43 Sights in Indianapolis, United States (with Map and Images)

Legend

Churches & Art
Nature
Water & Wind
Historical
Heritage & Space
Tourism
Paid Tours & Activities

Welcome to your journey through the most beautiful sights in Indianapolis, United States! Whether you want to discover the city's historical treasures or experience its modern highlights, you'll find everything your heart desires here. Be inspired by our selection and plan your unforgettable adventure in Indianapolis. Dive into the diversity of this fascinating city and discover everything it has to offer.

Sightseeing Tours in IndianapolisActivities in Indianapolis

1. Indianapolis Zoo

Show sight on map
Indianapolis Zoo IU Center for the Integrative Study of Animal Behavior / CC BY 2.0

The Indianapolis Zoo is a 64-acre (26 ha) non-profit zoo, public aquarium, and botanical garden in Indianapolis, Indiana, United States. Incorporated in 1944, the Indianapolis Zoological Society established the first zoo at George Washington Park in 1964. The current zoo opened in 1988 at White River State Park near downtown Indianapolis. It is among the largest privately funded zoos in the U.S.

Wikipedia: Indianapolis Zoo (EN)

2. Indianapolis Museum of Art

Show sight on map
Indianapolis Museum of Art

The Indianapolis Museum of Art (IMA) is an encyclopedic art museum located at Newfields, a 152-acre (62 ha) campus that also houses Lilly House, The Virginia B. Fairbanks Art & Nature Park: 100 Acres, the Gardens at Newfields, the Beer Garden, and more. It is located at the corner of North Michigan Road and West 38th Street, about three miles north of downtown Indianapolis, northwest of Crown Hill Cemetery. There are exhibitions, classes, tours, and events, many of which change seasonally. The entire campus and organization was previously referred to as the Indianapolis Museum of Art, but in 2017 the campus and organization were renamed "Newfields" as part of a branding campaign. The "Indianapolis Museum of Art" now specifically refers to the main art museum building that acts as the cornerstone of the campus, as well as the legal name of the organization doing business as Newfields.

Wikipedia: Indianapolis Museum of Art (EN), Website

3. Childrens Museum

Show sight on map

The Children's Museum of Indianapolis is the world's largest children's museum. It is located at 3000 North Meridian Street, Indianapolis, Indiana in the United Northwest Area neighborhood of the city. The museum is accredited by the American Alliance of Museums. It is 472,900 square feet (43,933.85 m2) with five floors of exhibit halls and receives more than one million visitors annually. Its collection of over 130,000 artifacts and exhibit items is divided into two domains: Arts & Humanities and the Natural Sciences. Among the exhibits are simulated Cretaceous and Jurassic dinosaur habitats, a carousel, a steam locomotive, and the glass sculpture Fireworks of Glass Tower and Ceiling. The museum's focus is family learning; most exhibits are designed to be interactive, allowing children and families to actively participate.

Wikipedia: The Children's Museum of Indianapolis (EN)

4. Soldiers and Sailors Monument

Show sight on map

The Indiana State Soldiers and Sailors Monument is a 284 ft 6 in (86.72 m) tall neoclassical monument built on Monument Circle, a circular, brick-paved street that intersects Meridian and Market streets in the center of downtown Indianapolis, Indiana. In the years since its public dedication on May 15, 1902, the monument has become an iconic symbol of Indianapolis, the state capital of Indiana. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places on February 13, 1973, and was included in an expansion of the Indiana World War Memorial Plaza National Historic Landmark District in December 2016. It is located in the Washington Street-Monument Circle Historic District. It is also the largest outdoor memorial and the largest of its kind in Indiana.

Wikipedia: Soldiers' and Sailors' Monument (Indianapolis) (EN)

5. Indiana World War Memorial Plaza

Show sight on map
Indiana World War Memorial Plaza

The Indiana World War Memorial Plaza is an urban feature and war memorial located in downtown Indianapolis, Indiana, United States, originally built to honor the veterans of World War I. It was conceived in 1919 as a location for the national headquarters of the American Legion and a memorial to the state's and nation's veterans.

Wikipedia: Indiana World War Memorial Plaza (EN), Website

6. Crispus Attucks High School

Show sight on map
Crispus Attucks High School

Crispus Attucks High School is a public high school of Indianapolis Public Schools in Indianapolis, Indiana, U.S. Its namesake, Crispus Attucks, was an African American patriot killed during the Boston Massacre. The school was built northwest of downtown Indianapolis near Indiana Avenue and opened on September 12, 1927, when it was the only public high school in the city designated specifically for African Americans.

