Need advice on Indianapolis

docwalker

Due to a work assignment I get to spend 2 weeks near Indianapolis during October. I do not know much about the city so I would love any recommendations on the area. Most of my time will be spent on the south side at Camp Atterbury. I will have 1 weekend free to do as I please.

What are some of the more interesting buildings? Any great landscapes? Camera stores to visit? (I hit Casey's camera in Vegas :ivar )

What about the surrounding areas? Edinbugh...

Thanks in advance

mercphoto

Eagle Creek State Park (northwest side). Nice hiking, scenery. Indianapolis has the world's largest Children's Museum and is a great place, even for big kids. The art museum is nice, with nice grounds as well (i.e. photo ops). There are some nice WW-II monuments in the downtown area to photograph, and a nice canal system downtown as well. Crown Hill Cemetary, resting place of John Dillinger (bank robber), Richard Gatling (gun inventor), Benjamin Harrison (US president), Eli Lilly (pharma giant), James Whitcomb Riley (poet), and many other noted persons. The Indianapolis Motor Speedway is definitely worth visiting. Great race car museum, track tours. And I think Detroit Deisel Allison still has a museum in town as well which is neat.

docwalker

Cool info. The wife will kill me if I go to the childrens museum without her. We made a point to stop by the Lied Childrens Museum in Vegas.

The cemetary sounds cool. I will have a rental car so hopefully finding my way around will not be difficult.

How is the "urban park" on the waterfront? I was reading somewhere that they have a lot of stuff there. The reference I found indicated fountains, pump house, water features, flower gardens...

jww

docwalker wrote:

What are some of the more interesting buildings? Any great landscapes? Camera stores to visit? (I hit Casey's camera in Vegas :ivar )

Thanks in advance

Well.. I always like IMS - Indianapolis Motor Speedway.. go to the IMS museum and take a track tour.. and as far as camera stores, Roberts in downtown Indy.
www.robertsimaging.com

have fun!

GREAPER

Definatly seek out Pathfinder as this is his stomping grounds.

There is a county SE of Indy with a lot of covered bridges.

There is a state park in the area ... Turkey Run State Park which has a nice river with rapids and some narrow canyons to shoot.

pathfinder

Mid October should be prime season for autumn colors - Almost any park in the city should have nice changes in the leaves by then.

There is interesting architecture downtown, the Speedway west of downtown, as well as the Eiteljorg Western Art Museum downtown. The Eitelorg is definitely worth a visit if you like art at all. Remingtons, Randalls, etc etc. And a Zoo with a Butterfly Pavillion as well.

PM me when you get you schedule worked out better and I can make further comments.

Fall will be in the air, and Indiana will be strutting her stuff by then

mercphoto

pathfinder wrote:

Mid October should be prime season for autumn colors - Almost any park in the city should have nice changes in the leaves by then.

I forgot about that! Lived too long in Texas to remeber trees turning color! Take a trip down south to Nashvill, Indiana in Brown County. Not too far away, rolling wooded hills, neat downtown artsy shops, photogenic in its own right.

docwalker

The fall colors hit here in Virginia about the same time. I will miss not being here this year. But, if I can get down to the covered bridge area you are referring to it might be worth it. :-)

Thanks for the ideas and suggestions. Please keep them coming. I will have my evenings and the one weekend free. I plan to spend as much time out exploring as I can.

pathfinder

Doc,

There are a few covered bridges scattered all over Indiana, but the densest collection is in Parke County over on the western border of Indiana, about 25 miles north of Terre Haute.

I have shot each one in Parke County I believe, and many of them in all the various seasons. They can be rather hard to find without a good map. You can find some info in the WEB, but I prefer the DeLorme Atlas and Gazeteer for Indiana, which shows detailed section by section maps with the bridge locations clearly detailed.


Having a GPS to follow the maps is helpful as some are out in the boonies, and you won't just wander across them by suggestions from a local gas station attendant.
From Indy, it will be an all day trip to get to Parke County and do some shooting and get back. As always, morning and evening light tends to be best. Autumn leaves can make a nice background for them as seen here



PM me and I can give you my cell number if you want further suggestions when you get to Indiana.

docwalker

Pathfinder,

Thanks for the excellent info. Sadly, I just found out that work has decided to keep me in town. I am needed to help host a conference one of the weeks.

I will be in indy in a few months with the wife and her family so the info will be used. Thanks.

Doc