First time in this booth style antique and vintage store. It is located in Westfield to the right…read moreand behind Big Hoffa BBQ. You never know what you are going to find in booth style shops. Prices were good and bad. As always prices are controlled by each individual booth owner so some are reasonable and some I would consider unreasonable. The staff in the store were all real friendly and they held our items at the counter as we shopped to keep our hands free for more items, yes that is a problem Just kidding, nice of them to do. I failed to get through the entire store so I will have to make a return trip, my friends are faster than me as I like to look at absolutely every piece to make sure I do not miss than gem I was searching for. I keep a running list of things I want to find as well as a list for some of my friends. I found plenty to bring home on this day and we had a fun time reminiscing and searching through each booth. It is a good place to spend several hours. I will definitely return.

Customer service needs some work. Lady at the front was extremely dismissive and rude. She was…read moreunable to provide helpful assistance on how the process had been updated and made us feel like we were idiots for not already understanding. We will be taking our business elsewhere.

This mural is massive. It not only covers Big Hoffas BBQ's main building, front, back, and sides,…read morebut it bleeds over to the building next door. It uses every inch of the building and incorporates flag masts on the buildings roof. It was painted in 2019 by Jackie McCracken and Robert Schaefer. The mural wall is not flat or smooth. It has ridged, kind of like a tin roof, and overlooks Big Hoffas' parking lot. The mural theme continues on into the restaurant. I am not sure of the tie in with Barbecue and pirates, but Big Hoffas is all in and seems to make it work. The mural is very colorful and has a lot going on. In the center you will find a couple of pirate ships sailing off the coast. The front door of the restaurant is used in the larger of the ships. The left side of the mural (as you are facing it), is very interesting. It is actually kind of 3D and has cutouts of a pirate scene with a swashbuckler bursting out of a window of a building and and 4 more pirates down below sitting by a campfire. There are also a set of white angel wings in between those pirates that are like those that are starting to pop up all over the place and where people can takes pictures in front of and make look like they are wearing them. They seem kind of out of place to me, but no big deal. The rest of the mural is mostly a coastal image. I love the artistry and use of color and can only imagine how long it took to paint it. You can not help but be "wow'ed" by this mural. You probably wont spend too much time checking this mural out. It is a lot to look at a digest. I was there about 10 minutes. So, I recommend coupling it with a visit to Big Hoff's to eat some of their delicious "Q". Since it overlooks their parking lot, parking here is easy. I would also recommend checking out that entire mural that includes the patio area and a whole other building next door.

Wow! What a statement piece mural has been added to Westfield. On the east walls (and wrapping…read morearound three other walls) of the Big Hoffa's BBQ and the Main Street Shoppes is one of the largest murals I've seen. The entire length of wall has been turned into a Pirate's Cove with multiple sailing ships, pirates, and even a few skeletons. The north ends of the buildings continue the mural to add images of an island paradise and a cloud covered sea. The mural was created by Rob Schaefer and Jackie McCracken in 2019. There is so much detail to see, I will pick just a few to highlight here. Ship's masts - Not only is there a giant mural, but some construction was done to turn the largest ship's masts into actual wooden structures with crow's nests that stick up above the wall of the mural. As you approach from the east, it makes you think it is a real sailing ship! Pirate theme - For anyone who has dined inside Big Hoffa's, there already existed a pirate theme, so kudos to the artists for taking that and making the entire building a not so subtle advertisement. Insta-worthy - If you can get here when there isn't a crowd, there is a section of the wall with a pair of angel wings where you can take a selfie while surrounded by pirates. This is one of those pieces you have to see for yourself to appreciate how much skill and effort went into creating the mural. The surfaces aren't smooth, but unless you look carefully, you can't tell that there are raised ridges that run vertically which add even more challenge. Although I am rarely a fan of other murals being painted over, (the space used to have a giant village painted in a somewhat primitive style), I can't deny that the visual appeal of this new mural is much greater to me. The next time you are in Westfield, make a point to stop by these shops! Review #3360

In the roundabout at 151st and Carey Road in Hamilton County, a gleaming stainless steel sculpture…read moresits atop a pedestal. Hoosier artist Steve Wooldridge (from Sheridan) created the piece in 1999 and it was installed recently in this location. From the front and back (north and south views I think), the piece is very narrow with two long and slightly angled support columns reaching up to a cluster of arcs attached where the columns meet. The attachments not only form arcs when viewed from the side, but also are curved away from the supports at the top and bottom of the arcs to add the effect of wings when looked at from the front. There is also a smaller attachment at the back of the arcs that could be interpreted as the body of the dragonfly. There are three shapes which could creatively (if not biologically accurate) represent the three body segments of the insect (head, thorax, and abdomen). On a clear day, the piece is truly eye catching as it rises above the landscaping in the center of the roundabout. Review #1292

Beautiful, love when the sun hits the sculpture. So impressive & it makes me smile as it does look…read morelike a dragonfly!