Wikipedia: Crispus Attucks High School (EN), Website, Heritage Website

7. White River State Park

Show sight on map
White River State Park Geoff Livingston / CC BY-SA 2.0

White River State Park is an urban park in downtown Indianapolis, Indiana. Situated along the eastern and western banks of its namesake White River, the park covers 267 acres (108 ha). The park is home to numerous attractions, including the Eiteljorg Museum of American Indians and Western Art, the Indiana State Museum, the Indianapolis Zoo, the NCAA Hall of Champions, Victory Field, Everwise Amphitheater, and White River Gardens.

Wikipedia: White River State Park (EN)

8. Christ Church Cathedral

Show sight on map

Christ Church Cathedral is the cathedral for the Episcopal Diocese of Indianapolis. Christ Church parish was formally organized in 1837. The present-day church building was erected in 1857 on Monument Circle at the center of downtown Indianapolis to replace the parish's first church built on the same site. Designed by architect William Tinsley, the English Gothic Revival-style structure is the oldest church building in Indianapolis and Marion County, Indiana, that has remained in continuous use. It is also the oldest building on Monument Circle. Christ Church is known for its music, especially its pipe organs, one of which was donated by Ruth Lilly, and its professional Choir of Men and Boys and Girls' Choir. The parish is also known for its community service, including an annual strawberry festival fundraiser and other charitable work. Christ Church Cathedral was added to the National Register of Historic Places on July 10, 1973. It is located in the Washington Street-Monument Circle Historic District.

Wikipedia: Christ Church Cathedral (Indianapolis) (EN), Website

9. Eiteljorg Museum

Show sight on map

The Eiteljorg Museum of American Indians and Western Art is an art museum in downtown Indianapolis, Indiana, United States. The Eiteljorg houses an extensive collection of visual arts by indigenous peoples of the Americas as well as Western American paintings and sculptures collected by businessman and philanthropist Harrison Eiteljorg (1903–1997). The museum houses one of the finest collections of Native contemporary art in the world.

Wikipedia: Eiteljorg Museum of American Indians and Western Art (EN), Website

10. Old National Centre

Show sight on map

The Old National Centre, formerly known as the Murat Shrine Temple and the Murat Shrine Center, is located at North and New Jersey streets in Indianapolis, Indiana, and is owned by the Murat Shriners of the Ancient Arabic Order of the Nobles of the Mystic Shrine. The theater portion of the building is now known as the Murat Theatre at Old National Centre or simply the Murat Theatre and houses the oldest extant stage house in downtown Indianapolis. It is the only Shrine Center in the world with a name of French origin and is the largest Shrine Center in North America.

Wikipedia: Old National Centre (EN)

11. Madam Walker Urban Life Center and Theater

Show sight on map

The Madam C. J. Walker Building, which houses the Madam Walker Legacy Center, was built in 1927 in the city of Indianapolis, in the U.S. state of Indiana, and as Madam C. J. Walker Manufacturing Company, it was designated a National Historic Landmark in 1991. The four-story, multi-purpose Walker Building was named in honor of Madam C. J. Walker, the African American hair care and beauty products entrepreneur who founded the Madam C. J. Walker Manufacturing Company, and designed by the Indianapolis architectural firm of Rubush & Hunter. The building served as the world headquarters for Walker's company, as well as entertainment, business, and commercial hub along Indiana Avenue for the city's African American community from the 1920s to the 1950s. The historic gathering place and venue for community events and arts and cultural programs were saved from demolition in the 1970s. The restored building, which includes African, Egyptian, and Moorish designs, is one of the few remaining African-Art Deco buildings in the United States. The Walker Building was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1980.

Wikipedia: Madam Walker Legacy Center (EN)

12. Young Abe Lincoln

Show sight on map

Young Abe Lincoln, is a 1962 public artwork by American artist David K. Rubins, located outside of the government center near the Indiana State House, in Indianapolis, Indiana, US. This bronze sculpture is a depiction of a young Abraham Lincoln, an Abraham Lincoln that spent the majority of his formative years in Indiana.

Wikipedia: Young Abe Lincoln (EN)

13. The Westward Journey

Show sight on map

The Westward Journey, also listed as Indians, Reaper, Blacksmith, Pioneer Family, is a set of outdoor sculptures made by Herman Carl Mueller in 1886–1887, located above the south portico of the Indiana Statehouse in Indianapolis, the capital of the U.S. state of Indiana.

