Dear NEXT TRAVELER to Indianapolis, Indiana!
Highlights/Recommendations:
1. Indy 500
2. Indy 500 Parade
3. Indianapolis Downtown
4. Indianapolis Downtown Canal
5. Indianapolis Indiana LDS Temple

When we started planning our visit to Indiana it was an added bonus that our trip dates could coincide with the Indy 500 race during America’s 250th Anniversary. It was awesome! We also attended the Indy parade and got to visit the downtown area. We loved walking along the downtown canal and felt blessed to visit to the Indianapolis LDS Temple. We were only able to have a small sampling of what Indiana has to offer, but we had the best time.

Indy 500. I will admit the Indy 500 race was not at the top of my list of things to do, but as soon as we started planning our Indiana trip, my husband became really interested when I mentioned it would be fun to be able to attend. Before long our dates were lining up and my husband was looking for race tickets. My husband has attended several NASCAR races but this was completely different. We knew it would be a huge event but had no idea of the magnitude until we made it to Indianapolis. It WAS the event. When we were driving through downtown, we saw a huge banner on a tall building that said, “It’s May.” It wasn’t until I talked to a local and they educated me on “It’s May” was the slogan for ALL the events surrounding the race.
After being there for a race, there is some coordinating that will make your experience even better. PARKING is a huge part of the race. If you can purchase a parking spot well in advance, I highly recommend doing that. The racetrack is located in a residential area and although there are some parking lots, there are definitely not enough. The residents that live around the racetrack rent spots in their yard for parking. This is a very normal parking solution for hundreds of people. We decided to Uber to and from the race. That’s not a terrible decision but you need to get to the race track hours before it starts. The traffic is terrible and you might not be able to get an Uber to the race if you wait too late. We were the last ride in for our Uber. Leaving the race is an entirely different set of challenges. The police block off streets and Uber drivers can’t get to you. We walked several blocks out of the racetrack area and met up with multiple groups of people that were waiting on Ubers. They thought they were getting a ride then the Uber driver would cancel because they couldn’t get to them. If you decide to Uber into the race, plan to walk at least 1/2 mile from the racetrack for an Uber to get you or plan to wait at least two hours after the race for the police to remove the street block so you can be picked up. Even if you park yourself, plan to wait awhile to get out of the parking lots. The 2026 Indianapolis 500 we attended was the “110th running and had over 350,000 attendees, which made it the largest single-day sporting event in the world and a historic sellout.” We felt it. There were a lot of people. Even with that many people everyone we encountered was kind and nice and just trying to help each other. Race day was awesome.  

Indy 500 Parade. We haven’t been to many large parades. We try to attend some Mardi Gras parades since we live near New Orleans and have attended many Christmas parades when our children were little to catch a glimpse of Santa Clause. THE INDY 500 PARADE WAS NOTHING LIKE I HAVE EVER SEEN! It lasted over 2 hours. It was incredible. The majority of the drivers were in the parade. The police weren’t necessarily thrilled by it, but you could run up to the trucks they were riding in and get the driver’s autograph. Our daughter got “Sting Ray” Robb’s autograph. There were so many bands, city and government officials, huge balloons. It was awesome! We brought our own chairs and that proved to be a great decision. The volunteers helping for the parade were kind and tried to make it the best experience for everyone. There are chairs set up along the parade route that you can rent. We actually didn’t sit the entire parade but were glad to have the chairs we brought for our daughters and just to have a place holder for our spot.

Indianapolis Downtown. The Indy Parade runs through the streets of downtown Indianapolis. Because we arrived hours before the parade started and stayed for the parade and lunch after, we ended up spending most of the day in the downtown area. We loved it. We parked in a downtown parking garage and had great access to everything we wanted to see. After the parade we had lunch in the downtown area. There are plenty of good restaurants.

Indy Downtown Canal. I was doing a search of interesting things in the downtown area and found the Indy water canal. The canal is built through the downtown area and runs through Butler University campus. History fun fact: In 1836, the state started building the canal to connect rivers and boost trade but the economic crash of 1837 resulted in a pause of the canal. The original vision for 100s of canals never happened but the current canal is a key part of the city’s water supply and is an American Water landmark. There were gondola boat rides and it reminded us of what Venice would be like – well… atleast the boat rides. There was also a great kids playground area.

Indianapolis Indiana LDS Temple. We arrived in Indianapolis just in time to drop our luggage off at the hotel and hurry over to the Indianapolis Temple. We were so glad we made a visit to the temple part of our plan that evening. All the temples are beautiful in their own unique way but we thought this temple was very special.

Although we only had a few days in Indiana and spent most of them in Indianapolis, we loved the kindness of the people, the great things we were able to do and see. It’s a special place.