I truly just enjoy interesting surroundings and the ability to just stroll around and visit the little shops lining the street. Takes me back in time when this was the norm. Gives you a bit of that nostalgic small town feel, even so we all know how much Carmel has grown and become so much more like the big cities. read more

There's a wonderful mural that was created by the Art Department from Carmel High School. The mural is located just off Main Street in Carmel and was created in 2007. The mural is entitled "Cityscape" and depicts images from the the Art District with some modern twists. I was touched to see faculty and students given the opportunity to express their creativity in their community. The names of the artists are listed on the south end of the mural. The mural is slightly faded with age. There is a small, lovely garden with benches at the base of the mural with a plaque that honors donors. read more

See all

I've yet to spread the love on the CADD...so here it goes! I love the charm of Main Street in downtown Carmel. Kudos to the city for building this place up into a lovely place to dine, shop and stroll. My tips for exploring the area: 1) Browse the local art galleries and shops (my faves are CCA Gallery, Old Town Antique Mall and Silver in the City) -- come on the second Saturday of the month for Gallery Walk nights! 2) You've worked up an appetite, so grab a bite to eat -- Mudbugs, The Pint Room, Bazbeaux or Blu Moon just around the corner on Rangeline. Feeling fancy? Enjoy scones and high tea at Tina's English Tearoom. Don't forget wine tastings and live music at Peace Water! 3) Walk off that food with a stroll or bike ride on the Monon Trail (Zagster bikes for rent - $3/hour). From there, you can go north to Westfield for a more scenic/nature route or south to Carmel City Center/the Palladium to explore more shops/dining options. This area continues to grow and thrive - just south is the emerging Midtown district with the new Sun King distillery and a chophouse. It's a great place to explore and discover something new! read more

See all

The Carmel Arts and Design District is what it is. That is, it is very walkable, and there are cute shops all up and down Main Street. Also, there are some interesting-slash-scary-AF statues lining the streets of the district. There are also some good restaurants; I like to get pad Thai at the appropriately named Pad Thai. I also love the milkshakes at Bub's. It's a nice, safe area to stroll and window shop in Carmel. read more

I used to live in Carmel way back before all of the round a bouts and The Palladium and have to admit, I don't get outside of the circle much. Little did I know how much the Carmel Arts District has expanded! A friend and I had several hours before we had to pick up kids from school, and started at Carmel Old Town Antique Market. For those familiar with Midland Antiques, this place is very much like that, chock full of wares from days gone past. Their vendors include everything from primitive to mid century and everything in between. Plan to spend several hours here, as you're sure to find something unique that you cant live without! From there we crossed the street past a Tattoo parlor to enjoy a taste of Napa wine made for Indiana owners of Peace Water Winery. We relaxed over a bottle of wine before having to dash back to the real life of moms, to pick of the kids. Plan to make a day of it. We'll be headed back as soon as we have the time and funds to enjoy ourselves. read more

A few years ago, I might've rated it two stars, but today, I'm thrilled about these additions: - Silver In the City: a funky, gift store with lots of funny, quirky & Indiana gifts that are priced normally - The Pint Room: with loadddds of taps with local beers and amazing cheese curds, it's the new hangout spot of downtown Carmel - Joe's Butcher Shop: amazing service, handmade sandwiches to perfection, great sides, local spreads/sauces/snacks, quality meats - Peace Love Winery: expensive but dang cool, trendy space with tips always going to a charity - The Antique Store: Im not even an antique store kind of girl, but this place is COOL. Every time I walk in, I want to snag an old Nancy Drew book or vintage ring. - Sub Zero: Brings in a lot of people who want to see the dry ice process - Coming soon: Sun King Distillery; can't wait, this will be huge and well-run Now.... we just need a local coffee shop. Luckily, Indie Coffee Roasters is opening up in a cute, restored house, one block east, on Main Street (by Greek's Pizza). So. Excited. read more

