Middle Ground
Above and cover photos courtesy Indianapolis Cultural Trail Inc.
Up for a bike ride to a cool brewery? Want to stroll to an inventive farm-to-table restaurant? Looking for something cool around Fountain Square?
Lucky for you, you can do all that and more along the Indianapolis Cultural Trail.
Opened in May 2013, the Indianapolis Cultural Trail (ICT) is an 8-mile urban bike and pedestrian path in downtown Indianapolis that connects the city’s cultural districts and arts, entertainment, and bars/restaurants along the route. The ICT isn’t just the destination, it’s the journey.
During the NCAA tournament, the Swish program is bringing live music and performances along the lCT and downtown civic spaces. Not only has Swish employed central Indiana artists who have lost their income during the pandemic, it has also delighted fans from across the nation. Funded through a Lilly Endowment Inc. grant received by Indiana Sports Corp. to create a safe, welcoming environment for local residents and visitors during the tournament. With live music at Lugar Plaza, Davlan Park, and Georgia Street, Swish also offers visitors the chance to go on a a public art crawl, see sidewalk art galleries, and view 3D basketball-themed murals.
As a public green space the ICT seamlessly connects neighborhoods, cultural districts and entertainment venues. Visitors can walk or ride a bike along to get to Lucas Oil Stadium, Bankers Life Fieldhouse, Indianapolis Zoo, and other attractions, just off the trail.
The ICT has designated lanes for pedestrians and bikes, safely separated from the road, so no one is riding or walking in traffic. Pacer Bike Share, with more than 500 bikes in downtown Indianapolis, is great way to get around the city without even needing a car. Like our local Red Bike, riders can check out and return bicycles at any one of the 50 Pacers Bikeshare stations.
Indy has six Cultural Districts, including its very own Fountain Square. Just southeast of downtown Indy, this funky neighborhood has independent restaurants, live music, and a vibrant arts scene, in a distinctly dog friendly environment.
Charcuterie board from Bluebeard, with bread from Amelia’s Bakery, its sister restaurant next door. Courtesy Bluebeard.
Among the restaurants, Bluebeard, a 2020 James Beard Foundation Restaurant and Chef Awards semi-finalist, has local meat and produce. Everything is made fresh from ingredients sourced from sustainable local and regional farms, so the menu changes a little bit every day.
Fountain Square is also home to the Indy outpost of Kuma’s Corner, which has its flagship location at the corner of Belmont and Francisco avenues in Chicago. The menu serves burgers at the bar and metal on the jukebox.
At the opposite end of the food pyramid is Three Carrots, which is 100% vegan. Of course, the restaurant serves salads, but also hearty Korean, Banh Mi, and Southern bowls and sides including braised kale, mac ’n’ cheese, and baked beans.
Other options around Fountain Square include Thai, Italian, and plenty of pizza. For dessert sample a traditional flavor from Square Scoop or mix it up with in-house inventions like Lemoreo or Graham Central Station.
Like most midwestern cities, Indianapolis has seen a huge development in breweries and brewpubs. The Fountain Square Brew Co. has been serving craft beer since 2011. Their industrial-style taproom is in the heart of Fountain Square, just a block form the ICT. Sip small batch innovations on their large patio which welcomes well-behaved dogs.
Looking for something a little stronger? Head to the Imbibe Lobby Bar in the restored Fountain Square Theatre. A vaudeville and movie theatre when it opened in 1928, it is now an event space, but when you have a handcrafted cocktail you’ll have a chance to peek insde the historic building. But the real star in the Fountain Square Theatre is duckpin bowling.
Action and Atomic Bowl Duckpin offer you two options to play this distinctive style of bowling. Action Duckpin Bowl has eight lanes of duckpin bowling, restored to its original 1930s glory, on the building’s fourth floor. Atomic Bowl Duckpin is housed in the basement and is outfitted with authentic 1950s and 60s equipment.
What’s duckpin bowling? Originating in Baltimore a the turn of the last century, it began as a kind of “summer bowling” with smaller pins and a smaller ball. Today duckpin houses are still found along the East Coast, but the only authentic duckpin bowling in the Midwest is in Indy.
The ICT was developed as a way to enrich lives and connect people and places. With an easy drive along I-74, you have the chance to park your car and then walk to a museum, ride a bike to a basketball game, or people watch from a restaurant patio.
–Tricia Suit