We go behind the scenes of Indy’s booming convention business to showcase the Circle City’s talent for hosting large-scale gatherings such as Gen Con, FDIC International, and Indiana Black Expo.
BY JULIA SPALDING
56
MOTORCYCLE DIARIES
Local riders band together to create connection and kinship through a shared passion for motorcycle design and the driving pursuit of a twowheeled adrenaline rush.
BY CAMILLE GRAVES AND MICHAEL SCHRADER
64
HOME OF THE MONTH
An Indianapolis couple built their spacious second home on Grandview Lake in Columbus with visions of sun-drenched, carefree family getaways for generations to come. BY
JEANA HARRIS
Ton Up Club members
prize vintage bikes, like this 1965 Triumph Bonneville.
ON THE COVER
Illustration by Meredith Miotke
PHOTO BY MICHAEL SCHRADER
At the all-new Museum Experience Center at Conner Prairie, the Wellspring interactive Artscape holds surprise and inspiration at every turn. Power of Place takes you on an epic White River journey. TORN: A Family Portrait illuminates life-changing choices. And Spark!Lab fosters hands-on invention. Dive in!
step into new stories at
power of place
torn: a family portrait
Wellspring Stone Quarry
CIRCLE CITY
11 SPEED READ
Conner Prairie unveils its stunningly reimagined Museum Experience Center.
14 THE HOOSIERIST
Our Indiana expert sows the seeds of curiosity about family-owned farms.
16
ARTIFACT
A preserved baseball commemorates the first home run hit at Victory Field.
18
HOOSIER ICON
A new book traces back to Amelia Earhart’s days at Purdue University.
20
ASK ME ANYTHING
Michael Good shifts into his role as Indianapolis Motor Speedway Museum president.
22
BEST BETS
Five can’t-miss events in Indy this month.
GOOD LIFE
25 WANTED
Make your friends green with envy when you tote the buttery-soft U Street Handbag in a summery, verdant hue from Julian James Bespoke Leather.
26
SHOP TALK
Three new specialty shops in Noblesville, Carmel, and Irvington offer hobbyists all manner of crafting tools and supplies—from needlepoint patterns to paint palettes.
30
BODY+SOUL
After a visit to Sugar Creek Retreat’s on-site Kuusi Nordic Spa, guests emerge rested, relaxed, and free of stress.
32 TRAVELER
Dublin, Ohio, boasts an Irish-themed downtown area on one side of the Scioto River and sleek hotels, an abundance of new restaurants, and a vibrant nightlife scene on the other.
THE DISH
35 SWOON
Thai Prime envelops a warm and curry-seasoned vegetable filling inside half-moonshaped pastry puffs.
36
FIRST BITE
H Steakhouse fires up in Westfield; Tyler Williams shares the secret to savory sausage gravy; and the state’s first chimney cake bakery opens in downtown Lafayette.
38
FOODIE
With a long resume in the Indy dining scene, Epicurean co-founder Ariel Hendrickson builds culinary connections.
40
TASTE TEST
Raise a skewer to a handful of Mediterranean and Middle Eastern kebab spots.
42
REVIEW
Monti Aperitivo & Cucina brings scratch-made Italian dishes to Fountain Square.
A
EDITOR’S NOTE
Crowd Pleaser
IF YOU spend much time in the heart of Indy, you can almost gauge the seasons simply via people watching near the Indiana Convention Center. In the springtime, downtown becomes a smoke show of mustachioed firefighters in safety gear during FDIC International’s annual training week. When summer reaches peak heat, a veritable parade of cosplayers flocks to Gen Con for a weekend of board games, role-play, and author panels. Autumn ushers in a wave of agriculturally inclined teens in blue corduroy coats emblematic of the National FFA Convention & Expo. And in winter, even the most frigid temps can’t cool the spirit and enthusiasm of bow-bedecked cheerleaders competing in JAMfest Cheer Super Nationals—those squads flip for our climate-controlled skywalks and tunnels. In between, the convention center hosts an array of groups ranging from trial lawyers to hose distributors. How does the Circle City so deftly accommodate its diverse roster of events? Our cover feature (p. 46) explores our success as a top-tier meeting site capable of hosting assemblies with 70,000-plus attendees. We take readers on a tour of the convention circuit, revisit the rise of downtown attractions, and gather perspectives from visitors to piece together the winning combination. While convening in our fair city, conference-goers would be remiss to not carve out a little extra time for sightseeing at Conner Prairie’s newly revamped Museum Experience Center (p. 11), which reopened its doors in April. And no trip to Indy would be complete without visiting the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Michael Good, president of the IMS Museum—which underwent its own multimillion dollar transformation last year—explains the lure and lore of the famed 2.5-mile oval that hosts hundreds of thousands of spectators annually (p. 20).
( CONTRIBUTORS )
Andrea Ratcliff Editor-in-Chief
PUBLISHER Ivy Bayer
EDITORIAL
EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Andrea Ratcliff
EXECUTIVE EDITOR Julia Spalding
LIFESTYLE EDITOR Christina Vercelletto
MANAGING EDITOR Camille Graves
DIGITAL EDITOR Clay Maxfield
Art | production
DESIGN DIRECTOR Margo Wininger
PRODUCTION DIRECTOR Vu Luong
ADVERTISING ART DIRECTOR Christiana Bertsch
Advertising | Business
SALES DIRECTOR Holly Whitney
ACCOUNT EXECUTIVES
Sarah Anderton, Jena Jennings, Rachel Widenhofer
OPERATIONS DIRECTOR Missy Beiting
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Reading the news these days fills freelance journalist Robert Annis with more anxiety than photographing brown bears in the wild. He does find brief relief in nature. On page 30, he shares how his stay at Sugar Creek Resort and hike in the neighboring nature preserve offered him and his wife Dee a satisfying but all-too-short respite from the chaos.
Contributing editor Jeana Harris has written about all things “home” for nearly a decade. She loves to explore properties that are off the beaten path and gems hidden in plain sight. A beautiful home on Grandview Lake in Columbus, Indiana (p. 64), where a close-knit family built a generational lake house to be enjoyed by all, fits the latter category.
After a childhood filled with reading, drawing, and learning, becoming an illustrator felt like the natural next step for Meredith Miotke. She now spends her days building intricate, colorful worlds jam-packed with curious characters. She couldn’t believe her luck when she was asked to tackle Indianapolis’ dynamic, diverse convention scene (p. 46) this issue.
PRESIDENT John Balardo
EDITORIAL / ADVERTISING OFFICES
Indianapolis Monthly 8909 Purdue Rd., Suite 130 Indianapolis, IN 46268 317-969-6954
Our annual directory of area hospitals, surgical centers, physician networks, and focused medical practices provides details about the services, diagnostic tests, and treatments offered at each site. The accompanying professional profiles introduce readers to doctors and dentists with a wide range of specialties, from pain management to plastic surgery.
COLLEGE GUIDE:
This guide to Indiana colleges and universities provides by-the-numbers stats and highlights the strengths, academic offerings, and philosophies of higher learning institutions throughout the state. It is a valuable resource for families exploring and weighing education options with their high school students.
At Woodstock, we believe that excellence lives in the details... the way cabinet doors align, the way light falls across a room, the way a kitchen works with quiet intention. It’s not just about tools and blueprints; it’s about insight, foresight, and craftsmanship honed over time. The result? Homes that feel intuitively correct, because every detail has been thought through, and nothing is left to chance. Come
CIRCLE CITY
History Lessons
This past spring, Conner Prairie pulled back the curtain to reveal its new Museum Experience Center, or as it’s called informally, the MEC, following two years of major construction. The complex wows with new immersive exhibits and fresh features.
THE IDEA WAS BORN NEARLY A DECADE AGO. Initial talk about a makeover for the visitor center began in 2017 when a site blueprint defined lofty ambitions for the revamp, as well as laid out plans for new trails, the Promised Land as Proving Ground exhibit, and the White River Education and Ecology Center.
EVEN BACK THEN, IT WAS OVERDUE FOR A REFRESH. The building that housed the museum’s visitor center was originally constructed in the 1980s and hadn’t been updated since the 1990s. “We’ve seen quite a bit of change over the past 40 years, but this was the first multimillion dollar renovation in several decades,” says Jennifer Sommers, Conner Prairie’s vice president and chief advancement officer.
