The ladies at Boldly Chic Events are amazing! I had an outdoor ceremony and barn reception in…read moreNoblesville this past May, and Christine, my head planner, went above and beyond her calling. I was a DIY bride who wanted to create a lot of the details myself and just needed a planner to put it all together on the day of the wedding. Not only was everything perfect on the day of, but Lori and Christine were both there for me months in advance, answering all of my questions (there were a lot of them) and giving me advice. I would highly recommend them to any bride in the Indy area.

Choosing Boldly Chic Events and Christine to plan our wedding was the best decision we made in the…read moreentire planning process. From day one, Christine was incredibly organized, kept us on schedule and helped us make our wedding even more beautiful and incredible than we could have hoped. We planned our wedding in Indianapolis from our home in Seattle and Christine made the process exceptionally easy. Christine was incredibly flexible, responded quickly to emails and phone calls, and created the wedding of our dreams. We had a very clear timeline created for the weekend by Christine and she and her team made sure our day went smoothly and stuck with the timeline. Our guests all raved about how amazing and beautiful our library wedding was and the credit all goes to Christine and her team from Boldy Chic Events! I would recommend her wholeheartedly to anyone planning a wedding from near or far!

We had tap snap 1181 at our wedding reception in Oct, Great service! Our guests loved it and I love…read morelooking through all the pictures of everyone! Very very fun, easy, and professional.

Extraordinary service. I would like to give a shout-out to Blue Llama Events. If you are in need of…read moreevent planning services, I highly recommend these folks. They worked with my daughter and son-in-law throughout the process of planning and re-planning a wedding that was fraught with delays, cancellations, and limitations due to the pandemic. They never wavered in their commitment to support the happy couple over the duration of an unexpectedly protracted process, culminating in a delightful celebratory weekend. Please support this outstanding business.

If I could give Jean 10 stars out of 5, I would. She works INCREDIBLY hard to make sure everything…read moreis perfect for your event. She responds promptly and politely (always), and her prices are more than reasonable. She went above and beyond (when I told her we were going to move our flower petals between the ceremony and dinner, she insisted on coming back and doing it herself). She is amazing, and I wouldn't recommend anyone else to do your event other than her!

Under new ownership! I booked them via their Facebook, but I had the best experience with this…read morecompany. Angie, the new owner was very professional, and made the booking process super easy. I booked the grinch for a holiday event and he was such a hit! She has over 50+ characters, so check their Facebook/website until they get their Yelp page updated.

Best birthday party ever!! My son was sooooo thrilled to see Spider-Man and play games with him!…read moreAwesome!

So thankful for Gaby! We've hired her to make photo backdrops with themed balloons for two Yelp…read moreevents so far and she's done an amazing job both times. Attendees loved them and they made the events that much more festive. Gaby arrived early both times, has been great with communication, and comes ready to go. She can set up the full balloon decor in just a few minutes and is happy to make any adjustments you need. She brings all of her own supplies to make it possible no matter the venue and I was impressed with how prepared she was. I had an idea of what I wanted to do each time and she made it happen. It was so fun to see my vision come to life. Personally, she's also so nice and truly a pleasure to work with!

