I’m really excited to interview Lyn Mettler of Families Fly Free about Indianapolis, Indiana. Lyn’s tips for the best things to do in Indianapolis are awesome because she came to Indy for college and never wanted to leave. She loves the friendly people, snow in winter, and how it is such a great sports town.
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Totally a “touristy” thing to do, but you can grab a pic with the Indy sign
Indianapolis, Indiana
Indianapolis is probably best known for the Indy 500 and Hoosiers’ basketball. The Indy 500 is considered “the greatest spectacle in racing” with 33 drivers racing 500 miles over 200 laps. There’s only one winner and they get a bottle of cold milk to celebrate with. Basketball is huge in Indiana, and Butler’s Hinkle Fieldhouse was the setting for the endearing “Hoosiers” film from the 1980s.
It is the state capital of Indiana and is the most populous city in the state. In 2021, Indy is going to be popular, with both Conde Naste Traveler and Travel & Leisure adding the city to their “Best Places to Go in 2021” lists. AirBnB also named Indy as one of its top destinations for 2021.
Lyn says that fall is the best time of year to visit so you can enjoy the beautiful fall foliage and crisp temperatures. The fall offers multiple “Indy food weeks” and mazes in the cornfields and soybean fields. It gets quite cold in the winter (with moderate snowfall) and hot in the summer.
We share a lot of resources and local suggestions in today’s podcast, but you should also check out Visit Indy, the local visitor’s bureau. They are a wealth of information and can help you plan an itinerary based on your time, budget, and interests. Consider buying the Indy Attraction Pass which includes five top attractions for one low price. You can buy either the 1-day or 3-day pass, depending on your schedule.
If you’d like to learn how to travel for free using airline miles and hotel points, check out my free 7-day email course.
You can see the Indy 500 speedway as you fly into town
Getting around Indianapolis
The local airport is Indianapolis International Airport (IND), which is about a 15-minute drive to downtown. Use our Expedia tool below to find flight, hotel, and rental car options.
Downtown Indy is very walkable, clean, and safe. However, Lyn says that unless you are only staying downtown, it is best to rent a car. Don’t worry, parking is plentiful and affordable. For the best offers, visit Avis, Budget, or Hertz.
Uber and Lyft are also excellent ways to get around because there isn’t much public transportation available.
When you only need a car for a couple of hours, you can rent by the hour with Zipcar. Join now to get $25 loaded into your account.
Indy is a huge sports town. Catch a Colts football game, Pacers basketball game, and more.
Places we talked about on the podcast
Here is a map of all of the places we talked about on the podcast episode with Lyn Mettler about Indianapolis, Indiana. You can zoom into the map and click on each dot to explore the city.
- Red dots = best places to eat in Indianapolis, Indiana
- Green dots = best things to do in Indianapolis, Indiana
- Yellow dots = best places to stay in Indianapolis, Indiana
Who is Lyn Mettler?
Lyn Mettler is a longtime travel writer for US News, the TODAY Show, and MSN, who in 2015 discovered a way to easily fly her family free all around the US, Caribbean, and Europe. She now teaches other families her simple process through her Families Fly Free members program, podcast and blog.
Lyn with her family
Check out her podcast episodes and articles:
- How One Airline Perk Completely Changed My Life
- The Best National Parks to Visit During the Winter
- 7 Not-to-Miss Consistently Cheap Southwest Flights
You can connect with Lyn on her website, podcast, and on social media – YouTube, Facebook, Instagram, and Pinterest.
Click here to download our one-page guide of Lyn’s tips for Indianapolis.
Big thanks to today’s affiliate partner – Acorns
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The Sailors and Soldiers Monument in Monument Circle
Stay tuned for our next episode
Jenna at the Media Harbour
Listen to the next episode when Jenna Davis of Life in Dusseldorf shares the best things to do in Dusseldorf, Germany. Jenna and I talk about the Christmas Market in Altstadt, climbing the Rhein Tower, and raising a stein at German breweries. We hope you’ll join us when We Travel There.
What’s your favorite part of Indianapolis? Send us a Tweet, let us know in the comment section below, or continue the discussion in our Facebook group!
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To see which cities we’ve interviewed and scheduled, please visit WeTravelThere.com/map. If you’d like to be a guest on the show, please submit an application at WeTravelThere.com/guest.
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