FUNDRAISING GOT UNDERWAY IN 2018. At first, the Prairie Pathways Campaign aimed to generate $17 million, but that number quickly escalated during the pandemic inflation era. To date, more than 160 philanthropic donors have contributed $42 million in total. The next big fundraising campaign effort will go toward supporting the upcoming Food, Farm, and Energy Experience and other projects still to come.
IN THIS CASE, BIGGER IS DEFINITELY BETTER. The museum’s facade has been redone, and the airy front lobby with its adjacent gift shop looks markedly different, but the most dramatic changes took place farther within. Reconfiguring the main building’s interior nearly tripled the amount of dedicated exhibit space, paving the way for six new signature experiences. With the new addition of the bright Ricker Prairie Overlook boasting views of the barn, animal pens, and bucolic grounds beyond, the overall footprint of the twostory facility grew from 68,000 to more than 86,000 square feet.
ACCESSIBILITY WAS A TOP PRIORITY. A wealth of thoughtful new accommodations includes nicely outfitted sensory rooms and exhibit signage, touch-free restroom doors, an adult-sized changing table, adjustable gallery lighting, and closed captioning on all video
elements. “We’re also bringing back our monthly Sensory Friendly Hours this summer,” Sommers adds.
THE CENTER ADDRESSES UNCOMFORTABLE TRUTHS WITH TRANSPARENCY. The Torn: A Family Portrait section unflinchingly discusses the complicated Conner history, touching on William and his brother John’s marriages to Lenape women, European Westward expansion, and the removal of the area’s Native peoples to Missouri (and later Kansas and Oklahoma) as dictated by the 1818 Treaty of St. Mary’s—which Conner facilitated and resulted in the departure of his wife and six children.
THERE’S BEEN NO DISCUSSION OF CHANGING CONNER PRAIRIE’S NAME. While the family has never been involved in governance, curatorial and exhibits teams have worked to build and strengthen relationships with modernday Indigenous communities. “Right now, we’re in the middle of a five-year project [supported by a Lilly Endowment] to develop a permanent Lenape connection and kinship project on the outdoor grounds,” Sommers mentions.
THE WHITE RIVER RUNS THROUGH IT. The waterway that bisects the 1,046-acre Conner Prairie campus factors prominently into the MEC’s exhibits, placing the museum among a wave of activations across Hamilton and Marion counties. “The White River very much connects to our identity,” Sommers says. “It’s one of the main reasons the Conners and the Lenape lived here.” Audio and visual river “currents” usher guests through the Power of Place gallery, a multimedia experience that traces 22,000 years of the land’s history from the Ice Age to the present. The surrealist Wellspring playscape created in partnership with artist Wes Bruce and The Curious Life also pays homage to the waterway, evoking an earthy river landscape punctuated with cavelike crannies to explore, a foam cube pit for jumping, lots of quirky found objects, and wisps of poetry. More than a few grown-ups have been spotted diving into the cube pit, which is allowed, even encouraged.
GUESTS CAN FIND OUT WHAT GOES ON BEHIND THE SCENES. In a first-floor corner behind the reception desk, the Caring for Collections area offers an intriguing glimpse into the effort needed to conserve and maintain the museum’s vast holdings of some 27,000 historical objects and artifacts.
CONNER PRAIRIE IS ONE OF ONLY TWO SMITHSONIAN AFFILIATES IN INDIANA. Along with the Indiana Historical Society, Conner Prairie has access to resources, connections, visibility, and traveling exhibits that other museums don’t. For example, Spark!Lab, developed by the Lemelson Center for the Study of Invention and Innovation in Washington, D.C., is one of just 10 such hands-on spaces across the country. In this area, fun STEM activities like building vehicles and creating musical soundscapes stoke young imaginations.
VISITORS CAN SATISFY THEIR APPETITE FOR BOTH LEARNING AND SAMMIES. Running now through September 13, Food: Science, Culture, and Cuisine presented by Corteva Agriscience occupies the new Traveling Exhibit Gallery flex space designed to host a rotating series of regional and national touring exhibitions. Access is included with general museum admission. In the likely event you get hungry, the new on-site Harvest Cafe offers coffee, pastries, soup, salads, and grab-and-go sandwiches.
CONNER PRAIRIE IS NOW AN EVEN MORE IMPORTANT ECONOMIC DRIVER. Between the jobs it provides, the tourism dollars it brings in, and the quality-of-life measures it supports, Indiana’s landmark living history museum generates a whopping annual economic impact of more than $44 million statewide; $25 million in Hamilton County. “We’ve got a lot of strong champions in the community,” Sommers notes. “Museums have the power to create a scaffolding of experiences through repeated visits. And with offerings like our tethered balloon rides, Prairietown, Animal Encounters, Treetop Outpost, and now the MEC, I feel like we deliver unique opportunities that people just can’t find anywhere else.” —AMY LYNCH
Named Indianapolis Monthly Magazine Face of Automotive for the second year in a row!
A Hard Row to Hoe
Q: HOW MANY FAMILY FARMS ARE LEFT IN INDIANA?
A: It depends on what you consider a “family farm.” If it’s 400 acres run by a sun-kissed pair who go by Ma and Pa, sons Toby and Timmy, and dog Old Blue, then not many. Thanks to the high cost of farm machinery, fertilizer, and other essentials, such a small spread, especially if it grows low-margin crops such as corn or beans, often isn’t highly profitable. Or even a little bit profitable. But this doesn’t mean we don’t still have a bunch of family operations. In fact, state and federal data show that 94 percent or more of the 53,000 Indiana farms are family-owned or operated. It’s just that these days, said families typically preside over far larger and more technologically advanced operations, some structured as multimillion-dollar corporations. They’re still technically family farms—in the same sense that Walmart is a family store. —SAM STALL
( UNSPOKEN RULES )
Christmas in July HalfMarathon and 5K
A MANNER-FESTO FOR THE FESTIVE FOOTRACE ON SATURDAY, JULY 25, STARTING AT BIG LUG CANTEEN
Pick up your packet Friday evening for a calm race morning. Don red and green. Bonus points for sparkle. Use the bathrooms at The Roost or Big Lug before you start. But don’t worry if you forget. Two sets of portable toilets are along the route. Show up ready for fun, not necessarily serious competition. This usually broiling event tends to melt any determination to mark a personal best. Take a selfie with Santa to get a pair of Christmas socks. Celebrate with a free beer or soda at Big Lug after the race.
percentage of Indiana land devoted to farming
This may seem like a lot, but it pales in comparison to Nebraska’s 89.5. The worst states for growing crops are, for perhaps obvious weather-related reasons, Nevada at 8 and Alaska at 0.2.
BY
ask THE HOOSIERIST
PHOTO
TIMMY HOWARD
First Home Run Ball from an Indianapolis Indians Game at Victory Field
VINTAGE: 1996
Resides at: Victory Field
THIS MONTH , the Indianapolis Indians, founded in 1902 as the city’s first professional sports team, celebrate Victory Field’s 30th anniversary. The successor to Bush Stadium was named for the United States’ victory in World War II. Many point to its 1996 opening as the catalyst for downtown’s revitalization. The venue has welcomed more than 10 million baseball fans since then. Second baseman Roberto Mejia’s bat cracked against this ball, with a cork and rubber core, a layer of wool yarn, and a cowhide covering, on Tuesday, July 16, 1996, scoring the first home run hit at the new ballpark. The two-run homer in the fourth inning helped the Indians defeat the New Orleans Zephyrs 6-2 that evening. “I was very happy to hit the last [home run] at Bush Stadium, and I’m very excited to be the first to hit one at Victory Field,” Mejia told The Indianapolis Star at the time. “And I’ll never forget it.” —CHRISTINA VERCELLETTO
BY
PHOTO
TONY VALAINIS
Single-level living defined by expansive 10-foot ceilings and a light-filled, open design
Solid concrete-and-steel construction offering exceptional quiet and private, covered parking
Gourmet kitchens appointed with Sub-Zero and Wolf appliances and custom cabinetry
Resort-style amenities including a private fitness center, club lounge, and curated outdoor spaces
Chasing Amelia Earhart
A NEW BOOK SHINES A LIGHT ON THE AVIATOR’S LIFE AND THE ENDURING ENIGMA OF HER DEATH. BY
AMELIA EARHART accomplished a lot during her 39 years of life, but she’s remembered most for vanishing on July 2, 1937, while attempting to become the first female pilot to circumnavigate the globe. And that doesn’t seem fair to journalist and author Rachel Hartigan, whose book, Lost: Amelia Earhart’s Three Mysterious Deaths and One Extraordinary Life, discusses the three main theories about what became of her and her navigator Fred Noonan.
