Indianapolis has long enjoyed fame among racing
fans, who flock to this capital city every May for the Indianapolis 500.
Thanks to a recent large development effort, Indianapolis now boasts several
new attractions aimed at families. The city’s unhurried pace and
spacious layout encourages visitors to relax and enjoy the sites.
The new Indianapolis downtown features shops, entertainment centers and
museums. The new Circle Centre shopping and entertainment complex opened
in 1995 and draws visitors from around the region. Also recently completed
is the Indianapolis Arts garden, an eight-story glass rotunda lit by fairy
lights and suspended in mid-air over the busy Washington and Illinois
intersection. The Arts garden is a performance and exhibition space for
all of Indiana, and it is connected to the Circle Centre and several downtown
hotels. Additionally, Indianapolis has added several new sports stadiums
and hotels, to keep up with such events as the Pan-American games and
Olympic trials. The downtown landmarks have all been remodeled into new
shopping and entertainment centers.
Indianapolis boasts several excellent museums, including one of the best children’s museums in the country. The Children’s Museum of Indiana is a massive space designed entirely for kids, featuring theatres and a planetarium. The Eiteljorg Museum of American Indians and Western Art is quite large and is dedicated entirely to native arts and buildings. The Indianapolis Museum of Art has art from all periods; sculpture and botanical gardens surround the entire museum with a lake on the grounds. The new Indianapolis Zoo features hundreds of plants and animals in a lovely setting just outside of town.
Indianapolis has rapidly developed into a cultural and entertainment
center for the Old Northwest. Thousands have flocked to the Indianapolis
Speedway for the Indy 500, and now many more come to Indianapolis to enjoy
the new downtown and its many opportunities for family fun.