Let’s be honest, Indianapolis is not a very exciting city to live in. When you’re new to the city, it seems like there’s a million things to do, but if you aren’t 21, you will find yourself drowning in boredom. You are going to end up doing the same things over and over again, and then what?
This had become my issue for a while. My friends and I found ourselves doing the same thing weekend after weekend. We wanted to do some new things and see something new, even if we had to drive far away. We started exploring and getting lost on purpose to see where we would end up at and we found some pretty cool places. You just have to have a good group of friends who want to have fun and aren’t afraid.
The first place I would recommend you visit is Graffiti Rode in Morrisville. It’s a far drive, so you’ll need a full tank of gas in your car. The drive takes about 40 minutes, but it’s a cool place to go and get creative.
Graffiti Road is this long road in the middle of a cornfield where people go and put their masterpieces. They come and spray-paint whatever they want on this road and when you drive through it, it’s a pretty amazing thing to see. So grab some spray-paint and head over there during the day and get creative. Paint something inspirational or funny. Draw a flower or your favorite cartoon character. Just make sure you keep the noise level at a minimum; the locals like to call the cops when people get too loud.
The second place you should definitely visit is Broad Ripple. During the day there are a lot of cool shops that you can go and find just about anything. There is also a shop called Insomnia Cookies that in my opinion have the best cookies in Indianapolis. There are also a lot of good restaurants to eat at. They have just about every type of food you could want.
At night, Broad Ripple comes alive. There are a lot of bars and clubs that have a lot of people coming in and out of them. It’s always a party down there and the vibes are always good. I cannot enjoy the drinking life just yet since I am underage, but there is a hookah bar and café that I love going to. You have to be 18 and older. It is called Paradise Café and it’s a really cool and relaxing place.
If you know nothing about hookah, they will hook you up with the best. It’s a good place to just go and hang with your friends and vibe with them. The only thing that sucks about this place is the music. They sometimes play old music from last year but if you can get past that, it’s a really fun place.
The third place I would recommend is a park, any park. My friends and I love going to this park over by Girl’s School Road and 21st Street. We nicknamed it The Castle Park because it’s so big and they have so many things you can do. I know we are all adults here, but if you think about it, when is the last time you swung on a swing or went down a slide? Going to the park when we were little kids is like going to an amusement park now. You could spend hours there, running around and laughing. I’m not telling you to go and act like you are five years old, I’m telling you to go and have the same fun like you did when you were five. The key to having fun is to always have a young spirit and surround yourself with good people. You don’t need to be a little kid to have fun at a park. Sometimes it’s good to just swing on a swing and pretend you’re flying.
The fourth thing you should do is definitely rent a bike downtown. I know since we’re downtown and we might not all have cars to get off of campus, I should tell you about something fun to do downtown. Like I mentioned before, if you’re not 21 there isn’t a lot to do since it is mostly bars and clubs, but I would highly recommend to rent a bike for a day from one of the bike stations and ride all over the city.
Explore all of the canal and then head to The Monument Circle. I know this is illegal but you have to jump in the fountain at least one time at The Circle, even if it’s just for a second. Then after that head over to Massachusetts Avenue from some ice cream from Sub Zero. Riding around downtown in a bike is a good way to explore it.
The final thing I would recommend you to do is drive up to Castleton Mall if you want to do some good shopping. It has way more stores than the mall downtown and they are bigger. Forever 21 in the mall downtown is nothing compared to the one in Castleton. Castleton has a lot of restaurants to eat from and you will just find better clothes there. It is a far drive though, so if you want to head up there, make sure you have time to get through the whole mall or you would be driving up there for nothing. The Fashion Mall is also close by, so you could stop by there too and check it out.
I honestly hope you can find some fun things to do where ever you go. Get lost and see what you can find on your own. We are living through a very stressful time in our lives where we have school and work to handle. If you’re like me, you’re also trying to figure out how to be a responsible adult while still trying to keep your youth alive. Adventure is a good way to keep it alive and make some amazing memories. I love adventure and I will constantly be looking for it. I hope you will, too.
