During my first month moving to Urbana-Champaign I was very worried that being in this small university town would be very isolating and I won’t get to see much that’s interesting. But, although surrounded by corn fields for two hours in every direction, one you pass those corn fields you get terrific cities – Chicago, St. Louis and … Indianapolis. I don’t think I’ve ever been to Indianapolis before, or to Indiana, so wasn’t sure exactly what to expect but this seems like a very pleasant city and the Indiana State Museum area, with the White River State Park were quite charming, with some rather impressive sites. There’s also a zoo near by the and Indiana University campus.
So, yeah, I started off with the White River State park (Wikipedia) :
White River State Park covers 250 acres (1 km2) in Indianapolis, Indiana, United States, on the western edge of the downtown area at 801 West Washington Street. It is also one of six designated cultural districts in Indianapolis. Among the attractions located in or near the park are the Indiana State Museum and IMAX Theater, the Indianapolis Zoo and White River Gardens, the Eiteljorg Museum of American Indians and Western Art, the NCAA Headquarters and Hall of Champions, the Medal of Honor Memorial, Victory Field (home of Indianapolis Indians’ baseball), Military Park, the Farm Bureau Insurance Lawn Concert Series, and the Indiana Cross Country Arena.
Restoration on this area began in the late 1980s, based around the Indiana Central Canal. The canal was originally engineered in the 1830s as a way to ship goods through the state of Indiana, but the project went bankrupt and the Indianapolis section of the canal was the only section that was ever dug. Although the canal was never used for what it was built for, recent restoration and development have changed the area and it is currently functioning as a cultural center within the city of Indianapolis. One of the proposed focal points of the park, Indiana Tower, was never constructed.
Which is just next to the museum and IMAX …
And some grand downtown buildings…
parks…
and …. rivers…
What’s to see inside? It’s your rather typical state museum looking at the history and culture of Indiana state, highlighting all the famous people that came from this state…
Location:
So seems like there’s more to see in the area, and two hours isn’t as bad as I thought. It’s basically a straight road all the way from Champaign.
Will definitely go and visit again soon.