Animal Encounter
It’s hard to believe the Indianapolis Zoo lets regular people walk among the animals in its Kangaroo Crossing exhibit. After receiving a quick rundown of the rules and stepping through a set of gates, you’re free to meander a paved path with cute red kangaroos lounging lazily beside you in the grass as cockatoos fly overhead. You wonder, Are we really supposed to be in here? If one of the kangaroos decides to hop over … lucky you! You are allowed to pet it on the back (not the face!) to feel how impossibly soft these Australian beauties are—not to mention friendly and photogenic.
1200 W. Washington St., 317-630-2001
Live Recordings
The gleaming new Fishers Event Center turned its rooftop into Hamilton County’s most scenic stage for its Summer Elevation Series. With no audience to speak of—just performers, camera operators, and the golden hour glow—acoustic artists including Kara Cole, the Indy Annies, and The Brothers Footman played their hearts (and souls) out this past summer as the sun dipped behind them. The vibe is intimate, and the recordings, available on the venue’s website, capture that wistful “wish you were there” feeling. It’s a simple setup with stunning results.
Underbites
During the annual Butler Bulldog Beauty Pageant in the Hinkle Fieldhouse parking lot, stocky, lovable pups strut their stuff to take home top honors for best dressed, most spirited, and toughest looking.
Book Bar
Chapter Book Lounge melds literature and libations in the coziest way. Here, book clubs meet to chat through the assigned reading and voracious readers channel Dorothy Parker at the bar.
996 Conner St., Noblesville, 317-764-2976
Thrills
Slick City Action Park, a Denver-based family of indoor slide parks, made its Indiana debut in Brownsburg this year delivering pure adrenaline in the form of monster slides. Already, two more Slick Cities are in the works, one in the Geist area and another on the south side. The rides are a hit. They are also no joke, with names like Fast Lane (four undulating side-by-side chutes designed for racing), the swirling Royal Flush, and a little number called Mega Launch. To become a human cannonball, all you need is a sense of adventure and a signed waiver.
4430 County Rd. 1000 E., Brownsburg, 317-936-3436
Outdoor Racing Track
Avon’s Trak 36 is the only free, public course for remote-control cars in the area—a hidden gem for RC enthusiasts. Open daily from dawn to dusk at Avon Town Hall Park, the dusty off-road course offers twists, jumps, and a shaded driver’s deck that overlooks the battery-powered motorsport mini-speedway.
6570 E. US Highway 36, Avon, 317-272-0948
Indoor Walking Path
The Broad Ripple Park Family Center, part of the grand revision of the historic northside park, contains a light-filled loop suspended inside one of the city’s prettiest new public buildings. Free to use, the mezzanine-level track overlooks the basketball court and a park view out the surrounding windows.
1426 Broad Ripple Ave., 317-327-7161
TV Set
Through the magic of Airbnb, you can now spend the night inside David Letterman’s Childhood Home at 5520 Indianola Avenue, near Broad Ripple. The space rents for about $200 a night and can accommodate six guests in three-bedroom, two-bathroom comfort. The modest, 1,122-square-foot abode is filled with photos from the Late Show host’s television career. Pets are welcome, especially if they can perform a stupid trick.
Local Booster
Towering 33 stories over downtown, the imposing blue facade of the JW Marriott, used to promote local events, is Indy’s own Vegas-style spectacle—a giant, glassy billboard to the world. Or at least to every skyline vista in the Mile Square.
Gamers
Indy’s chapter of the international network of Belles & Chimes pinball leagues meets regularly at locations such as Tappers Arcade Bar and The Pinvault inside the Murphy Arts Center in Fountain Square to sip, socialize, and have a flipping good time.
Dance Classes for Adults
Dance Fam, part of Carmel’s A-List Dance Center, is where grown-ups go to put TikTokers to shame. The high-energy classes teach students real choreography in a fun, upbeat way that makes the steps easy to master in three weeks. Classes cover tap, musical theater, hip-hop, and an “all level heels” option that is “perfect for beginners looking to move with confidence and sass.”
