by Tom Bastek
Last updated: 11:14 AM ET, Wed April 1, 2015
Photos courtesy of each individual attraction
Your team has made it to the final four, so you have blocked off the whole weekend just in case they make it to the final game on Monday night. So you have some time to burn in the capital city of Indiana? Here are a few things to do.
Children's Museum of Indianapolis
The world's largest, the Children's Museum of Indianapolis was originally founded in 1925 and is the fourth oldest such venue as well. There are five floors of exhibits and the Dinoshpere, an exhibit that "features a sound and light experience that simulates a day in the late Cretaceous period 65 million years ago." If you are there this weekend with the kids, make sure to check out Transformers: Robots in Disguise featuring a life-size Optimus Prime and Bumblebee.
Indianapolis Motor Speedway and Hall of Fame Museum
Everyone thinks of the Indianapolis 500 when they think of Indianapolis, and for good reason. The race has been taking place since 1911, and is considered to be the largest single-day sporting event in the entire world. The Indianapolis Motor Speedway is regarded as the world's largest sporting facility by capacity, and the Indianapolis Motor Speedway and Hall of Fame Museum is the place to go to experience all its history in person. Displaying over 75 cars at any given time, the museum rotates through its collection because of the size. In addition to the vehicles, the exhibits contain trophies, plaques, helmets, gloves, and driver's suits.
Canal Walk
Dug in the 1800s, to facilitate a connection between the Wabash and Erie Canals and the Ohio River, the central canal is an eight-mile stretch that goes right through the heart of Indianapolis. Passing through White River State Park, the 3 mile canal walk serves as a promenade for walkers, runners, and bikers and the canal itself sees pedal boats, gondolas, and kayakers.
Books & Brews
Definitely not the oldest brewery in the city but one of the quirkiest, Books & Brews grew out of a Kickstarter campaign and an idea: How about a place where you can disconnect from technology and connect with people and offer products by locals for locals? Jason Wuerfel, the founder and head brewer of Books and Brews says it best, "We love beer. We love books. We love people." They offer a family friendly used book shop up front and a brewery with bar in the back for the adults. They serve food and have entertainment in the evenings. The best part? All of their brews and menu items are named after books.
St. Elmo Steak House
Originally opened in 1902, it is the oldest steakhouse in Indianapolis that is still in its original location. Known for their signature shrimp cocktail, they have a full menu of steaks, chops, and chicken to satisfy the meat eater in us all. St. Elmo's sources ingredients locally as much as possible, and offers a great dessert menu if you just want to stop by for an after dinner nip. Check out their new 1933 Lounge on the second floor offering a bar food menu and signature cocktails as well.
Well, that wraps up another year of college basketball and a great tour around the country. Hopefully your team wins on Monday night.
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