Great carriage ride this evening for our anniversary. We rode from the circle north around American…read moreLegion Mall and Indiana War Memorial. Our coach driver suggested this route as a quieter route and a cooler, shadier route on a hot evening and it was perfect. The sunlight in the late evening creates great lighting on the war memorial and other monuments in the parks. Comfortable carriage, good horse, good driver, and a nice route.

Blue Ribbon is the ones with the bright blue lights on the carriages. We got a carriage being…read morepulled by a large Belgian and he had a pretty long stride. Our ride was maybe a couple minutes shorter than if we had a slower horse. The carriages were comfortable and had clear wind breaks if the wind picks up. Our ride went up Meridian to get a good look at the WW I monument and the circle. Very nice experience.

Take a wonderful tour of Indianapolis with a learned Indiana native Carrie Zimmerman !!!…read more We were so fortunate to get the information and entertaining facts about the industries, sports and famous people of Indianapolis. We certainly felt grateful to hear of this city's amazing history. We went to the Speedway, heard about the famous authors, Brad Tarkington, Silverstein, Kurt Vonnegut and saw some beautiful architecture which included Monument Circle, museums, the theatres along Mass Ave, and the canal.

I did a "quickie" visit recently to Indy and really just had 1 full day to check it out. Since it…read morewas very late Fall, most other local tour companies had packed it in for the season. Not Ms. Carrie! She is out there hitting the road, enlightening visitors and showing the sights of Indianapolis to a appreciative audience. Circle City Tours is very flexible and will work with your schedule and timeline. I was picked up downtown for the tour but for a slight fee, Carrie dropped me off at an Airport hotel. I was grateful for her immense knowledge of the city, particularly historical facts. LOVED the trek through lovely Crown Hill cemetery, which is not morbid at all. Carrie pointed out the many grave sites of noted politicians, authors, artists, ex-Presidents and the locally prominent who lie in repose there. The Civil War burial section was also very touching. Ms. Carrie pointed out magnificent churches, memorials, art and children's museum, local eateries (Shapiro's Deli=yummy!) and the White River State Park area. We even got to check out all the Christmas decorations up at the Indy Speedway. She packs a lot into the 3-hour tours but when it's over, you feel a sense of accomplishment that you learned so much about Indianapolis-- a city made all the more beautiful than it already is, by the beautiful ministrations of Carrie and Circle City Tours. 5 YELP STARS.

Stayed here for 3 nights for a Conference. Great location to allow you to walk to restaurants,…read morepharmacies, and some history. We used the hotel Valet to park the car so I cannot comment on parking. The young man working the door answered questions with charm and personality - fantastic! The room was a King room, with a large TV, spacious bathroom, and good water pressure in the shower. The only real negative - I could not get the room cool enough to sleep under the covers. I had to sleep on top because it was too warm. The thermostat setting lied, so I am guessing the hotel has some kind of temperature cap/fix at 73ish? If wasn't atrociously hot, but it wasn't cool enough for sleeping. The conversation rooms upstairs was spacious and clean. The lobby and registration desk were beautiful with amiable staff. The elevators are on the smaller side.

Got in at 12:30am on a Friday night (due to delayed flights) with my teenage son; didn't want to…read morepay for Valet parking so asked about public park options. I was told to go around the corner to the public parking garage and take the elevator down to ground level and walk back... to be honest downtown is super sketchy on a Friday night after midnight. Lots of homeless people on the streets and party mode from ... locals? When the elevator opened, we were horrified to see a mostly undressed, homeless man laying on the ground outside the elevator, and then had to exit through a super dark and deserted alley. Bottom line I do not feel like this was a safe option for a traveling mom and teenage son. I communicated to the front desk and hopefully to Management that they should offer the public parking garage rate of $45 instead of the valet rate of $90 for the safety of their guests after 11 PM. The lobby is gorgeous at this hotel, unfortunately the rooms do not even come close. As a Hilton diamond member we were given a very small room with two double beds that was clearly updated last around the year 2000. It had a great view of the alley that we had just exited through. And as others have mentioned, the room credit for food was laughable... The only two options were to order room service, which I did within the $50 limit I was allotted and yet with all the add-ons my bill came to over $74. Or I could have used it in the coffee shop that had no real breakfast options. Bottom line, with the issues that I experienced this hotel was definitely not worth the nightly rate. Unfortunately, I would not recommend.

Went on the fountain nook tour it was a great girls weekend treat. We tried some things we never…read morewould have on our own.

