I was on the road last week in Indianapolis, IN doing some field training at the Indy terminal. As I typically do, I did some pre-search work on the area I am staying in (Carmel, IN) as well as surrounding areas, like Indy, for cool baseball places to visit. Along the way, I also research non-baseball stops that might interest me and make a number of mental notes. For the Indy trip, of course there was the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, the Lucas Oil Stadium area, and the AAA Indianapolis Indians. I also found out that there was a converted baseball stadium where the movie “Eight Men Out” was filmed and where Henry Aaron had played prior to his Hall of Fame career in the Major Leagues. I had a pretty good list of places to visit and was hoping to have a bit of downtime to get out an explore. Here is how it went:

To say I was delayed at the airport in LaGuardia is an understatement. I waited so long, I actually got daytime, then night time photos of nearby Citi Field, who were playing a home game against the Pittsburgh Pirates. Something about a weather sensor or wiper blades or some other part was not functioning on the plane, so they had to bring in another plane, then they found the part, and so on. I was delayed about 5 hours at LGA, so the trip to Indy got off to a bumpy start.

Landing in Indy and walking through the airport, I got the vibe that the Indianapolis Motor Speedway was the driving force behind the decor and displays for visitors. Check out these Indy 500 cars on display – I’m not sure if these are significant or not, they just looked cool.

It was about 11:30 or so Monday night when I finally got to my hotel in Carmel, so no exploring on Monday. Tuesday was a full work day of training, so I didn’t venture out before or after work. Wednesday, I got up early and decided to make my way south to the city of Indianapolis and Victory Field, home of the Cleveland Guardian’s AAA affiliate Indianapolis Indians. I parked in the main parking lot, making sure I wasn’t parked in any staff assigned slots. The field was closed, as most are when the team is on the road. However, the souvenir shop was open, and I took a chance that the shop had a view of the field and a nice worker to let me take photos. Yes, and Yes on those fronts, and here are a few shots outside and inside Victory Field.

Knowing that my training session was around 1pm, I hustled from Victory Field over to Stadium Lofts, which is the site of the former Bush Stadium in Indianapolis. The stadium (known then as Victory Field) was the home field for the Indianapolis Clowns of the Negro Leagues. The Clowns featured a roster, at one time or another, of Hall of Fame great Henry Aaron and female Pitcher Mamie “Peanut” Johnson. The field had been used for baseball for decades before it wasn’t. A developer took the lead and created what is now standing there – Stadium Lofts. A beautiful property of apartments overlooking the baseball field (no longer in use, just ornamental) with the look of a stadium. I was lucky enough to catch a Stadium Lofts employee who escorted me onto the field so I could grab some photos.

For dinner Wednesday night, one of the Indy terminal managers recommended a local brewery called Moontown Brewing Company. It had a great menu for barbeque and adult beverage enthusiasts, and it had a cool sound stage. The sound stage was actually a converted high school gymnasium. After all, the most famous basketball movie ever was filmed in Indiana (New Richmond) – “Hoosiers.” Moontown did not disappoint and here are a few photos from the visit.

After another long day of training, no more exploring Wednesday night, so I got up early on Thursday to head to the Speedway. Not knowing a single thing about racing, or cars for that matter, I kept an open mind to the experience. When I pulled into the tunnel that led me to the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Museum, I was floored. It was gigantic, it was eye-popping, it was ‘Wow, this place is incredible.’ First off, it is 2 plus miles around the track for one lap. So the track itself is a spectacle. Honestly, I wasn’t sure where to point my camera, so I took a bunch of random photos. It was definitely worth the drive and wow, was it impressive.

After the last day of training and packing for home, it was still light out around 8pm. So, I hopped onto Google Maps and searched for a local baseball field to complete my Indianapolis experience. Pike High School was just a few miles from the hotel so I headed over there. I realized that the sun had yet to set and it was around 8pm EST. Indianapolis is on the outer edge of the Eastern Daylight Time zone, so that gave me a little time before sunset. Here are a few shot of Pike High School’s baseball grounds.

Overall, it was a very productive trip to Indianapolis. The training at the terminal was intense, thorough, and very informative. I had some great meals out for lunch and dinner, including the Moontown Brewing Company. Victory Field, Bush Stadium (now Stadium Lofts), and Pike High School baseball fields were all amazing to walk around. The Indianapolis Motor Speedway was jaw dropping in so many ways. Weather was decent all week, really no complaints at all about my trip to Indianapolis, IN.