Charming streets. Walkable. Great animated sculptures. And...a tad..boring. Maybe I'm not the best one to write this review since I'm not from here. Before I set out on my trip here people told me mixed advice about coming to Carmel. Some raved about it and said its darling and a must-see. Others told me that Carmel is just meh and I'd better spend my time in Indy. So I had to check it out for myself. Well, I have to report that when I showed up I was shortly ready to turn around. If you like indoor galleries this might be your thing. I had a fun time taking goofy pics with the sculptures but I didn't feel drawn to the cookie-cutter shops. read more

See all

The Carmel Arts and Design District has a lot to offer. I'm most impressed that the city provides free parking so that you can spend time in the Arts and Design District without the fear of a stalking meter maid in your mental rear view mirror. Grab pizza at Bazbeau's, Thai at Pad Thai, challenge your appetite with the "Big Ugly" at Bub's, catch fresh seafood and meats at Joe's, savor a guilty treat at Auntie Em's, dive into an Italian dish at Donatello's, go creole with some Cajun fun at Mudbugs, enjoy pressure cooked chicken and fried cheese at Muldoon's, chips and salsa at Agave's, brews and apps at The Library, or catch a game at Scotty's or the Pint Room. Oh wait,.. I can't leave out a donut at Square Donuts, a chocolate at The Sweet Shoppe, or high tea at Tina's. And.. that's just the restaurants all within a short walk. There are other retail businesses on the strip that deserve similar shout-outs, but I'll tailor this review strictly to the taste buds and pen one for each retailer later. The festivals are plenty and occur annually. There's a lot of pride in this community and the city works hard to create an experience for every season. I couldn't recommend a stop or a road trip enough. There are plenty of things to see and do, dogs to watch, and items to take home to savor later on when shopping at the local businesses on Main St.. Bring your bikes, too, and begin your exploration. read more

See all

Places like this really have to be taken in the context of what else is available in metro Indianapolis. If you go to NYC, Toronto, Chicago, etc., this place is, at best, nothing special. There are many neighborhoods in those places that are larger, more local, unique, and interesting - and evolved organically over decades or even centuries rather than "designed". However, you are in metro Indy, where this place is a little interesting. There are art galleries, non-chain restaurants (yes, there are still some of those around here), Joe's Butcher Shop, barber shop, yogurt shop, tea shop, etc. It's a rather perfect location and is within walking distance of not only the aforementioned shops but also: Carmel High School, Carmel Library, Monon Trail, and Palladium / Booth Tarkington (via Monon Trail). There are several annual events that close down the District to car traffic. Carmel Artomobilia and the Carmel International Art Festival come to mind, both being excellent, high quality, well-attended events. This is also a fine place for people watching as it's where the beautiful people of Carmel come to see and be seen (right Neal P?). You can see them walking their well groomed dogs on the Monon and on Main St, transporting them in their Range Rovers and Porsche Cayennes. The only downside is that there just isn't the population density for there to be enough foot traffic to be interesting except on absolutely perfect summer weekend afternoons and evenings. Surburbia is still car-centric and has too much sprawl. The fact that metro Indy has the cheapest real estate of any medium-sized or larger city in the US doesn't help the effort to increase population density. But this is what we have. read more

Carmel Arts and Design District - Granny multitasking - Art Galleries Near Me - Carmel, Indiana

