This is a great spot for locals and visitors alike! We stopped by from out of town thinking it…read morewould be a good winter activity for our little one while it's too cold to walk much outside. The conservatory exceeded our expectations! Admissions is affordable at $5 per person, but it was free the day we visited because of a reptile show! We got to see tortoises, skinks, salamanders, tarantulas, snakes, and more! Inside the conservatory, there are fish and a couple other critters permanently on display. The signage around the gardens is informative and interesting- and the plants are simply beautiful! So well cared for and healthy. I could have walked around the loop 5 times and noticed new things each time. There are several places to sit and relax throughout the gardens (we fed our baby on one of the benches). There is a restroom and coat racks- which you'll need because the gardens are quite warm! What a great find for the afternoon! Bonus that it's located right in a park, by a library, several cute places to stop and eat, and public art. The only downside I can think of is that there wasn't a ton of parking- probably more accessible when there isn't a special event going on!

There is something about plants and nature that brighten up my mood. I came here on a gloomy rainy…read moreday, and it was the perfect decision to lift up my spirits. It's close to the highway so easy access and near my house - double plus. The admission to get in was $4 per person, and they take card - another plus for being inexpensive. They have plants for sale and host events/activities, the lady working was friendly and explained all of that. They have brochures in the front as well. Inside is so astonishing, there is so much to see. It's so beautiful, I adore and admire all of it. I love how things are labeled and have informational tidbits about the plants. They have ponds with live fish and waterfalls around. They have a restroom and it had a window so of course there is a plant inside, I love it. I'll have to take note next time I go here that it was very warm inside, I felt very hot so dress accordingly. There is parking available. Check hours before coming, holidays vary.

The irony of allowing humanity to fall so deep into greed that the unhoused population sit on this…read morebench without anywhere to call home. Says lots without saying a word.

This is a very powerful and intriguing piece that is located off to the side of the Roberts Park…read moreUnited Methodist Church. This sculpture is the work of Timothy Schmalz, a Canadian sculptor and devout Catholic, who was commissioned by Roberts Park United Methodist Church to create this bronze sculpture in 2015. It also goes by the name Jesus the Homeless. As nice as it is, this piece is not one of a kind. There are a bunch of them placed all around the world, well over 100. The original was made in 2013 and is located at Regis College, University of Toronto. Other locations that you will find the sculpture include Australia, Singapore, Israel, South Korea, Scotland, Ireland, Spain, Italy, Columbia and the Dominican Republic to name just a few. This sculpture is very realistic and detailed. Which brings me to a funny story. In October 2020, police in Ohio were dispatched to a report of a homeless man sleeping on a park bench. Ironically, this call was made within 20 minutes of the Homeless Jesus sculpture being installed. Yep, some called the police on the statue. I will admit, I had to do a double take to make sure it was not real when I saw it. And you are certain to be fooled if you are driving by. It should be noted the the sculpture in Vatican City has received the blessing of the Pope. The bench is about 7 feet wide and depicts a covered figure, assumed to be Jesus, laying on it. The only real identification being the crucifixion wounds on the figures feet. For the low price of 99.99 you too can have your own mini-homeless Jesus made by the artist himself. The sculpture is just off of the Roberts Park United Methodist Church parking lot and runs along Alabama Street. There is tons of metered street parking available in front of and adjacent to the sculpture. There is also a commercial parking lot directly behind it that you can pull into, get out and take a closer look too. I guess you could also do a safe and strategic slow rolling drive by and get a a half decent look, but I do not recommend that. You will not get the full effect of the sculpture. As with most sculptures 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 sculptures, murals and attractions in the area, or making this stop part of a larger itinerary to maximize your time and trip. Brickhead3 and Viewfinders would be a great start.

