Carmel has a dang cute selfie station on Elm Street just east of the Monon. The mural looks like a…read more1960's postcard and stamps with scenes from around Carmel. There is even a mark on the sidewalk to tell you where to stand to take your selfie. This is one of several selfie spots that I saw in the area. I used to call the area downtown Carmel, but the City has rebranded as "Midtown" and Midtown Plaza. The colorful mural was the brainchild of Wilkinson Brothers Design and was unveiled in March 2021.

The mural is the work of Carmel-based Wilkinson Brothers Design and was placed in 2021. It faces…read moreElm Street and is opposite the side of the BIG SCREEN at Midtown Plaza. This mural gives the appearance of a vintage post card and reads "Greetings from Carmel, Midtown Plaza". There are scenes from the city in the cutout letters that include the Monon Trail, Sails, the Coxhall Gardens Clock Tower and City Hall. The card is against a colorful cityscape background cutout with other cityscape silhouettes on it. You will also see stamps of local attractions around the area on the mural including Hotel Carmichael and the Palladium. It is a gorgeous mural that is Instagram ready. The city intends it to be an interactive piece that affords visitors the opportunity to take a selfie. To make sure that visitors get the best possible selfie, there is a decal that tells you where to stand. It is located just outside Java House Coffee Bar and Penn & Beech Candle Co. I love interactive art. This mural is no exception. I was excited about seeing it and I am sure it will be a popular attraction in the area. I will say that it is off of a somewhat busy street, so use caution when approaching. There is free street parking and a garage available to park within a very short walk. I know that this is probably not going to be a long stop, but I still recommend checking it out. You may want to consider planning out additional stops at many of the other attractions in the area, or making this stop part of a larger itinerary to maximize your time and trip such as the Monon Trail or the Sails sculpture that is right down the street.

Located within walking distance from where all the action is in town made it easy to get around…read morewithout a car. The neighborhood is charming and filled with friendly people. My accommodations were extremely comfortable, clean and truly exceeded my expectations. There are only three quest rooms so it is very quiet and relaxed. The food was absolutely outstanding, especially the chocolate chip cookies!!! Kelly and Joe made me feel like I was at my home away from home. I will definitely return and highly recommend a stay.

We just returned from a stay at this B&B in the charming town of Carmel IN. Our stay was fabulous,…read morethanks to our hosts, Kelly and Joe. The property is lovely, and our room (Anna Lynn) was spacious and comfortable. The pillow top King size bed was spectacular! Joe and Kelly's breakfasts were absolutely phenomenal. Everything was gourmet quality, and served with care. They are lovely people and we enjoyed chatting with them each day. I fell in love with their little dog Ted, and it was very hard to say goodbye! We have stayed in many B&Bs and the Old Town Carmel was one of the best! Would highly recommend this to anyone seeking a relaxing stay in the Indianapolis area, as it was an easy drive to the city. Lots to do in the Art & Design District.

This is a tall sculpture located in the center of a Carmel roundabout. I saw it both during the day…read moreand the night and in my opinion, it is far more impressive at night than during the day. This piece stands 42 feet high, and is made of aluminum and steel. It is the work of Arlon Bayliss, who created the piece in 2019. It depicts 3 roses towering over the roundabout. It is very detailed and looks very realistic. I love the pink pedals and how they look like they are made of some type of sheer material. The sculpture also includes gold stems and silver leaves, wrapped in a ribbon. It is illuminated at night and looks amazing. It is rumored that if you look closely at the sculpture, you may find a bumblebee hidden among the flower petals. There are a few parking lots off of the roundabout that you can pull into, park, and get out to take a closer look. That is what I ended up doing. Just be carful doing so, as it is a very active roundabout. This is obviously not a destination piece or a long stop, but if you are in the area and near by, then it may be worthy of a quick visit. As with most sculptures (especially those located on roundabouts) that I visit, this was not a long stop. I was there about 5 minutes and I was out. I came across the sculpture by chance, driving to an appointment. I recommend making this part of a larger itinerary or a stop on your way somewhere else.

Wow! When it comes to making eye catching sculptures, leave it to Arlon Bayliss. This newest…read moreedition (2019) fills the center of the roundabout at Pennsylvania St and Old Meridian Streets. The shining steel roses rise above the lawn a towering 42' and are wrapped in a ribbon. According to the artist's statement, he hopes that the roses add beauty as well as bring Grace, Love, and Joy to the hearts of those who see it. P.S. There is a little surprise built into the sculpture that is hidden "in plain sight". If you like this installation, you can see another of Bayliss' work at 96th and Westfield Blvd (Beacon Bloom) in Carmel and another at the north end of Main Street in Speedway (Seeds of Light). Review #3063

Amazing place it has a lot of great value. Good prices too. I bought a few items and I wish I had…read morethe money to buy more.