See all

I am relatively new to the world of public art. Sure, I checked out some of the art displayed downtown in Indy when it was there. And I checked out the murals that went up for the Super Bowl (XLVI for 46). But, other than that, I hadn't really noticed. I don't think that I'm the only one who walks or drives by ornate buildings and sculptures, murals and graffiti without taking time to see what is there. So, now that I am retired, I have the time to slow down and look at the world around me. When I saw that Carmel had an extensive collection of public art, I hopped in my car to check it out. The area designated as the Arts and Design District (and the area to the immediate south on Rangeline Road) is filled with artistic sculptures and fountains. There are murals and private pieces of art as well. And there are numerous shops in the district to appeal to anyone looking to acquire something for themselves. My focus on the day I traveled was to find the pieces by J Seward Johnson Jr. The city has acquired 15 of his bronze lifelike sculptures and placed them in places that are likely to be noticed by anyone in the area, but are so real looking that you may be surprised they aren't fellow humans. I started out my journey just south of the district at the Carmel City Center. The first piece I found was "My World" (1992) where a little girl sits reading a book on south Rangeline Rd. The next piece was "Big Sister" (1987) at Hanover Place in the area behind Divvy Restaurant. The piece depicts a young girl receiving help in tying her shoe from her big sister. I then headed north to Main Street and parked on the east side of the district. As I walked along the north side of the street, I found "Who's in Charge" (1991) at 30 N Rangeline. It shows a boy sitting upon his father's shoulders. The next piece I found was "Sidewalk Concert" at 22 W Main, right in front of a music store. A statue of a violinist playing for tips is the focus of this piece. Further down the street at 40 W Main (on the corner of 1st Ave), "There, Now You Can Grow" has a little girl with a watering can placed next to some live flowers. From that location, you can also see a large Mural painted by students at Carmel in 2007. Across 1st Avenue, I then saw "Ambassador of the Streets" (1993). This woman in a red dress is walking her dog. The dog has other things in mind than walking in the direction the woman wants to go. A little farther down the street and I found "One Man's Search" (1996). It shows a man (in a Carmel HS jacket) sitting on a bench reading a book. Across 2nd Avenue near the Monon Trail is "Oh, It's You, Welcome!" (1997) portraying a policeman named W Carey. Further down the street is an oversized bronze of a dancing woman by Jerry Joslin titled "Eternal Spring" (or Spring Eternal). And finally, near the roundabout, an artist is painting the fountain in the middle. This piece is called "The Right Light" (1983). I really liked that this piece not only shows off the sculpting ability, but the painting skills of the artist as well. Working my way back to my car on the south side of Main Street, I soon noticed the piece "First Ride" just a short way down the Monon Trail. This piece is a bit dated, showing a father helping his daughter ride her bike before the days of safety helmets. Interestingly, the city put a plaque that the use of a helmet is not to be ignored just because of the statue! The next block shows two pieces. The first is "Confirming Predictions" and shows a man on a bench checking his stocks in the morning paper. The second is a woman coming out of a butcher shop called "Holding Out". Sadly, the plaque for this piece is missing, so there was little information about it. As I crossed 1st Avenue, there was another colorful mural on the east side of the street. As I got to Rangeline, I turned south and saw a couple holding an umbrella called "Elemental" (1993). Although it seemed a bit out of place on this sunny day, I can imagine it seems very realistic on a rainy day. I crossed the street and at 1 S Rangeline found "Things to Do". This piece has a business woman seated on a bench making out a list of things to do that day. By the look of things on the list, she seemed rather ambitious! The final piece was found at 19 E Main St. This statue reminds me of several photos taken after World War II ended as a returning sailor plants a kiss on a willing lady. The original title of the piece was "Unconditional Surrender" (2004), but is also known a "Embracing Peace". Overall, the pieces are very lifelike, although some have become dated. Still, I appreciate the nostalgic feel that made me feel welcome. After the walk, I was able to try out one of the numerous restaurants in the area. There is a great diversity of shops along the path as well as places to acquire art. It was a fun way to spend my morning. Review #154 indyartsguide.org/public... read more

See all

Charming little section of Carmel, Indiana, filled with eateries, galleries, etc. My favorite of the art & design area is the many bronze sculptures lining the street. They also have concerts is the park. There is a fantastic farmer's market on Saturday mornings...make sure you go with an empty stomach as there are many food vendors at the market. I like to stay at the Old Towne Carmel Bed & Breakfast. Fantastic B&B within walking distance to everything. read more

