Indianapolis colloquially known as Indy, is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Indiana and the seat of Marion County. Located in Central Indiana, the city lies along the White River's West Fork near its confluence with Fall Creek.

Performing arts

Several of the city's most prominent performing arts venues and organizations are located in the downtown area, including the Hilbert Circle Theatre (home to the Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra) and the Indiana Theatre (home to the Indiana Repertory Theatre). Other notable venues near the central business district include The Cabaret, Indianapolis Artsgarden, Phoenix Theatre, Slippery Noodle Inn, and Everwise Amphitheater at White River State Park, the city's largest outdoor venue.

The Mass Ave Cultural Arts District is home to Old National Centre, the oldest stagehouse in Indianapolis, having opened in 1910. The performing arts center features the 2,500-seat Murat Theatre, the 2,000-seat Egyptian Room, and the 600-seat Corinthian Hall. Mass Ave is also home to the Athenæum, Basile, District, and Indy Eleven theaters, all of which host the annual Indianapolis Theatre Fringe Festival, or "IndyFringe". Hedback Community Theatre in Herron–Morton is home to Footlite Musicals and Epilogue Players theater companies.

The Madam Walker Legacy Center opened in the heart of the city's African-American neighborhood on Indiana Avenue in 1927. The building's theater hosted vaudeville shows and anchored the Indiana Avenue jazz scene from the 1920s through the 1960s. "The Avenue" produced greats such as David Baker, Slide Hampton, Freddie Hubbard, J. J. Johnson, James Spaulding, and the Montgomery Brothers (Buddy, Monk, and Wes). Wes Montgomery is considered one of the most influential jazz guitarists of all time, and is credited with popularizing the "Naptown Sound".

Local performing arts organizations include the Indianapolis Baroque Orchestra, Indianapolis Chamber Orchestra, Indianapolis Men's Chorus, Indianapolis Opera, and Indianapolis Youth Orchestra. Other notable venues include Butler University's Clowes Memorial Hall and Melody Inn in Butler–Tarkington, and the Frank and Katrina Basile Opera Center and the Jazz Kitchen in Meridian–Kessler. The city's Broad Ripple and Fountain Square neighborhoods are known for local live music, home to dozens of venues.

Indianapolis is home to a variety of national professional musical organizations, including the American Pianists Association, Bands of America, Drum Corps International, and the Percussive Arts Society. Annual music festivals and competitions held in the city include the Drum Corps International World Class Championships, Indianapolis Early Music Festival, and Indy Jazz Fest. The quadrennial International Violin Competition of Indianapolis is considered among the most prestigious of its kind in the world.

Visual arts
The city's primary art museum is the Indianapolis Museum of Art, founded in 1883 by suffragist May Wright Sewall. It is among the oldest and largest art museums in the U.S. The museum's Newfields campus covers 152 acres (62 ha), home to the Virginia B. Fairbanks Art & Nature Park: 100 Acres; Oldfields, a restored house museum and National Historic Landmark; and restored gardens and grounds originally designed by Percival Gallagher of the Olmsted Brothers firm. The museum's holdings demonstrate the institution's emphasis on the connections among art, design, and the natural environment.

Established under the Works Progress Administration in 1934, the Indianapolis Art Center is a not-for-profit arts organization located in the city's Broad Ripple neighborhood. Its Michael Graves-designed building houses the Marilyn K. Glick School of Art, galleries, a library, and an auditorium. Sited along the White River, the center's 9.5 acres (3.8 ha) includes a public sculpture garden. The center hosts hundreds of classes, dozens of exhibitions, several outreach programs, and multiple art fairs and events throughout the year.

Founded by local businessman and philanthropist Harrison Eiteljorg, the Eiteljorg Museum of American Indians and Western Art opened at White River State Park in 1989. In addition to its diverse collection of visual arts by indigenous peoples of the Americas and Western American Art, the museum hosts numerous lectures, artist residencies, special exhibitions, and events annually.

Located on the IUPUI campus, the Herron School of Art and Design was established in 1902 as the John Herron Art Institute. The school's first core faculty included Impressionist painters of the Hoosier Group: T. C. Steele, J. Ottis Adams, William Forsyth, Richard Gruelle, and Otto Stark. The university's public art collection is extensive, with more than 30 works. Other public works can be found in the Eskenazi Health Art Collection and the Indiana Statehouse Public Art Collection.

Attractions

The Children's Museum of Indianapolis is the largest of its kind in the world, with 433,000 square feet (40,227.02 m2) of exhibit space and a collection of over 120,000 artifacts. Because of its leadership and innovations, the museum is a world leader in its field. Child and Parents magazine have both ranked the museum as the best children's museum in the U.S. It is one of the city's most popular attractions, drawing nearly 1.3 million visitors in 2019.

The Indianapolis Zoo houses more than 1,400 animals of 235 species while the adjoining White River Gardens contains more than 50,000 plants of nearly 3,000 species, respectively. The zoo is a leader in animal conservation and research, recognized for its biennial Indianapolis Prize award. It is the only American zoo accredited as a zoo, aquarium, and zoological garden by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums. It is among the largest privately funded zoos in the U.S. and one of the city's most visited attractions, with 1.1 million guests in 2019.

The Indianapolis Motor Speedway Museum exhibits an extensive collection of auto racing memorabilia showcasing various motorsports and automotive history. Daily grounds and track tours originate from the museum. Located at the National Collegiate Athletic Association headquarters, the NCAA Hall of Champions contains exhibits on collegiate athletics in the U.S.

State-specific historical institutions based in Indianapolis include the Indiana Historical Society, Indiana Humanities, the Indiana Jewish Historical Society, Indiana Landmarks, the Indiana Medical History Museum, and the Indiana State Museum. The Benjamin Harrison Presidential Site, in the Old Northside Historic District, is open for daily tours and contains archives and memorabilia from the 23rd President of the United States. President Harrison is buried about 3 miles (4.8 km) north of the site at Crown Hill Cemetery, listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Other notable graves include three U.S. Vice Presidents (Fairbanks, Hendricks, and Marshall) and notorious American gangster, John Dillinger.

Two museums and several memorials in the city commemorate armed forces or conflict, including the Colonel Eli Lilly Civil War Museum and Indiana World War Memorial Military Museum at the Indiana World War Memorial Plaza. Outside of Washington, D.C., Indianapolis contains the largest collection of monuments dedicated to veterans and war casualties in the nation. Other notable sites are the Crown Hill National Cemetery, the Indiana 9/11 Memorial, the Medal of Honor Memorial, the Soldiers' and Sailors' Monument, and the USS Indianapolis National Memorial.

Beginning construction in 1836, the Indiana Central Canal is the oldest extant artificial facility in the city, recognized as an American Water Landmark since 1971. Between 1985 and 2001, nearly 1.5 miles (2.4 km) of the former canal in downtown Indianapolis were reconstructed to link several cultural institutions. This section, known as the Canal Walk, is flanked by walking and bicycling paths and offers gondola rides, pedal boats, kayaks, and surrey rentals.

Indianapolis is home to dozens of annual fairs and festivals. The "Month of May" (a series of celebrations preceding the Indianapolis 500) is perhaps the largest in the city, with the 500 Festival Parade regularly drawing 300,000 spectators. Other notable events include the Indy Pride Festival, Marion County Fair, Indiana Black Expo Summer Celebration, Indiana State Fair, and the Historic Irvington Halloween Festival.