Skywalks are a distinctive feature of Indianapolis, with shops, restaurants, bars, entertainment spots and hotels connected via the skywalk network. This includes the eye-catching Artsgarden, whose futuristic-looking seven-storey bubble stands 17 ft above street level. It is home to more than 300 free


performances and exhibits each year and is a source of free maps, ticket information, visitor guides, directions and other city-wide arts events. Since the 1980s the city has been


busy refurbishing its Central Canal, which dates to the 1800s, to the point where it is now a key city attraction. On the edge of downtown, the canal


runs through the pretty White River State Park and attracts walkers, strollers and cyclists. Gondola rides are available or visitors can scoot along the canal’s promenade on a segway. Rentals run at around $40 an hour, which includes a ‘how to


use’ lesson. Several other attractions are


located along the canal. Indianapolis Zoo's Oceans exhibit


features the world's largest shark touch tank, while Dolphin Adventure offers the world's first totally submerged dolphin viewing experience (and, if you pre-register, an opportunity to climb into the tank). Other stops on the canal include the Indiana State Museum. The three-storey experience provides an interesting overview of Indiana's history, has a six-storey IMAX movie screen and one of the world's


largest private collections of Abraham


Lincoln memorabilia. Further along the canal, the NCAA Hall


of Champions is a national museum honouring the nation’s collegiate sportsmen and women. Indianapolis is also a city of impressive


war memorials, second only to Washington DC in number. Architectural stunners are found all


over the city and the aptly-named Monument Circle, which has a soldiers and sailors monument at its centre, marks the exact centre of downtown. Most impressive is the American Legion Mall that holds not just that organisation’s headquarters but five separate monuments, including the neoclassical World War Memorial, which houses a museum.


Main Picture: Soldiers and Sailors Monument; Right: The first Indy 500 winner; The Fort Golf Course


Indianapolis is also rich with sports


stadiums, which makes it a good city break recommendation for those clients looking to experience a slice of Americana by watching a professional match. Conseco Field House (basketball), Victory Field (the best attended minor league baseball stadium in the US) and Lucas Oil Stadium (American Football and the venue for the Super Bowl in 2012) loom large over the skyline from many downtown reference points. The city will also host World Cup soccer matches if the USA wins the bid to stage the tournament in 2022. World-class golf is also on offer in the


city, with several fabulous courses close by. Brickyard Crossing is unique in that four of the holes have been laid out on the infield of the Indy 500 speedway. Located minutes from downtown


destination. ‘We can sell this'. "We are used to hosting overseas


visitors for the Indy 500 weekend - now its time to get them here at other times."


AS K THE OPERATORS Steve Endacott On Holiday Group


“Indianapolis’s main draws are its one-off sporting events that you cannot experience anywhere else,


most obviously the world-famous Indianapolis 500 Indy car race (basically the American Formula 1). Then there's basketball, baseball and American football, and great golf "Its downtown area has excellent restaurants and good bars, and I'd recommend the canal-side Segway tour. Indianapolis should be sold as a more


MUST DOS Your clients don’t have to be petrol


heads to appreciate the role motorsports play in carving the city’s identity. The Indianapolis Motor Speedway Hall of Fame houses many vehicles and other memorabilia of past winners of the 500-mile race, including the first winning car (pictured below). Bus tours around the oval are available year-round


Unlike many US cities, downtown


Indianapolis comes alive after dark and packs a lot of lively pubs, clubs and eateries into its relatively small downtown area. Most of the best are found in the Warehouse District, including Slippery Noodle. One of the nation’s best blues clubs, the multi-room venue nightly showcases emerging and established bands.


The Indianapolis Museum of Art


Indianapolis, The Fort, with its tree-lined fairways and rolling hills, is another course worth recommending to clients with golf on their mind. Thirty minutes north is Crooked Stick, a championship course that hosted the 1991 USPGA Championship (one of golf’s majors). All three golf courses were designed by leading golf architect Pete Dye and the ICVA is developing a Pete Dye golf trail to ‘package’ its golf assets more readily for international visitors.


TOURI SM TALK Warren Wilkinson senior vice-president, marketing Indianapolis CVA “The UK tour operators who visited Indianapolis and experienced everything the city has to


offer were both surprised and impressed. When they first arrived I think they had virtually no perception of Indianapolis, except for the race. But many have told me: 'This is a great


relaxing and interesting city break alternative to New York or Boston. "A drawback is the lack of direct flights


from the UK, but this can be turned into a positive by doing a twin-centre with another American city. This is easy because there are hundreds of domestic services to Indianapolis.”


David Higgins, Sport Abroad “Travel agents should be recommending Indianapolis as a viable city break. It is an


extremely user-friendly city, offers fantastic value for money and is great for watching premier American sporting events, such as the famous Indianapolis Colts. There are many opportunities for enjoying local hospitality, lively bars, excellent restaurants and shopping malls – and all are within easy reach of your hotel. The city is a short domestic flight from your point of entry into the United States and the impressive new airport is a short hop from downtown.”


is one of the nation's largest and oldest general art museums. The permanent collection spans a vast range of cultures and eras, with more than 50,000 works (including one of the nation's largest and most significant collections of Asian art). On the museum grounds, the Virginia B. Fairbanks Art & Nature Park includes sculptures integrated into woodlands, wetlands, lakes and meadows.


Par Excellence! Indianapolis is golf's hidden secret! There are plenty of great courses in or close to the city and, with green fees at many around the $50/$60 mark, represent some of the best quality-for-money golf in the country.


www.sellinglonghaul.com • September 2010 41


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