If you’re looking for a fun mini-trip within driving distance of Cincinnati or Louisville, check out what Indianapolis has to offer. Here’s what my family did in two days.
(originally written in May 2021)
Our teen boys were on Spring break and we hadn’t traveled since February 2020, just before the pandemic hit home. Since three of us have our first vaccine, we decided it was safe enough to venture out for a somewhat local trip where we could find things to do outdoors and away from large crowds.
First, the important things – how long did it take to get there, and how much did it cost? The drive itself was only about two hours from where we live in the Greater Cincinnati area, according to Google Maps, but we tend to meander. We left on a Monday morning and stopped by Roebling Point Books & Coffee for a little business (they wanted to buy six copies of my latest book, Personified, in honor of National Poetry Month!).
The drive itself has plenty of gas stations for fill-ups and potty breaks, but traffic was light enough that we were able to maintain the 70mph speed limit most of the way.
Day 1: Monday
Our friends at Roebling kindly told us about a cool little neighborhood just north of Indianapolis that was comparable to Covington, KY or Northside, OH, called Broad Ripple. Despite a small challenge of trying to figure out the parking meters once there, we settled into a free spot on a side street, and ventured out on foot.
By the time we arrived we were ready for lunch, so we popped into a taco place called Cholita with a breezy, shaded balcony and plenty of space-out seating. Their prices were very reasonable, the service was excellent, and I already miss the tacos.
With our bellies satisfied, we continued our stroll to a store called The Magic Bus, where one of the employees saw my Primus shirt and said to me, “Hey, Primus sucks.” Before you get offended, know that this is an insider fan joke that actually made me feel sentimental, and so I smiled from behind my mask, and said, “Primus does suck.”
(Fun side note: Primus was our sons’ first concert! We have a tour poster framed from it.)
At The Magic Bus, we picked up two wall hangings for our abode, including a purple Chakra tapestry for my yoga space. They carry everything for today’s hippie. 🙂
Next, we wandered the streets toward a place called Broad Ripple Vintage. If you’ve been in Cincinnati for a few moons, you may recall a downtown store called Trivets; this place reminded us of it in the fondest of ways…it even smelled better. It carries bell bottoms, flapper dresses for only $45, leather cuff bracelets for $10, and incredible 70’s lamps that are so unique they may have not been for sale. My husband picked up a pair of well-loved black boots with double zippers; I got a new flower barrette for $3 (because let’s face it, you can never have too many flower barrettes – am I right, ladies?).
You could easily spend a few hours in Broad Ripple, especially if you dine there. The streets are pedestrian-friendly, there are plenty of shops and restaurants, and the vibe is good. It really feels like a well-loved neighborhood.
By early afternoon we checked in to our hotel. We stayed at the Wingate by the airport for about $90. I chose it because it had an indoor pool and included a continental breakfast (the hot breakfast bar was closed because of Covid), and it was only about 10 minutes from the other places we wanted to visit. This hotel wasn’t the nicest place I’ve ever stayed at, by far – I mean, there are times when I’ve danced around a room playing Rock Star by Post Malone – but, it also definitely wasn’t the worst place I’ve stayed. I’ll put it like this – it was a great stay for only $90.
If that’s your budget, I don’t think you’ll be disappointed. For us, for this trip, that was in range, and again – it had the pool and breakfast, which could easily cost our family $40 if we ate out.
Once we got our room and put down our bags, we visited the Indianapolis Canal Walk. For an urban space, it was gorgeous. The canal was a turquoise blue dotted with geese and ducks, and the walk was mostly lined with contemporary apartment buildings. Occasional bridges connected both sides, and there was a quaint and lively playground along the way. Toward one end is the The Eiteljorg Museum of Native and Western Art and Artifacts, with its neighbor, the Indiana State Museum.
You can rent bicycles and scooters, but we thought the sidewalk was a little narrow for that, so we opted to walk the 1.5 miles and back. During their in-season, you can rent paddle boats or ride a gondola. Otherwise, it’s a free afternoon; we spent two or three hours strolling the area.
Note that, from what we found, there is only one public restroom on the route, and it’s at one far end of the canal. Plan accordingly.
