The city of Indianapolis, Indiana, just had its best year ever in almost every major tourism metric last year, including attendance at conventions, meetings, and trade shows. Chris Gahl, executive vice president and chief marketing officer of Visit Indy, notes, “We’re tripling down on the convention industry and its infrastructure. We’re amid $3 billion in new tourism-related development.” In addition, the Indiana capital city is going big in promoting itself as a mecca for sports events, including the Indianapolis 500 and basketball in all its forms. As Gahl notes, “Sports are in our DNA.”
Vibe: “Indy’s vibe is ‘approachable,’” adds Gahl. “‘Hoosier hospitality’ is a mantra that is used to describe Indy—this idea that we’re quick to welcome and authentic in our desire to help others. We’re incredibly approachable as a city.”
Transportation: With 87 daily international and domestic nonstop flights into Indianapolis International Airport and a central location, Indianapolis is easy to get to. IndyGo public bus service travels from the airport to downtown (about 50 minutes) and elsewhere, and private bus companies spider out between the airport and Ball State University in Muncie, the University of Indiana in Bloomington, and Purdue University in Lafayette and West Lafayette. Uber, Lyft, and taxi companies also can give you a ride in the Indianapolis area. The city is 180 miles southeast of Chicago and 210 miles east of Springfield. Amtrak runs between Chicago and Indianapolis.
Hotels: Downtown Indianapolis harbors 4,700 hotel rooms across 12 properties, all connected to the Indiana Convention Center and Lucas Oil Stadium via climate-controlled skyways. The art deco Omni Severin Hotel relaunched in December after a $24 million revamp with 17,000 square feet of meeting space. The 33-story JW Marriott Indianapolis has 54 meeting rooms. After a $120 million remodeling of the historic Illlinois Building on Monument Circle, the InterContinental Indianapolis opened in February. An 800-room Signia by Hilton hotel will open next year.
Venues: The Indiana Convention Center is adding 143,000 square feet to its 566,000-square-foot facility, with the new portion slated to open next year. Home to the NFL’s Indianapolis Colts, Lucas Oil Stadium is connected via skyway to the convention center. Gainbridge Fieldhouse, home to the NBA’s Indiana Pacers and the WNBA’s Indiana Fever (Caitlin Clark’s team), completed a $450 million renovation last year. The 15,000-square-foot Grand Hall at Historic Union Station seats up to 1,800 in Gilded Age glamour. The stucco-and-red-tile Indiana Roof Ballroom flaunts open-air space reminiscent of European town squares.
Must-Sees & -Dos: The Indianapolis Motor Speedway Museum reopened in April after a major renovation; has unique, Indy car-filled spaces; and offers tours of the speedway itself. In the heart of downtown near the convention center and many hotels, White River State Park boasts 250 acres of green space (much of it available for rentals), four amphitheaters, the NCAA headquarters and the NCAA Hall of Champions museum, three additional museums, an IMAX theater, the Indianapolis Zoo and White River Gardens,
and two stadiums offering seating for 12,000 to 14,000 event attendees.