What is universally agreed upon is that the pair somehow lost their way between New Guinea and Howland Island, a speck in the Pacific Ocean about halfway between Australia and Hawaii. What happened then is the big question, but the most popular hypotheses are that they ran out of fuel and ditched in the ocean, landed on an island and eventually died there, or were forced down by the Japanese and died in prison.
SAM STALL
allowed to do. When those disgruntled students asked the dean of women, Dorothy Stratton, why Earhart could sport trousers but they couldn’t, Stratton allegedly replied that they could too—once they flew solo to Europe.
Earhart kept up a busy flying schedule but was on campus intermittently from 1935 to 1937. And the school played a central role in her final days and in the riddle of her disappearance. The illfated expedition that claimed her and Noonan’s lives was planned at the Purdue campus, and, in fact, the university paid for the top-of-the-line Lockheed 10E Electra that they flew.
But in her work, Hartigan also focuses on what often gets short shrift—namely, the notable things Earhart did before her last flight. “I’d like people to remember her as a real person and not just this perfect icon,” Hartigan says.
One of the most interesting aspects of her career, especially to Hoosiers, is the tight connection she developed with Purdue University. It began in 1934 when Purdue president Edward C. Elliott caught a speech by Earhart in New York City. He offered her a dual role straightaway: a visiting professorship and consultantship at the school’s Department of Aeronautical Engineering and a career counselor position in the Office of the Dean of Women. Earhart was big on wearing pants, which Purdue’s female students weren’t
“She and her husband, George Palmer Putnam, who was a pretty aggressive publicist, convinced the people at Purdue that it would be good for them to have that plane for scientific study,” Hartigan says. The pair dubbed it “the flying laboratory” to underscore its value to Purdue.
“But first, they needed to take it on this around-the-world flight ... which would have a lot of publicity value.” That it did, though obviously not in the way anyone involved would have liked.
Later this year, the Purdue Research Institute will partner with the Archeological Legacy Institute on an expedition to Nikumaroro, a coral atoll roughly 350 miles southeast of Earhart’s intended destination, to investigate the Taraia Object, a visual anomaly located in a lagoon discovered through satellite imagery, to determine whether it’s a plane. But for now, almost a century after her disappearance, Purdue’s most famous visiting professor remains both an inspiration and one of history’s biggest mysteries.
TIMELINE
1897 Earhart is born in Atchison, Kansas, on July 24.
1920 She takes her first airplane ride and is immediately hooked on flying.
1921 She obtains a pilot license.
1923 She becomes only the 16th woman to receive an international pilot license through the Fédération Aéronautique Internationale.
1928 She flies as a passenger across the Atlantic to Europe, the first woman to do so.
1932 She becomes the first woman (and second person, after Charles Lindbergh) to fly solo, nonstop, across the Atlantic Ocean; receives the Distinguished Flying Cross.
1933 She launches a “functional fashion” line including garments made of parachute silk and trousers for women, which at the time were controversial.
1935–37 She’s employed by Purdue University.
1937 Earhart disappears over the Pacific, inspiring theories debated to this day.
Michael Good, museum president
PRESERVING THE HISTORY OF 4790 W. 16TH ST.—THE INDIANAPOLIS MOTOR SPEEDWAY—IS A MASSIVE UNDERTAKING, TO SAY THE LEAST. FOR NEW IMS MUSEUM PRESIDENT MICHAEL GOOD, IT’S A LABOR OF LOVE. TAKING THE REINS EARLIER THIS YEAR AFTER A STINT AS PRESIDENT OF PERFORMANCE RACING INDUSTRY, THE SELF-PROCLAIMED “CAR NUT” AND INDY NATIVE IS ALREADY SEEING THE FRUITS OF HIS LABOR PAY OFF THROUGH RECORD ATTENDANCE AND INTERNATIONAL ACCLAIM. BY DEVON DEAN
ASK ME ANYTHING
Why did you apply for this role?
The Indianapolis Motor Speedway Museum is significant not just to Indy but to the larger motorsports community. Having grown up here, I’ve always had a deep appreciation and respect for what Indianapolis Motor Speedway and the IMS Museum mean to the community. It’s a part of our DNA. While I was thoroughly enjoying my previous role and not looking to change, when I was contacted about this opportunity, I decided to pursue it, as the prospect of shaping the museum for the next generation is highly exciting. This role sits at the intersection of everything I care deeply about: motorsports, storytelling, and building something that endures. The museum is more than a collection of cars; it’s a living archive of innovation, competition, and human achievement. The opportunity to help shape its next chapter while honoring its legacy was one I couldn’t pass up.
What was your first reaction when you found out you got the job?
Gratitude, first and foremost. When your reality exceeds your dreams, it’s very humbling. Then came a very real sense of responsibility. This is an iconic institution with a rich history, and being entrusted with its future is not only humbling but energizing. I immediately started thinking about how to build on what’s been created and where we can go next.
What are your goals for the museum?
At a high level, it’s about building a sustainable, nationally recognized institution that continues to grow in relevance and impact. The
world has changed, and engagement has changed. We need disruptive and new methods of engagement.
We will continue to innovate and shape the future of storytelling while respecting the enormity of the stewardship and legacy. That includes expanding our events and experiences, elevating our brand nationally, strengthening our financial model, and ensuring we’re creating a world-class visitor experience that keeps people coming back. Ultimately, it’s about setting the museum up for the next 70 years and beyond. The museum just being listed in Time as one of “The World’s Greatest Places” is not something to be taken lightly.
The museum just completed a major renovation. What does “Phase 2” look like?
Phase 2 is about activation and expansion. The new Restoration and Events Center is a big part of that, creating a space where preservation and engagement come together. Bringing the restoration of the vehicles to life is incredibly exciting and not something anyone is really doing. There’s true curiosity and eagerness to see the process these cars go through, which is sometimes a multiyear process before they make it into the museum. Additionally, there’s a strong desire for a unique venue similar to the museum where you can host events, and I don’t see that desire waning anytime soon.
It’s also about building a stronger revenue engine, expanding programming, and leveraging the platform we now have to reach broader audiences. The renovation gave us a world-class foundation; now it’s about maximizing it.
How do you balance honoring motorsports history with making the museum feel more relevant to younger, newer audiences?
You don’t have to choose between the two. You connect them. The stories of the past are incredibly powerful, but it’s how we tell them that matters. We’re focusing on more immersive experiences, stronger storytelling, and creating new entry points for younger audiences, whether those are through technology, education programs, or cultural relevance. If we do it right, history becomes the bridge, not the barrier.
“WHEN YOUR REALITY EXCEEDS YOUR DREAMS, IT’S VERY HUMBLING.”
What was your first car?
It was one that probably taught me more about patience than performance, but like most first cars, it represented freedom, and that’s something that sticks with you. It was a 1982 Buick Regal. I had to drive with two feet to keep the car running while stopped at a light. It had large stereo speakers sitting in the back seat.
Who is your favorite IndyCar driver?
That’s a tough one. I’ve always had a deep respect for drivers who combine talent with longevity and leadership. Mario [Andretti] has always been my number one. Of the current drivers, Scott Dixon certainly stands out. The museum inducted Dixon into the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Hall of Fame earlier this year.
What is your favorite Indy 500 memory?
There are so many moments. 1984, when Rick Mears took the checkered flag, was my first Indianapolis 500 at 11 years old. Danny Sullivan and the “Spin and Win” in 1985. … Scott Dixon in 2008. I have always loved his approach to racing. What always stands out in my mind is the energy of race morning, the buildup, the traditions, the sense that you are part of something bigger than yourself. It never gets old. We try to capture that feeling in the museum with our Starting Line Experience immersive video.
