Planning the Ultimate Indy Date
Find the perfect couple's get-out for you and your partner in Indianapolis, Ind., whether you're looking for an extravagant weekend away or simply a date night. Indy has plenty to offer to escape from the daily grind and get lost again in your romance.
The city can experience harsh weather in summer and winter, with June to August bringing heat and humidity and November to February featuring low temperatures and occasional snow. Spring and autumn can be relatively unpredictable, weather-wise, so if you don't mind the humidity, summer might be your best bet for a visit—that's when Indianapolis is most colorful and alive.
Consider these options.
1. B & B in Style
Nestle Inn (637 N. East St., Indianapolis, IN) in downtown Indianapolis boasts that it's "not your grandma's B & B" and is better described as a boutique hotel. Guests check themselves in and are given their own private baths in rooms decorated in a "modern, eclectic and comfortable" style.
The inn partners with local restaurants to provide breakfast services, and its staff is available for activity recommendations. But the motto behind Nestle Inn is respect for independence and privacy—perfect for a couple looking to peace and quiet for a night or two.
2. Picnic and Stroll in the Park
Take to the outdoors for a day in the city at Virginia B. Fairbanks Art and Nature Park (4000 N. Michigan Rd., Indianapolis, IN). The park sits on 100 acres and is home to untamed woodlands, wetlands, meadows and a 35-acre lake. It's also a museum art park, featuring art projects, exhibitions and discussions.
The park is open every day from dawn to dusk and is free to the public, so pack up a picnic basket and a blanket and spend the day there, just the two of you.
3. Enjoy a Sunset Cruise
Indy's Eagle Creek Park (7840 W. 56th St., Indianapolis, IN) offers 1,400 acres of water: yours for sailing, kayaking, paddle boarding or fishing. You can also take to the trail on the park's greenway, rent a bike to explore or snag a pontoon boat for a sunset cruise, featuring live jazz or folk music from the shore.
The park is open daily from 7 a.m. to 9:30 p.m. in summer, with times changing seasonally. Park admission is $5 for Marion County residents and $6 for out-of-county residents.
4. Take a Gondola Ride
Float down the Indiana Central Canal in an old-school gondola, provided by Old World Gondoliers (340 W. Michigan St., Indianapolis, IN). Your gondolier will serenade you and your partner as you glide by canal views of downtown Indy.
Private couples' rides are available all summer through September for $150 plus 20 percent gratuity for a 30-minute ride, or $300 plus 20 percent gratuity for a 60-minute ride. Private rides can be scheduled from 1 p.m. and 10 p.m. daily by online reservation .
5. Take to the Trees
If you and your partner are looking for something a little fun and crazy to do on your vacation, consider a treetop zip lines tour. Go Ape (5855 Delong Rd., Indianapolis, IN) offers two- to three-hour tours through the forest canopy in which you tackle dangling obstacles and explore the trees via multiple zip lines.
Tours cost $58 per person, and you can make reservations online.