Beer + outside + beer + friends + festival + Indiana beers = one of my favorite days of the year…read more We go to (*ahem*) quite a few beer festivals and other beer related events, and I must say that the Indiana Microbrewers Festival just keeps getting better and better every year. I love that it is in Military Park where you can catch some shade under the trees and there is plenty of space to walk around and enjoy whatever sample happens to be in your hand at the time. My favorite part? How else would it be possible to sample from 100+ breweries without it taking days and many miles on the ol' car? Fear not, my friend - you can use Microbrewers Fest (or "SummerFest" as I call it) as a way to get a taste of the breweries you have been meaning to visit and just haven't road tripped to yet. Conversely, it can also serve as a springboard for visiting a Brewery that you may not have otherwise after sampling their wares. Sweet action. What has changed and what has stayed the same? This year there was no VIP early entry, but you could get an Indiana Beer Brigade membership which came with special perks (a special tent with super secret special stuff, etc)... but there was no early entry for an additional fee as in years past. I DO like that you can get pre-banded at Hop Cat and bypass part of the entry lines, so that is cool. I LOVE that they release the map and the list of what some breweries are bringing early so the beer geek in me can scope out EXACTLY where we need to hit. My best advice? With 100+ breweries represented, NO ONE can possibly drink all the beers here. NO ONE. Don't try. Please. The best pro-tip I have is to sip and dump - if you don't love it, dump it. It will save you tummy space, calories, and room for other delicious samples... not to mention a less rocky recovery day after. Keep an eye on Indiana On Tap for all the latest festival info, fellow Craft Beer Lovers! See ya soon! (and a HUGE shout out to YELP INDY for the swag and for being AMAZING!! We had a blast!!)

Okay, so I totally wasn't prepared for such a large event, and that's my bad. I should have…read moreresearched how big this event really is, studied the maps and websites, and had a better game plan. Simply "walking around tasting beer" is a great plan, until you forget what you've tried and where you've been. Holy smokes is this an awesome event! This isn't your typical beer tasting event. Nooo sir. This is a bad ass, all out event with multiple tents spread over acres and acres of space. As for the beer.. the standard breweries you'd expect to see were there, such as your Oaken Barrel, Triton, Sun King, etc. In addition, places I had never heard of were all over the place too, sampling such creative selections as chocolate beer (which held true to it's advertising that it tasted like cocoa puffs) and strawberry basil beer, which started off with a strong basil flavor and then the subtleness of the strawberries came through in the end. Two hours and several pints in, this Yelper had to excuse himself before he drank so much he "Yelped" all over the place. Next year, I'll be sporting the pretzel necklace. The people who brought these are genius!

We attended the Egyptian Festival this morning and it was fabulous! Today is the final day of the…read morefestival. The food is delicious, the church is gorgeous and the people are friendly. The festival is held Labor Day weekend at the St. Mary and St. Mark Coptic Orthodox Church in Carmel. We took a tour of the church which included a 20 film about the history of the Coptic Church. The church, built in 2017, is filled with incredible Christian murals. I found the tour interesting, especially the history and highly recommend. I tried the Hawawshee Sandwich with fries. The sandwich was incredibly tasty, think spicy smash burger encased in a bread coating. I'm craving another just writing this review. The fries were hot and good, too! I also had a cup of the Sobia (coconut) beverage, which was sweet and refreshing on a hot day. Prices were very reasonable. Festive music played. My granddaughters had their faces painted. Bounce slides were also available for the kids. I was happy to find plenty of shades seating to eat and relax. Tents were set up selling Egyptian souvenirs and desserts. I bought raffle tickets for a chance at incredible prizes. People checked on us throughout or visit to see if we needed anything. The Festival staff is enthusiastic and welcoming. This is the 5th year of the festival. We found parking across the street at the elementary school. We were there when the festival opened and there were no lines or crowds. I'm marking my calendar for next year.

ETA tickets... Brent & " Zig " the best seats at the best prices anywhere !…read more A couple of real pros those two. Thanks boys.... Keep up the great customer experiences! Rock Ritter - Indpls.

Brent does a great job for me. I've had tickets for Dave Matthews band all over the U.S. Tickets…read morefor baseball games in NY. Football games in Charlotte. Always spectacular seats.