Wikipedia: The Westward Journey (EN)

14. Coal Miner

Show sight on map

Coal Miner is a public artwork by Polish American artist John J. Szaton (1907–1966) which is located in two US State capitals; the original, commissioned in 1963 in Springfield, Illinois, as well as a copy on the west lawn of the Indiana State House in Indianapolis The statues commemorate coal miners who had lost their lives in those states' mining industry. The 7-foot (2.1 m) tall statue rests on a 3-foot (0.91 m) square, granite base supported by a cement foundation that is 4–6 inches (100–150 mm) thick.

Wikipedia: Coal Miner (statue) (EN)

15. Oliver P. Morton

Show sight on map

Oliver P. Morton and Reliefs is a public artwork by Austrian artist Rudolph Schwarz, located on the east side of the Indiana Statehouse in Indianapolis, Indiana, at the intersection of North Capitol Avenue and West Market Street.

Wikipedia: Oliver P. Morton (monument) (EN)

16. Thomas A. Hendricks Monument

Show sight on map
Thomas A. Hendricks Monument

The Thomas A. Hendricks Monument is a public artwork by American artist Richard Henry Park and is located on the southeast corner of the Indiana Statehouse grounds in Indianapolis, Indiana. The monument is a tribute to Thomas A. Hendricks, the 21st Vice President of the United States. Hendricks was a former U.S. Representative and U.S. Senator from Indiana. He was the 16th Governor of Indiana and led the campaign to build the Indiana Statehouse.

Wikipedia: Thomas A. Hendricks Monument (EN)

17. Landmark for Peace Memorial

Show sight on map

The Landmark for Peace is a memorial sculpture in Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Park on the northside of Indianapolis. It honors the contributions of the slain leaders Robert F. Kennedy and Martin Luther King Jr. The memorial, which features Kennedy and King reaching out to each other, was designed and executed by Indiana artist Greg Perry. The bronze portraits were created by Indianapolis sculptor Daniel Edwards.

Wikipedia: Landmark for Peace Memorial (EN)

18. LOVE

Show sight on map

LOVE is an artwork by American pop artist Robert Indiana (1928–2018), located at the Indianapolis Museum of Art at Newfields in Indianapolis, Indiana, United States. It was created in 1970 as the first sculptural form of the artist's 1965 LOVE painting and has been on continuous exhibition at the Indianapolis Museum of Art since it was acquired in 1975.

Wikipedia: Love (Indianapolis) (EN)

19. Christopher Columbus

Show sight on map

Christopher Columbus is a public artwork by Italian artist Enrico Vittori and located on the grounds of the Indiana Statehouse in Indianapolis, Indiana. The sculpture was installed on the southwest corner of the Indiana Statehouse lawn in 1920 as a gift from Italian immigrant communities in Indiana.

Wikipedia: Christopher Columbus (Vittori) (EN)

20. Indiana Law Enforcement and Fire Fighters Memorial

Show sight on map

The Indiana Law Enforcement and Firefighters Memorial, officially titled the Indiana Law Enforcement and Fire Fighters Memorial, is a public artwork and memorial dedicated to law enforcement officers and firefighters from Indiana who lost their lives in the line of duty. Its design and construction was the collaborative effort of a broad range of professionals, including architects, landscapers, engineers, and construction experts. The memorial is located adjacent to the Indiana Government Center North, on the northwest corner of Bicentennial Plaza and Senate Avenue in downtown Indianapolis, Indiana, United States. The memorial was dedicated on June 6, 2001, after ten months of planning and construction. The dedication was held three days before the opening of the World Police and Fire Games that were held in Indianapolis that year.

Wikipedia: Indiana Law Enforcement and Firefighters Memorial (EN)

21. Funky Bones

Show sight on map

Funky Bones is a public artwork by Atelier Van Lieshout, a Dutch artist collective led by Joep van Lieshout, located in the 100 Acres: The Virginia B. Fairbanks Art and Nature Park, which is on the grounds of Newfields in Indianapolis, Indiana, United States. The artwork, primarily made from fiberglass, consists of twenty white and black bone-shaped benches.

Wikipedia: Funky Bones (EN)

22. Military Park

Show sight on map
Military Park

Military Park is the oldest urban park in Indianapolis, Indiana, covering 14 acres (6 ha). It is located in western downtown Indianapolis. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places on October 28, 1969.

Wikipedia: Military Park (Indianapolis) (EN)

23. Indianapolis Baptist Temple

Show sight on map
Indianapolis Baptist Temple

The Indianapolis Baptist Temple is an Independent Baptist church based in Indianapolis, Indiana, United States. The church's building was seized by the U.S. federal government after the church refused to withhold taxes from employees' paychecks for 16 years. The founding pastor of the church, Greg J. Dixon, died in October 2019 aged 87.

