If you open Encyclopedia Britannica – which we all love to do in our spare time – you can read, “Indianapolis is one of the most populous cities in the world not located on navigable water.” It’s an intriguing geographical fact, right?

But it doesn’t tell us what locals love about their home. Luckily, they made their own encyclopedia, Encyclopedia of Indianapolis, to celebrate the city’s bicentennial. That’s how much pride they take in the Circle City, nicknamed for the arrangement of streets around the Soldiers & Sailors Monument downtown!

There are many cultural destinations to enjoy in Indiana’s capital, thanks to generations of creative Hoosiers. We’ll tell you about them with help from Encyclopedia of Indianapolis, online resources, and firsthand experience, because our Senior Director of Communications, Davis Read, is a Hoosier.

Here are some of the people and places that have made Indianapolis so amazing!

Newfields (est. 1883), Indianapolis Museum of Art + Gardens

The beautiful campus now known as Newfields was founded as the Art Association of Indianapolis by the teacher, suffragette, and peace activist May Eliza Wright Sewall (1844-1920). She was a leader with many accomplishments, not the least of which was founding an Indianapolis girls’ school and nearly winning the right to vote for Indiana women in the 1880s, almost 40 years ahead of the Constitution’s 19th Amendment.

Over time, Sewall’s museum has become a wonderful place to see art from around the world. Treasures in the collection include etchings by Rembrandt and his self-portrait (ca. 1629), Pablo Picasso’s Table in Front of the Window (1920), and Georgia O’Keeffe’s Jimson Weed (1936). We also love Dan Budnik’s photograph of O’Keeffe (1993). Learn more about the collection here!

Children’s Museum (est. 1925)

A two-time recipient of the National Medal for Museum and Library Services, the Children’s Museum was founded by Mary Stewart Carey (1859-1938), a world traveler responsible for numerous innovations in her city and state. Although the museum began in a carriage house and even moved to its founder’s home for a time, it got a permanent location in 1946 and has been the largest children’s museum in the world since 1976.

The museum has exhibits on delightful subjects that you might expect, but it also holds surprises. Dinosphere® offers dinosaur fossils that you CAN ACTUALLY TOUCH. All Aboard! features the Reuben Wells, a 55-ton steam engine built to push railcars up the tracks in Madison, Indiana – the steepest in the United States! As a final example, The Power of Children: Making a Difference® inspires visitors with lessons drawn from the lives of remarkable young people. The museum seeks “to ignite joy, wonder, and curiosity by creating powerful learning experiences for children and adults,” and clearly, it excels!

Madam Walker Theatre and Legacy Center (est. 1927)

This music venue in a historic downtown building honors Madam C. J. Walker (1867-1919), an extraordinary person who started with nothing and became a millionaire. Although Walker was never a slave like her parents and older siblings, she barely got by as a washerwoman and young widowed mother. After years of work, she invented beauty and haircare products that became the foundation for a business empire. In 1910, she moved the Madam C. J. Walker Manufacturing Company to Indianapolis. According to Guinness World Records, she is the first woman to become a self-made millionaire.

Madam Walker is the subject of Self Made, starring Oscar® winner Octavia Spencer (The Help), but her life is also celebrated at the Madame Walker Legacy Center. On the website, you can see examples of her beauty products! Meanwhile, at the theatre, performers in recent years have included Gladys Knight and Boyz II Men – and the Isley Brothers recently performed for Juneteenth. Keep an eye out for future special events!

Indy Arts Council (est. 1987)

Indy Arts Council has been supporting artists in Indianapolis for almost 40 years. We love its motto: “Creative life for all.” In April 2025, the nonprofit organization named a new CEO, Judith B. Thomas. She is a past president of the Madam Walker Legacy Center and a former Deputy Mayor! In her spare time, she loves to listen to local musician Rob Dixon, as well as other jazz artists.

Besides making grants, the Indy Arts Council maintains the Artsgarden and Gallery 924. At the Artsgarden, a seven-story exhibition hall and performance space, you might be able to hear a free concert by the local band Il Troubadore, which has been known to play Klingon music and sometimes collaborates with a Wookie Cellist. At Gallery 924, you might enjoy the annual Beckmann Emerging Artist Exhibition, supported with funds from Robert D. Beckmann, Jr., one of the Indy Arts Council’s first board members.