You’ve lived in this area for more than four decades, currently with your family in Westfield. What are your favorite spots outside of the IMS?
One of the best things about this area is that it continues to evolve. There are great parks. And we have incredible restaurants. I have three favorites, for different reasons. The Workingman’s Friend has the best burgers. At St. Elmo, it’s the tradition and the quality. And I love Mug-n-Bun in Speedway. It’s a drive-up establishment that brings you back to a time of innocence. Overall, what I appreciate most is the sense of community. You can feel the connection between people, especially throughout the Month of May.
for living your best
1) Independence Day Social
July 4
Mingle and explore at the flag bunting–bedecked home of America’s Hoosier president. Take a free first-floor tour and then enjoy patriotic music, crafts, and activities on the grounds of the Benjamin Harrison Presidential Site bhpsite.org
(2) Water Lantern Festival
July 11
Gather at Military Park to take in thousands of glowing lanterns drifting along the Central Canal. This popular fest is equal parts art installation, community gathering, and mental escape. waterlanternfestival.com/ events/indianapolis
(3) Extreme Home Makeover Opening Night
July 16
Makasha Copeland’s awardwinning play is presented by the American Lives Theatre Company at the Phoenix Theatre Cultural Centre
The lighthearted production depicts a Latino family’s adventure auditioning for a reality TV show. phoenixtheatre.org
(4) Dancing Words Tour— The Greatest Hits
July 18
John Mellencamp comes to the Ruoff Music Center where fans can sing along to his best-loved classics. He’ll also be belting out tracks he hasn’t performed live in 10-plus years, including “R.O.C.K. in the U.S.A.” and “Wild Nights.” ticketmaster.com
(5) Twilight on the Terrace
July 24
Relax to the smooth jazz and soulful R&B of Rodney Stepp and his ensemble, cocktail in hand, as the sun sets over the upstairs terrace at Hendricks Live! in Plainfield. hendrickslive.org/ events
Green With Glamour
Practical meets polished in the U Street bag. Its classic shape is elevated with reinforced handles. Constructed of buttery-soft leather that builds a luscious patina over time, the bag transitions beautifully from day to night and from summer to autumn. “It’s one of my favorites because it’s effortlessly versatile,” says designer Tracy J. James II. “This piece represents timeless design with a modern edge. It’s bold without trying too hard.” Also available in purple. $400. Julian James Bespoke Leather Goods, 1060 N. Capitol Ave. —CHRISTINA
Photo by TONY VALAINIS
( SHOP TALK )
Crafty Business
THREE NEW SPECIALTY SHOPS PROVE THAT THINGS HANDMADE ARE HAVING A MAJOR MOMENT.
BY CHRISTINA VERCELLETTO
Good Job Creative Reuse
“I’VE ALWAYS been a crafter,” says Good Job Creative Reuse owner Elise Davis. “My home basically looks like this,” she laughs, waving over the delightfully jam-packed former home of 1979 Co. It bursts with all manner of donated craft supplies, including yarn, knitting needles, floral wire, fanciful notions, and even clay squirrels waiting to be painted. “Indy needed this,” says Davis. “You could spend a fortune shopping in Michael’s.” Whether motivated to save money, reduce environmental waste, or both, makers who love the thrill of discovery will feel at home.
Ribbonrie
CARLY GLASS ’ charming corner ribbon boutique, with window displays overflowing with rosy peonies, could be mistaken for a florist. The dreamy aesthetic continues inside. Glass handmakes every piece—her signature style is frayed edges—with materials sourced from family businesses in the U.S. Her “heirloom ribbons” boast a unique, tight weave so they can be reused and even washed. Her shoppers want something special, Glass says. “They know it’s not just the gift but the presentation, that moment when the recipient sees your effort.”
ADDRESS 98 S. 9th St., Noblesville
The Proper Stitch
FOUNDED by Kathleen Dusing and daughters Megan and Lauren, The Proper Stitch brings a modern energy to needlepoint. What began as Megan’s pandemic hobby quickly turned into a family passion—and now, Indiana’s first dedicated shop. Colorful threads, hand-painted canvases, and playful accessories replace the traditional image of dusty floral samplers. Think bag straps, belts, ornaments, key fobs, and chic travel cases from designers like Doolittle Stitchery and Bad Bitch Needlepoint. Guests are welcomed by an aqua curved couch intended for both stitching and socializing.
Carmel
SPOTLIGHT ON INDY BUSINESS
HOME DECOR & ART STUDIO
317Home
A unique home decor boutique and art studio nestled in Carmel City Center 715 Hanover Place, Carmel 317homestudio.com | 317homestudio
RESTAURANT
Diavola Italian Restaurant
An Italian family-owned restaurant known for authentic Neapolitan-style pizzas fired in a traditional brick oven 1134 E. 54th St., Ste. I | diavola_indy
PHOTO & VIDEO BOOTH EXPERIENCE
Indy Photo Fun
A customizable photo and video booth experience to elevate any event indyphotofun.com | indyphotofun
HOME GOODS + GIFTS
Chatham Home
Offering thoughtfully curated home accents and unique gi s
22 W. Main St., Carmel ChathamHome.com | ChathamHome
RESTAURANT
Goodness Gracious
A comforting breakfast and lunch restaurant offering catering, events, and curated picnics
24 N. Rangeline Rd., Carmel i_love_goodnessgracious
CHILDREN’S CLOTHING
Little Tulip Tree
A Beaufort Bonnet Company Signature Store
offering clothing for babies and children with a refined sense of style
840 S. Rangeline Rd., Carmel | littletuliptree.com
CUSTOM FRAMING
Creative Custom Framing
Custom framing designed to protect and celebrate your memories
1326 Alimingo Dr., Indianapolis ccfindy.com | creativecustom_framing
RESTAURANT
His Place Eatery
Soul food, BBQ, chicken & waffles, and genuine hospitality in Indianapolis 6916 E. 30th St. | 1411 W. 86th St. hisplaceeatery | hisplaceeatery.com
FACIAL SPA
The Only Facial
An 11-step custom facial service providing honest advice and no upselling, with gratuity included 3742 E. 82nd St., Indianapolis | theonlyfacial.com
RESTAURANT
Pizzology
Pizzology Cra Pizza + Pub is a chef-driven pizzeria with unique pastas, salads, cra cocktails, and more. 13190 Hazel Dell Pkwy., Carmel | pizzologyindy.com
RESTAURANT
Ra Opticians
An independent optical practice with expert styling and holistic eye exams 1101 Mass Ave., Factory Arts District raopticians.com | raopticians
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A neighborhood scratch kitchen offering a unique selection of cra beers and cocktails in Meridian-Kessler 5408 N. College Ave., Indianapolis | twentytap.com
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An Indianapolis roaster cra ing specialty coffee with care since 2014 1125 W. 16th St., Indianapolis tinkercoffee.com | tinkercoffee
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Stress Melts Here
ONE SERIOUSLY TENSE GUY FINDS RELIEF THE NORDIC WAY.
BY ROBERT ANNIS
LIKE NEARLY
everyone I knew, I was stressed. My neck and shoulders felt like a rusty spring. I had trouble sleeping. Constant worries about money, my health, current events, and more were taking a toll on both my mind and body. Little did I know the secret to surmounting my wicked tension was in the woods outside Shades State Park.
Nordic countries are renowned for their spa culture, particularly Finland, which tops the list for the happiest countries in the world. Coincidence? Nordic spas use cycles of heat, usually a sauna or hot tub, and cold plunges to shake stubborn stress loose and alleviate achy muscles. The heat causes blood vessels to dilate, increasing blood flow throughout the body, helping to relax muscles, improve flexibility, and promote healing by delivering more oxygen and nutrients. The cold pool then constricts those blood vessels, decreasing inflammation, swelling, and pain. After the hot and cold treatments, you sit in a tepid pool to relax and reset before starting the cycle over again.
It looked like a compelling way to de-stress. I did a little research on local options and found Sugar Creek Retreat (sugar creekretreat.com) in Waveland; an overnight stay included the on-site Kuusi
Nordic Spa. My wife Dee and I arrived at our log cabin at Sugar Creek on a late winter afternoon. Surrounded by forest, the retreat is bordered by Shades State Park and Pine Hills Nature Preserve. The cabin felt cozy, yet, with a full kitchen, was more spacious than the two of us needed. It would have been ideal for a group trip.
