Looking for something fun to do this weekend?  Remember that you can go to the Great Train Expo or catch a Fever Game or don't forget about the awesome FREE National Museum Day but if you're looking for things to do in Indianapolis this weekend that are a little more outside, a little less inside I have the best bet for you!  

If rock climbing, mountain biking, canoeing, hiking, fishing, or shooting sports are your thing, you don't want to miss the Hoosier Outdoor Experience at Fort Harrison State Park this Saturday and Sunday, September 26-27th (9 AM - 6 PM).  There are so many things to do that I can't even begin to list them all here but be certain that this family friendly event will have something for everyone in your tribe - big or small, young or young at heart.  With plenty of free parking and awesome activities, the event is completely free (although they do ask you to register).  And rain or shine, the show will go on!

So if you've ever wondered if you could be an awesome fly fisherman, wanted to wield an arrow like Robin of the Hood, or had an uncontrollable urge to throw a plate up in the air and yell "PULL", would like to see some Dog Demos (I hope they demonstrate cooking because that would be nothing short of awesome), you want to check out this fun fall event.  Get Into the Great Outdoors at the Hoosier Outdoor Experience.

*Wait please.*  Channelling my inner cheerleader.  Ok, I'm good.  Chant it with me . . . "We've Got Fever, Yes We Do . . . We've Got Fever, How 'Bout You?"
 
So I'm not ashamed to admit it, I was totally a cheerleader in high school (for all four years, thank you, very much) and some of that team spirit still resounds in my soul.  Like Casey, I got to take my family to an Indiana Fever game this summer (and have been in the past) and I agree that it really is one of the best things to do in Indianapolis.  Along with the King of Free (that's my husband of course), I was seriously impressed with this year's squad.  They played with post season intensity during a regular 'ole home game.  They were HUNGRY for a win (and they got it, too).  

It's no surprise at all that the Fever are in this year's Eastern Conference Finals.  Last night, (9/26) they faced off with the Detroit Shock. Tomorrow, Friday (9/25) they come home to get their revenge in Game 2 and then clinch the title in Game 3 on Saturday.  Even if you've never been to a Fever game before, it's time to jump on the bandwagon and root, root, root for our hometown team.  

Why not grab 3 friends (or your family members) and head to the game with a Fever Four Pack.  Tickets are only $12 a piece AND you get a voucher for a free Fever T-shirt.  A great deal, a great team, a great time.  What are you waiting for?  And do a little DE-FENSE cheer for me when you're in the stands mmmkay?  Channel your inner cheerleader.  I know you can do it.

So who around here loves the AMC Emmy award winning show Mad Men?  Me, me, me, me!!!  Of course, you may have already gotten the idea that I love all things historical (even if there's a bit of fiction mixed in) AND if you watch you have to admire all of the wining, dining, and maligning that goes on in the world of 1950s/1960s advertising executives.  It's schmoozing to the Nth degree and it's terribly yummy, in my opinion.  And don't even get me started on the fab-u-lous vintage dresses the actresses get to wear.  Lovely.  And as usual, I digress.

If you're looking for something a bit less fiction, a little more fact this week, the Greater Indianapolis Chamber of Commerce has a great opportunity for you to feel wined and dined without dropping a ton of cash.  Head to Conseco Fieldhouse on Thursday, September 24th from 5-9 PM, check out the Chamber's biggest event of the year - Schmooza Palooza!  If you're a member or an employee of a company that is a member then cha-ching, you get in for free (this includes 1000s of people, so check and see!).  If you're not a member, you can register for the Ticket Give Away to be drawn TODAY (9/22) OR the good folks of the Chamber will be giving away tix on the Circle on Wednesday (9/23) OR you can pay a mere $10 at the door.

And what does your free ticket or ten bucks get you?  I'm so glad you asked!  Not only can you sample fine Indianapolis Fare, you can also learn all about up and coming Indianapolis businesses specializing in technology, ecological impact, and savvy green living.  Plus since I did promise "wining" there will be wine and beer tastings, live music, and "exclusive prize drawings" (I think that means they will be giving things away, not that they will be drawing prizes).

So if you're a part of the Indianapolis Jet Set, wish you were, want to know who is, or simply have a smashing vintage dress to wear, Schmooza Palooza is for you.  And we promise that your foot won't get run over by a lawnmower (Seriously, you must watch Mad Men.  I insist.)