My husband is into D&D and painting miniatures, so in 2023, he wanted to attend Gen Con in…read moreIndianapolis. I had never heard of Gen Con before, but it is the biggest tabletop game convention in North America. Gen Con began in 1968 as the Lake Geneva Wargames Convention (hence the name "Gen Con") by Dungeons & Dragons co-creator Gary Gygax, and was first held in Lake Geneva, Wisconsin. It was then held in various locations in Wisconsin until it was fixed in Milwaukee, Wisconsin in 1985. In 2003 Gen Con was relocated to its current location, Indianapolis. Gen Con is HUGE. It's held in the Indiana Convention Center and when we went in 2023, there were over 70,000 people in attendance. The convention is held over four days at the end of July/beginning of August (Thursday to Sunday), and you can buy a pass for one specific day, the weekend, or the entire four days. You have to purchase your passes well in advance (they go on sale in February), and only if you have a pass can you enter the lottery to book a hotel. Pretty much all the hotels in Indianapolis are reserved for Gen Con attendees and you are given a random time slot to book your hotel. If you get a bad time slot, you're lucky if you can even book anything within a 50 mile radius of the convention. My husband and I both got horrible time slots (like 4pm), but thankfully my husband had an acquaintance with a 9am time slot who didn't need to book a hotel (he was staying with friends or something), so he generously gave us his time slot and we were able to book a prime hotel, the JW Marriott, which was not only near the convention center, but connected to it. (But we did pay a premium for it.) I didn't know what to expect, but I ended up loving it! While I am not into role playing games, D&D, miniatures, etc, I love boardgames and they have a lot of that -- both to play and to purchase. And purchase we did! There is a huge vendors' hall, and there is so much to see and buy. Dice, miniatures, boardgames, and anything tangentially related to gaming, you name it. There are also a ton of activities you can book in advance, such as game tournaments, casual game play (I signed up to play Balderdash), miniature painting lessons, dance lessons (we took one), evening ghost tours (unfortunately the ghost tour was booked up), and so much more. The options were dizzying. There are also rooms where you can play boardgames with other people, which I really enjoyed. I played Dominion, Settlers of Cattan, Carcassonne, Codenames, and more. In addition to the game rooms hosted by Gen Con, the hotels had rooms set up for people to play games and hang out. It was so much fun, and despite it being so crowded, people were really well behaved and friendly. Many were also dressed up in costumes, which was fun to see. With the price of the convention, hotel room, and all the games and things you buy, Gen Con is an expensive experience, but worth going at least once if you like games. My husband and I would love to go again, preferably with a few of our friends. [Yelp collections: Louisville/Indianapolis 2023; Indianapolis, IN 2023]

Gen Con has always been one of those bucket list things for me. Even though I work practically…read moreacross the street from the Convention Center, I've only made my way to Gen Con briefly a couple of times for film obligations and one panel that I appeared on one year. Since being diagnosed with cancer a few months ago, I've become more committed to really living into bucket list items. This weekend, that has included more time than usual at Gen Con. I doubt I'd ever fully immerse myself in it - the crowd is pretty huge and I'm more a dork than a nerd, but it's actually an environment I love with a really cool communal spirit on a pretty large scale. First off, the basics: From the Gen Con website, "For over 55 years Gen Con has been the largest and longest-running gaming convention in North America. Founded in 1967 by Dungeons and Dragons co-creator Gary Gygax, Gen Con now attracts tens of thousands of attendees from around the world to Indianapolis for The Best Four Days in Gaming™." Gen Con has both in-person and online activities. Obviously, the major emphasis is on the in-person experience. While I tend to be fairly asocial, even I prefer the in-person convention. Gen Con is almost worth attending for the Exhibit Hall alone. Entrepreneurs' Avenue Entrepreneurs' Avenue dedicates space in the Exhibit Hall for companies making their Gen Con debut. It's a great place to find new games, discover up-and-coming publishers, and find newbies within gaming. It's a must visit. Other programs include costume contest/cosplay (If you're in Indy and downtown during Gen Con, you WILL see costumes), auction and consignment store, trade day, a film festival (which I love), miniature hobby events, an always successful blood drive (gamers are actually notoriously kind and generous), and more. Gen Con is fantastic about correctly categorizing things. For example, parents should know that the schedule clearly indicate what age groups an event are appropriate for and also clearly identifies those that are more mature. Of course, there's gaming galore that unfolds and a variety of events for the Trekker, Whovian, or other sci-fi culture devotee - While there's certainly pop culture here, I've always felt like what separates Gen Con from something like Comic-Con is that it's less "pop" and more devoted to true hardcore gamers and such. Generally speaking, Gen Con does very well with accessibility. The Convention Center itself is pretty accessible, though it's a big facility and that's always a consideration. Gen Con is very inclusive and has a strong, published anti-harassment policy. I'm a wheelchair user and I really had no problem getting around. Curb cuts are all over the place here, the Convention Center has elevators and various accommodations including automated door options, and there's an abundance of gamers who seem to pop out of nowhere to assist if it's needed. I sometimes feel a little overwhelmed in this environment - one, I often feel less intelligent than some of these gamers. However, there's something and someplace for everyone. For those who do get overwhelmed, it's easy to take a time out here. Most of the surrounding hotels are pretty disability friendly (Marriott as a chain typically does VERY well). I do wish Gen Con better addressed accessibility on the website. It's pretty lame, to be honest. I'd recommend ensuring a disability liaison of sorts (this may exist, but I couldn't find it). There's so much more I could write, but I'll run out of room soon. Suffice it to say that I had a blast and hope to return in the future.