The Carmel Clay History Museum should be on every Carmelite's bucket list. The upscale facility…read moreoffers a fascinating overview of the people that pioneered the area now known as Carmel. Numerous interesting artifacts are displayed throughout the museum. Information is summarized concisely. We were greeted by Marsh A. when we entered. Marsha is a volunteer and walked us through the downstairs area of the museum. She is knowledgeable about the history of Hamilton County. We learned about local artists on the second floor, including a nice exhibit about renowned illustrator, Franklin Booth. Works by current local artists were for sale in the gallery. On the third floor is a nice play area for that was filled with toddlers. On the north end of the third floor is a museum room filled with historical info about the schools of Carmel and notable athletes. A gift shop offers everything Carmel including nice logo wear for Fall football. Admission is free. We found free parking in front of the building midweek. The building is accessible. Light snacks are available for purchase. Plan about an hour visit. The museum is a showcase for a town history center and well worth a visit.

Carmel Clay History Museum got a glow-up recently, so any Yelp photos pre-2024 might not reflect…read morethe museum's current improvements. The building is fresh and new with lots of space to explore, but still located in the heart of Midtown Carmel just off the Monon Trail. On the first floor, you'll find a gift shop and displays of Carmel history and ephemera. On the second floor, you'll find more informative displays about historic Carmel families and Carmel's Quaker heritage. The third floor is my favorite. That's the children's floor, with play houses, lots of toys and games, and fun things to explore. The museum also hosts a weekly free storytime in the children's section. I love that there's another free place for kids to play in Carmel. Also on the third floor, you'll find a room dedicated to the schools around Carmel, Carmel high school sports, famous athletes, and vintage items in display cases. This floor also gives you access to the rooftop area, where you can look out onto downtown Carmel and the Monon Trail. This is a really cool resource for learning about Carmel's history. Whether you're a Carmel resident or not, you can feel the pride of the city just by walking around the building. Best of all: It's free to visit the Carmel Clay History Museum -- just pop in when they're open!

My husband is into D&D and painting miniatures, so in 2023, he wanted to attend Gen Con in…read moreIndianapolis. I had never heard of Gen Con before, but it is the biggest tabletop game convention in North America. Gen Con began in 1968 as the Lake Geneva Wargames Convention (hence the name "Gen Con") by Dungeons & Dragons co-creator Gary Gygax, and was first held in Lake Geneva, Wisconsin. It was then held in various locations in Wisconsin until it was fixed in Milwaukee, Wisconsin in 1985. In 2003 Gen Con was relocated to its current location, Indianapolis. Gen Con is HUGE. It's held in the Indiana Convention Center and when we went in 2023, there were over 70,000 people in attendance. The convention is held over four days at the end of July/beginning of August (Thursday to Sunday), and you can buy a pass for one specific day, the weekend, or the entire four days. You have to purchase your passes well in advance (they go on sale in February), and only if you have a pass can you enter the lottery to book a hotel. Pretty much all the hotels in Indianapolis are reserved for Gen Con attendees and you are given a random time slot to book your hotel. If you get a bad time slot, you're lucky if you can even book anything within a 50 mile radius of the convention. My husband and I both got horrible time slots (like 4pm), but thankfully my husband had an acquaintance with a 9am time slot who didn't need to book a hotel (he was staying with friends or something), so he generously gave us his time slot and we were able to book a prime hotel, the JW Marriott, which was not only near the convention center, but connected to it. (But we did pay a premium for it.) I didn't know what to expect, but I ended up loving it! While I am not into role playing games, D&D, miniatures, etc, I love boardgames and they have a lot of that -- both to play and to purchase. And purchase we did! There is a huge vendors' hall, and there is so much to see and buy. Dice, miniatures, boardgames, and anything tangentially related to gaming, you name it. There are also a ton of activities you can book in advance, such as game tournaments, casual game play (I signed up to play Balderdash), miniature painting lessons, dance lessons (we took one), evening ghost tours (unfortunately the ghost tour was booked up), and so much more. The options were dizzying. There are also rooms where you can play boardgames with other people, which I really enjoyed. I played Dominion, Settlers of Cattan, Carcassonne, Codenames, and more. In addition to the game rooms hosted by Gen Con, the hotels had rooms set up for people to play games and hang out. It was so much fun, and despite it being so crowded, people were really well behaved and friendly. Many were also dressed up in costumes, which was fun to see. With the price of the convention, hotel room, and all the games and things you buy, Gen Con is an expensive experience, but worth going at least once if you like games. My husband and I would love to go again, preferably with a few of our friends. [Yelp collections: Louisville/Indianapolis 2023; Indianapolis, IN 2023]