Carmel Arts and Design District - Art Galleries Near Me - Carmel, Indiana

Carmel Arts and Design District is basically the name for "Downtown Carmel". With the Monon Trail on its western boundary, you can easily walk up and down Main Street from it or hop on a rental bike and speed off on the Monon Trail. A short ride or walk away is the Palladium area which has some more greenspace and what not. There is public art throughout the district, and the residential units in the area are almost all dog friendly. So if your four legged friend gets excited when he sees other dogs, be prepared to hold onto the leash. Most of the eateries around here have decent to good or great Yelp reviews. There is a great butcher shop as well. What this area could REALLY use is a coffee shop. There is a cafe on the tail end of the district, but it closes at 2 or 3. Which is fine, but sometimes you really want to grab a cup of joe and you don't want to slug your way to Starbucks. I think if Broad Ripple can support Monon Coffee Co with evening hours, Carmel can probably get away with it too. Also, I don't care what anyone says: The statues are creepy AF. read more

Went into the art district yesterday for the art fair and had a really great time. Lots of excellent art from painting to photography to sculptures and much more. Most of it was well out of our budget but it was still cool to look at and a great time for them family. On a more general note this area is great because it offers so much in such a little area. From the Farmers Market to shops and places to eat you can spend and entire day and get a lot of stuff done. A few of the places we love are Bubs, The Pint Room, restyled, and the antique store. read more

Carmel Arts and Design District - Face/body paint in at the art fair - Art Galleries Near Me - Carmel, Indiana

See all

I am torn between 3-4 stars... I ended up going for 3. This place is ok, just like that. Lower-case, no exclamation marks, no hashtags ok. My daughter and I visited Westfield for the USAG Regional Championships and we stayed in Carmel. Next day, after check out, we decided to go here and check it out. It's not bad, but it did not change my life. There are some interesting place, stores and small galleries. A couple of interesting restaurants and coffee shops. Maybe 1-2 bars. We went up and down the whole street at least twice in no more than 90 mins. We went into, at least, 7 stores and browsed things, bought a couple of things. An interesting olive oil store, a t-shirt store with a Stranger Things design. Some very realistic statues all over the place. A $10/pop Miniature Home Museum. Not a bad experience, but neither life-changing. If you have some time to kill, go check it out, why not. read more

Amazing! Beautiful Family friendly. Many parking lot, direct connection to Monon greenway. Great festivals in main street. read more

Carmel Arts and Design District - Art Galleries Near Me - Carmel, Indiana

It bills itself as "the Midwest's premiere art and design destination." While its recent revamp has beautified this arterial street in Old Town Carmel, its still missing a very high end designer boutique or a resident performing arts scene. Still, the area has come a long way in a short time and offers plenty to do. Everything from a fun, upscale lingerie store to a gourmet candy shop can be found on this street. Lots of very cute boutiques, too, who specialize in eclectic, well-chosen pieces for the home, or chic accessories, jewelry and clothing. A butcher shop and female-centric workout outlet can be found, too. A couple of stunning galleries--sweeping pop art by Evan Lurie or colorful Magdalena Gallery--give the street an artsy feel. read more

I feel so lucky to live in Carmel and have the the Arts & Design District so close! It is home to designers, art galleries, showrooms, shops and restaurants. It's the perfect place for lunch or dinner at one of the restaurants. You can even sit outside on a patio. My favorite thing to do is have lunch outside enjoying the weather and views. You can buy great are and some really cool items like olive oils and vinegars, cupcakes, ice cream, lots of very cool gifts, go to the winery, and even get a tattoo! They have a lot of great activities like the Gallery Walks which are every 2nd Saturday. It's so fun to pop into all the shops and galleries. They often have an art activity to do and you can even do a savager hunt. It's always a fun night even when it's a bit colder out. But on a nice night it's great to get some exercise in while checking out all the shops. We try to go to everyone now that we know now much fun they are! Other fun things to do are Jazz on the Monon, the Art of Wine, and Artomobilia. All very fun events. read more