The Indianapolis Airport has always been on the front end of art. It is an art gallery in disguise…read more You will find this piece at the end of the arrivals area, outside of baggage claim. It is the center piece of a little plaza area over there. It is an eye catching piece that is the work of St Louis artist Nathan Pierce. It is an abstract piece made of acrylic and steel. It is currently a temporary piece that is slated to be on exhibit at the airport from January 2022 to January 2024. The sculpture is intended to be a visual representation of travel by activating the viewer's imagination to travel through time, space, and color. When I look at the sculpture, I see the letter "C" as a theme for some reason. I did not see anything that made me think travel. It is a nice-looking piece though. I like how the colorful acrylic panels complete the steel structures. I also like the mesh steel piece. It is in excellent shape and very appealing to the eyes. If you do view the sculpture, make sure that you see it from different angles to give you a different perspective. The sculptures looks completely different depending on where you are viewing it from. I do not recommend making a special trip just to see this sculpture. It is best to check this out if you are flying in or out of the airport or if you have some other type of business there. Parking here outside of that can be tricky and is subject to airport parking restrictions, including parking fees for the garge and lots and no unattended vehicles or stopping in front of the terminal. It is defiantly worth a look though.

Although Pendleton is celebrating its Bicentennial in 2020, the town celebrated the State's…read moreBicentennial back in 2016 with a cool mural on the side of one of its downtown businesses. The mural, with the concept by Amy Turner of the 1820 Society, and designed by artist George Harris, was dedicated with a memorial plaque. The mural uses block letters spelling out Pendleton with each letter containing an image of modern day sites. Below the banner of letters, a street scene from "yesteryear" reminds visitors of an old photograph. At the end of the street in the mural is a hot air balloon. The mural is a colorful addition to the downtown vibrancy of Pendleton. Review #3564

Beautiful mural that wraps around the building! Butterflies, cone flowers and a shout out to the…read morestate of Indiana. Located on a church building in downtown Plainfield and really brightens up the alley it's in.

This is such a great example of surprise and delight community placemaking. This was our second…read morevisit to the alley and both times it filled our family with a sense of wonder and delight. The slow swinging lanterns in the breeze accompanied by the small red bridge and mural painting of Koi fish are such a lovely experience. Big kudos to the town of Franklin for making this magic happen. You will stumble upon this alley as you walk your way around the square. It's wedged between coffee shops and bakeries. Definitely worth a little pitstop.

I love this alley in downtown Franklin. Dedicated to the sister city in Kuji Japan, you will find…read moregorgeous koi fish murals on the walls of the buildings on either side, a new Japanese Cherry Tree installation, hanging lanterns and a bridge. Enjoy coffee or lunch at the tables and chairs in the alley and be sure to read the plaque with the information about the sister city and relationship with Japan. Location is between Benjamin's Coffeeshop and the City Hall.

While I love this particular mural on the Gomez BBQ and the 18th St Brewery, I have to give it only…read more4 stars instead of the 5 possibles. This is simply due to the fact that now there is a fence around it obstructing the view. To make matters worse, there are open umbrellas blocking your view even more. With that said, it is now impossible to take a decent picture of this mural. A shame really because this mural is gorgeous.

I had not heard of muck rock until she came to indy in 2019 and painted a number of great pieces…read morearound the city. This gem is located on 10th street and on the side of Gomez bbq, it's an awesome combination of colors! I've always had a like of skulls (emo kid for life) and this is a combo of the Gomez bbq and 18th street brewery logos. (Both awesome places in themselves) Check out this art if you can, there are some other great pieces around 10th street as well as around the city! I think each piece of muck rocks art is unique and different.

