Your Indianapolis CME conference.

Indianapolis after your study day

Study days finish at 2:00 PM Indianapolis time. For an easy afternoon, choose one outing near your study setting: a walk along the Central Canal in White River State Park, a look at Massachusetts Avenue’s shops and theaters, or a visit to the Indiana State Museum. Leave time for getting there and for checking the museum’s open days, since it is closed on some weekdays.

Travel, accommodation and admission to attractions are arranged separately. Your conference is built around your specialty and interests; the city is the setting you choose for it.

Museums or the canal?

White River State Park is a 250-acre park in downtown Indianapolis. Visit Indy lists the Indiana State Museum, the Eiteljorg Museum of American Indian and Western art, the Indianapolis Zoo with White River Gardens, and Victory Field there. The Indiana State Museum, at 650 W. Washington Street, covers art, architecture, history and science across three floors.

The Central Canal runs through the park as a 1.5-mile waterway where visitors can rent pedal boats or kayaks or take a gondola ride. If you prefer to stay on foot, wide paths in the park connect to the Indianapolis Cultural Trail, which links six cultural districts downtown.

Massachusetts Avenue and Indiana Avenue

Massachusetts Avenue is a mile-long avenue angled northwest from downtown, known as the Arts and Theater District and focused on local art, retail and dining. Visit Indy says it is about a 20-minute walk from downtown or a short drive, with street parking available. The Bottleworks District at its northern end is a former Coca-Cola bottling plant.

Indiana Avenue lies between the Central Canal and the White River and is rooted in Black history, business and jazz; the tourism board says it had more than 33 jazz clubs in the 1920s. The Madam Walker Legacy Center, now a theater, and the Kurt Vonnegut Museum & Library are on the avenue. Walking tours of the area are listed, so check their schedules before you plan around one.

Neighborhoods beyond downtown

Fountain Square sits about a mile southeast of downtown, with vintage and antique shops, murals, working artists and live music. Its sister neighborhood, Fletcher Place, lies just north across the interstate bridge, and the Red Line bus rapid transit runs through both. Visit Indy also notes drainage construction near Morris and Prospect Streets that limits parking and traffic, though businesses stay open, so allow extra time.

Broad Ripple Village is about six miles north of downtown and sits between the Monon Trail and the northern stretch of the Central Canal. The 26-mile Monon Trail connects Massachusetts Avenue to Broad Ripple, and Visit Indy gives the drive as roughly 20 minutes via College Avenue. Visit Indy also lists Irvington, a historic neighborhood about five miles east of downtown, and Garfield Park, a family-friendly area south of Fountain Square with access to the Pleasant Run Trail.

The Speedway

The town of Speedway is just under six miles west of downtown and is home to the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, a 2.5-mile oval known as the Brickyard. The Indianapolis Motor Speedway Museum, at 4750 W. 16th Street, offers track tours where visitors can kiss the bricks. Visit Indy gives about 15 minutes by car from downtown and about 30 minutes on IndyGo Route 10.

Compare the museum’s hours and tour schedule with your 2:00 PM finish before planning a visit. Visit Indy says the Indianapolis 500 draws over 300,000 visitors each Memorial Day weekend, so expect crowds in the area if your dates are close to it.

When to visit Indianapolis

March through May and September through November are a useful starting point for planning. The canal, the Cultural Trail and the Monon Trail are all outdoors, so judge each afternoon by the day’s forecast. The museums in White River State Park give you indoor options if the weather turns.

Getting to Indianapolis and your study setting

Indianapolis International Airport (IND) is the arrival point shown in this guide; the Indianapolis Airport Authority runs it and its site links to ground transportation and car rental pages. Choose your accommodation and ground transport with both your study setting and your plans outside study hours in mind.

The map shows straight-line distances from Shift’s designated center. These are orientation distances, not driving distances or travel-time estimates. Check your exact address against the conference’s check-in area before booking.