Visiting Indy

Travel Note

RESTAURANTS

Bakersfield 334 Massachusetts Ave. Street tacos right by the welcome cocktails location. Grab some queso and a spicy mezcal marg. YATS (multiple locations) A casual and quick spot with amazing Cajun food. We recommend the chili cheese étouffé or the spinach and mushroom étouffée. Fat Dan's (multiple locations, but we like 5410 N College Ave best) Casual spot for wings, beer, and a Chicago dog. Bodhi 922 Massachusetts Ave. Really good Thai food with yummy cocktails near the Bottleworks Hotel. Patachou (multiple locations) A go-to breakfast and lunch spot. We recommend the tomato artichoke soup and the cinnamon sugar toast. Bluebeard 653 Virginia Ave. Upscale American food in a nice atmosphere (but no reservations). St. Elmo's Steakhouse 127 S. Illinois St. Head here if you want a fancy and classic Indianapolis experience. You must try the shrimp cocktail. Tinker Street 402 E 16th St Good vibes, good farm-to-table food.

Travel Note

ACTIVITIES

Newfields 4000 N Michigan Rd. If you're an art-lover, the Indianapolis Museum of Art at Newfields is worth a visit ($20 admission). If it's nice out, walk around the grounds (which will be decked out for Halloween) and get a drink in the beer garden. Or, take a walk around the lake at the Virginia B. Fairbanks Art & Nature Park (1850 W 38th St.) which you can visit for free. If you're in town on Friday night, you could get tickets to Newfields' Harvest Nights, which gives you access to the grounds covered in lit up jack-o-lanterns and other spooky decorations. Pins Mechanical Company 856 Carrollton Ave. This spot in the Bottleworks District has duckpin bowling, pinball, ping-pong tables, and a rooftop bar. Live Music On 10/27, Moon Taxi is playing at the Vogue (6259 N College Ave.), a John Mellencamp cover band, Mellencougar, is playing at the Rathskellar, a German beer hall and restaurant downtown (401 E Michigan St.), a local Blues band will play at the Slippery Noodle, Indiana's oldest bar (est. 1850) (372 S Meridian St.), and country artists will play at Duke's, a divey honky-tonk on Indy's south side. The Fowling Warehouse 1125 E Brookside Ave. It's bowling, but with a football.

Travel Note

BARS

Both of the hotels we recommended (Bottleworks and Hotel Indy) have great bars. If you want to get out on the town, try... Hotel Tango 702 Virgina Ave. An artisan distillery with a fireplace and very cool bottles of bourbon, whiskey, vodka, gin, lemoncello, and rum if you're looking for a cocktail and maybe a souvenir from the Crossroads of America. The Rathskellar 401 E. Michigan St. A German biergarten with live music, soft pretzels, and spicy mustard. The Ball & Biscuit 331 Massachusetts Ave. Arty cocktails & small plates with a cozy, speakeasy vibe. Sun King Brewery Craft beer and a nice patio if it's sunny. Chatterbox 435 Massachusetts Ave Local, kind of dive-y jazz bar. Kilroy's 201 S Meridian St. If you need a place to watch football on Saturday and want a very Indiana experience, go here and get the breadsticks.