On my most recent trip to Bloomington, I headed out to the west side to find a large wind driven…read moresculpture behind the Bed Bath and Beyond store. Partially hidden by large evergreen trees on the west side of the green space is a sculpture that is nearly 70 feet in height made of coated steel that on sunny days, reflects deep colors off its surface. The piece is officially listed as "Untitled 2001" by artist Stephen Powell (2001) but is also referred to as "Fngers". The piece has two end pillars that support a crossbar. The cross bar has five tapered tubes that use their thicker and heavier bases to counter balance the long and narrow portion that reach skyward. As wind catches the long surfaces, the tubes pivot towards horizontal depending upon the wind velocity. On my visit, the wind was light, so the tubes were generally pointing skyward with litle movement. However, I have seen photos of the tubes frozen in winter parallel to the ground! At the time of my visit, there were no benches in the vicinity for visitors to sit and watch the movement though I can imagine that it may be peacefl to watch the tubes sway. I believe I've read the tubes make noise on windy days as well, but were silent on my trip. If you are in the area and the wind is cooperating, take a moment to swing by to check it out. There is plenty of parking to pull up and view the piece in motion. Review #1370

This is a very colorful and eye catching mural that you will find on the side of Speedway tax…read moreservice. It is overlooking a parking lot which is good and bad. It is good because it makes parking here to get a closer look very easy. It is bad because cars are normally parked in front of the mural, blocking a decent portion of its lower section. The mural was painted in 2022 and is the collaborative work of Andrea Townsend and Chris Nusbaum, who was commissioned to do the piece by the Speedway Arts Council. Nusbaum, a Speedway Arts Council board member, digitally designed the artwork, While Townsend led the painting. You may not be able to tell, by how nice it is, but it is part of a community paint project. Over 250 people assisted with painting the mural. The mural depicts the words "Speedway, Indiana, Since 1926", set against a rainbow spectrum background. You will find a checked flag to the left of the words and a1926Indy Car, to honor the year the town of Speedway was incorporated, to their right. It is a very nice mural with awesome detail and artistic work. You will notice though that the 100 foot wall that the mural was painted on was not in the best shape to start with and not well prepared/preserved. Outside of that, I still like the mural and find it very interesting. I am also a sucker for community paintings. Anyway, as with most murals that I have visited and reviewed, this is not a long stop. I was there less than 5 minutes. So, 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.

This is a gorgeous mural by Andrea Townsend that brings bright color to Main St. in Speedway. The…read moreIndy Car and checkered flag part of the mural really embodies the community and it fits in perfectly, especially since it's just steps away from Indianapolis Motor Speedway.

You can tell that this was once an awesome mural. But those days are long behind it. The mural was…read morepainted in 2017 by the FAB Crew, with the assistance of an artist named Gamble, as a tribute to the Cincinnati-based, nationally-known graffiti artist Speedbeard (Jason Brunson), who passed away suddenly in 2017. The mural depicts Speedbeard's pet French bulldog, Frenchie, the inspiration behind many of his characters The dog is wearing Speedbeard's trademark black t-shirt, and has parodies of Speedbeard's full-sleeve tattoos. You can see that the painting has a lot of detail and their inspiration bled through. However, the mural is greatly deteriorated and the wall that it is painted on is actually chipping away piece by piece. I had to do a double take to make sure that I had the correct mural. This mural needs a lot of help, but may be beyond saving. As with most murals, this is probably not a very long stop. I was there less than 5 minutes. There is parking available in the alley that the mural is in and it is easily accesible. However, you can probably even do a drive by. It is best to plan out additional stops at many of the other wonderful murals in the area to maximize your trip.

The FAB Crew (Sacred 317 & 6Cents) and Gamble worked on this mural in the summer of 2018 as a…read moretribute to famed artist "Speedbeard" out of Cincinnati. Speedbeard owns a French Bulldog, has a beard, and full sleeve arm tattoos. The bulldog and the arm tattoos were incorporated into this mural along with the neck chain with Speedbeard on it. If you have a knack for reading the graffiti style writing, you can see the artist's names, though I struggle with the two on the right side more than on the left. The dog looks real. The rest of the mural is a swirl of vibrant colors. Very visually effective in catching the eye of passersby. I hope this one will last longer than most of the other great murals that have been at this location. Review #1878