Gen Con has always been one of those bucket list things for me. Even though I work practically…read moreacross the street from the Convention Center, I've only made my way to Gen Con briefly a couple of times for film obligations and one panel that I appeared on one year. Since being diagnosed with cancer a few months ago, I've become more committed to really living into bucket list items. This weekend, that has included more time than usual at Gen Con. I doubt I'd ever fully immerse myself in it - the crowd is pretty huge and I'm more a dork than a nerd, but it's actually an environment I love with a really cool communal spirit on a pretty large scale. First off, the basics: From the Gen Con website, "For over 55 years Gen Con has been the largest and longest-running gaming convention in North America. Founded in 1967 by Dungeons and Dragons co-creator Gary Gygax, Gen Con now attracts tens of thousands of attendees from around the world to Indianapolis for The Best Four Days in Gaming™." Gen Con has both in-person and online activities. Obviously, the major emphasis is on the in-person experience. While I tend to be fairly asocial, even I prefer the in-person convention. Gen Con is almost worth attending for the Exhibit Hall alone. Entrepreneurs' Avenue Entrepreneurs' Avenue dedicates space in the Exhibit Hall for companies making their Gen Con debut. It's a great place to find new games, discover up-and-coming publishers, and find newbies within gaming. It's a must visit. Other programs include costume contest/cosplay (If you're in Indy and downtown during Gen Con, you WILL see costumes), auction and consignment store, trade day, a film festival (which I love), miniature hobby events, an always successful blood drive (gamers are actually notoriously kind and generous), and more. Gen Con is fantastic about correctly categorizing things. For example, parents should know that the schedule clearly indicate what age groups an event are appropriate for and also clearly identifies those that are more mature. Of course, there's gaming galore that unfolds and a variety of events for the Trekker, Whovian, or other sci-fi culture devotee - While there's certainly pop culture here, I've always felt like what separates Gen Con from something like Comic-Con is that it's less "pop" and more devoted to true hardcore gamers and such. Generally speaking, Gen Con does very well with accessibility. The Convention Center itself is pretty accessible, though it's a big facility and that's always a consideration. Gen Con is very inclusive and has a strong, published anti-harassment policy. I'm a wheelchair user and I really had no problem getting around. Curb cuts are all over the place here, the Convention Center has elevators and various accommodations including automated door options, and there's an abundance of gamers who seem to pop out of nowhere to assist if it's needed. I sometimes feel a little overwhelmed in this environment - one, I often feel less intelligent than some of these gamers. However, there's something and someplace for everyone. For those who do get overwhelmed, it's easy to take a time out here. Most of the surrounding hotels are pretty disability friendly (Marriott as a chain typically does VERY well). I do wish Gen Con better addressed accessibility on the website. It's pretty lame, to be honest. I'd recommend ensuring a disability liaison of sorts (this may exist, but I couldn't find it). There's so much more I could write, but I'll run out of room soon. Suffice it to say that I had a blast and hope to return in the future.

The Teeny Statue of Liberty Museum is attached to Tim & Company's Another Fine Mess. I accessed it…read moreby visiting this shop and coming in through the back, but the museum also has its own entrance. The sign outside of the museum says that admission is 50 cents. As far as I know, if you try to enter through the front, the front door is locked, so you'll have to go through Tim & Company's Another Fine Mess anyway. Or you can try to call and arrange a tour. This truly is a teeny museum full of Statue of Liberty stuff! You'll see everything from snow globes to statues to posters to drinking glasses to salt shakers to stuffed animals to clothing all emblazoned with the Statue of Liberty. It's a lotta stuff crammed in a tiny room -- around 650 individual items in a 10' by 16' space. This isn't a "learnin'" museum, in that there isn't much information available about the Statue of Liberty or why all of these artifacts are together in this room. But it's a fascinating museum to visit anyway, because when are you literally surrounded by so many Statues of Liberty? And in such a small room? This is a unique museum in Indianapolis for sure, and quite a hidden gem.