First time in this booth style antique and vintage store. It is located in Westfield to the right…read moreand behind Big Hoffa BBQ. You never know what you are going to find in booth style shops. Prices were good and bad. As always prices are controlled by each individual booth owner so some are reasonable and some I would consider unreasonable. The staff in the store were all real friendly and they held our items at the counter as we shopped to keep our hands free for more items, yes that is a problem Just kidding, nice of them to do. I failed to get through the entire store so I will have to make a return trip, my friends are faster than me as I like to look at absolutely every piece to make sure I do not miss than gem I was searching for. I keep a running list of things I want to find as well as a list for some of my friends. I found plenty to bring home on this day and we had a fun time reminiscing and searching through each booth. It is a good place to spend several hours. I will definitely return.

What a lovely sight to see in what was an otherwise ho-hum tunnel. This mural, which was designed…read moreand created by Carmel High School student Caroline Hammonds, is located on the Monon Trail in Carmel, under City Center Drive and right by The Palladium at the Center for the Performing Arts. The colorful mural features musical instruments and lots of swirls. It kind of reminds me of something I would see in the liner notes of The Beatles' Yellow Submarine album, but that could just be my take on it. Apparently, the artist was listening to classical music when she painted it, so I could be projecting here. According to something I read, Hammonds was inspired to paint the mural as an homage to Indiana, a state that is flat and doesn't have mountains or oceans, but is still beautiful in its own way. I like that!

The Stutz Sculpture is one of four auto-themed sculptures along the 96th Street corridor in Carmel…read more One of the "Classic Cars of Indiana," Stutz is one of my favorites in Carmel. It's possibly second to the Marmon Wasp - another one I absolutely love. All four classic car sculptures were created by Arlon Bayliss, a local artist whose design incorporates dozens of steel fabricated by Bo-Mar industries. Each vertical slice of steel creates an "ethereal light-permeable abstract form." At night, it's illuminated from within. The sculpture sits on a 5-foot Indiana limestone base. The sculpture is 16-feet-high and inspired by the Stutz's well-known "Ra" art deco hood ornament. I miss the days when we had really cool hood ornaments. The sculpture is inside the roundabout at 96th and Gray Road. I'm not one who's enamored with a lot of Carmel's public art, however, this is one I'll even drive out of the way a bit to go see. The sculpture was the last of the four "Classic Cars" to be installed and was completed in September 2024. I personally think it's worth the time to drive across 96th Street to catch all four. Plus, hey, think of all the roundabouts. Seriously, this is one of my favorites of the public art installations in Carmel roundabouts. It's definitely worth a visit or at least a drive-by.

Again: I know nothing about art, just going by what I like and what I don't …read more This is another roundabout sculpture in the series of Indianapolis' auto industry and racing history. They are back to back along 96th Street. This one looks like the hood ornament Stutz used and based on the sun god Ra. It is made of metal slices and pretty ingenious. I understand it also lights up, but I haven't personally seen it at night. I do enjoy looking at it as I circle it on my way through the roundabout.

At first glance, this mural appears to be a simple, somewhat cartoon-ish rendering of a face…read morepeering out and the words "You Have Company" written above the face. But when you think about it and understand what the mural represents, then you appreciate another level of understanding about the mural and its subject. The figure, which seems to be hiding though clearly in sight, represents those folks we encounter everyday that are going through some sort of mental illness. The message is meant to offer support to those individuals so that they aren't alone and should not feel shamed into isolation. The mural was created by Seattle-based cartoonist/novelist Ellen Forney in 2017 who based the mural upon her book in which she describes how she finds inspiration from other artists and their work. The Department of Public Words, a local public art team, helped with the layout and design of the mural. The mural is part of the Jiffy Lube program of bringing public art to its buildings around central Indiana. Jiffy Lube sells green ribbons to support the state chapter of the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) as a tie in to the mural. Review #2299

In the roundabout at 151st and Carey Road in Hamilton County, a gleaming stainless steel sculpture…read moresits atop a pedestal. Hoosier artist Steve Wooldridge (from Sheridan) created the piece in 1999 and it was installed recently in this location. From the front and back (north and south views I think), the piece is very narrow with two long and slightly angled support columns reaching up to a cluster of arcs attached where the columns meet. The attachments not only form arcs when viewed from the side, but also are curved away from the supports at the top and bottom of the arcs to add the effect of wings when looked at from the front. There is also a smaller attachment at the back of the arcs that could be interpreted as the body of the dragonfly. There are three shapes which could creatively (if not biologically accurate) represent the three body segments of the insect (head, thorax, and abdomen). On a clear day, the piece is truly eye catching as it rises above the landscaping in the center of the roundabout. Review #1292

Beautiful, love when the sun hits the sculpture. So impressive & it makes me smile as it does look…read morelike a dragonfly!

