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| Sheik and Zelda |
Earlier this year, my brother told me that he and his family would be moving from Indianapolis to Canada at the end of summer. Since my first, and only, experience of Indianapolis was in the dead of winter (insert hyperlink), I thought it would be nice to go back in the summer before they left. Since I had planned an extended weekend away from work, I had even more time to enjoy the city and my fam. I ended up flying into the airport on Friday afternoon. I remembered how good the popcorn was the last time I was there, so I was sure to pick up two bags (buffalo ranch and smores, yum yum!) before meeting my sister-in-law at passenger pickup. We drove to their home in Carmel to relax for a bit and play with their dogs before dinner. That evening, she took me to Drakes, a local restaurant that served both pub food and sushi. This concept confused me and for a few seconds I considered ordering both fried pickles and sashimi, but ended up sticking to the Japanese portion of the menu with some edamame, fried dumplings, and a crag Rangoon roll. The dumplings were delicious, but everything else was just ok. I guess it goes without saying that you shouldn’t order sushi when you aren’t near the sea… at least all my fish was cooked.
My brother got in from his business trip that evening and the next day was dedicated to exploring the Indy Wine Trail! For my birthday this year, I was gifted a couple bottles of wine from their local wineries. I really enjoyed them and was looking forward to spending the sunny day outside. From my research, I learned that there were 7 wineries on this path not far from Indianapolis. Our goal for the day was to explore 3 of them: Cedar Creek Winery, Mallow Run Winery, and Chateau Thomas Winery. We got to Cedar Creek in the early afternoon when it wasn’t very busy yet. Other than a bachelorette party (or maybe birthday party?), we had the tasting room to ourselves. It was a very cute setup with a decent size tasting room and lots of little trinkets to peruse. I have an interest in wine and was prepared to ask lots of questions around where they get their grapes and what types of wine they make, but was quickly shot down because the woman who was helping us said she was new and had no idea how to answer my first few questions. I spent an hour or so tasting a few of their wines, but ended up only buying two bottles of the same chocolate raspberry port I had on my birthday.
My brother got in from his business trip that evening and the next day was dedicated to exploring the Indy Wine Trail! For my birthday this year, I was gifted a couple bottles of wine from their local wineries. I really enjoyed them and was looking forward to spending the sunny day outside. From my research, I learned that there were 7 wineries on this path not far from Indianapolis. Our goal for the day was to explore 3 of them: Cedar Creek Winery, Mallow Run Winery, and Chateau Thomas Winery. We got to Cedar Creek in the early afternoon when it wasn’t very busy yet. Other than a bachelorette party (or maybe birthday party?), we had the tasting room to ourselves. It was a very cute setup with a decent size tasting room and lots of little trinkets to peruse. I have an interest in wine and was prepared to ask lots of questions around where they get their grapes and what types of wine they make, but was quickly shot down because the woman who was helping us said she was new and had no idea how to answer my first few questions. I spent an hour or so tasting a few of their wines, but ended up only buying two bottles of the same chocolate raspberry port I had on my birthday.
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| All suited up |
Our next stop was Mallow Run Winery. The tasting room there appeared to be the same size, but it was a lot busier. We ended up sharing a bottle of the Picnic White with a small cheese platter on the deck until the crowd cleared enough that we could get a spot at the tasting counter. This definitely seemed like a more popular spot and I believe they have concerts and other events there as well. Aside from the one white wine, I was not impressed with their selection either. I think it’s important to note that neither of the two wineries at this point charged for their tastings. It was only the last spot, Chateau Thomas Winery that charged a $5 tasting fee; however the employees working the tasting counter there seemed much more knowledgeable and engaging. Their shop was also the nicest and had the largest selection of wine trinkets to look explore. In appearance, they were less vineyard-y and more warehouse, but still a nice stop along the way. After a full day of tasting, we got dinner that evening at Boombozz Pizza and Taphouse. They had a fun ambiance and pizza hit the spot after drinking all that wine. The only thing that made the day better (or worse depending on your opinion) was going to see Magic Mike XXL that night with my sister-in-law and her friend.
Sunday was the highlight of my trip. I came across an internet coupon deal for a NASCAR style racing experience at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. I purchased three coupons for all of us and we arrived around 11:30 am to check in. The check-in line was about 6 people deep and the two girls processing the paperwork were moving very slowly. About 20 minutes later, we were ready to go. Because of the rain the night before, we could not use the tunnel under the track. This meant they had to wait for all the cars to finish their racing experience from the time slot before opening the gates and letting us all across. Fortunately, we only had to wait about 5 minutes. As part of the ride-along experience (I was not going to drive!), I had to suit up in a fireproof jumpsuit and put on a helmet. They had freshly-washed little cloth beanies to wear under our helmets to prevent lice/other germs. Once we were all suited up, we took turns in the 2 ride-along cars going around the track. One of the best parts was trying to jump into the car through the window with my short legs. I got in eventually and a guy game by to buckle me up before my 5 laps around the track began. It was so exhilarating! We passed by several of the other drivers and by the end of lap 2, my head felt like it was going to vibrate off my neck, haha. I felt completely safe and really enjoyed the whole experience, as did my family. Later that day, my brother picked up their dogs and we all went to the river walk area downtown to walk along the canal before going to dinner. It was a very nice set-up; I’m only surprised there weren’t more bars and restaurants similar to San Antonio.
Sunday was the highlight of my trip. I came across an internet coupon deal for a NASCAR style racing experience at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. I purchased three coupons for all of us and we arrived around 11:30 am to check in. The check-in line was about 6 people deep and the two girls processing the paperwork were moving very slowly. About 20 minutes later, we were ready to go. Because of the rain the night before, we could not use the tunnel under the track. This meant they had to wait for all the cars to finish their racing experience from the time slot before opening the gates and letting us all across. Fortunately, we only had to wait about 5 minutes. As part of the ride-along experience (I was not going to drive!), I had to suit up in a fireproof jumpsuit and put on a helmet. They had freshly-washed little cloth beanies to wear under our helmets to prevent lice/other germs. Once we were all suited up, we took turns in the 2 ride-along cars going around the track. One of the best parts was trying to jump into the car through the window with my short legs. I got in eventually and a guy game by to buckle me up before my 5 laps around the track began. It was so exhilarating! We passed by several of the other drivers and by the end of lap 2, my head felt like it was going to vibrate off my neck, haha. I felt completely safe and really enjoyed the whole experience, as did my family. Later that day, my brother picked up their dogs and we all went to the river walk area downtown to walk along the canal before going to dinner. It was a very nice set-up; I’m only surprised there weren’t more bars and restaurants similar to San Antonio.
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| Getting in the car |
My flight left in the early afternoon on Monday, so I only had time to get brunch and pack. After sitting on the outdoor deck at Bub’s Café for approximately 15 minutes, I had 4-5 mosquito bites and I really bad drink (who puts beer in a bloody mary?). We moved inside for the rest of the meal and I thoroughly enjoyed my Elk Sausage and Biscuits as my last meal in Indy. I’m very glad I had a chance to experience the area in the summer, it was way better than freezing in the winter.