Four stars for this postage stamp sized museum. This place is smaller than your bedroom. It's…read moreprobably the same size as the cubicle you work from in your office. But it's jam packed with more Statues of Liberty than you've seen in one place, with maybe the exception of the gift shop at the Statue of Liberty https://www.yelp.com/biz/statue-of-liberty-new-york-3?hrid=veIzZZ00bJOV6PjEGnFvOg. Not the first Statue of Liberty I've encountered in my travels. There's one in Tokyo https://www.yelp.com/biz/自由の女神像-港区?hrid=Vj_T_TPmTfDT50wMPBeapg and one in Austin https://www.yelp.com/biz/replica-statue-of-liberty-monument-austin?hrid=pKx0eQ3OKTCYvQNCrCAQnA and Las Vegas https://www.yelp.com/biz/paris-las-vegas-las-vegas-6?hrid=-ZgFf6RjqbEsWcaCFDnw0g. Because who doesn't love "Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to breathe free, the wretched refuse of your teeming shore." [Review 13509 overall, 828 of 2020.]

When you're a museum addict like me, you're looking for anything to see and experience. This was…read moremore art gallery than museum, as the nice lady was a bit surprised when I came in and asked to see the art. But with plexiglass and masks, plus the fact that I was the only one here made for an interesting experience. Lots of landscapes and a few portraits. Amazing interesting and the talent of the artist shines through. The gallery is a great collection of his works and worth a visit. Oh, and it's free. I agree with Ken's point. There are no captions or explanations with the pictures. Those would really help. Street parking and nothing for sale here. [Review 13519 overall, 838 of 2020.]

The museum is a daughter's tribute to the lifetime work of her father's passion for art. Alkis…read moreKeramidas is the sole artist in this free collection located at Vermont and College. During regular office hours (M-F 9-5), visitors may view the dozens of representative pieces in numerous styles in the gallery. The colorful and whimsical landscapes are from his native Greece as well as of time spent in Indiana. Most of the paintings are in bright autumn colors. But don't be fooled by the whimsy. Below the large paintings are a couple smaller paintings that have the most realistic water images I have ever seen in a painting! Absolutely amazing! Towards the back of the gallery are pieces that represent the dark experience and observations of the artist from World War II. The color and whimsy of the landscapes really contrast the dark tones of this part of the collection. The caricatures of each painting express the emotions that many of the people experienced during the period of war. The gallery also has a nook where other style of painting are represented. My only negative about the gallery is that there has been no attempt at labeling any of the pieces. Some of the signatures include year references, but otherwise, there is very little information. No flyers or handouts. The only information about the artist or any of his work is at the website. If they would add small descriptions for each piece, it would add to the experience for the viewer. Review #249

The first American killed in the American Revolution was Crispus Attucks. Indianapolis' Crispus…read moreAttucks High School, a namesake and historically Black school, operates the museum. The exhibits inside feature Indianapolis African-American history as well as broader African-American and African history. The space is small for a museum, but massive for what it is. There's a plethora of art, displays, and factoids. It's well worth the low ticket cost. The community carefully curates and protects the history and space.

Wow, I did not know this was here! Located connected to the Crispus Attucks High School just off…read moreof 10th st downtown. (I beelive the space is a renovation of their old auxiliary gym.) Admission is $9 for adults and there is a large parking lot on the 10th st side of the school. I was there with a small group and we had an appointment; I would check first because I am not sure if the hours are by-appointment only. We were greeted and given a wonderful presentation by nad discussion with the curator, as well as walked around on our own. The museum has some info on Crispus Attucks, the first person killed in Boston in the upcoming age of the Boston Tea Party and Revlutionary War. Also some information about the history of the High School, including their state champion basketball team, and segregation in Indianapolis. Also some hsmall exhibits of poeple of color in the Indinaapolis music scene, and also an exhibit about serving in the military. One of the traveling/temporary exhibits when I was there was about lynching. There was specific signage in this area requesting no photos or video, so I do not have pics of that. Go see it in person and educate yourself. The last lynching in the US happened in 1930, and it was here in Indiana, not some far away "deep south." It was HERE. There's a photo of beaten, bloody, descirated bodies hanging and a whole crowed of dressed up people spectating, looking unphased like they're just at a street fair. There is also other news articles, art work, etc. Lynching history in the US is beyond horrible, and even if you think you know, go and learn more, and reflect. Was there in Feb 2024, and other exhibits included some of ancient Egypt , Ethiopa, Timbuktu, and other parts of Africa. Of particular interest to me also was some customary fabric for clothing, many articfacts, and descriptions of the symbolism in the fabric patterns, so I have included pics of that here. Definitely worth the visit. #BlackHistory #AmericanHistory #WorldHistory #ReviewsByRL