White River State Park – A Lot to Do In One Place (#INSavings)

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White River State Park is Indiana’s only urban state park, and has so much to do in a relatively small space. In fact, I often forget a lot of what the park has to offer. There’s green spaces, trails, water features, and of course, trees. But there are things to do and things to see.

The Canal at White River State Park

There’s the Indiana State Museum, the Eiteljorg Museum of American Indians & Western Art, Victory Field, the Indianapolis Zoo, White River Gardens, the NCAA Hall of Champions Museum, NCAA World Headquarters, the IMAX Theater, the Canal, and Celebration Plaza, the Governor’s Lawn, and The Lawn at White River State Park, all three of which hosts numerous concerts throughout the year.

There are also plenty of things to do in the park, besides visit any of these venues. There’s the FREE Family Arts Series, Segway tours, gondola and paddleboat rides, four wheel pedal bikes (think of the bamboo car on Gilligan’s Island),

If you’re a fan of local cultural events, then you’ll find yourself at White River State Park more than once this year. Not only is it the place for the Indy 500 Mini-Marathon post-race celebration, but you can also see The Lawn Concert Series, the Irish Festival, the Rib America Festival, and the Circle City Classic Pep Rally. And if there’s nothing going on, you can just walk around the park and along the Canal and Canal Walk Cultural District. It’s also a great place for group events, like corporate events, weddings, and family gatherings.

White River State Park is just west of the Indiana State House and Government Center on Washington Street, and just south of IUPUI on West Street. There are several hotels in the area if you’re heading down for a visit, and there’s plenty of parking.

Photo credit: navets (Flickr)