First of all, remember when we were all sayonara Komodo Dragons! See you later! And their set goodbye date was September 6th? Well, they're still here and still a fantastic example of giant creepy I-want-to-eat-your-little-girl glory. No promises on when they'll actually be leaving but in case you missed them over the summer you really should check the giant scaled things out. Plus you'll get to have a sneak peek at the new exhibit coming next spring, CHEETAHS.

My husband is already dead set on racing one. I'm considering selling tickets. Anyone interested? It should be the Indianapolis sports event of the season.

Once again, just like last weekend this one (September 18-20) promises something for everyone.

For those of you going through fair withdrawals, Conner Prairie is hosting the Country Fair this weekend. Imagine the state fair only instead of carnies, think corn hole. Replace deep fried Snickers with sack races. And of course, replace MC Hammer with the bearded lady. So really they're nothing alike aside from a good time with the family.

Right in downtown Indianapolis at Military Park is the 14th annual Irish Fest. Yes. There will be beer. But! There will also be music, dancing, food, hurling (and not from the beer) and a even a special Mass on Sunday. There's free admission offered during certain hours of the festival and if I keep going I'm going to do my Irish heritage dishonor by typing with the Lucky Charms Leprechaun accent. Every detail can be found with links here.

Also this Saturday, the ladies of the Indiana Fever, our very own WNBA team, have made it to the playoffs. Their next playoff home game is this Saturday at 7pm at Conseco Fieldhouse. Want to know more about taking the family to a Fever game? Go here. The excitement around the playoffs should make for an even more exciting atmosphere.

For a complete list of things to do in Indianapolis this weekend check the "What to Do" calendar at visitindy.com.

Let's talk about Downtown Indianapolis for a moment.

Oh how it breaks my heart when one of my friends announced "We just don't go downtown that often."

My first response is "WHY THE HECK NOT?" (Yes, heck. You can take the girl out of Utah but apparently you can't take the Utah out of the girl.)

I spent the last weekend in another midwestern city within driving distance to Indianapolis, which shall remain nameless. We headed downtown to walk around and do some of that milling about I'm such a big fan of.

Their downtown was dead.

No one walking around. No one dancing on fountains or playing music on the street corner. No one eating outside at a sidewalk cafe in the sunshine. There were hardly any cars on the streets let alone people walking around.

Of all the free things to do in Indianapolis, going downtown has to be one of the best. It can be composed of anything you want it to be. There are theaters, markets, museums, restaurants, cafes, sports, restaurants, shopping,restaurantss and music all within walking distance of any downtown Indianapolis hotels.

We go downtown often. Sometimes it's just my daughter and I, other times it's just my husband and I. Sometimes it's just me. Or me and my girlfriends. Or all of us as a family.

You get the idea.

Morning, afternoon, nights, weekends, weekdays, there's always SOMETHING.

If you haven't been downtown, or it's not on your list of things to do or see, fix that. Now. Because we have one of the most fantastic downtowns I've been in. Seriously.

Well, I honestly almost feel like I'm insulting your intelligence when I tell you one of the best things to do in Indianapolis for free is to visit the Indianapolis Museum of Art. If you live locally, you automatically tell everyone you know . . . if you want something free to do in Indy, then the IMA is the place to be.  In fact, Casey blogged not too long ago about the fantastic free Family Tours going on now through May '10.  And there are so many other great opportunities, too!

If you're feeling fallish, there's no better place to be on the Autumn Equinox, greeting the new season (which is Sunday, September 20th this year for you non-sciencey geeky types who don't live to stand eggs up on their end once or twice a year) from Noon to 4:30 PM than the IMA.  You can sample delicious locally grown fall fare from a special Farmer's Market, get advice from IMA horticulturalists, let the kiddos create art themselves, or watch a master Artist create a Fall Landscape before your very eyes.  There's nothing about standing eggs on end, but I bet if you bring your own, they might let you.  There will be tours to take, galleries to visit, and you can even buy fall plants for your own grounds at home.  