MORRIS-BUTLER HOUSE IS A HISTORIC LANDMARK IN INDIANAPOLIS…read more======================================================== John Morris commissioned the construction of this home in 1864. His family lived there until 1878 when Noble Butler purchased the home. The Butler's lived there until 1957. Indiana Landmarks recued the deteriorated home in 1964 and they home was restored. Eli Lily, is a founder of the Indiana Landmarks Foundation of Indiana. It was opened as a museum in 1969. The restoration of the Morris-Butler House is in the historic Old Northside. It appears that it's undergoing another renovation right now in 2025 as you can see be all the scaffolding in my photo. The space can be rented for weddings, luncheons, teas, dinners, lectures and meetings.

I was at an event at the Indiana Landmarks Center today and got a little bit of time to check out…read morethe Morris-Butler House adjacent to it. Just a little history - the house takes its name from two families who lived there in the 19th century. This Civil War era house was commissioned in 1864 by John Morris on land once owned by Butler University founder Ovid Butler. The Morris-Butler House in Indianapolis takes its name from two families who lived there in the nineteenth century. In 1864, John Morris commissioned the construction of his home on land once owned by Ovid Butler, the founder of Butler University. While this neighborhood has seen its better days, at the time this was a new suburb and one of Indy's most prestigious areas. The Morris family stayed until 1878. Three years later, bankruptcy lawyer Noble butler moved in with his wife and seven children. They were in the home until Florence Butler (the youngest daughter) died in 1957. By this time, the neighborhood was heading downhill - Historic Landmarks Foundation of Indiana (now Indiana Landmarks) rescued the home with an assist by Eli Lilly himself (Lilly was a founder of Indiana Landmarks). The home opened as a museum in 1969. Saving the home also helped save Central Avenue United Methodist Church - now the home of Indiana Landmarks. The home is more an event space now than a museum, though it does retain many historic furnishings. Much of the first floor is, somewhat surprisingly, wheelchair friendly thanks to an "elevette" from a private parking court. The home is built in the Second Empire Style. It is a beautiful setting for small weddings (think no more than 40). receptions, dinners, special events, etc. On the first floor, you can rent the formal parlor, dining room, and library - all three of these are wheelchair accessible. I don't think other areas would be considered accessible, though that's to be expected with a historic home (so I'm not docking my usual star for lack of access - I feel like Indiana Landmarks does the best it can and goes above and beyond). As a wheelchair user, I'm always a bit frustrated in historic settings - and yet, I love historic settings. I'm grateful I finally got the chance to check out the Morris-Butler House.

The Labyrinth at the Indiana Interchurch Center is fashioned after the famous Chartres Cathedral…read moreLabyrinth. This is a popular style for labyrinths. The labyrinth is located in the back of the Indiana Interchurch Center, a multi-level office facility on the edge of the Butler University campus that is home primarily to religious and non-profit organizations including one I helped start called DisciplesNet. The Indiana Interchurch Center offers ample free parking, four meeting rooms, two large conference rooms, a natural habitat certification, energy management and solar panels, an on-site art gallery, fiber-optic internet, a noted inclusive and welcoming culture, and is home to a variety of denominations with offices here in Indy including American Baptist Churches, Christian Church (Disciples of Christ), United Church of Christ, Episcopal Diocese, St. Mary of Magdala Catholic Community, Muslim Alliance, PC-USA, and several other organizations. The labyrinth is an outdoor labyrinth that has eleven circuits and four quadrants. The labyrinth at Chartres was built in the year 1200! This labyrinth is actively used. It's a largely natural labyrinth - this can impact the actual wheelchair accessibility of it and during adverse weather it's particularly challenging to use. Because the boundaries are made from grass and a wheelchair tends to be oversized, it can make completing the labyrinth a little out of balance (which makes it awful hard to meditate). The labyrinth also serves as the starting point for the Indy Spiritual Trail. I actually visited the DisciplesNet office several times before I realized that this Labyrinth was here. I was so excited to see it as I am a true lover of labyrinths. This labyrinth is also close to Christian Theological Seminary. The Indiana Interchurch Center does occasionally have groups use the labyrinth as a place for meditation and reflection. I recommend this labyrinth more for walkers than wheelers. However, if you're in the Butler area I'd definitely consider it worth a visit.