I cannot say enough great things about Maria and team at Bradley Hall Events. Maria thinks of…read moreeverything. Her and team helped giving the bridal parties the queues on when to go in all the way down to offering supplies she has on hand to use for my centerpieces. The facility is beautiful. My wedding went off without a hitch because of Maria and team. The food was amazing and affordable.

We just had our wedding reception there. Maria is great, she is great to work with and so very…read morehelpful. More reasonably priced venue for your reception than if you were to try and go downtown. They have a catering company that can provide dinner or you can pay a few to do outside catering. Their bar is very neat looking. The historic Bradley Hall Grand Ballroom & Events Venue is situated on the top floor of one of Indiana's oldest Masonic Temple buildings. One of the things that drew me too Bradley Hall was the huge stain glass windows located in their ballroom and the huge ceiling. Made the room seem extremely big which was perfect for my rather large reception. Located in the Historic District of Downtown Greenfield, we are less than 30 minutes east of Indianapolis, and only a few minutes south of I-70.

The Labyrinth at the Indiana Interchurch Center is fashioned after the famous Chartres Cathedral…read moreLabyrinth. This is a popular style for labyrinths. The labyrinth is located in the back of the Indiana Interchurch Center, a multi-level office facility on the edge of the Butler University campus that is home primarily to religious and non-profit organizations including one I helped start called DisciplesNet. The Indiana Interchurch Center offers ample free parking, four meeting rooms, two large conference rooms, a natural habitat certification, energy management and solar panels, an on-site art gallery, fiber-optic internet, a noted inclusive and welcoming culture, and is home to a variety of denominations with offices here in Indy including American Baptist Churches, Christian Church (Disciples of Christ), United Church of Christ, Episcopal Diocese, St. Mary of Magdala Catholic Community, Muslim Alliance, PC-USA, and several other organizations. The labyrinth is an outdoor labyrinth that has eleven circuits and four quadrants. The labyrinth at Chartres was built in the year 1200! This labyrinth is actively used. It's a largely natural labyrinth - this can impact the actual wheelchair accessibility of it and during adverse weather it's particularly challenging to use. Because the boundaries are made from grass and a wheelchair tends to be oversized, it can make completing the labyrinth a little out of balance (which makes it awful hard to meditate). The labyrinth also serves as the starting point for the Indy Spiritual Trail. I actually visited the DisciplesNet office several times before I realized that this Labyrinth was here. I was so excited to see it as I am a true lover of labyrinths. This labyrinth is also close to Christian Theological Seminary. The Indiana Interchurch Center does occasionally have groups use the labyrinth as a place for meditation and reflection. I recommend this labyrinth more for walkers than wheelers. However, if you're in the Butler area I'd definitely consider it worth a visit.

What a wonderful and beautiful facility, for not only weddings and wedding showers, but baby…read moreshowers, birthday celebrations, and also funeral dinners. The church itself is stunning but the enormous kitchen has tremendous options to be open or closed off, your choice. They even have a room filled with wedding vases, flowers, etc. for you to access items. The owners, Mary and Rick are very down to earth and so very helpful too!

We had my wife's Celebration of Life here and I must say everything went perfect. The place was…read moreclean, great lighting, tons of electrical outlets, they even had a microphone system for speeches or what have you. They have a full kitchen with plenty of space. Large restrooms. A lot of space for parking, everything you should need for an event. Mary is very kind and easy to communicate with. I don't want to forget that important detail. It was also a fare price to rent. Thank you, Mary and Rick.

Lots to do downtown Indy. While this still holds true, I have noticed a decline lately. With Circle…read moreCenter Mall closing, we are definitely missing out on a lot of tourist dollars. They do shop while in town. At least we still have plenty of restaurants, hotels and entertainment venues. However, the streets are looking quite unkempt anymore and the closed businesses don't help our overall picture. I hope we can recover from the current decline.

I have not been to downtown Indianapolis for over 8 years and was shocked to see what this city has…read morebecome. Parking and getting around is very easy. There is so much to do downtown. We went to a concert at Bankers Life Fieldhouse and was close to bars, restaurants and shopping. Very impressed with this city and will want to come back and visit. I heard good things about the Indianapolis City Market. That is the next place I am hitting.