It's a perfect way to spend an Indy fall Sunday afternoon (*ahem* especially since the Colts play Monday Night Football that week!).  Check out the Indianapolis Museum of Art's Calendar on their website for more details.  And oh, please let me know if you get the egg to stand up on end.  I've never remembered to do that and am still not convinced that it wasn't just my Science teacher's ploy to get kids to bring him enough eggs to last a month.

Ok so there are totally days when I feel like I live in the middle of a three ringed circus.  If you're anything like me, somedays you feel like the bearded lady and somedays the ringmaster and somedays simply a clown.  This week, if you're looking for things to do in Indianapolis and you feel like you already have your circus card, why not head to the most Amazing Show on Earth right in downtown Indianapolis.  That's right, September 10-13 Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey are rolling into town to set up their "tent" at Conseco Fieldhouse.  

And of course the Queen wouldn't want you to blow your bucks at the Circus without saving a few so here are your best bets for a successful circus trip that doesn't leave you needing to join the circus just to pay off your tickets.

1) Go on opening night!  You can get tickets for as low as $10 on Opening Night.  Woohoo.  The Office hasn't premiered yet, you have no excuses.

2) If you're military personnel (including Retired, National Guard, Reserve, or Active Duty), check out these great ways you can save at any Circus performance.

3) Take advantage of the Animal Open House 90 minutes before the show which is free to all ticket holders!  You can get up close and personal with the animals and the performers for a once in a life time experience!

If you want to print a free commemorative certificate to celebrate your experience at the circus, you can do that here.  And if you're still thinking about running away to join the circus check out the Aptitude Test here.  I say embrace your inner Circus Clown and throw a bucket of confetti at the crowd.

I've been hearing commercials the last few weeks letting me know that the NHRA Mac Tools US Nationals are racing into O'Reilly Raceway Park this coming weekend. These races have  been coming to Indianapolis for the past 55 years and continue to run strong.

The "Super Bowl" of drag racing events starts this week and runs through September 7th. I've been planning on taking my son this year as I think he'd love to see the fast cars, but there's more than just racing.

There's also the amazing car show where he can see cars that are mechanical works of art and skill. All-in-all there's plenty to do over the course of the almost week long list of activities. This year they're even featuring a throwback to some older cars that have graced the track over the years.

A quick schedule of the events for the weekend include:

• 09/04/09 @ 5:30pm - Pro Qualifying
• 09/05/09 @ 12:00pm - Pro Qualifying
• 09/05/09 @ 5:45pm - Pro Qualifying
• 09/05/09 @ 1:15pm - Ringers Gloves Pro Bike Battle Elimination
• 09/05/09 @ 5:30pm - Ringers Gloves Pro Bike Battle Elimination
• 09/05/09 @ 7:40pm - Ringers Gloves Pro Bike Battle Elimination
• 09/06/09 @ 11:30am - Conclusion of pro qualifying
• 09/06/09 @ 2:30pm - Conclusion of pro qualifying
• 09/07/09 @ 11:00am - Final eliminations

If you're going to be in town this weekend and want to see some more Indianapolis sports in action then be sure to race on out to the NHRA Mac Tools US Nationals O'Reilly Raceway Park. Tickets are available through Ticketmaster. If you can't make it out in person, there's going to be plenty of national TV coverage on ESPN and ESPN2.

I've written before that going to a WNBA Indiana Fever Game is not a horrible way to spend quality family time. I know because I took my family in downtown Indianapolis and we had a really good time. The fans are a lot more passionate than NBA fans honestly!(okay, when I say passionate I mean politely dedicated. NBA fans can get a LEEDLE CRAZY.) and the interaction and activities for kids is fantastic.



There are four games left in the regular season and the Fever has a special offer just for fans in Indiana. Using the code WNBABLOG at Ticketmaster when purchasing Fever tickets will get you one free ticket for every ticket you purchase. Have a family of four? Buy two tickets and all four of you are in for the price of two.

There aren't many things to do in Indianapolis with this kind of sweet deal.

Plus how awesome is it to be able to show our little girls some real role models?

Pretty awesome.

The dates for Gen Con are August 5-8 in 2010. Put it on your calendar because then you can't say I didn't warn you.

You don't play games? That's okay! You won't have very many opportunities to eat a cheeseburger with a Storm Trooper or get your picture taken with an ogre anywhere else so you had better embrace the opportunity while you have it.