If I could give zero stars, I would!!! Received a confirmation email the day before our scheduled…read moretour. We arrived at the location and at 10 minutes before scheduled tour, I called. I was told they had sent a cancellation email the day before. Nope it was a confirmation! My money was refunded but a huge disappointment!

Having a free day off and wanting to try something new, a friend and I decided to try the Cultural…read moreTrail, Districts, & Neighborhoods biking tour, and it was a blast. It was a little over 9 miles and 3 hours of fun riding through downtown. Nathan, our guide for the day, was very knowledge. After living in the Indy for years, it is amazing the things that you tend to overlook on a daily basis and history of the state that can easily forget/not know. The pace of the tour wasn't fast and very relaxed. There were many stops along the way so it didn't seem like the the ride was that long at all. This coming from a person who hasn't ridden a bike in close to a decade. I would highly recommend this to anyone looking for a something fun and active to do in downtown Indy.

Nathan with ActiveIndy Tours took my family who is in town from Florida all around Mass Ave and…read moreLockerbie on a walking tour. We had the best time and learned a lot about our new city!! I would highly recommend this tour for anyone visiting Indy or anyone who lives here and wants to learn more about their city!! We had so much fun!!

This 30 minute tour was an awesome glimpse into some of Indianapolis's past! Becky was incredibly…read moreknowledgeable and provided an in-depth look into the history of the catacombs and the building that once stood above it! Bring a mask! It's dusty down there, and the city will require it.

We went on a paranormal tour during the Halloween season and had a blast. Tickets were 20$ I have…read morealways wanted to go down to the catacombs and it didn't disappoint.

Goodness, have I walked the canal about 50 times now?!…read more It's such a unique experience for Indy to have some water space in the middle of the city. This 3 mile loop will take you from 11th Street down to White River State Park to access the green space and extra trails down there. The canal water itself is not super cute, where there can be litter, and the water is rather opaque. They do drain the canal every so often to keep it from getting too uncute. The sidewalks are kept nicer, though a few spots in front of apartment buildings could use some TLC. There are also a few spots where the sidewalk is not level, so take caution if that is an issue. It's mostly stair access to the canal, but I *think* I've seen an elevator around the Ohio street basin. The canal has a few businesses along it for your merriment. Notably, there is Fresco on the Canal (I have a separate review for this) which is open March-October. Eiteljorg museum cafe is open daily around the lunch hours (11-3) and can be accessed through their patio gate. Entertainment wise, there is more going on. I've done the swan boat rentals, where you can pedal around on the canal. This is quite a workout! Rental of swan boats and kayaks is near the Ohio Street basin. There is also the gondolas, where your gondolier can sing, and they've always sounded marvelous. There's also a few stations for the Pacers Bikeshare around the canal, which is free for Marion County residents. Any time the weather is right, you can find me getting my steps in!

The Canal Walk is one of the major attraction in downtown Indianapolis. It is a long walkway that…read moreis right along the water of the canal. Several parks, museums, hotels, and other attractions are situated along this walkway. While walking along the canal, I noticed several tourists and locals walking and running through the walkway. The walkway and surrounding public area was mostly clean and well maintained. In one corner there was a paddle swan boats for rental but it was closed for winter. Some of the canal had scaffolding for construction. Some of the signs around the canal provided historical insight about the canal.

This 1975 mural by Milton Glaser brightens the Minton Capehart Federal building that is located in…read moredowntown Indy. It is a very colorful abstract piece that covers pretty much the entire first level of the building. Measuring 672 feet in length, Color Fuses was one of the world's largest contiguous murals at the time it was painted. Glaser intended his piece to celebrates the interplay of color and light to make the stark, heavy building appear to float weightlessly. In an effort to accomplish this, he programmed the exterior perimeter lighting, to showcase his mural in a slow rise and fall sequence at night. It consists of 35 colorful bands of shades of blue, orange, yellow, pink and purple. The mural was restored in 2014 and digitally-controlled LED technology was added. This mural is definitely attention getting. I never really saw it at night so I guess am missing the full effect. even wit that though, I like it. It is not your normal painting on a federal building and makes it very ascetically pleasing to the eyes. I really like the way that it seamlessly incorporates the exterior staircase and never misses a beat. There is metered street parking across from the mural and there is also commercial parking lots nearby for you to park, get out and take a closer look. As with most murals that I have visited and reviewed, this is probably not a very long stop. I was there less than 5 minutes and had business in the Federal building that it is located. So, you may want to consider planning out additional stops at many of the other wonderful murals or attractions in the downtown area, or making this stop part of a larger itinerary to maximize your time and trip.