Have you even heard of Historic Saint Joseph Hall?…read more Probably not. You should. This lovely little event center is located directly behind, you guessed it, St. Joseph Brewery and it's my understanding it's the same team involved. I attended the Heartland International Film Festival Awards last night and they were held in the event center located on the second floor of this deceptive from the outside building. I say "deceptive" because from the outside this looks like an older, "lived in" building in downtown Indy that is simple and straightforward. You could easily mistake it for an apartment building. The history of St. Joseph Hall is pretty remarkable. It was built in 1892 and actually used originally as a schoolhouse serving St. Joseph Parish. Run by the Sisters of Providence, it was used as a school for boys and as a Parish hall. St. Joseph Parish closed in 1949. The Archdiocese still owned it, but leased it to the Near-Eastside Civic Association. Not long after, the fire department would actually close the building due to safety concerns. In 1953, St. Mary's Church took over the building and began some renovations to use it as a meeting space and rec hall. As a fun fact, they were the sole downtown organization that would allow the just starting ACLU to meet in their facilities and the first ACLU meeting in Indy was held here. In 1971, the Archdiocese began renting the building to the Hispanic Center and eventually donated the building to them. They owned it until 2004. A couple then purchased it with an adoption agency on the first floor, an event center, and the second floor was largely for art auctions. Finally, current ownership took over in 2017 and serious renovations began. It's my understanding that there's still an adoption agency on the first floor. As is true for St. Joseph Brewery, despite the challenges an effort has been made toward accessibility. It's not perfect, but it's an 1892 building. I don't expect perfect. The west entry offers a single accessible parking space and a concrete curb cut with ramp into the back entry. There's an elevator to the event center (and it's a well done elevator). It does involve going through the adoption center office (which requires staff presence due to confidentiality concerns, of course), but staff are super accommodating. While the outside looks simple and straightforward, the event center dazzles. Our event had about 126 or so attendees sitting at tables and it was sublime. Food was provided by St. Joseph Brewery and it was excellent. All the employees were friendly and helpful and yet also didn't disrupt the event when cleaning or working. St. Joseph only does one event in a day - so they can completely focus on one event and give the event the attention it deserves. The acoustics in the venue were awesome (there was a musical performance) and award presenters (myself included) were easily heard and seen. The layout was awesome. This would be a great venue for a small-to-moderate sized event including weddings, corporate events, parties, etc. The facility also includes a house directly next to it (which is how the access works) that offers a small outdoor area that can be used. I honestly loved this event. I loved how much the staff went out of their way to accommodate the wheelchair use. The parking lot is a bit small and that would hinder large events here, however, this isn't really made for large events. There's also street parking around it for overflow parking, though this is a residential area with apartments right across the street. They do have restrooms, I believe on each floor, though I didn't try them out for access. Great experience in every way and I would definitely return with my own special events. While I doubt I'd organize an actual disability-specific event here, for those needing accommodation I'd simply recommend contacting them in advance to make sure arrangements are made. This great up-and-coming facility wisely offers intelligent, effective use of a historic building and offers a cool spot for a special event.

We cannot recommend this venue enough! We had our wedding here in August 2020 and could not say…read moreenough good things about the management (Adam) and Historic St. Joseph Hall. Adam accommodated our every request and helped us navigate planning a wedding during the pandemic. Adam was extremely flexible, easy going, and all around made our day run so smoothly. With the ever-changing restrictions around the pandemic, Adam was willing to work with us at every turn. Pricing was reasonable and the food was absolutely delicious!! I heard horror stories about other venues, and we are so thankful we chose North Street Events for our wedding! We highly recommend this place!

Nicole Britt with Brilliant Events is by far the most unprofessional individual I have ever worked…read morewith. The business Brilliant Events has unfortunatly catered to this terrible experience and for that reason I wish to share my unsettling experience so no other individuals have to go through similar events. To start off, I searched for a wedding planner on Thumbtack and Brilliant Events was one of many event planning business that touched base with me. Nicole Britt was the contact for them, and it was my understanding that she was also in part, the business owner. Things in the beginning went great. We met for coffee and just got to know one another, what we were looking for in a wedding/event planner, what we already had planned or what we were seeking to essentially figure out if Nicole Britt and her business Brilliant Events would be a good fit for the both of us. We determined very quickly that it was a perfect match up. We already had all of our venders in order, we already had the venue booked, the dress purchased; we really only needed a wedding planner to help set up and tear down day of, someone to ping pong design ideas off of, someone to keep our timeline on track, and possible some decor ideas/materials. Nicole let us know that any and all materials she had available from all the other events/weddings she has done was ready available at our discretion. She let us know that whatever she didn't have she would be willing to go half with us so she could keep them for future weddings/events for her business. We signed the contract and began the planning. We then quickly realized that things were not going as planned. We only met a few times, however Nicole never remembered any of our wedding details when we did meet. I continually had to keep e-mailing her back and forth things that we had already discussed or what we even wanted. She continually tried pressuring us into changing our vendors and even our venue. She let us know that she could get us a great discount if we used the people/places she recommended and even let is slip that she herself got a kickback for the referral. We had a face to face meeting and finally got to where we were on the same page again. We communicated back and forth and then hit another bump in the road with having additional people help her set up and tear down. Her idea was recruiting her family, her husband and her children to help with the wedding. I was uncomfortable with this and expressed that with Nicole. After this, our communication lines went cold. Weeks went by and I had heard nothing from Nicole. I reached out to Brilliant Events even, trying to reach Nicole Britt so we could continue our planning. But I got nothing. I then got a certified letter in the mail that she had canceled out contract and backed out of our arrangement. She of course kept our deposit and all the money we had given her upfront for any expenses she may have needed on behalf of us. The only reason I heard back from Nicole and Brilliant Events was because I threatened legal action. Her reason for canceling our contract was because "we broke her contract" yet we had our lawyer take a look at our contract and our e-mails back and forth and he said she and her business Brilliant Events unlawfully canceled our contract and essentially embezzled our money. She later said that she was too busy with "other events" and her feelings got hurt that we weren't considerate enough to allow her to not get away with not doing some of her services she initially offered up. She then tried to talk us into signing a new contract and even asked for more money in order for her to continue planning our wedding. Mind you this was only 2 months before our actual wedding. This whole experience has been a nightmare. Please DO NOT USE BRILLIANT EVENTS or NICOLE BRITT for any event planning. She is a scam and so is the business she owns/operates/works for.

