The outdoor activities you must do in Indianapolis
If you’re looking for some of Indy’s best outdoor activities, which are great for social distancing if you’re still waiting for your vaccine, we’ve got you covered.
Tourism & Hospitality
Articles
Men’s Sweet 16 teams might be stuck in Indy, but they don’t want to leave
Early on, the hotels and convention center bustled with several hundred players. Now only 16 teams remain on the giant bracket that hangs from the J.W. Marriott next to the convention center, and every program wants to extend its stay.
Herron-Morton Place eatery Tinker Street plans reopening
Owner Tom Main said he’s shooting for an April reopening for Tinker Street, a fine-dining restaurant that’s been closed for dine-in service for more than a year and was on the selling block in late 2020.
How Swish festival pays Indy artists—rain or shine
Swish organizers are trying to bring back a sense of normalcy and financial security for local artists by guaranteeing they’ll be paid for their involvement in the downtown festival—even if the weather thwarts their plans.
Caesars puts pandemic losses at $2B, wants insurers to pay
Casino giant Caesars Entertainment Inc., which operates multiple properties in Indiana, is suing a long list of insurance carriers it accuses of balking at paying its business interruption costs.
Downtown hotel occupancy tops in nation with March Madness influx
With thousands of visitors in town for the NCAA basketball tournament and other athletic events, occupancy rates at downtown Indianapolis hotels were the highest in the nation for the past two weekends, breaking the pandemic tourism setback that settled in a year ago.
Secondary brokers say ticket demand has been mixed, but Hinkle games are hot commodity
Interest in tickets to Sweet 16 and Elite Eight games in Indianapolis is generally outpacing the demand for tickets to earlier rounds. Tickets for Hinkle Fieldhouse games are seeing the strongest demand.
NCAA tournament early rounds draw 111,000-plus spectators
The figures, obtained by IBJ on Wednesday, show an average attendance of 2,180 people per game across the seven basketball courts at six venues. All venues limited crowd sizes because of the pandemic.
In terms of chaos, this year’s Sweet 16 field is historic
The seed numbers of the 16 remaining teams add up to 94, the highest total since the NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament expanded in 1985. Here’s how that stacks up against some previous years.
Area cultural attractions work to attract college basketball fans
Some local museums and cultural institutions say they saw a bump in visitation over the weekend related to March Madness. Meanwhile, the attractions are playing up their basketball connections in a bid to attract visitors.
3 downtown hotels to ‘un-bubble’ as NCAA consolidates teams to 1 property
The move will allow fans and other visitors to use the Hyatt Regency, Westin and JW Marriott hotels for the first time in 10 days, after the three properties were fully booked by the NCAA for tournament needs.
In town for the tourney? Here are the attractions you should check out
Indianapolis is home to several must-do attractions, including special restaurants, the Speedway, several museums and more. Here’s a list of attractions the IBJ staff recommends checking out.
Roger Penske bullish on large crowd for Indianapolis 500
There will be fans at this year’s Indianapolis 500, Indianapolis Motor Speedway owner Roger Penske said Monday, but how many remains a moving target based on COVID-19 restrictions. More than 170,000 tickets already have been sold for the May 30 race, he said.
Photo gallery: District Tap, other downtown eateries see crowds swell for first weekend of tourney
One of the biggest challenges for sports bars like Kilroys and The District Tap is that most people are sticking around for multiple games, rather than leaving after they finish eating, restaurateurs said.
Fans celebrate return of NCAA tournament, despite its smaller scale
Capacity was limited to no more than 25% and bands and cheerleaders were noticeably absent. Still, most of the elements that make the NCAA Tournament America’s most beloved sporting event were on display Friday in the games played around central Indiana.
Limited capacity at Hinkle Fieldhouse doesn’t dim experience for fans
Even with most of the seats empty, the roar of fans could be heard outside Hinkle Fieldhouse on Friday afternoon as Virginia Tech hit a three-pointer in the final seconds to send the game into overtime.
Sports-related activities in Indianapolis to include in your March Madness fun
Wondering what other sports-related activities you can do here? The answer is plenty.
From Ethiopia to Indy, Lucas Oil Stadium chef set for Madness
If you picture hotdogs and popcorn when you think about stadium food, meet Chef Shimelis Adem, who’s using local ingredients to create an Indiana-focused menu for NCAA games. On the list: Midwestern Madness Pork Chop Sandwich, Indiana Whiskey Sour Pork Wings and a Half-Pound Bracket Burger.
Joe Hogsett: Coordinated effort helps Indy pull off once-in-a-lifetime event
Along with a morale boost, the NCAA Tournament will serve as a major economic boost for our downtown businesses and outlying areas.
Gen Con reschedules to September, plans ‘hybrid’ event
In a statement on Gen Con’s website, event organizers said they believe the calendar change is the “best approach both to meet the many challenges of the moment and to explore possibilities for the future.”