After a hike through the nature preserve and dinner, Dee and I donned swimsuits and headed into the pools. Located just through the side door of the cabin, the spa was ours to enjoy alone, including the salt float capsule. Minutes after stepping into the 160-degree sauna, my worries began to dissipate through my pores. The shock of dipping into the frigid plunge numbed my brain to the craziness of the outside world. After a couple of cycles, my back and shoulder muscles began to unclench. I could feel my body returning to factory settings in real time.
( TRENDS )
Sporty Chic
Lexie Hull fans can channel a bit of her polished yet laid-back vibe.
INDIANA Fever guard
Sugar Creek Retreat
For the first time in a long while, Dee and I put our screens away. Instead, we talked, laughed, and simply enjoyed each other’s company. We stayed in the spa until after midnight, and afterward, I enjoyed the best sleep I’ve had in years. The next morning, we returned for a quick dip before heading back to Indianapolis, feeling better than we had in forever. Finland—and Waveland— is clearly where stress goes to die.
8214 W. State Rd. 234, Waveland
CABIN RATE
$525+/night, including spa
BOOK 317-749-6076
Lexie Hull is known for her hustle and tenacity on defense—and her effortlessly cool off-thecourt looks. Her new collab with hair accessory brand Teleties taps into the rise of athletes as style influencers. “So excited to finally share this,” Hull posted on Instagram, ecstatic that she got to design this collection, picking the colors and styles. “I’m obsessed with how they turned out (perfect for summer).” Teammate Caitlin Clark immediately reacted in the comments: “Slide me some.” Her pastel line includes clips, a headband, a scrunchie, and the brand’s snag-proof spiral hair ties, her personal favorites on and off the court. $8–$19. teleties .com/collections/lexie-hull —CHRISTINA VERCELLETTO
BODY+ SOUL
Dublin Calling
TAKE A ONE-TANK TRIP TO THE BIGGEST HOOLEY THIS SIDE OF THE EMERALD ISLE. BY
LOU HARRY
DIVIDED BY the Scioto River, Dublin, Ohio’s two distinct sections connect via the winding Dublin Link (dublinohiousa.gov).
The longest single-tower S-shaped suspension bridge in the world also provides comfortable places to hang out along the way. Mini-parks are outfitted with Adirondack chairs, picnic tables, fireplaces, and Instagrammable lighting at night.
On one side, you’ll find a quaint downtown that embraces its namesake city. We’re talking a shamrocks-on-the-sewer-plates level of enthusiasm. Many of the businesses have tiny “fairy doors” tucked away inside for visitors to discover (find 14 and claim a custom T-shirt). The Dublin Village Tavern (the dublinvillagetavern.com), located in a building dating to the 1880s, is the place to try Hooley Eggs—hard-boiled eggs wrapped in Irish sausage, flash fried, and dunked in mustardherb sauce. (“Hooley” is Irish slang for party.)
Dublin, OH
On the other side of the river, find sleek hotels, new restaurants, and a nightlife scene presided over by the Vaso rooftop lounge (vasodublin.com). It’s located in a Designated Outdoor Refreshment Area, so you can carry adult beverages from place to place. Meanwhile, the multi-block Dublin Market at Bridge Park (thedublinmarket.com) draws regular shoppers and visitors alike.
As much fun as all that is, the big deal here is the Dublin Irish Fest (dublinirish festival.org), a celebration in Coffman Park with some 60 acts on seven stages. It’s the largest three-day Irish festival in the world, running this year from July 31 through August 2. Headliners include Gaelic Storm and, direct from Ireland, Altan and Clada. Beyond music, the fest includes a Celtic Canines exhibition, where guests can meet dogs of breeds that originated in Ireland, like the Wheaten terrier, as well as dart competitions, a genealogy tent, Highland games, whiskey tastings, and gaiety galore.
IF YOU GO
WAKE UP Send an emissary early to join the line at Fox in the Snow (foxinthesnow .com) for delectable and substantial blueberry galettes.
CREATE Look for art supply boxes curated by local artists peppered throughout town by the Dublin Arts Council (dublinarts .org).
SIP The prodigious whiskey list at Fado Pub & Kitchen (fadopubandkitchen .com) includes private barrel picks.
At the time of the Revolutionary War, Vincennes was the only European town in Indiana. Where better to celebrate America250? On July 4, head down to Knox County for its INDEPENDENCE DAY PARADE and fireworks. Make a stop at George Rogers Clark National Historic Park, the site of a key British defeat. visitvincennes.org/vincennes250 —CHRISTINA VERCELLETTO
TRAVELER
Clermont County is celebrating America 250 with vibrant public murals, historic storytelling, and a new passport highlighting museums and heritage sites. From colorful artwork, to hands-on history experiences, the county is bringing America’s story to life.
Come explore, collect your stamps, and be part of this once-in-a-generation celebration in Clermont County!
FIREFLY CHILDREN & FAMILY ALLIANCE
SEPTEMB E R 10 , 2026
Feat. Chef Collin Hilton (Cunningham Restaurant Group)
THE DISH
Prime Time
Plush sea-green booths, a tropical flower color palette, and a dramatically lit bar serve a feast for the eyes at Thai Prime, which opened in February on the ground level of Carmel’s mixed-use Proscenium development. Its team of owners, all Thai women, includes Indianapolis restaurateur Kanlaya Browning, who owns Mass Ave’s Thaitanium, among other popular spots. The menu begins with generous servings of the familiar tom yum soups and pad thais (albeit with a lobster option).
Diners who explore deeper discover treasures like clay pot mussels, steamed tapioca pork balls, and a richly complex khao soi noodle dish topped with a nest of crispy noodles. You can get it with a hunk of crispy-skinned duck leg that is a meal in itself. Or opt for these adorable curry puffs with spiral-crimped pastry edges holding in a warmly spiced filling of potatoes, carrots, peas, and onions. 1200 S. Rangeline Rd., Carmel, 317-936-9445, thaiprimecarmel.com —JULIA SPALDING
Photo by TONY VALAINIS
SWOON
( NEW IN TOWN )
High Steaks
H STEAKHOUSE FIRES UP IN WESTFIELD. BY
AMY LYNCH
CHEF Henri Najem loves playing with fire. “When you cook over gas, there’s no real flavor,” he says. “With wood, it’s like you’re smoking the meat.” At H Steakhouse, Najem prefers white oak with apple or cherry, eschewing mesquite and hickory so as not to overwhelm the proteins. Open since February, the “polished casual” eatery (as in fine dining without the white tablecloths) skirts Grand Junction Plaza just north of Westfield’s original restaurant row. Named to honor family connections—specifically his late father Henri Sr., the steakhouse celebrates Najem’s Lebanese heritage. The surf and turf choices share menu space with Korean barbecue–style short ribs and a Branzino prepared with heirloom tomatoes, capers, and olives.
Don’t expect stereotypical dark wood decor. Najem’s wife Shelley has designed a lighter, much airier but still highly sophisticated vibe, and a live DJ curates the background music. 207 Mill St., Westfield, 317-804-2292, hsteakhouse.com
“Our gravy uses turkey sausage instead of pork. I use sage and thyme to create all of those flavors you would traditionally use in sausage, and it has gone over amazingly. It’s all about your seasonings.”
—Tyler Williams, owner of southside brunch spot The Bestie’s Table, which opened in March
Chimney Sweep
A Lafayette couple opens the state’s first chimney cake bakery.
