit:

Downtown - Monument Circle

When we arrived Friday afternoon Monument Circle was dressed and ready for Oktoberfest. Since I had to run we skipped the beer and walked around. There was a sidewalk fest featuring games and prizes, but we had our sights set on Chipotle. Columbus is trying really hard to revive downtown, but for years everything would close at 6pm, so it was pretty amazing to see such a lively downtown in a smaller city. 

Downtown - Canal Walk

Our hotel was on the canal and it was more beautiful than I anticipated. After my race was canceled I ran 3 miles around the canal. You can rent paddle boats, walk, run, and bike along the water. There are sculptures and murals along the way. It's a hidden gem I'd recommend making time for. 

Downtown - Massachusetts Ave Arts District

When we checked into our hotel the guy at the front desk recommended Massachusetts Ave if we wanted to avoid chain restaurants and stores. (I think he thought we were hip). We had a really tasty brunch and went into a few cool gift shops, including Silver in the City which had pretty sweet stuff. This area also had the sculpture and mural above. (Kurt Vonnegut was an Indianapolis native.)

That's all for this week! Have you been to Indianapolis? Next time we go we're going to check out the art museum and surrounding gardens. Anything else we should see?