Wikipedia: Indianapolis Baptist Temple (EN)

24. Congressional Medal of Honor Memorial

Show sight on map

The Medal of Honor Memorial is a monument located in White River State Park in Indianapolis, Indiana, United States. It is dedicated in honor of all recipients of the Medal of Honor, the United States military's highest award for valor. The memorial was unveiled May 28, 1999, during Memorial Day weekend. The memorial is part of the Indiana War Memorials Commission.

Wikipedia: Medal of Honor Memorial (Indianapolis) (EN)

25. White River Gardens

Show sight on map

White River Gardens is a botanical garden located at White River State Park in Indianapolis, Indiana, United States. Established in 1999, the gardens are managed and operated by the Indianapolis Zoo. In 2021, White River Gardens' 3.3 acres (1.3 ha) was home to nearly 50,000 plants of more than 3,000 species. The complex includes a conservatory, fountains and water features, outdoor gardens, a dining and event facility, and 1.5 miles (2.4 km) of paths. The gardens are situated to the east of the zoo's entry plaza on the western bank of the White River overlooking downtown Indianapolis.

Wikipedia: White River Gardens (EN)

26. George Washington

Show sight on map

George Washington is a public artwork by American sculptor Donald De Lue, located on the grounds of the Indiana Statehouse, in Indianapolis, Indiana, United States. The bronze statue of George Washington that occupies the Indiana Statehouse south lawn is one of several copies of a 1959 original wax cast at the Modern Art Foundry in Long Island, New York.

Wikipedia: Statue of George Washington (Indianapolis) (EN)

27. Above and Below

Show sight on map

Above and Below is an installation by American artist Maya Lin, the designer of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington, D.C. It is on display at and owned by the Indianapolis Museum of Art located in Indianapolis, Indiana, United States. The artwork was inspired by underground water systems in Indiana.

Wikipedia: Above and Below (EN)

28. Twisted House

Show sight on map

Twisted House is a public artwork by American artist John McNaughton, located at the Indianapolis Art Center in Indianapolis, Indiana, United States. Twisted House was installed as part of the center's ARTSPARK initiative.

Wikipedia: Twisted House (EN)

29. Immaculate Heart of Mary

Show sight on map

Immaculate Heart of Mary is a public artwork by Italian fabricator the Enrico Pandolfine Group, located at Fatima Retreat House in Indianapolis, Indiana, United States. Immaculate Heart of Mary was originally surveyed as part of the Smithsonian's Save Outdoor Sculpture! survey in 1994. This sculpture collection serves as a place of reflection for guests of the Catholic retreat center.

Wikipedia: Immaculate Heart of Mary (The Fatima Group) (EN)

30. Dawnsong

Show sight on map

Dawnsong is a public artwork by American artist Brose Partington, located at Indianapolis Art Center in Indianapolis, Indiana, United States. Dawnsong was installed as part of the center's ARTSPARK initiative.

Wikipedia: Dawnsong (EN)

31. Bench Around the Lake

Show sight on map

Bench Around the Lake is a public artwork by Danish artist Jeppe Hein, located in the 100 Acres: The Virginia B. Fairbanks Art and Nature Park, in Indianapolis, Indiana, United States. The artwork consists of fifteen individually designed yellow interactive bench installations strategically placed throughout the park location. Some of the benches consist of multiple components or sections within one site.

Wikipedia: Bench Around the Lake (EN), Website

32. Sacred Heart of Jesus

Show sight on map

Sacred Heart of Jesus, is a public artwork by an unknown artist, located at Sacred Heart Church, which is in Indianapolis, Indiana, United States of America. It is a marble figure of Jesus standing with his arms outstretched at his sides. He is dressed in robes, barefoot and on his chest is the Sacred Heart. He stands on clouds and thorns, and it is mounted to a base of brick and limestone. Constructed just after 1960, it was on display at Alverna Retreat House in Indianapolis. In 1992 the sculpture was relocated to its current location at Sacred Heart Church.

Wikipedia: Sacred Heart of Jesus (Indianapolis) (EN)

33. Persephone

Show sight on map

Persephone is an outdoor sculpture by artist Armand Toussaint created c. 1840. The work sits within the center of a pool in Holcomb Gardens on the grounds of Butler University in Indianapolis, Indiana, United States. The sculpture depicts the Greek goddess Persephone. In 1993 the sculpture was examined by the Save Outdoor Sculpture! program produced by the Smithsonian Institution.