468 Gradle Dr., Carmel, 317-733-5022
Trail Marker
Along the White Lick Creek Trail that meanders out of Avon’s Washington Township Park, hikers can now walk beneath the hauntingly ancient supports of the town’s legendary Twin Bridges (aka the Haunted Bridge), once the domain of late-night carloads of sightseers and local ghost stories involving eerie wails and screams heard when trains passed overhead. By the light of day, the towering concrete arches, long abandoned by the railway, are more spectacle than specter.
115 S. County Road 575 E, Avon, 317-745-0785
Third Space
All-day cafe Gather 22 has secured its place as a desirable reservation, with recognition on best-of lists beyond this one. But unlike many hot restaurants, it’s a neighborhood spot too, a space to, yes, gather for tasting events, activities, and casual hangs. In the winter, solo diners connect at its bar. In warm months, the community flocks to its backyard, which welcomes canine patrons.
22 E. 22nd St., 317-258-2222
Claw Machine
As if meal prep involving sizzling Korean barbecue grill tops and bubbling hot pots were not interactive enough, Gangnam Korean Steakhouse invites diners to drop a dollar into its Japanese-style claw machine. It’s hard to pass up the thrill of such a cute hunt. Filled with colorful plushies of anime characters, the game is just a small sample of the “clawcade” mini-arcades found all over Asia.
3851 Vincennes Rd., 317-721-8888
Best Playgrounds
Myla, a 6-year-old, shares her wisdom on the best, new(ish) Indy-area playgrounds.
(1) Meadowlark Park – Carmel
Reimagined in 2022, this spot hosts new play equipment, plus trails leading to a wetland boardwalk and a bucolic fishing pond. The equipment resembles the natural surroundings, representing trees and forest understory, and the climbing pods contain surprising extras, like rope hammocks.
Myla’s verdict: “The play thing was sooo high. I’m not afraid of heights anymore.”
(2) Lawrence Inlow Park – Carmel
A paved, woodsy trail connects the play areas, where young ones can complete an obstacle course or brave a two-story-high enclosed rope bridge to zip down one of two enormous slides.
Myla’s verdict: “It had the fastest slide. And I liked racing Mom to the top.”
(3) Grassy Creek Playground – Far east side
Made up of three parcels totaling 240 acres, this park has it all. The newest section off German Church Road includes a state-of-the-art community center, as well as a playground stacked to the gills with new equipment, including a log climbing structure and 40-foot-long swinging track ride.
Myla’s verdict: “Superb! That means better than amazing.”
(4) Old City Park – Greenwood
This beautifully designed spot is right next to the public library and features fitness equipment, bocce ball courts, a lawn for pups to prance, a climbing wall with a cool fort at the top, and a burbling creek with stone steps down to the water.
Myla’s verdict: “You should go to this park sometime. And then another time. And another time, and another time.”
(5) O’Bannon Playground – Downtown
Right off the Monon Trail downtown, this playground is a perfect pit stop in summer time, with a splash pad and new play structures opened in 2025 for younger and older kids.
Myla’s verdict: “I fell off the swing. But the splash pad is amazing!”
(6) Riverside Adventure Park – Near west side
Built on the former Riverside Golf Course as a part of the larger Riverside Regional Park, this sprawling green space includes all-new equipment, plus an extensive paved trail network. An archery range is also in the works.
Myla’s verdict: “I went down the slide seven times. I give it 500 million!”
(7) Swinford Park – Plainfield
This charming park goes all-in on making kids feel like Old McDonald, offering a play structure built to look like a barn, a corral, a covered wagon, a tractor, a corn maze, and “bucking” horse spring riders. Gorgeously landscaped, it also has plenty of shade trees and green space for picnics.
Myla’s verdict: “The corn maze was easy peasy lemon squeezy.”