Eiteljorg Museum of American Indians and Western Art (est. 1989)

Harrison Eiteljorg (1903-1997) (see also here) made his money from coal mining, but his passion was Native American art, particularly from the Southwest. When the opportunity arose to create a museum around his personal collection, Eiteljorg hired architect Jonathan Hess to create a structure inspired by the Southwest’s terrain. The result is magnificent, which leads us to believe that Hess has always kept his own version of the physician’s oath, “Do No Harm” – that is, “Make No Ugly.”

As you can see by exploring the collection, the Eiteljorg mainly has art from the nineteenth century onward. The highlights include traditional objects like snowshoes (ca. 1855-1880) and contemporary recreations like Delina White’s Two Spirit-Styled Victorian-Era Dress (2019). Of course, the museum also hosts wonderful temporary exhibits; current topics include Native American beadwork and Inuit art since the 1960s. See them while you can!

Heartland International Film Festival (est. 1992)

For over 30 years, the nonprofit organization Heartland Film (est. 1991) has been organizing a wonderful festival. It takes place in Indianapolis over 11 days in October, and the directors of the best feature and best documentary each get to take home $20,000!

At the 33rd festival in October 2024, the grand prize winners were Alonso Ruizpalacios for La Cocina, the New York City kitchen drama that caught our eye when we covered the Berlinale, and Brendan Bellomo and Slava Leontyev for Porcelain War, the Ukrainian war documentary that won a Grand Jury Prize at Sundance.

Meanwhile, two directors each won a $2000 Spotlight Prize for films about Indiana. Alex Rodgers’ Last Days of Summer is a story about a girl who goes missing from a small town. Joel Fendelman’s North Putnam examines a public school district just west of Indianapolis. Let’s welcome these award winners to the Indiana canon, which already includes the Oscar® winner Breaking Away!

IF Theatre (est. 2005)

IF Theatre supports local artists by hosting shows and organizing theatre festivals. Plans are well underway for the 20th IndyFringe Festival, which will take place from August 14-24, 2025. It’s going to be a spectacular celebration of the performing arts in six genres: dance, drama, magic, music, stand-up comedy, and storytelling.

In addition to the IndyFringe Festival, IF Theatre more recently began hosting other festivals for new plays. In collaboration with the Africana Repertory Theatre of IU Indianapolis, IF Theatre puts on OnyxFest (est. 2011), a festival for plays by Black authors, twice per year. In 2024, IF Theatre launched Div(x)Fest, a fellowship program for women and trans or nonbinary playwrights, to support projects by people from groups that, historically, have published few plays. Check out the events calendar to look for shows that coincide with your trip to Indy!

Kurt Vonnegut Museum and Library (est. 2008)

The beloved satirist Kurt Vonnegut (1922-2007) was born in Indianapolis and wrote for the newspaper at Short Ridge High School. He became a famous novelist after serving in World War II, during which he was captured by the German forces and imprisoned in a Dresden slaughterhouse. Several of Vonnegut’s works have inspired films, including the semi-autobiographical Slaughterhouse-Five (1972), the WWII spy drama Mother Night (1996), and the postmodern satire Breakfast of Champions (1999), starring Bruce Willis.

Shortly after Vonnegut’s death, the Kurt Vonnegut Museum and Library was founded in his hometown by Julia Whitehead, who continues to serve as CEO. The museum displays Vonnegut’s typewriter, the Purple Heart he earned as a survivor of the Dresden bombing, and other memorabilia. It also runs an educational summer program for teachers of Vonnegut and continues his literary legacy by vehemently opposing censorship of books. Of course, you can learn more about Vonnegut in the library!

That’s our roundup! Now, go visit, or we’ll throw the whole Encyclopedia of Indianapolis at you!

Unfortunately, the encyclopedia is digital, so we couldn’t throw it at anyone even if we wanted to. Not even at the Oklahoma City Thunder, who broke the hearts of every Hoosier just a few weeks ago when they beat the Indiana Pacers in the NBA Finals…

Until next time, find some creativity wherever you can! #StandCreative