INSPIRED by a trip they took to Europe in 2022, Nicole and Damon DeWitt sought to do something that few in this country have done: become chimney cake bakers. “We had them in Prague and thought they were amazing,” Nicole says of the tube-shaped treats that originated in Transylvania and are also known as kürtőskalács in Hungary. Before opening Kürtőskalács in downtown Lafayette, the DeWitts had to hammer out the nuts and bolts of their recipe. The pastry is made from yeast dough baked around a cylindrical cooking roll. When cooked and slid off the end, the cones are caramelized with sugar and filled with sweet or savory fl avors. 500 Main St., Lafayette, 765-771-7104, lafayettechimneycakes.com —CLAY MAXFIELD
HAUL OF FAME South Meridian Street welcomed Italian market Pronto by Iozzo’s in May. It offers a full menu as well as a fresh pasta room. FRACTURED Meridian-Kessler’s Root & Bone has closed its doors after serving celebrity chef owners Jeff McInnis and Janine Booth’s take on Southern comfort food for six years. VOICE LESSON Blake Shelton’s Ole Red bar, restaurant, and music venue will debut downtown in 2027. —JULIA SPALDING
( ROAD TRIP )
Yes, Chef
ARIEL HENDRICKSON IS MAKING THINGS HAPPEN FOR INDY’S CULINARY COMMUNITY. BY
JED PORTMAN
ARIEL Hendrickson thinks Indianapolis has room to grow. But she’s proud of what’s already here. “There are so many people in Indy who are ready to do fun stuff,” she says. “These are yes people. They’re creative and collaborative.”
Hendrickson has spent more than a decade in local hospitality, including stints at Tinker Street, Gallery Pastry Shop, and Fernando’s Mexican & Brazilian Cuisine. She’s a co-founder of J’Adore Pastry, the pop-up that earned her business partner, Youssef Boudarine, a James Beard nod this year. And she will join the team at Fletcher Place’s upcoming Lille Bønne Community Living Room, serving as the venue’s hospitality and events manager.
She knows the city’s chefs and diners well, and that’s why she’s optimistic. “Anything that’s high-quality and creative, people here are so ready,” she says. Bringing big ideas to life in a city that’s hungry for them takes the right connections, which is one of the reasons why Hendrickson cofounded Epicurean Indy, a nonprofit she runs with Boudarine. Best known for the
free-admission food and art festival of the same name, Epicurean hosts year-round events that introduce “underrepresented voices” in the city’s culinary scene to each other and the dining public. That includes panel discussions, classes, and popups catered by the city’s food and beverage leaders—both well-known and practically unknown.
A July dinner at Fishers Flower Farm features all seven of the local food and beverage professionals on this year’s James Beard semifinalist list. Meanwhile, the program supports Paramount School’s Junior Chef Academy, inspiring the next generation of culinary leaders. “I like to say there’s no competition here,” Hendrickson says, “just a conversation.”
(1) Free stuff. “Swaps, exchanges, trades, bartering. The non-transactional economy builds connections and appreciation for our community.” (2) Bountiful Farm & Floral. “My mom’s 1-acre farm.” (3) Classes at the Fountain Square Clay Center. “We’ve been to each other’s weddings and children’s birthday parties.” (4) Kurt Vonnegut’s writing. “Humanism, Indianapolis, and an anti-war, prohuman message.” (5) Foraging. “Indigenous foods connect us to where we are.”
BY ANGIE
FAVORITE THINGS
FOODIE
PHOTO
KROGER
indulge
WEDNESDAY, MAY 6
Indianapolis Monthly welcomed 121 guests to the brick-clad Tinker House Events venue for an evening of Indy 500–themed fanfare. Attendees in black-and-white attire enjoyed a seasonal fi ve-course dinner imagined by Jacquie’s Gourmet Catering with wine pairings and special gifts and surprises throughout the evening. Highlights included a historic race car on display, as well as plenty of photo ops. All images are available on indianapolismonthly.com
Stick Figures
HOOSIERS LOVE EVERY KIND OF MEAT WHEN IT’S SERVED ON A SKEWER. BUT THESE MEDITERRANEAN AND MIDDLE EASTERN KEBAB SPOTS STICK TO CLASSIC TECHNIQUES AND RECIPES FOR THE AROMATIC DISH.
BY TERRY KIRTS
The Petra Cafe
Late-night revelers have long ranked this Mass Ave counter kebab shop one of the best for its shawarma and gyros, but also for its more complex platters of tender lamb and chicken kebabs. The textbook ground-meat kofta comes with heaps of steaming basmati and grilled veggies. 610 Massachusetts Ave., 317-602-3535, petracafe massachusettsave.com
The Bosphorus Istanbul Cafe
You won’t go wrong with the nicely charred lamb skewers at Orhan Demirtas’ cozy restaurant, which he’s operated since 2001. For a more unusual take, try the gently spiced ground lamb and beef Adana Kebab with a hit of crushed red pepper or the Beyti Kebab with a rich tomato sauce. 935 S. East St., 317-974-1770, thebosphoruscafe.com
Kabab Grill
True to its name, this 96th Street eatery featuring Middle Eastern specialties from kibbeh to baba ghanoush does skewered meats right, especially its succulent chicken kofta studded with spices, equally good on a platter or wrapped in pita. Briny pickle strips and a creamy garlic sauce complete the package.
4825 E. 96th St., 317-6692012, kabab-grill.com
Noor Cafe
A fusion of Indian spices, imported olive oil, and Mediterranean marinating techniques make the kebabs at Bhupinder Singh and Preeti Kaur’s bustling storefront opposite The Fashion Mall some of the most flavorful in the city. Skewers of lamb with a bit more heat from ginger and cumin are a good bet.
3315 E. 86th St., 317-2208128, noor-cafe.com
Kanoon Smoked Meat & Steakhouse
Outsized cuts of brisket and lamb shoulder star at this one-of-akind mashup of Middle Eastern flavors and Texas barbecue in Fishers. But the smoky undertones in the Kufta Kebab and Shish Tawook (chicken kebab) make them hard to pass up. 8594 E. 116th St., Fishers, 317-567-4021, kanoon-indiana.com
BY
PHOTO
TONY VALAINIS
Casa Cuisine
Menu highlights include arancini with a palpable perfume of saffron (left) and grilled local lamb chops (below).
PUGLIA NATIVE FRANCESCO SETTANNI REALIZES HIS DREAM OF BRINGING FRESH, AUTHENTIC ITALIAN FARE TO HIS ADOPTED INDIANAPOLIS. BY TERRY KIRTS
THE FOCACCIA , which had emerged from the oven just minutes before we took our seats, was airy, crackly, and accompanied with a bowl of briny caponata emboldened with citrus peel and a pinch of cocoa. The arancini, plump with smoky mozzarella and peas, broke into tender morsels to be dragged through pools of truffle aioli. The menu offered a spare quartet of pastas, which were springy and lightened by condiments, especially the bucatini with a sunny lemon sauce, scant nuggets of artichoke, and a shower of Parmigiano. We sensed the structure of the semolina it was made with and the care of the kitchen staff rolling it by hand. If this sounds less
like the marinara-heavy, cheese-topped fare of an Italian American spot and more like the provincial dishes you had (or dream of having … one day) on a trip to Salerno or Bologna, that’s because Francesco Settanni, the exuberant general manager and mastermind behind Monti Aperitivo & Cucina, the authentic yet understated spot that opened this spring steps from the heart of Fountain Square, scripted it this way.
“Don’t get me wrong,” Settanni says. “I love a good chicken Parm or a bowl of spaghetti Bolognese. But I wanted to open my own place where the food was just like it was back home.” For Settanni, who has worked for decades at landmark Italian eateries including New York City’s Scarpetta and, most recently, the short-lived Tre in
Scratch-made Italian dishes, such as handrolled semolina pasta
NEIGHBORHOOD Fountain Square
MUST-ORDER
Fluffy fresh-baked squares of focaccia; arancini with smoked mozzarella and peas scented with saffron; tagliatelle tossed with golden fried zucchini and a pecorino cream sauce; an arresting whole branzino with salsa verde and a bracing lemon sauce; lightly sweetened olive oil cake
3 STAR RATING
Carmel, that home is Puglia in Southern Italy. “My father wasn’t a farmer, but he had a piece of land he leased. We always had access to the freshest vegetables of the season, and we had lamb for special occasions. It’s a very personal dish.”