Wikipedia: Persephone (sculpture) (EN)

34. Confluence

Show sight on map

Confluence is a land art sculpture by artists Robert Stackhouse and Carol Mickett. The work sits on the grounds of the Indianapolis Art Center located in Indianapolis, Indiana, United States. Confluence was installed as part of the Art Center's ARTSPARK initiative.

Wikipedia: Confluence (sculpture) (EN)

35. Monumentalment IV

Show sight on map

Monumentalment IV is a public sculpture by American artist Gary Freeman. Commissioned in 1979, it was installed in 1981 on the grounds of the Indianapolis Art Center, formerly the Indianapolis Art League, in Indianapolis, Indiana, United States. The sculpture was surveyed in 1992 as a part of the Smithsonian's Save Outdoor Sculpture! program. In the mid-1990s the work was relocated to the west side of the IAC's grounds and became part of its ARTSPARK, an outdoor sculpture garden.

Wikipedia: Monumentalment IV (EN)

36. The Colonial

Show sight on map
The Colonial

The Colonial is a historic apartment building located at Indianapolis, Indiana, United States. It was built in 1900, and is a three-story, eight bay by ten bay, Classical Revival style yellow brick building. It features a variety of terracotta decorative elements and two-story bay windows on the upper floors.

Wikipedia: The Colonial (Indianapolis, Indiana) (EN)

37. Female and Male Herm

Show sight on map

Female Herm and Male Herm are a set of two neoclassical marble herms in the outdoor sculpture collection of the historic Oldfields estate, located on the campus of the Indianapolis Museum of Art (IMA), in Indianapolis, Indiana. Together the herms depict either Dionysus and a Maenad or a dryad and a satyr.

Wikipedia: Female and Male Herm (sculpture set) (EN)

38. Ascent the Wind

Show sight on map

Ascent the Wind is a public artwork by American artist Michael Helbing. The artwork is located in the ARTSPARK grounds of the Indianapolis Art Center, in Indianapolis, Indiana, United States. While the Indianapolis Art Center titles it Ascent the Wind, the artist calls it Ascend the Wind.

Wikipedia: Ascent the Wind (EN)

39. Empire Towers

Show sight on map

Empire Towers is a public artwork by sculptor R.M. Fischer. It currently resides on the grounds of the Indianapolis Art Center Indianapolis, Indiana, United States. It is on loan from the Carl Solway Gallery in Cincinnati, Ohio.

Wikipedia: Empire Towers (EN)

40. Morrison Opera Place

Show sight on map
Morrison Opera Place

The Morrison Block, also known as M. O'Connor Grocery Wholesalers and Peoples Outfitting Building, is a historic commercial building located on South Meridian Street in Indianapolis, Indiana, United States. It was built about 1870, and is a four-story, Italianate style timber frame and masonry building. It features round arched windows and a projecting cornice. The building has been restored.

Wikipedia: Morrison Block (EN)

41. St. Philip Neri Catholic Church

Show sight on map
St. Philip Neri Catholic Church

St. Philip Neri Parish Historic District is a historic Roman Catholic church complex and national historic district located at Indianapolis, Indiana. The district encompasses five contributing buildings: the church, rectory, former convent and school, school, and boiler house / garage. The church was built in 1909, and is a Romanesque Revival brick church with limestone trim. It features two- and three-story crenellated corner towers, a rose window with flanking round arched windows, and Doric order columns flanking the main entrance.

Wikipedia: St. Philip Neri Parish Historic District (EN)

42. Slightly Romanesque/Newhall 43

Show sight on map

Slightly Romanesque/Newhall 43 is a public artwork by American artist Robert Curtis. The artwork is on display at and in the collection of the Indianapolis Art Center, in Indianapolis, Indiana, United States.

Wikipedia: Slightly Romanesque/Newhall 43 (EN)

43. Eastside Church of Christ

Show sight on map
Eastside Church of Christ

The label "non-institutional" refers to a distinct fellowship within the Churches of Christ who do not agree with the support of parachurch organizations by local congregations. They contend that the New Testament includes no authority for churches' support of such institutions. Instead they feel that it is a responsibility and duty of the individual members to assist those in need. Similarly, most non-institutional congregations also oppose the use of church facilities for non-church activities ; as such, they oppose the construction of "fellowship halls", gymnasiums, and similar structures. The belief is that, although such activities may be beneficial, they are not a proper function of a local congregation.

Wikipedia: The churches of Christ (non-institutional) (EN)

Share

Spread the word! Share this page with your friends and family.

Disclaimer Please be aware of your surroundings and do not enter private property. We are not liable for any damages that occur during the tours.