Going to INDY and Bloomington IN
 

Hi.

I'll be doing a college run with my son in October to INDY and Bloomington IN.
I'd like some tips on must see's and must do's in this area. I'll have half of Saturday and all day Sunday. Just the boys weekend. And 2500 miles to boot! http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/smile.gif

Maybe hotel info if you have it. Since I'm paying I'd prefer something on the cheaper side.

I bought my tix on Expedia to get that 30% off deal. We paid $210 r/t from White Plains. And it was the same price from LaGuardia. Go figure. Usually HPN is much higher.

Dan

I stayed at a Marriott in Indianapolis -- there are two. I believe it was North but I'm not sure -- you can search for Indianapolis in the Marriott forum to find out.

As others recommended to me I agree -- it's a great hotel, new, with nice staff, and near a mall. Location isn't too bad but there was construction going on that made it a nightmare when I was there.

I believe it was $99 with two for breakfast when I went there. Typical weekend rate for a Marriott.

Enjoy.

I have been to Indianapolis every month since 1994 (except when I worked there 14 months straight, while flying home on the weekends). I know the city really well.

Where you stay really depends on where you want to be while in the Indianapolis area. The Marriott North, which is about a year old, is great, but it and the Carmel/Castleton area it is in are 22 miles northeast of IND airport. It's more than an hour down to Bloomington from there.

I'd personally stay in Bloomington, or, at the least, stay downtown Indianapolis. There's some great restaurants, brewpubs, and sports arenas (RCA Dome and The brand new Field House where the Hoosiers play)downtown, and great hotels, including Hyatt, Westin. If you are more on a budget, a Courtyard. What's nice about Indianapolis is that like a lot of cities, it's downtown has been completely revitalized. If you decide to stay in Indy downtown, you'll find the drive from Bloomington much quicker as well as when you go to the airport.

In Indianapolis, if you like motor racing, there is the Indianapolis Motor Speedway on Georgetown Road. It's worth it to visit it. The size, even from the air, is amazing.

If you stay downtown, there's a great mall there too, Circle Center with a Nordstroms as their anchor store, tons of theatres for a good movie.

If the leaves are starting to change early(and I won't be in Indianapolis until October 3), a great place to see them is Nashville, Ind. It's about 30 miles (I'm guessing) east of Bloomington, or about an hour south of Indianpolis. It's pretty touristy, but I took my folks there and they loved it.

Favorite Indy restaurants

I've been to Indianapolis twice, both for the NCAA Final Four. (held at the RCA Dome).

The downtown section has been revitalized, and there are several hotels (Westin, Hyatt), all connected to a mall, the convention center, and the RCA Dome.

In the morning once, we visited the home of William Henry Harrison, while the rest of the trip was filled with the NCAA Final Four activites (special globetrotters game, FanLand in the convention center, hanging out in the mall, not to mention the games themselves).

I've been to Bloomington two or three times (the mother-in-law). We stayed at the Hampton...it was okay. A few years ago the Holiday Inn was bad, but they might have renovated. I can't recommend anything to do in Bloomington, except saying hello to Bobby Knight.

And if you want to say hi to Bobby (and he actually lives way out in the "boonies," so I'd check in at the campus instead! http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/smile.gif), you'd better hurry! http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/wink.gif

In Indianapolis, I'd recommend the Hyatt or the Canterbury.

BTW- Downtown closes a bit early here! http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/wink.gif

A family friend's best friend is the wife of old Bob.

Apparently, out of the public eye, he is a sweetie. I quote: "His wife has him wrapped around her finger,"

So Doc... do you live in Indy???