I hosted a birthday party for my dog at Crate Escapes - my first time visiting for myself and many…read moreof our guests-but likely not the last! What a great place to take your dog! There is a large outdoor play area, indoor space and a small dog area. The check-in is easy, especially if you download the app first. The staff is great and there's a "ruff-eree" that walks around to maintain order and helps keep the play area clean. There are poo bags stationed liberally around the facility so picking up after your dog is easy. We had fun interacting with the other clients and their dogs. Usually there is a food vendor onsite but were between vendors when I went. I was able to carry in whatever wanted and was told DoorDash was OK, too. I didn't have a chance to check out the bar, which is a pay by ounce but several of my guests did and commented on the variety offered. There are many picnic tables and chairs for humans to gather and a mix of natural and artificial turf for the dogs to play. My friends and I have talked about going back, despite the distance for some of us. It's worth the drive. This is a great day out for dog people-fun for your dog and a chill vibe for dog parents.

I've been hearing about Crate Escapes for a while now. I can remember having a chat with the owner…read moreback at the Clay Terrace dog park when Crate Escapes was just a concept. I'm so happy I decided to check it out today for the first time to experience "Puppy Yoga." The event featured adoptable puppies through Far Fetched a foster based rescue in Indianapolis. "Trinket," a three-legged Greyhound stole the show! She even found a mat of her own to lounge on. Yoga was facilitated by Amanda Denny Meyer of Within You Without You--although most of us cuddled with the puppies rather than posing in downward facing dog. I'm looking forward to returning to Crate Escapes for other fun events in the future! It's a great place for adults and dogs to socialize. So much more than just a dog park. It's a really unique opportunity just to hang out in this space with dogs everywhere and the option to have food and drinks with other dog lovers. Please consider adopting before you shop around or seek out a breeder. There are so many amazing rescue dogs who need a good home. Also spay and neuter your pets please and thank you!!

The pictures tell it all. I know I have reviewed this before but for some reason the pictures fell…read moreoff so I wanted to add them back. I would have to say that service is the number 1 one thing you can expect from this place besides location and the jaw dropping beauty of it. All the brides I have talked to for referrals say: Bill will find a way to make your wedding dreams come true.

High end gallery some very interesting pieces. If you want to look around or are looking for…read moresomething for you our a gift. Art is of course very subjective ... what one person loves .. another might dislike but I saw a lot here that I thought was interesting.

A very nice theater in the heart of Westfield. I had not even realized it was here until a friend…read moresuggested going here for a play. The seats are tiered so it appears that there isn't a bad seat in the house. We sat in row 2 toward the middle. Seats are very comfortable. The staff members here are very friendly and it is obvious they enjoy what they do. Concessions are available although there wasn't much variety on the night we were there. I recommend dining at one of the nearby restaurants before arriving. Parking is available in a lot behind the building. We will definitely be watching for upcoming plays.

Charming playhouse, easy to locate. Nice big stage with…read moretiered seating. Lots of interesting plays coming up Saw Class of Chaos performed by the Basile Westfield Playhouse Youth Advisory Council. These kids had 24 hours to learn the play and did a great job. My granddaughter Brooke was one of the 17 actors. Tickets are reasonably priced. Lots of parking

This piece is part of the 2020 Jiffy Lube Mural project, in conjunction with the Arts Council of…read moreIndianapolis. It is the work of Artur Silva and Shaunte Lewis and is not your typical mural. It is not painted directly on the building wall. The image was printed on vinyl and installed on the building. This is the first digitally-created artwork in the Jiffy Lube mural program. So, obviously it is on the side a Jiffy Lube. The mural is abstract. It goes from color in the center to black and white as it gets toward the outer edges. The left side of the mural is a mirror of the right side. It mainly consists of a lot of colorful hands. There is also a heart thrown in for good measure. The hands are based on Silva's friends' performing various actions with their hands. He also used screenshots of films highlighting the role of hands in telling a story. I will say that it is an interesting piece that I found very intriguing. I was trying to figure out which each hand was doing in the mural. I like the way the color portion of the mural contrasts with the back and white portion. They both really pop. I just pulled into the BP gas station that the mural overlooks to park. It was very easy. As with most murals that I have visited and reviewed, this is not a very long stop. I was there less than 5 minutes. You may want to consider planning out additional stops at many of the other attractions in the area, or making this stop part of a larger itinerary to maximize your time and trip.

