What An Adventure! My Road Trip to Indianapolis, Indiana

I know it’s been a while since my last post, but I really didn’t have any upcoming trips to post about. This past weekend I decided that I was going to take a road trip to Indiana. My best friend‘s birthday was coming up and I wanted to celebrate with them before they left for an overseas opportunity. I decided to make an adventure out of the 10-to-11-hour drive from New Jersey to Indiana. Unfortunately, I was not able to link up with my friend, but I got an amazing trip out of it! I must warn you! This post is very long because it is jammed packed with various activities I shoved into two days of travel. So, buckle up your seat belts and take this road trip with me!

I started my journey at the wee hours of around 1230 in the morning. Although slightly tired from the day before because I had worked, I hit the road headed towards Pennsylvania. I was really excited to be able to take this road trip by myself and just clear my head and see the sites. My first stop on this solo adventure was the National Museum of the United States Air Force in Dayton, Ohio.

I arrived at the Air Force Museum located at Wright Patterson Air Force Base a little after 9am. This museum is a free and opened daily from 9am-5pm. You can just walk right in! The museum also has a memorial grounds outside. This museum takes you through war history to include World War II, the Koran War, and the Cold War. Some of the most notable things in this museum are the different airplanes and their development over the years. It also talks about the various aircraft personnel and how women in history were able to become pilots. One exhibit regarding research and development talks about the testing of various propellers.

The ones pictured are the Hinged-Blade Research Propeller, the Micarta Controllable Pitch Propeller, the Olmstead High Efficiency Propeller, and the Curtis Reed Propeller.

I found the picture below interesting because the plaque mentions Bowling Airfield, which is now Bolling- Anacostia Air Force Base in DC. I was stationed at Bolling from 2006 to 2007.

Another thing I found interesting was during World War I, the allies used thousands of Model T cars and trucks because of the low cost and easy repair. The ambulance versions were lightweight and made it well suited for use on the muddy and shell riddled roads. If stuck in a hole, a group of soldiers could lift one without much difficulty. Notable Red Cross volunteer drivers of the model T ambulances included writers Earnest Hemmingway and Brett Hart and cartoonist Walt Disney.

Black History fact: Eugene Jacques Bullard was America’s first African American Military Aviator. I found it very interesting that he left at the age of 11 to travel the world and ended up being a very decorated pilot.

One thing the kids will enjoy is they allow you to go into a C124 to look at how it is in the inside of the aircraft. I won’t go into further detail about the rest of the museum because I think you should go and explore this massive museum for yourself! I spent about two hours there, but it could have been more! I will definitely make a trip back and explore the museum in detail.

I hopped on the road to my next stop: the Crown Hill Cemetery in Indianapolis. From the Air Force Museum to the Cemetery was about 2 hours and traffic was actually pretty light. I arrived there early afternoon (1pm).

For those of you who are into the macabre or like to see interesting works of art, the Crown Hill Cemetery is an interesting place to visit. It’s a massive cemetery which spans across multiple acres. Many famous people are buried here such as the 23rd President Benjamin Harrison. What I found interesting about this cemetery is the various elaborate headstones and mausoleums. I would liken it to those in New Orleans, Louisiana. Out of respect for the deceased I did not take any pictures of the headstones, but I can describe some things to you. Some of the headstones include angels. Others looked like larger-than-life chess pieces. There were statues of knights and children and other creative work of arts. A large part of the cemetery is for the Armed Forces. Right now, the headstones all have flags placed in front of them in honor of Memorial Day. Not sure if these flags are there all the time or if they just put them out for Memorial Day, but there were a sea of American flags waving in the wind. This cemetery is well taken care of so even some of the oldest looking mausoleums still look fresh and new. Something I found interesting was a mausoleum that looked like a small chapel, but it’s only built for one according to the plaque outside of it. Crown Hill has several routes you could take to drive around and view the artwork. There’s a Gothic route and Riley Harrison area to name a few. the works of art for these headstones and dedications to their family are immaculate. You can tell that there is multiple family members buried in that section. I find it kind of strange that I see people exercising in the cemetery, but maybe that’s just me. at the same time, I’m driving around looking at headstones and I don’t believe to have any family members here so maybe I’m strange as well. there are so many different sections that it will probably take you 1 to 2 hours to get through the whole cemetery driving through. I was only here for a short period of time and plan to revisit again to further explore should I return to Indianapolis.