Given how much Italian cuisine is available in Indianapolis, Settanni considered opening a Mediterranean restaurant. But he feared people would expect the food to be Greek. So he doubled down on the most authentic recipes from his homeland, bringing in and training a staff headed up by executive chef Trey Christianson, whom Settanni worked with at Tre and who has experience at Vivante in Carmel’s Hotel Carmichael. Monti’s staff arrives early to its modest kitchen, located on Shelby Street in what was most recently Wine Market & Table, logging long hours prepping the food for each night’s six-hour service. Settanni had to school his kitchen on the foundations of Italian culture, which is steeped in a passion for food. “We get everything that we can from Italy,” he says, “or, like our burrata, made in America from Italian milk. We don’t even use any butter, and we don’t have accounts with big food supply companies. It’s freshness and little else.”
To highlight Italy’s vibrant cocktail culture, Settanni handpicked bar manager and sommelier Zoë Hayes, formerly of Ambrosia Hospitality Group, Tinker Street, and Spoke & Steele, to build a menu of amaro-enriched aperitivos, such as a restrained Negroni made all the more interesting with plum vermouth and damson gin. For lighter pours, a short list of spritzes includes the
Photos by TONY VALAINIS
low-ABV Figaro with Brucato Woodlands, a California amaro, plus bitter Ramazzotti liqueur, fig, and ginger. It’s a perfect sipper with any of the menu’s small plates. This includes not only the focaccia and arancini but also a verdant fritto misto plate of shrimp, calamari, and artichokes, as well as meatballs made from beef and Old Major Italian sausage, mortadella, and ricotta salata.
Other highlights include a whole branzino lavished with salsa verde and lemony salmoriglio, as well as the lamb so dear in Settanni’s upbringing, sourced from Kentucky’s Freedom Run Farm and served in perfectly rare chops with a toss of roasted potatoes. Fans of lesserknown Italian recipes will want to get the pasta alla Nerano, the invention of the Amalfi Coast popularized by Stanley Tucci on his CNN series Searching for Italy, while it’s still on the menu.
All of Monti’s painstaking yet unfussy plates are made more enjoyable by the
whimsical atmosphere, which Monti owner and Bovaconti founder and designer Minda Balcius oversaw. Rustic exposed brick and stripes of black and white tile applied in an intentionally offkilter fashion give the dining room a stylishly informal vibe, as though the place has been serving regulars for years.
Desserts are about the only part of the meal that might need some work.
A poached pear with zabaione was a bit too al dente and needed a bit more pizzazz, but a slice of moist, citrusy olive oil cake more than hits the mark. In lieu of dessert, there’s always another spritz, a soothing pour of vermouth, or espresso from the bar, even another slice of focaccia to nibble as you linger. And you’ll want to, as much for planning your next visit to Monti as to Italy itself, though you’re awfully close already.
Tagliatelle tossed with pecorino cream sauce (top) and whole branzino (above left) pair well with Monti’s casual vibe.
$8-$9 Burgers JULY 13–19, 2026
Con vent Welcometo
ytionCit
How Indianapolis turned its modest Midwestern practicality into the makings of a booming convention hub where gamers, firefighters, future farmers, and more come to get things done.
by JULIA SPALDING
at11 a.m. on a Tuesday, the Indiana Convention Center’s sprawling Wabash West Exhibit Hall C bustles with nearly 1,000 people wearing matching lanyards. Industrial hose manufacturers, exhibitors, and executives from around the world wander the trade show floor during the 42nd annual NAHAD—the Association for Hose and Accessories Distribution— meeting and convention. They are checking out table displays of camlock fitt ings, production crimpers, EZ coil reels, and promotional brochures as far as the eye
can see. The gathering technically began days ago with preconference events and meetings in hotel hospitality suites, tee times at Brickyard Crossing Golf Course, and fancy dinners at St. Elmo Steak House as everyone sett led into the business of handshaking and networking. Indianapolis is remarkably good at hosting large-scale gatherings like this, the unglamorous ones (albeit the most fun you can have in a pair of brown dress shoes) as well as the major blowouts like Gen Con, Comic Con, JAMfest Cheer Super Nationals, Indiana Black Expo Summer Celebration, and the Sweets & Snacks Expo sponsored by the National Confectioners Association. In 2025, the Indiana Convention Center and connected Lucas Oil Stadium alone welcomed 207 events, hosting a total of 1.8 million att endees with an economic impact in the hundreds of millions. Gen Con, the largest and longest-running gaming convention in North America, is believed to account for more than $82 million of that, while the Performance Racing Industry
SUGAR HIGH
Snack and candy innovators will show off their latest creations at May 2027’s Sweets & Snacks Expo.
Trade Show brings in around $63 million.
And the conventioneers keep coming. Our landlocked, weather-permitt ing town placed at the very top of a list of convention city contenders in a 2014 USA Today 10 Best readers’ choice poll that also included Boston; Nashville; Salt Lake City; Atlanta; Denver; New Orleans; Washington, D.C.; Minneapolis; and Chicago, in that order. There is no question that Indianapolis has a special knack for this very specific type of expenseaccount tourism. The real question is why?
You might tumble down a Reddit rabbit hole in search of an answer. Earlier this year, one online discussion that began with a post titled “Interesting patt ern I’ve noticed. ‘convention center theory’ as I call it” sparked a lively debate about whether cities with oversized convention centers are inherently “boring.”
The original poster pointed to Indianapolis as Exhibit A: a metro area with just over 2 million people and a convention center footprint (spanning 10 city blocks) that seems almost comically large compared to the size of its downtown.
The poster argued that cities lacking natural beauty or glitzy tourist destinations compensate by luring visitors through trade shows and work conferences. Some commenters agreed. Indianapolis, even on its most radiant day, is no Las Vegas or San Diego. Other Redditers came to the city’s defense, ratt ling off local highlights like Newfields and the Indianapolis Zoo that make the city far from boring. And then came an acknowledgment of logistical truths:
Conventions require airports, hotels, plenty of meeting spaces, a walkable core, and affordability. No brag, but Indianapolis checks all those boxes.
Back at the NAHAD convention, MTO Hose
Solutions owner Donald Malizia smiles warmly behind his booth just inside the trade show entrance.
“Sometimes, they’ll put you up in a five-star hotel,” says this businessman from
Pennsylvania known to some as Teflon Don. This is his 24th NAHAD and his second visit to Indianapolis. “Las Vegas. Miami. If it’s in California, they’ll do it in Palm Springs. People take their families, and they hang out at the pool. Here, there’s no pool. No spa.” But Malizia has had a productive visit, meeting with clients and peers, putt ing faces to names, surviving a St. Elmo shrimp
Downtown Indy becomes a sea of blue corduroy jackets during the National FFA Convention & Expo that draws around 73,000 attendees.
TEEN SPIRIT
National FFA Convention & Expo
If you didn’t get an invite to these top performers on the Indianapolis convention circuit, here’s what you’re missing.
One of the largest youth conventions in America brings an estimated $40 million to the city.
Gen Con
Performance Racing Industry Show
North America’s largest tabletop gaming convention transforms downtown into a 24-hour gaming city.
The world’s largest gathering of motorsports professionals brings together 1,100 exhibiting companies from all 50 states and 70 countries.
FDIC International Sweets & Snacks Expo
One of the world’s largest firefighter conferences fills both the convention center and Lucas Oil Stadium with emergency vehicles and equipment displays. Hosted by the National Confectioners Association, this candy trade show arrived in Indianapolis in 2021.
73,000 72,000 40,000 38,000 17,500
October 21–24, 2026
July 30–August 2, 2026
the pre-session dance parties and a private convention concert
December 10–12, 2026
April 12–17, 2027
May 18–20, 2027
staged emergency reenactments for hands-on training the weekend costume contest and parade
high performance car shows inside Lucas Oil Stadium free samples, duh
cocktail. “This …” he says as he gestures toward the rows of industrial displays and the mass of people grouped by their matching polo shirts, “this is where you go to focus on business.”
