Want to be in a city that loves its sports – Indianapolis IS where its at for the sports fan.
Located in the heart of the midwestern United States, Indianapolis is a city with friendly locals and an unparalleled devotion to sports. Whether its pro or college, this city is always following what’s going on in the wide world of sports.
As the past host of the Final Four and the 2012 host of the Superbowl, Indy has plenty of places for beer, eats and to openly drool about sports – here’s where to revel with the guys in Indianapolis:
Set up shop at The Conrad Indianapolis, a cool boutique hotel, centrally located downtown. Guests can hold court at The Capital Grille, a perfect place to fuel up in style under the watchful eye of a moosehead or for the oenophile, spend pre-game time at Tastings, with over 100 varietals available by the taste, glass or bottle.
As the host to the world’s largest one day sporting event, The Indianapolis 500, race car drivers from around the world, whether its Formula 1 or NASCAR, flock to the ol’ Brickyard for the month of May to practise and prepare for the auto racing world’s fave competition.
During the racing season, this famous racing oval also hosts The Brickyard 400 and the Red Bull Moto GP but when there’s no racing happening, visitors can indulge in another fave sport: golf. The Brickyard Crossing is an 18 hole championship golf course, designed by Pete Dye. Golfers will have the rare treat of playing four holes within the infield of the 2.5 mile racing oval.
For lunchtime options, check out one of the newest additions to the resto scene – Goose The Market. This friendly hangout offers up fresh and hearty sandwiches each day, inspired by the bounty of Indiana and also offers an Indiana Bacon of the Month Club, for those obsessed with the salty strips or the newly launched Beer and Cheese Club, a monthly sampling of local craft brews and cheese for members.
For pints and good stories head to the neighbourhood of Broad Ripple to Plump’s Last Shot. With sports memorabilia on every wall, young and old sports enthusiasts can be found talking about their fave players and last night’s game. If you’re very lucky, Bobby Plump, the illustrious namesake, will be hanging out at the bar, ready to say hello and talk basketball. Plump was the one who made the shot that sent his highschool team to victory, celebrated in the 1986 sports film Hoosiers.
This is a town that adores its Colts and Pacers, but has a soft spot for college sports. As the homebase for the National Collegiate Athletic Association aka the NCAA, Indy is the place to visit the NCAA Hall of Champions, a museum celebrating all college sports and the storied athletes whose skills have been the talk of their schools in the past decades. After a wander of the Hall of Champions, rent a segway and zip around the White River State Park before its beer time again.
If you want to rub shoulders with the sports elite, whether its the hometown heroes or the visiting challengers, bring your appetite to St. Elmo Steak House, an old school dining institution with an appreciation for a bit of surf and a whole lot of turf from porterhouse and filet mignon to New York strip and prime rib. And don’t forget the famous shrimp cocktail to start or for the fanboy, indulge in the Colts or Pacers game day menus.
And when you need a bit of blues to celebrate post-game, the Slippery Noodle Inn will provide ample entertainment (and tv screens to keep up on scores from the late games) as well as a wide variety of cold brews. This club’s notorious past as a brothel and hideout for the Dillinger gang back in the day doesn’t dispute this as the oldest bar in the state, and perfect spot to end the day and rehash the game.