Getting back on the road, I drove through a quiet suburban neighborhood with its neatly manicured lawns and checkered flags flying in celebration of the Indianapolis 500 race occurring over the weekend. I drove through the campus of Butler University in route of my next location. It was interesting to see all of the fraternity and sorority houses. They were large, mansion looking brick houses which I’m sure is shared among the members. It was like something out of a movie with their Greek letters posted on signs outside of the houses.

It took me about 15 minutes for me to arrive at The Indianapolis Art Center from the cemetery.

The Indy Art Center is a nonprofit that offers art classes and camps for the underprivileged. Because it was in the middle of the day, it was not really busy. The interesting thing about it is that a number of these presentations or exhibits are from the students. The corridors are filled with artwork to include hand draw pictures, rock designs, clothing and sculptures.

It is nice to see some of the sculptures that are completed in the picture. You’ll see a bowl, a teapot, a stoneware pyramid, and a fluted vessel.

I am not a very good interpreter of the arts, but some of them were pretty interesting. This one is made of jug handles.

The art museum also has a number of works of art outside. I must say they were very creative. When I was looking for things to do in Indianapolis, one of the things that popped up was the Indianapolis Art Center and one of the specific things that I came here for is John McNaughton’s twisted house. It was created from mostly wood in 2005.

Although it has an open doorway, there’s nothing inside but a bunch of graffiti from visitors. The gardens here are quite peaceful so if you ever want to just come and relax, this would be the place to do so. After spending about an hour exploring the Indy Art Center, I was starving and wanted to head to my next destination: Teas Me Café. I noticed as I was driving that I was entering into the city center. The suburban scenery of rows of houses with their flower beds, neatly mowed lawns and stop signs turned into commercial buildings and multiple traffic lights.

It was about a twenty-minute drive to Tea’s Me Café. There are several locations, but I went to the one on 22nd Street. This eatery is located within a row of buildings, and you have to park on the street. I had to use my rusty parallel parking skills and was able to park right in the front of the café. According to the website, Tamika Catchings, 4x Olympic Gold Medalist, Hall of Famer, and founder of the Catch the Stars Foundation, purchased Tea’s Me Cafe in 2017, when she found out the original owners were planning to close down the business. It is a quaint little hideout and very relaxing to say the least.

As I walked in, I noticed the walls

were decorated with paintings of famous African Americans, while Dragon Ball Z played on the television. I asked the cashier what the most popular tea among the customers was and received an Iced Goji berry green tea with honey.  I also got the Larson, a sandwich consisting of turkey, bacon, pesto and cheddar. I had it on wheat. Both the tea and the sandwich was freshly made, and I got my order within 10 minutes. I don’t know if it was because I was hungry or not, but the sandwich melted in my mouth like a marshmallow over an open fire and the tea was so refreshing that I felt like I was on one of those commercials where I bite into a peppermint patty. I suggest you try it for yourself because I may be bias because of my hunger.

Because I love classic cars, I wanted to visit the Stutz Car Museum. It was built between 1912 and 1917 by Harry Stutz who is your remembered for his bearcat sports car which was raced in the 1911 Indianapolis 500. You can read the rest of the story in the picture.

The museum is small in stature but is a nice way to learn the history of a guy who played such a major part in the development of the Indy 500.

After wandering around the Stutz building and looking at some of the artwork displayed, I decided it was time to eat dinner since it was around 6pm. In my research of what to do in Indy, I found a place called the Hangout.

The Hangout is a nice sports bar with a few games and great atmosphere, but the main attraction is its pedal bar tours. Now

I did not partake in the tour, but it looked like it would be a fun activity to tour around the city while partying with friends. I chilled out at the bar and enjoyed the music while happily eating my pretzel bites with nacho cheese and naked wings fried hard with ranch on the side Lol It would be a place I would hang out at every week to just chill and hang out with friends. The drinks were strong, and the staff were chill and friendly. It started to get crowded as the night went on, so I’m thinking most people come at 6pm or later although it was a Thursday and it closed at 10pm.