A full conference pass is under $100 and you'll have access to everything Gen Con, or simply do what we do each year and take a walk through the Indianapolis convention center. Maybe you'll be invited in on an impromptu game of who knows what, see an ogre or have the opportunity to throw coins at an enormous tower of Magic cards for charity's sake.

No one has ever come away from Gen Con disappointed with their experience, be it a simple pass through the convention center or 19 straight hours of Dungeons and Dragons. And as usual there is always family day on Sunday where you can spend the day with your family at the best four days in gaming at the most attended gaming conference in the world. THE WORLD!

(Also, the "Gen" in Gen Con is short for Geneva, since the conference originated up at Lake Geneva. Con is for conference. I pass all my wisdom on to you people.)

IT'S ALMOST HERE! I've been waiting for what feels like an eternity and it's about to start up again. NFL pre-season games are already in full swing and teams are getting pumped for the upcoming games.

Indianapolis sports is taken seriously here in the city. The question at hand though is where's the best place to watch a Colts game? If it's an away game or if you're not one of the lucky ones with tickets to watch them live at Lucas Oil Stadium, where's the best place to enjoy the game with friends and food?

Let's hear it!

Where's the best place to watch a Colts game in Indianapolis?

I'm guessing one of BW3's Indianapolis locations would work, I'm sure there would be a heavy crowd at Scotty's Brewhouse downtown as well. They'll be opening their downtown Indianapolis location at 10 a.m. and serve breakfast for all Colts home games this season. I've heard quite a bit about the Blew Crew Sports Grill on the north side as well. Champps Downtown has loads of TV's, I'm sure that would work. My son loves sports, so I'm curious if there are any family friendly locations to watch the game.

Help me out and leave a comment on where you think the best place to watch a Colts game is this season. Even if you don't like football, what other location is the place to be to catch some Indianapolis sports in high-def goodness? It doesn't matter if it's in downtown Indianapolis or one of the surrounding areas. If it's a great place to watch the game, I want to hear about it!

Sometimes you just can't help it. There are going to be days when you just want to stay indoors. It could be raining, snowing, cold or hot. However, there are still plenty of things to do in Indianapolis that don't require you to be outside.

Recently my family and I went to a new place on the south side of town called The Incredible Pizza Company. It's located just off  U.S. 31, a few blocks north of County Line Road. They have a variety of the latest video games, indoor go-karts, bumper cars, miniature bowling and even black-light miniature golf. I was even surprised at the selection of food that's available. Your family can select from salad, pizza, Mexican, or home-style American and Italian. An interesting part of the The Incredible Pizza Company concept is it has a variety of dining rooms with different decor motifs: a high school gym, 50's diner, drive-in theater and relaxing family living room. It reminded me of the different themed dining options available at Walt Disney World.

If you're looking for an Indianapolis business closer to downtown, head to Jillian's. Bowling, arcades, pool tables and plenty of TVs provide more entertainment geared towards an older crowd. Jillian's requires kids to be with an adult at all times, and you must be 21 and older on weekends after 10 p.m.

Just northwest of downtown Indianapolis is Xscape, located at the Lafayette Square Mall near 38th street and I-65. Xscape is another 75,000 square foot indoor amusement park that has all the options provided by other locations and more, including laser tag and smaller amusement rides.

If you're on the northside of Indianapolis, Dave & Buster's has its entertainment facility in Castleton. There are numerous fun activities and attractions for the young and the old. Dave & Busters also has a great selection of food items that add to the experience. Similar to Jillian's downtown, Dave & Busters targets an older crowd, but is still very family friendly.

The State Fair is going on right now and there is plenty of great entertainment to fill your schedule throughout the next week. When the fair is over though, don't think there aren't other Indianapolis attractions to bring fun times and great food to your local calendar.

Here are just a few of the different festivals that are coming up over the next few weeks. Each event celebrates the local group's culture and Indianapolis history.

ARTSPARKLE: Mardi Gras (Saturday, August 22nd)

Indiana Native American History Festival (Saturday, August 29th)German American Klub's Oktoberfest 2009 (September 9th - September 12th)

I think one of the most iconic locations in downtown Indianapolis is Monument Circle. You may think the reference to "Circle City" is in response to the Indianapolis 500 race that happens every year.