I truly love Brilliant Events! They are reasonably priced, extremely professional, creative,…read moredetailed oriented and overall dynamic. For my daughters birthday, Brilliant Events listened to my wants, needs and desires, then effortlessly created an amazing birthday party.

On a side street off the main Shelbyville Square you find this unassuming building that houses Echo…read moreEffect. We had heard about it from a friend and wanted to check out their all day crafting event. It was amazing! The spot is a renovated old pub now turned craft/music/hang out room geared toward events for the community. As we walked it the hallway opened up to the big room with various crafts happening at each table. The walls are a really fun brick with various unusual Decour and light atmosphere. It has the vibe of a very cool coffee shop or funky music venue. There is a Bar area where they often have snacks and Echo Effect items for sale Like T-shirts etc. We had reserved a space through Facebook Messenger ahead of time and thus went straight to the painting area. The event was relatively priced for the fun atmosphere and painting class we received. The teacher Dawn Adams did an amazing job taking her time to interact with everyone and giving us multiple options for each step. It was really relaxed so we were able to get up and get snacks go to the bathroom and come in and out during the training. They had stain glass, jewelry making, quilting and other things going on at different tables which was fun to check out as well. It was a wonderful way to spend a Saturday afternoon and we will definitely return. The best way to check out options is to go to their Facebook page and look at upcoming events. Next time will probably check out one of the cool new Shelbyville food spots to round out the event.

I guess this used to be called Dallara IndyCar Factory, and you could do tours and simulated…read moreracing. But as of this writing, that is no longer the case. Now, this space is called Dallara Experience Hub, and it mostly serves as a venue for events. That's how I ended up here! I visited Dallara for a media event. One of the things that initially struck me about the space is that it's so open and airy. There is a lot of natural light coming through the huge windows that face Main Street. That's definitely nice. The second thing that struck me is that it was incredibly loud in there! The floors are concrete and the ceilings are high, so the sound of people talking bounces all around. I had a hard time hearing the people right next to me. But the space itself is nice and minimalist. There was lots of room to move around, and there were even Indy cars displayed here and there. Plus, the location is nice and relatively central. (Well, more on the west side of Indianapolis, but still.)

Now closed to the public, you need an "open house" to be able to tour the facility. Today and…read moretomorrow are just that, an open house event with racing simulators available too. Plus they are selling "spare" parts. For example, you can buy the bottom of an IndyCar and make a table or buy a seat and make a video chair. These same chairs are used for their theater seating. I paid $15 for a tour. I saw a short film on the history of Mr. Dallara, from his start with Enzo Ferrari in Italy, to Lamborghini, then Maserati and F1, and eventually IRL and IndyCar. Everything in an IndyCar and IndyCar Lights except the engine and electronics is manufactured by them. The carbon fiber "tub" that the drivers sit in is so light you can pick it up with one hand. Did you know they are developing an autonomous car (driverless) for the IndyCar Lights? It is to be used for R & D purposes to test tires for instance and it goes 180 mph. It is planned to be showcased in Las Vegas soon. They have also worked with Raytheon Missile systems in Tucson to adapt their quick release system to missiles on planes and other military vehicles. Something else I learned was that paint is no longer used on today's race cars because it is too heavy. What you see on cars is basically a giant decal provided by a graphics company that also works inside this facility. And I did not know A.J. Foyt racing is located directly across the street. The tour was short but highly interesting for an IndyCar fan such as myself. Even some of the houses in Speedway near here are decorated with racing memorabilia and Indy 500 signs. See you this weekend at this year's 2nd IndyCar Road Course race along with the NASCAR double header.