See all

Well the wife and I were looking for something to do before dinner reservations and thought about stopping to downtown Carmel. She had never been there (I had been to Joe's Butcher Shop) so I thought it might be fun to explore together. Having not checked the calendar I didn't realize it the the Saturday of the Carmel Art Festival. What a kick ass event! We checked out a lot of the vendor tents and found some great ceramic and pottery dealers we didn't know existed. Additionally there were some watercolor dealers with very cool artwork for sale. Admittedly there was a lot of stuff way out of our price range but still cool to look at. I really like the whole concept of the arts district in Carmel and it's exceptionally beautiful and superbly located (and surprisingly large) but it all feels a bit....forced. I guess you have to start somewhere and over time it will take on a life of its own, but it feels Carmel sterile with the similarly shaped storefronts, natural earth tone brick, apartments, etc. Minor rub I know...I still like it and will certainly return (if for nothing else Joe's Butcher Shop)! read more

I love Carmel. It's clean, new, and wall taken care of, aside from the massive mounds of debt, it's a wonderful town. The Arts District is just as terrific. With a very small downtown feel main street feel, there are high end boutiques, yummy restaurants and many art studios. It's full of tons of culture. The only downside is that some of the businesses just can't keep there lease. So there are constantly empty building spaces. And they have a place for Tea but no local coffee shop? I just want to relax somewhere other than Starbucks! But it's conveniently right on the Monon trail and is always buzzing during warm weather. Feels like a mini-city in the suburbs. Bring your kids, dogs, and bikes for a great time! read more

I have dubbed this place "New Broad Ripple". It was originally intended to be an area for galleries/ design studios/ artists studios. It is really lots of restaurants/ offices with some galleries and no artists studios. They recently opened the Indiana Design center, so maybe some design there now. There are lots of complaints about the parking situation. There is parking, you just need to look. There are two free underground parking garages. Just don't expect to just park and hop out. Two of the features in this area are Joe's Butcher Shop and Woody's Library Restaurant. I highly recommend both. If you don't know about Bub's burger's there is something wrong with you. The Lurie gallery is nice, the city gave him lots of $$ to make it so. There are already several new restaurants that have just opened, that I have yet to try. They have ripped off the First Friday Idea, making it Second Saturdays. It's worth a look. Beware, I call it "New Broad Ripple", but the cops are all over the place and have lots of free time. You're in Hamilton County and they like messing with Indy folk. read more

I visited over the weekend for the Art of Wine Fest. I haven't been to the district in a few years, and it was my first time attending the Fest. Have to say, I really enjoyed both. The atmosphere was pleasant, it wasn't overly crowded, and the wait times in line weren't extremely long. The website, app, and online map made my preparation for the experience that much easier. I liked that they provided free shuttle service from Carmel High School. This was very convenient. The live entertainment located in various spots along the strip were very good. I do wish I had gotten there a little earlier to fully experience the shops along the strip, but this just means I must go back! read more

This was a fun little district just north of Indianapolis just right for grabbing a quick bite to eat or doing a little bit of shopping. I'd echo David's enthusiasm for Woody's Library restaurant (in an old Carnegie Library building and furnished with some of the old book shelves and other library furnishings from the early 1900s) and Joe's Butcher (and old-school style butcher shop). We didn't make Bub's Burgers, but ate down the street at Bub's other place along the Monon Trail for breakfast (my dining companions were all about the huge donut holes here, but I just had to try the German dill potato soup with a big bowl of fruit for breakfast-great stuff). The best thing about the district for me was the life-like and life-sized statues scattered around the district--fun to hunt them all up and take photos of them. They depicted scenes like a dad teaching his kid to ride a two-wheeler bike along the Monon Trail, a busker in front of the music store, a woman with her bag of groceries in front of the butcher store and more. Even being there in early November, we still saw plenty of bicyclists and walkers along the Monon Trail, and there was plenty of action at the nearby Center for the Performing Arts. Lots to do without ever setting foot in Indy itself! read more

This is a good place to spend the afternoon and grab some ice cream or something. It has cute family-owned businesses galore and can entertain teenagers to old people. read more