I stayed until close to closing then headed to my hotel after a long day. I did not realize I had been up for almost 24 hours and my body was feeling it.

(Insert hand claps after every word of the following sentence. IYKYK) So let me tell you about this hotel! Ugh! Y’all know I usually stay at a Marriott but because I had some points to use from hotels.com, I decided to use the points since I was only staying one night in Indy. Huge mistake! First of all, it was a privately owned Super 8 by Wyndham. When I walked up to the check in counter it was surrounded by glass. I could only assume it was from the Covid Days. They asked for $125 deposit which I was too exhausted to care at this point but when I got to the room, I realized it was definitely not worth it. The room was supposed to be a non-smoking one, but the smell of smoke hit me as soon as I opened the door. I exhaustingly continued into the room and immediately realized this was a bad idea, but I didn’t want to have to search for another hotel at 11 at night. Luckily, I always take Clorox wipes with me and wiped all the surfaces down because they were filthy. I pulled back the covers and they looked okay but judging by the way the room looked I didn’t trust them and slept in my clothes with my personal towel from my luggage over the pillow and my jacket as the blanket because… No! I had half a mind to sleep in my car but felt like it was still a bit safer to stay in this nasty room. Now I know what you are thinking. Why did I not ask for another room? My brain was not properly functioning at the time, and I figured if I just take a nap, I would be functional enough to get the hell outta there early. I barely slept because between the nervousness, noise from the rift raff and the nastiness. I couldn’t wait for the sunrise before I almost ran outta there! Never again! Going back to being a Marriott snob Lol By the way I got my deposit back minus $5. Shrugs shoulders

The new day consisted of a city tour and visiting a presidential site. Circle City Tours has a choice of a SUV or bus tour. I chose the SUV tour which was $42.40 (including tax and Military/Veteran discount). I got lucky because I was the only one to book for the time, so I got a private tour which is $20 extra and I had no problem paying. The experience turned out to be better anyway. The tour started at White River State Park Visitor Center.

It started at 0930 but I got there really early to walk the park and because I didn’t want to stay at the hotel any longer than I had to Lol The place was set up for a concert which I later read on the visitor center’s outside wall that the park has a summer concert series. I recognized some of the names but most of them I did not know. It was a nice breeze blowing so I sat on a park bench and waited for the tour guide to show up.

After a few minutes, a Honda Pilot pulls up with a sweet older lady smiling brightly. Carrie, my tour guide, tells me a story about how she rescued a fowl injured in her yard and how she left it with her husband to find a rescue for it and that’s how a very interesting city tour began. After leaving the park, we headed downtown passing the baseball stadium to the Indianapolis Colts Stadium. I’m not a Colts fan (Ravens all day!) but I understand the history and got a few pics in for a friend who is a fan. We drove further down town and Carrie told me about various business areas. We stopped at the Indiana Repertory Theatre which has beautiful architecture. It almost looks like a castle from the outside.

One of the major stops that I was able to get out and take pictures of was the Indiana 9/11 Memorial. This memorial holds two pillars from the actual twin towers and a slab of stone from the Pentagon from the tragic day. There is also a memorial for Lieutenant General Timothy J. Maude, the highest-ranking person who lost their life at the Pentagon.

The next stop was city center where there is a huge monument erected in the middle with a fountain. Along the monument, there are various famous people. The most notable is a taller one which represents those for the union from Indiana. There is a lot of construction going on right now, so the pictures did not come out as well as I wanted them to be but it’s still a nice area to view. The

sidewalk has many names written in the bricks. I would presume these names are those who served in the military, and I’m sure based on the years that these bricks were donated by the families. For example, there was a brick there with the years 1997 to 2003 engraved in it and I would guess that this is when the person served in the military.

We drove past various memorials which are being prepared for Memorial Day ceremonies as we head to the town of Speedway. Speedway is the town which houses the infamous Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Since it was Indy 500 weekend, there was a lot of traffic from race fans. It was interesting to know that residents surrounding the speedway makes hundreds of dollars each year by allowing visitors to park in their yards for $20 to $50 a day and also selling food. Now that’s a great hustle! Interestingly enough I had visited the Speedway the night before and had gotten pictures of the track. I guess it was the calm before the storm so to speak. I don't even know if I was supposed to be there because I was able to drive right up to the suites and take pictures from the stairway. There were no signs posted but I took my pictures and got out of there!

