Page 402 - (DK Eyewitness) Travel Guide - USA

400  THE GREA T LAKES

downtown White River State
Park, a 250-acre (101-ha) urban
oasis. The spacious museum is
constructed of locally sourced
materials, and is close to the
Indianapolis Zoo, which also
has an aquarium and botanical
garden. The NCAA Hall of
Champions, an arena popular
for college sports, and the
Victory Field Baseball park, with
a capacity of seating 14,500
people, are also in this park.
Architecture of modern downtown Indianapolis The Eiteljorg Museum of
American Indians and
w Indianapolis of Fame displays more than Western Art, also in the
75 racing cars and other Indy White River State Park, has one
* 860, 500. ~ £ @ 500 memorabilia, in addition of the most impressive collec-
n 200 S Capitol Ave, (800) 323-4639. to examples of the Stutz, Cole, tions of Native American and
∑ visitindy.com
Marmon, National, and Western American art in the
Duesenberg automobiles built US. Establi shed in 1989 by
Known as “The Crossroads of in the city before the industry Harrison Eiteljorg, a successful
America,” Indianapolis is much centralized in Detroit. Visitors Indianapolis businessman and
more than a transpor tation hub can also take a guided bus tour art collector, the museum is
where multiple railroads and around the famous track. housed in a Southwest-inspired
Interstate highways intersect. The five-story Children’s adobe building, in deference
The city’s many parks and Museum of Indianapolis, which to Eitel jorg’s large collection
monuments, and vibrant in-town opened in 1976, has been of works from the early 20th-
neighborhoods make it one of consistently rated as one of the century Taos Society of Artists
the region’s most surprising and country’s best, and is the largest (see p538), who included
satisfying destinations. in the world. The museum’s Native American, Western
Selected as the state capital 11 galleries and 10 percent of American, and Hispanic
in 1820, Indianapolis was laid its 120,000 artifacts are themes into their work.
out on the banks of the shallow displayed in a manner that Lockerbie Square District,
White River, with a network of encourages hands-on, inter- northeast of downtown, is
wide boulevards radiating active exploration of the sciences, the city’s oldest surviving
outward from the central history, world cultures, and the 19th-century immigrant
Monument Circle, which is arts. Among the many high- neighborhood. Immortalized
dominated by the towering lights here are an authentic in the poetry of resident James
1901 Beaux Arts obelisk, the Indy 500 race car, a restored Whitcomb Riley (1849–1916),
Soldiers’ and Sailors’ Monument. carousel, a dinosaur discovery the square preserves modest
The city’s first-rate museums exhibit, and Anne Frank Peace workers’ cottages, restored
and lively arts and theater Park, with sculptures of the cobblestone streets, and
scenes are complemented world’s Seven Wonders. period street lights. Riley’s 1872
by an active interest in sports. The Indiana State Museum brick Italianate home is now
Every Memorial Day, the world’s is among the sites within the a museum and National
largest, single-day sporting Historic Landmark.
event – the Indiana polis 500 Situated on the grounds
auto race – fills the Indianapolis of the Oldfields estate of local
Motor Speedway with nearly pharmaceutical pioneer
300,000 fans. Built in 1909 as J.K. Lilly Jr., 5 miles (8 km) north
a 2.5-mile (4-km) test track for of downtown, the Indianapolis
the city’s then-burgeoning Museum of Art houses a wide-
automotive industry, the speed- ranging collection of American,
way played host to the first European, Asian, and African
Indy 500 in 1911. The race was art. Among the museum’s
the brain child of Indianapolis more acclaimed holdings
auto-parts manufacturer Carl are Winslow Homer’s The Boat
Fisher, who later gained fame Builders, Edward Hopper’s
as the tireless promoter of the Hotel Lobby, Georgia O’Keeffe’s
Lincoln Highway (now US 30), Jimson Weed, and many of
the nation’s first trans continental Paul Gauguin’s works from
highway, from New York to Display in the Indianapolis Motor Speedway his 1886 visit to the French
San Francisco. The track’s Hall Hall of Fame artists’ colony of Pont-Aven.
For hotels and restaurants in this region see pp422–4 and pp425–7

400-401_EW_USA.indd 400 11/2/16 2:46 PM
Eyewitness Travel LAYERS PRINTED:
Catalogue template “UK” LAYER
(Source v2.6)
Date 12th July 2013
Size 125mm x 217mm