As part of the ongoing commitment from the local owners of many Central Indiana Jiffy Lubes,…read moreanother new mural was added to the south wall of the Jiffy Lube on 151st in Westfield. The artists for this piece were Artur Silva and Shaunte Lewis. The artwork is a mixture of bright colored pieces surrounded by black and white "sketches". There are many images of hands that I haven't had a chance to understand what they represent. It is a definite eye catching mural as I noticed it from 151st even though it was just beyond a BP gas station on the south wall of the Jiffy Lube on Thatcher Lane. For more information about the artists and Jiffy Lube art program, see the link to the Arts Council of Indiana that I have added to the Business page of the mural. This piece was added in 2020, so something good came out of that year! Review #3861

We like it here - but I wish they had more on the menu than pasta/burgers. Something like a meat…read moreoption with healthy sides. We always avoid going here because the menu is not exactly what we are looking for. They used to have a bowl with meat/veggies/rice or something like that. That was better than the limited options they have now. Service is always great though! And love the brewery vibe.

Brunch Review: we made reservations online for Mother's Day which was so convenient! They can…read moreeasily accommodate parties of 6 and have indoor and outdoor seating. The interior was very well done and has a cute feel. They have an area where kids can play as well, and was a good family spot. The brunch menu is small but everything sounded so good. I got the Dutch Baby and a toffee nut latte. The drinks and food were very slow to arrive at the table. The food took over 50 mins to come out and we arrived at opening. However once we got our food and drinks everything was delicious. The service overall was not great, and we also had a hard time getting our bill.

Very impressed by this indoor facility. There are maps, which I did not take a picture of, where…read morethere are maybe 20+ baseball/softball diamonds, 30+ soccer fields, and indoor facilities. Apparently the Indiana Pacers and Indianapolis Colts use the facilities, or have their own facilities on this massive campus. When we were there the indoor facility was buzzing- tons of kids, tons of parents, and it was 1 degree above zero outside. I cannot imagine what a Saturday in June looks like at Grand Park As a curious person I Wikipedia'd this place and was pleasantly surprised the local government had the foresight to build this massive facility about 10 years ago. This place probably drives millions of dollars to the local economy. Anecdotally, we stayed at a local hotel and ate several meals in the area.

Back when MGK and Megan Fox were still a thing, I remember reading that they both had just visited…read moreGrand Park Sports Campus for one of his performances. As someone new to the Westfield area, I thought this was pretty cool and kind of surprising. Although I'm not really into sports unless I'm feeling 22-but have visited the campus a couple times now for various reasons like the Shipshewana Flea Market, "Whale of a Sale" (a large, upscale children's consignment event) and most recently "Winter Fest" presented by Westfield Youth Sports and "Brought to you by Birdies," the mini golf place and bar/restaurant in Westfield. Winter Fest was a fun and free event for locals inside the campus to promote sports enrichment in the community. Westfield residents who signed up received tickets for $15 worth of food (per person) at the cafeteria. This was quite generous of them! Chik-fil-A was also there with a booth giving out merch and gift cards for meals. The cafeteria and adult bar area are well maintained, shiny and new. The indoor field is clean and beautiful. Staff is friendly and helpful. There were vendors offering to match donations for youth sports fundraisers and local businesses advertising their products. They had tons of inflatables--even one for adults too. It was a great experience and I look forward to attending other events at Grand Park. I found out after Winter Fest that there had also been a Health and Wellness expo that same day and wished I had known about it sooner with companies like Pure Barre being there. Next year, I'll be keeping an eye out for that event and others like it.

Choooo Chooooo, all aboard. This mural is fittingly located at Grand Junction Brewing, on a roll up…read moredoor overlooking their patio. It is the work of Jules "MuckRock" Muck. She painted the mural in 2019 while doing another residency here. The mural depicts a locomotive coming head on. To give it a 3D look, MuckRock painted some train tracks on the pavement in front of it. I like the steam effect that MuckRock uses in the mural. She really makes great murals. As with all of her murals, it has her MuckRock signature on the locomotive. You can easily park in Grand Junction's parking lot to get a closer look at this mural. As with most murals that I visit, this is not a large consumer of time, nor a destination piece. I was just there briefly. I would say about 5 minutes. I highly recommend visiting here on your way to somewhere else or making this part of a larger itinerary. Asa Bales Park is very close by or you can get a drink or bite to eat at Grand Junction .

While on a painting tour across the USA, artist Jules Muck "MuckRock" found a wealth of surfaces in…read morethe Indy area to share her talent. One of the places she was contacted to paint was on the garage door of Grand Junction Brewings brewhouse on 181st. This over-sized garage door offered plenty of space to paint Engine Number 9 coming straight at you. Especially cool is that the artist extended the train tracks off the door and onto the pavement to give it more of a 3D effect. The engine has the artist's tag "Muck Rock" just above the cow catcher on the front of the engine. I enjoy when the artist is able to tie into a theme and use her talent to complement the surrounding area. Nice railroad theme working for this business. For more murals by Muck, you can follow her on instagram or check out the Public Art Directory at IndyArtsGuide.org/public-art/. Review #2875