Indy, more than just a car race

Indy is full of surprises beyond race cars | Philadelphia Inquirer | 04/19/2009

INDIANAPOLIS - I knew the 13th-largest city in the country was a big sports town, home to the famed Indy 500 race and a full schedule of sporting events, including NCAA Final Fours in the next two years and Super Bowl XLVI in 2012 at the new Lucas Oil Stadium.

But not that it offers a green bike trail connecting cultural attractions in six neighborhoods. Or a world-class American Indian museum. Or the biggest children's museum in the country. Or an organic dairy and restaurant that sells to Whole Foods nationwide.

With a little legwork, it soon became clear that there was much more to this capital city of 1.6 million than auto racing and college and pro sports.

Once known as the Crossroads of America because of its location as a strategic railway hub, Indianapolis has reinvented itself since the mid-1970s, when it suffered from post-industrial malaise and urban blight. A concerted effort to reclaim green space, expand the convention center, and centralize cultural institutions has produced a solid array of attractions that drew 21.7 million visitors in 2006.

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