As dusk began to settle in, we made our way toward a German restaurant called the Rathskeller on Michigan Street. My husband found it online at random and so when we entered and made our way down a cozy staircase to the hostess stand, I was a little worried when she asked if we had reservations. I hadn’t brushed my hair since early that morning, and we were all dressed more casually than I’d prefer for a nice restaurant. That said, the hostess welcomed us to a table and made no judgments that I could tell. 🙂
As you can see from the image, the atmosphere is incredible and the building is steeped in history. My husband loved the Grapefruit Hefeweizen beer, the service was amazing, and the food was just incredible. Expect to spend about $30 a plate and leave with a full belly, as well as hearty leftovers.
To burn off a calorie or two, we strolled up and down Massachusetts Avenue, which is just outside of the Rathskeller. Most of the shops were closed by the time we began walking, but there were plenty of pedestrians for people watching, some amazing murals (including one of Hoosier and fave writer of mine, Kurt Vonnegut), and tons of shops to visit when we return one day.
We wrapped up the day by splitting into pairs: my husband and older son stayed in the room and watched TV while I went swimming in the hotel pool with our younger son. There, I watched two little girls playing a game to see who could hold their breath the longest. After one went under water, the second one waited above water until she saw her friend about to pop up, then she ducked down. Stinker!
Day 2: Tuesday
While Broad Ripple and the Canal were fun to visit, the Indianapolis Zoo was our main destination for the trip. (Yes, I know about the Children’s Museum – we took our boys when they were little, we all loved it, but now they’re teens, and I didn’t want to go somewhere so “touchy” with Covid still being a thing – that’s just me.)
The zoo alone is worth the trip! It’s small compared to the Cincinnati Zoo, which is the one we’ve grown up with, but the displays are easy to see, the landscaping is nice, and they have the big hitters: an amazing dolphin show*, a reptile house, giraffes, rhinos, and so much more.
*The dolphin show is a must-see. It’s free with admission, and includes important messaging about recycling and reducing plastic use to help save our oceans. I love that so many young ears are hearing this message. Also, I was crying almost the entire time, with the tears catching on my cloth mask. I don’t know if it’s because I was in a room full of other mothers with children – our future, learning about environmentalism – wearing masks from the pandemic that we’re still dealing with, or if it was because I’m really that upset about plastic litter making its way to the water, or if it was just because I was sitting there, watching a show with my teen boys, knowing that one day they’ll be too busy to go on vacation with mom and dad. It was perhaps a miniature existential crisis, but I also did enjoy watching dolphins do sweet tricks, like wave to us. I digress.
Speaking of our teens, one of our motto’s is that it’s not a Haas family vacation unless there’s (sorry) blood or vomit. And there was! Our oldest son got a nosebleed, which he has become famous for when we travel for some reason.
Which brings me to…”plan ahead!” I carry tissues, but you should also bring water, especially while water fountains are still closed from Covid. The food lines were long and some stations were closed (because of Covid? We couldn’t figure that out), so bring water and probably some snacks. We waited in line for maybe an hour, and lunch ran about $70 for five basic meals and a beer. Why five meals when there were four of us? Because, teens! 😉
We also passed up the oceans building because the line was pretty much always 60-90 minutes of wait time to get into the building. So, plan for that, or plan to skip it, but know that it might be a thing when you go.
Instead, we headed to the butterfly exhibit in the gardens next to the zoo. This is also included with admission, and worth the short wait we experienced there. The butterfly show was comparable to Cincinnati’s Krohn’s Conservatory show: in a word, magical. One gorgeous little feller even landed on my mask for a moment.
Walking through the doors of the greenhouse into the outdoor garden, we wandered through charming sculptures and Spring greenery in what I think was the quietest part of our entire trip.
Maybe that quiet was enough to make us homesick already, because we left the gardens, got into the car, and began our trip home, which included a quick stop to visit the unlikely tree sticking out from the Greensburg courthouse.
There is so much to do in Indianapolis – these are just a few things we experienced and enjoyed, and I hope this helps you plan a trip there. If you’ve been, share your Indy faves in the comments below!
Peace, love, and family,
Cherie Dawn
(Featured image shown at top is courtesy of QK / IslandWorks from Pixabay)
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LifeSoup by Cherie Dawn Haas 
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