Off the beaten path, Carrie takes me to the Major Taylor Velodrome. Marshall Walter “Major” Taylor is known for being the 1899 World Cycling Champion. This was a great feat considering he was the first African American to do so. Taylor received the nickname Major because he wore a military uniform with the major rank on it as a gimmick while doing bike tricks to make money for his family at a young age. The velodrome can be found near Marian University.

On the way back to White River State Park Visitor Center, we passed through what the residents call Mansion row. This street houses the huge mansions of governors and city officials. They were beautiful homes and reminded me of the ones in Moorestown, New Jersey.

After Carrie and I said our goodbyes, I headed to the Benjamin Harrison Presidential Site.

This is the home of the 23rd President of the United States. The home has only had two owners, the Harrisons and the foundation which preserves it. This means the house holds the original furniture and personal items of the Harrison family. They even have the bed in which the President died in! Eerie!

I was yet again lucky enough that most people were so focused on the Indy 500, I was the only one who signed up for the tour that Friday. While going through the hour-long tour some of the interesting facts I learned was early on he tried to pass a bill for the rights for African Americans to vote. Of course, because of the times, it didn’t happen. He felt his greatest accomplishment was not being president but receiving the rank of Brigadier General while serving in the Union Army. While in the White House President Harrison had two possums as pets named Mr. Protection and Mr. Reciprocity gifted by the state of Maryland. (Really Maryland?!? I find this so funny Lol)

It was now around 2:30pm so I decided to stop at Burger King and get some food before getting on the road to head back east. I regret not eating more Indy native food and plan to do so on my next visit. I turned on my crime tv and hit the road. I ran into evening traffic from those getting off work or traveling for the holiday when I reached the middle of Ohio. After about an hour of delays, the rest of the trip was smooth sailing from there.

When I reached West Virginia, I had the bright idea to ask Google what interesting places there were in the state. On the route I found a place called the Palace of Gold. I’m thinking it is a short ways from the highway. Boy! Was I wrong! I was met with winding mountain narrow roads and deep wooded areas. The GPS said it was only a twenty-minute trip from the highway, but because of the barely passible roads I know it took longer. Although hesitant to continue the trip to the Palace of Gold, I continued. My heart raced as I passed a home with a huge Confederate flag hanging in their yard about five minutes from my destination. When I finally got there, the woods opened up to this beautifully adorned gold palace. It was worth the crazy trip up the mountain, and I would have never guessed such a place would be in West Virginia.

Prabhupada’s Palace of Gold was originally meant to be a home for Srila Prabhupada built by his devotees in 1973 but turned into something much larger. Srila Prabhupada is best known for inspiring thousands of Westerners and Indians to devote their lives to Krishna consciousness. This launched one of the fastest-growing spiritual movements in the history of the world. I was unable to fully view the grounds as the last tour was over for the day and I wanted to make it back down the mountain before it got dark because of the roads being so narrow. I was none too happy to reach the highway again after a blood pressure raising trip down the mountain Lol

It was very late when I reached Pennsylvania and was about two hours away from home when I wanted to make one more stop. This place is an oddity and I have had this on my bucket list for a while, so I wanted to see it as a finale to my adventurous road trip.

The Haines Shoe House was modeled after a work boot and built by shoe salesman Mahlon Haines in 1948 as an advertisement for his shoe business. It has since been turned into a vacation rental for groups of up to 6 people. Now when I pulled up to the show house it was after midnight so I quickly snapped photos like the paparazzi and rolled out before the cops got called for possible trespassing Lol Maybe one day, I will actually rent the place out so I can say I slept in a show Lol

I finally reached home around 2am and slept like a rock! I hope you enjoyed this adventure and continue to read more in the future!

Disclaimer: I, Artilya Key, also known as A. Key (A Key To Adventure), am not affiliated with any of the links, places or sites mentioned in this blog nor did I receive any compensation for this post. Should you need more information, please refer to the linked information or contact the company or entities. Any copywritten information belongs to that entity and is not associated with A Key To Adventure.