It doesn't.

The history of the term really came from the original layout of streets in the civic design by Alexander Ralston. Originally the center of the circle was the Governor's mansion. In the mid 1800's the mansion was demolished and replaced by the Soldiers and Sailors Monument.

Let me remind you though- there's more to the circle than the monument! Have you ever seen it be transformed into  a Christmas tree!? 

First there are pockets of great stores on the circle. Check out the South Bend Chocolate Company if you'd like a sweet treat. If you want great coffee, fresh sandwiches and salads and free wi-fi, then Au Bon Pain is perfect for you and they offer outdoor dining.

If you're not looking for food, Hilbert Circle Theater, home of the Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra is there. The beautiful Christ Church Cathedral is on the circle as well, along with numerous other businesses and retail shops.

One of my favorite scenes in Indianapolis is to drive on Meridian or Market streets, which both intersect the circle, and see everyone sitting on the circle, having a lunch and meandering around the monument on a beautiful sunny day.

Come on down and see for yourself that there's a whole lot more in the center of the circle in downtown Indianapolis than a big monument. See why we're still raising the game in Indianapolis and how we're Positively Indy!

Golf is one of those things to do in Indianapolis that gives you a little bit of everything. If you like the outdoors, conversation with friends and a bit of a personal sports challenge, golfing is just about the perfect past time.

The Hoosier Caddy golf site helps you find the right course in your area of Indianapolis. It doesn't matter if you live in Indianapolis or travel here for business or pleasure, if you're looking for an Indianapolis attraction with golf at the center, then Hoosier Caddy will have the information you need. Being a local Indianapolis business also gives you the feeling of getting a great tip from a friend on where to play your next round of golf.

The Hoosier Caddy website provides maps, listings, photos and golfer reviews for courses all over the Hoosier state. If you're looking for golf in  Indiana, then you've scored a hole-in-one with Hoosier Caddy.

I have a couple of different connections to the folks behind Hoosier Caddy and my cousin and uncle both work for Buffer Park Golf Course on the south side. Everyone I've come into contact with has had positive things to say about what Hoosier Caddy has to offer for golfers in Indianapolis.

May your drives be straight, your putt count low and your birdies high in Indianapolis!

Indianapolis attracts passionate people.

This weekend especially.

This weekend brings Gen Con to downtown Indianapolis. (Starting August 13-August 16)

Last year over 26,000 people traveled from all over the world to attend the largest annual gaming convention that is held right here in downtown Indianapolis at the Indianapolis Convention Center and surrounding hotels.

Last year I was part of a Ninjas vs. Pirates peace summit. I watched a Sith slay a Jedi. I talked to a mechanical phoenix on a guys shoulder. I walked through a room where people played Dungeons and Dragons 24 hours a day for the entire four day conference. I was plumed by pirates and sat next to Storm Troopers later that night at dinner.

Ask any local and they'll tell you that Gen Con is one of the best times to head downtown for people watching. You don't even need a conference pass to people watch. But if you're interested, passes can be purchased on site for up to all four days and all events of the conference.

While there will be child only activities throughout Gen Con, Sunday is specifically set aside for families. For $28 a family of four can get in on all of the action as Gen Con winds down for yet another year.

Now if you'll excuse me, I'm going to brush up on my WoW knowledge.

This past weekend Indianapolis hosted the Drum Corps International World Championship at Lucas Oil Stadium and my views of Drum Corps and marching music will forever be altered. (Notice how I didn't say marching band? Bands have woodwinds, Drum Corps do not. You say "marching band" in front of drum corps fans and you will be corrected.)People traveled from all over the nation to downtown Indianapolis, some even spent all afternoon in darkened movie theaters in various cities across the country to watch dozens of hours of coverage of this end of season spectacular. Lucas Oil Stadium proved to be perfectly suited for hosting DCI and I can only imagine will continue to grow each subsequent year.

(Oh yes, they already announced that tickets are available for next year.)

As far as the people who went with me, my daughter lasted for a couple of hours, the color guard lines and flags were pretty enthralling to her, although she did want to know when the football players were coming out.

My husband would have stayed longer but the little kid was getting restless (we had spent the day swimming,) besides, he would have liked football players to come out too.

