The Ultimate Weekend in Indianapolis, Indiana, for a Sports Fan

There’s much more to the Indianapolis sports scene than its teams and annual events. Here’s your sports-specific guide to Indianapolis

They say hoops grows in Indiana . But that ’s only partially true . Yes , theHoosier Stateis a hoops haven for all devotees of the hardwood . But it ’s also become asportshaven across the past decade - plus . ThePacersandColts , theFeverand the NCAA all call this city home . So , too , in many agency , does the Big Ten , which annually couch its football championship biz atLucas Oil Stadium , and on a regular basis pose its men ’s and charwoman ’s hoops tournament at BankersLife Fieldhouse .

Indianapolis hosted Super Bowl XLVI in February of 2012 , which let out a local secret to the rest of the world : this town excels at host sports event . There ’s theIndy500 . There are regular Olympic trials . And yes , there is plenitude of basketball , too , with the Final Four returning to Indianapolis in 2026 and 2029 , and with the entire 67 - biz NCAA men ’s basketball tournament taking place in Indy in 2021 , at Mackey Arena , Assembly Hall , BankersLife Fieldhouse , Hinkle Fieldhouse , Indiana Farmers Coliseum and Lucas Oil Stadium hosted March Madness .

But there ’s much more to the Indianapolis sports scene than its team and one-year consequence . ( And more than the Peyton Manning statue or Reggie Miller wall painting . ) That ’s where we fare in .

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Where should you stay ? Where should you rust ? What case of off - the - court experiences will speak to you as a sports fan ? This probably is n’t too surprising , given the compact nature of business district Indianapolis , but so much of the fabric of this townsfolk and its surrounding region is wrapped up in sports history , both local and home . Here ’s your sports - specific guide to Indianapolis .

Who I am : I’m Matt Fortuna , a Chicago - based sports writer , which intend I am in Indianapolis a lot . I presently start the college sports website “ The Inside Zone , ” after six years of cover college sports atThe Athleticand six twelvemonth of doing the same at ESPN before that .

Before You Go

Book betimes : If you ’re fetch a chemical group to the famousSt . Elmo Steak House , it does n’t smart to book in the lead , particularly if you want a private room .

Need to be intimate : you may walk virtually everywhere business district , and even though there ’s a skywalk , we urge walk outside , weather condition allow . The compact region makes it more intimate , you get a good feel for the urban center and its people , and it ’s easier to navigate than indoors .