I was in the Yard District in Fishers playing Pokémon GO and found a PokéStop linked to this mural…read more I decided to go check it out and even posted a picture of it on my story on social media. I think the art is great and the message is wonderful. I wish it was in a more noteworthy visible spot though!

I love when I find public art when I am out and about in the indy area, I was walking through the…read morefishers yard district and noticed this colorful piece and had to take a snap of it. Upon further research, I found out that it was painted by Nekoda Witske, who is a part of the hue mural group, I really enjoyed looking at this since it was bright and just really makes you happy (if you're into colors) and is a combo of a face and a rose. I'll have to seek out more of her work around!

This mural is part of Jiffy Lube of Indiana mural project, in conjunction with the Arts Council of…read moreIndianapolis. It is the work of local artist Nekoda Witsken, who is also the owner of Hue Murals. She completed the mural in 2021 in about 2 weeks. This is a unique and interesting mural. It is in Witsken's signature "color explosion" style. And it also seamlessly incorporates a regaining wall that it in front of the primary wall. It has a 3D cutout flower panel on it. The mural itself is not painted directly on the Jiffy Lube wall because the wall is exposed brick. Witsken used large specially cut aluminum dibord to create a floated surface on which to paint. The mural depicts the colorful image of a black woman's face and a nonbinary person with their arms up above their head while they are standing in front of a sunflower. The retaining wall has a 3D flower and continues with the black woman's neck and top portion of her body. There is also a very close up image of the upper right side of a face. This piece grabs your attention. I like how Witsken uses colors. Witsken aimed to paint a mural that featured empowered, diverse people in terms of both gender and race. She hopes this mural inspires people to take a deep breath, grow their positivity, and be open to those around them. Witsken is very talented and I am a fan of her work. You claims that this piece is her best work thus far. You should really check this mural out if you are in the area. As with most murals that I have visited and reviewed, this is not a very long stop. I was there less than 5 minutes.  You may want to consider planning out additional stops at many of the other attractions in the area, or making this stop part of a larger itinerary to maximize your time and trip. You could start with the Lincoln Mural (another of Witsken's pieces) or Lincoln Park.

When one of your favorite local artists proclaims that their latest work is their favorite, you…read moreshould make a point to see it in person. Even though I live southwest of Indy and this new mural is north west, I am so glad I went. She was still working on the mural so I got a brief moment to chat with her. Now I will have to make a return visit to capture the final version. Hopefully some other Yelpers will stop by who can add more photos until I get back to the area to share. As part of an ongoing series sponsored by Jiffy Lube of Indiana, the business wants to be a good neighbor and bring art to the community in unexpected places. In its fifth year at the time of this installation, the business coordinates with the Arts Council of Indianapolis to find local artists who would be willing to take on the opportunity to have their work seen by lots of folks who might not make it to galleries or art museums. One of the limitations is that the mural should have nothing to do with vehicles or that might be interpreted as simply advertising. The artists are given a great deal of freedom to be creative which is one reason this artist Koda Witsken enjoyed working on the project. All artists are paid for their work too! According to comments on the artist's website (Hue Murals), the mural was inspired by the chance to show gender and ethnic diversity as well as the native flowers of Indiana. One of the most impressive things about the mural (in addition to her amazing sense of color and talent) is that she hand paints with brushes (no spray cans for her) the entire 400 sq ft area! Imagine painting a 12 x12 room just over 8 ft tall with paint brushes, no roller? My hands ache just thinking about that task! Another challenge the artist had to deal with is that sometimes the mural may be replaced, so to preserve the art she paints on specially cut aluminum dibord which can be attached and then removed for another location later. In some of my photos you will notice the white dibord before she had a chance to finish the mural with painted jewelry. Personally, I love how the artist can see colors within color. Her work can be found all over the north side and she is adding more locations in the metro area. For more of her work check out my Collection of reviews and photos on Yelp. Review #3941