Now I truly believe the best way to enjoy a DCI show is to find a friend who grew up participating in similar events. This was my neighbor. Sitting next to her made it even more fun. What's even better? When I mentioned on my own personal blog that I had gone to the DCI semifinals dozens of my readers came out of the band geek woodwork.

I can promise you that you too have an undercover band geek friend.

This is serious stuff people.

It's amazing to me what fantastic events Indianapolis events there are, especially around this time of year. Almost everyone has been here for a conference, or knows of some annual gathering here. If you have one coming up (Gen Con? FHA? DCI? Indy 500? State Fair? IBE? Circle City Classic?) you should really consider turning your reason for coming here into an excuse for an Indianapolis vacation.

If you haven't heard, the DCI World Championships event is taking place in Indianapolis this weekend. A first for this year's event in Indianapolis will be the Fan Fair festivities taking place in White River State Park on Friday and Saturday.

The DCI Fan Fair is taking place at White River State Park, which is located on the west side of downtown Indianapolis at 801 West Washington Street. The DCI Fan Fair is completely free and open to the public. You can get up-close and personal to the different groups that will be warming up and preparing for their performances at Lucas Oil Stadium.

The DCI Fan Fair will be open on Friday from 12pm - 9pm and on Saturday from 8am - 9pm. There will be a variety of exhibitions and events along with the opportunity to purchase souvenirs to support your favorite corp. Vendors will also be available for a variety of food offerings as well.

The weather in downtown Indianapolis should be terrific through the weekend. Tickets for the quarterfinals and championship events are still available through Ticketmaster.

For an Indianapolis fan's look at what to expect from the events this weekend, visit Hoosierati site. They share their experience watching the Santa Clara Vanguard practice their show earlier this week at Eastern Hancock High School.

Upon completion of Lucas Oil Stadium, Indianapolis gained new fans in welcoming the annual Drum Corps International competition to our new state of the art stadium.

Now the extent of my drum knowledge is from college football halftime shows and the movie "Drum Line" but I enjoyed them both immensely. And my kid? Loves banging on anything and everything resembling a drum.

Coming up this week is basically the Superbowl of marching music competition including performers from all over the world. Not only will the elite perform elaborate routines against each other throughout the week at Lucas Oil Stadium, there will also be an individual and ensemble competition that is free and open to the public at 11 am on Wednesday at the Indiana Convention Center. There will also be a Fan Fair at White River State Park on Friday and Saturday.

Tickets for the DCI World Championships are available through Ticketmaster and the event runs August 5th-August 8th. If nothing else you need to give these kids' moms a hand for putting up with HOURS OF DRUMMING in the sanctity of their homes so that they could get to this level of competition.

While I'll be watching Drum Corps in awe, I'll be playing Rock Band at home.

The Drum Corps International World Championships will be marching into Lucas Oil Stadium and Indianapolis in just a few weeks, August 5-8. I'm not sure if you have any experience or previous knowledge of marching band from you days in high school but this is the equivalent of professional marching band competitions that have all the drama and presentation of a Broadway show!

I spent over seven years in my high school marching band. No, I wasn't failing every other year of high school either. My band director in 6th grade was also the high school band director. He asked me if I wanted to fill a hole in the show. He didn't need me to be able to play the music that well; I just needed to march in formation and I agreed. I've been a "band geek" ever since. And let me tell you, those of us in the band have a comraderie and family closeness that many sports teams wish they could attain.

With all of those years of experience, you can take it from me! The DCI World Championships are lots of fun and are great for your entire family to attend. You'll see the various drum corps come to the city and get down to business as they compete for the world championship honor!

Indianapolis is proud to host this great event in our city and at an amazing venue like Lucas Oil Stadium. In addition, DCI is hosting their first DCI Fan Fair at the White River State Park. With the DCI World Championships in addition to other city attractions and events, your family will have an unforgettable getaway.

Be sure and sign-up for the Win In Indy email club for upcoming promotions on this event including a chance to win free tickets for you and your family.

If you're already planning on coming to the event, be sure and visit our website for deals on hotel packages and other local businesses you can experience during your visit to the Circle City.

Music, marching, dance, showmanship, competition and flair! It's all here in Indianapolis the first week of August. Be sure and join us and see how we're Positively Indy!