If you like color, then you will appreciate the mural that lines the first floor exterior of the…read moreMinton-Capehart Federal Building downtown. There are 35 shades of paint that line the over 600 feet of wall to transform what is another limestone construct into something more. The mural was created in 1975 by Milton Glaser and then restored in 2014. At the time of the restoration, new LED lighting was added to enhance the viewing into the night time hours. That is when the building truly transforms which makes this mural one of the Arts Council of Indianapolis' Director of Public Arts favorites to point out on her art after dark tours. The best way I can describe it is that the colors seem to make this massive building seem like it is rising into the sky as if supported by the columns of color, maybe to fly away. Very cool effect from a simple design. Great choice of location and understanding the purpose and connection of art to the location. Review #1764

As someone who works at Indiana's Statehouse, I go by quite a few historical landmarks on a regular…read morebasis. For some reason, Oliver Morton Plaza really struck me today and I decided to stop, take a look, take a photo, and explore its history a bit. Made of bronze and concrete, this plaza was created in 1907 and is part of the Indiana Statehouse Collection. It was created by Austrian artist Rudolph Schwarz and can be found on the east side of the Statehouse right at the intersection of West Market and North Capitol. It includes three bronze statues, two bronze reliefs, one plaque on the front, and two rear plaques. The pedestals are made of granite. It was commissioned by the Indiana General Assembly. Morton is positioned in the center flanked by two Union soldiers. Morton was the first native Hoosier to serve as Indiana's governor. He was born in Wayne County and lived from 1823-1877. He was governor during the Civil War and just beyond (1861-1867). He was a U.S. Senator from 1867 until his death in 1877. He was considered the "Great War Governor of Indiana." The original budget included $9,000 for the bronze figures and tablets, $7,483 for Barre granite, $10,150 for Westerly Granite, and a $935 increase was eventually granted to expand the pedestals. Additional components ended up adding another $7,500 along with $500 each for the bronze reliefs. Morton was a Republican and staunch ally of Abraham Lincoln. He is buried in Crown Hill Cemetery. There is a second statue of Morton by the Soldiers and Sailor's Monument.

This Plaza has a lot of different things in it most notably, the Oliver Morton statue. They are all…read morein there together with a few other statues, and just an overall Plaza around the building. You can eat your lunch take a nap. Do whatever you want in this Plaza, just be nice and courteous and pick up your mess.

Fountain Square artists Mab Graves and Larry Endicott transformed an old tavern building into an…read moreawe-inspiring home and gallery, now dubbed as Fountain Square's new 'Lo Brow' gallery. Hosting fabulous exhibits featuring works by Mab herself and Indianapolis artist Justin Cooper, Monster has drawn quite the crowd on a number of 'First Friday' events, my favorites so far being Mab's Pretending to Be Human exhibit over Halloween 2013. The exterior boasts a neon MONSTER sign and a grand door to entice all passersby. Details abound the interior as well, with swoon worthly rest rooms full of character - feauting the likes of Johhny Cash, complete with black toilet paper. Beverages and sweet treats are always on hand to welcome guests and cater to children (both literally and at heart) in attendance. Make a point to stop by and take in the fabulousness that is one of the best examples of the flourishing Fountain Square art scene. Pick up some exclusive original art or perhaps a button, card or print, but you're guaranteed to leave with a smile!

Monster Gallery is the brainchild of the talented husband-wife duo, Mab Graves and Larry Endicott…read more While the majority of First Friday galleries are clustered right downtown, this beautiful brick building on the corner of English and State requires you to go off the beaten path a little. But, it is well-worth the trip. Despite the fact that fire destroyed the entire interior of the building, the exterior shell was all intact. Mab and Larry (with the help of some local friends) have restored this once decrepit tavern into a unique art showing space on the first floor and whimsical living quarters above. The gallery space is small to begin with, but it gets even tighter when the many fans of the artists come out to view their works. You can tell a place (and an artist) is popular by the line extending out of the front door and along the side walk. We didn't wait too long to get in though, so no worries there. The line from the door flows around the room clockwise and takes you past a couple walls of art and ends with a small counter for purchasing prints, gifts, trinkets, and of course any of the pieces you see on the walls. My only qualm with this layout is that the bar area is tucked in the way back and breaks up the flow of the gallery walls. You may have to squeeze past the throngs of art lovers to get to it. Monster Gallery serves beer and wine to the adult guests and there is often candy and treats for any little, aspiring artists who visit. Mab and Larry are both perfect hosts and will gladly have a chat with you about art, love, life, and the likes. There's a very large FREE parking lot just behind the building and there's always an open space.