True to its Midwestern values, Indianapolis has figured out a way to make itself useful. And it continues to build on those marketable qualities. Literally. New luxury hotels, beginning with last year’s debut of the $120 million InterContinental off Monument Circle, are adding posh accommodations for visitors. A Ritz-Carlton will open across from Gainbridge Fieldhouse in 2028. Kimpton Indianapolis is scheduled to open this fall at the corner of Pennsylvania and Washington streets, featuring 167 guestrooms, a 15th-floor ballroom, a fullservice restaurant, and a
rooftop bar. And the brandnew, 800-room Signia by Hilton, also set to open this year, will tower 38 stories over downtown’s Wholesale District alongside a 143,500-square-foot expansion of the Indiana Convention Center currently under construction. In fact, if you were to gaze out the convention center’s dramatic east-facing entrance right now toward the block-long
stretch of Georgia Street that has traditinally been a magnet for convention foot traffic, the view is all hard hats and earthmovers. To the average downtowner, the construction dust might look like a big, messy headache. But to people selling Indianapolis to future
LET’S PLAY
Gen Con’s annual Indy gathering transforms downtown into a living board game with cosplayers galore.
DON’T SLEEP ON IT
The 38-story Signia by Hilton, attached to the convention center by skywalk, will add 800 hotel rooms.
yConventionCit
conventions—people like Visit Indy executive vice president Chris Gahl—it’s practically a sales pitch. Where we see cranes in the air and sidewalk barricades, they see proof of growth. And maybe a bit of moxie. “It’s incumbent on our group to be able to paint a picture for someone arriving today of what Indianapolis of 2028 will look like,” Gahl says. “We have to be able to share that the Ritz-Carlton Indianapolis will be here, and Georgia Street will be opened, and Circle Centre Mall will be called Traction Yards.”
Gahl explains how the business of recruiting conventions is like a careful courtship. “We have 58 members on the Visit Indy team, and roughly half of us are deployed each and every day to uncover conventions, meetings, trade shows, and events that are looking for host cities.” Next comes the hard work of persuading organizers to give Indianapolis a closer look, presenting detailed propos-
Origin Story
Indy’s rise in the convention world is the result of decades of civic planning and downtown revitalization. These are the moments that helped turn the city into a major meeting place.
als and presentations. If there is some interest, planners are flown in for highly orchestrated site visits designed to showcase the city’s greatest strengths: its compact and walkable downtown, connected hotels, climate-controlled skywalks, restaurants, sports venues, and White River State Park.
“We know how to pick up that decision-maker from the airport, what route to drive, what room they’ll check into at which hotel with what view, what seat at each table of each restaurant we would like to dine at,” Gahl says. He estimates that more than 50 percent of the time, that meticulously curated tour gets the negotiations to the next stage. “With Indianapolis,” he says, “seeing is believing.”
The whole process can take up to 10 years and is, of course, interspersed with the maintenance of existing contracts, perhaps working with organizers who no longer want
1923 The Indianapolis Convention & Visitors Bureau is formed. (It would eventually become Visit Indy.)
1965
The Capital Improvement Board is created, focused on building and financing Indy’s hosting infrastructure.
to meet in the city due to safety concerns or the local political climate. “Which happens,” Gahl says. When everything falls into place, the payoff is tremendous. Hotels sell out blocks of rooms months in advance, restaurants run out of reservations, downtown bars do robust business, and tourism dollars trickle over to hotspots like Mass Ave and Fountain Square.
Major assemblies like April’s Fire Department Instructors Conference (FDIC), which Indianapolis has booked through 2028, can temporarily change the entire rhythm of downtown, turning it into a little city within a city. During the weeklong convention, fire and rescue professionals from around the globe descend upon the city’s core. When not attending workshops on everything from lithium battery fires to dealing with active shooters or participating in hands-on training and live reenactments inside Lucas Oil Stadium, attendees like
1972 The original Indiana Convention Center opens.
1984 1987
The convention center undergoes its first major expansion alongside the construction of the Hoosier Dome.
Indianapolis hosts the Pan American Games.
1988
The Indianapolis Zoo and the River Promenade open along West Washington Street.
The Indiana Convention Center opened in 1972 as an exhibit, ballroom, and meeting space.
Construction on the original convention center began in 1969 on the vacated 200 block of Kentucky Avenue.
to blow off a little steam at local establishments—especially the ones that have outdoor tables. “We love the city. It’s the best-kept secret, like people don’t know until they go,” says New Jersey–based Eric Schlett, president of Clarion Events Fire & Rescue Group, which provides media, event, and education resources for the fire and emergency medical services industries. “Indianapolis embraces us culturally,” he adds. “The partnership with the city, and particularly [the Indianapolis Fire Department] and [Indianapolies Emergency Medical Services], is fabulous. That’s definitely critical to our wanting to stay there.”
To accommodate events of this size that have so many big moving parts, downtown Indianapolis simply offers the path of least resistance. FDIC relies on a third-party decorator and logistics team to choreograph a parade of hundreds of trucks from major manufacturers like
Pierce and REV Group into the convention center and Lucas Oil Stadium. Move-in begins about a week before the convention starts, with the Lucas Oil parking lot used as a queuing area and exhibitors assigned specific times so vehicles can be slotted into place front-toback like a giant puzzle.
While move-in is tightly organized, move-out is often chaotic as exhibitors rush to leave. Show management and even local police help control the process. “It really is a community effort,” Schlett says.
“I like to think that it’s very important for us to be in Indianapolis, and it’s very important for Indianapolis to have us.” He estimates the FDIC convention’s economic impact reaches $50 million over the week.
This month, downtown Indianapolis takes on an equally transformative event as tens of thousands of gamers, cosplayers, and artists sweep into town for Gen Con. Held in Indianapolis since 2003 and con-
1993
The convention center’s $43 million expansion adds the first skywalks connecting to downtown hotels.
1996 Victory Field opens. The Indianapolis Indians relocate from Bush Stadium.
tracted to return every year until 2030, it is the largest tabletop gaming convention in North America, drawing around 72,000 attendees. Most noticeably, it brings its own whimsical culture as legions of Stormtroopers and wizards are spotted at crosswalks around the convention center or ordering Gen Con specials at downtown bars and restaurants.
Next month, the 99th National FFA Convention & Expo ushers in a whirlwind of blue corduroy jackets and teenage Future Farmers of America, all moving through a system that’s been refined over the past 15 years that the massive conference has been held in town. Behind the scenes, people like Oregon FFA executive secretary Lee Letsch spend months building detailed schedules and booking group dinners. She says that from her home state alone, hundreds of students fly into Indy for a few packed days of delegate business, competitions, workshops, concerts,
A $275 million convention center expansion incorporates the new Lucas Oil Stadium.
“We know how to pick up that decisionmaker from the airport, what route to drive, what room they’ll check into at which hotel with what view, what seat at each table of each restaurant we would like to dine at.”
—Chris Gahl, Visit Indy
2011 Indianapolis hosts Super Bowl XLVI.
2024
The Olympic Swimming Trials are held in Indianapolis, and Taylor Swift brings her sold-out U.S. Eras Tour to Lucas Oil.
2025 Gainbridge Fieldhouse hosts the WNBA All-Star Games.
Originally known as the Hoosier Dome, the RCA Dome became the centerpiece of Indianapolis’s sports community in 1984.
Lucas Oil Stadium opens to the public as the new home of the Indianapolis Colts in 2008, replacing the RCA Dome.Indianapolis Convention Center
and even a rodeo. While some chapters tap into the official housing blocks and vetted hotels, many budget-minded groups opt for rental houses on the outskirts of the city and drive in each day in vans packed with chaperones.
Once downtown, the students find their way to agriculture-focused workshops and presentations, meals at reliably group-friendly spots like Weber Grill and Buca di Beppo, and evenings of big-ticket entertainment,
all while wearing FFA’s official dress—zipped-up blue jackets, black slacks or a black skirt with black tights, and black shoes.
The youth-focused meetup works largely because Indianapolis is compact, walkable, and, as Letsch notes, practiced at rolling out the red carpet for 73,000 teenagers at once.
“You’re putting that many students downtown and telling them, ‘Hey, all of you are going to get lunch at the same time. Figure it out.’
I’ve been in other facilities where that’s not figureout-able,” Letsch says. “So I really, really appreciate that about Indianapolis.”
One unique selling point (and built-in safety feature) for FFA organizers is downtown’s system of “gerbil tubes” connecting the convention center to Lucas Oil, the surrounding hotels, and other structures. Students can navigate without ever needing a rental car
or even an umbrella. In fact, downtown’s 14 enclosed, climate-controlled aboveground walkways are a major selling point to conventioneers traveling to the middle of the country every season of the year, rain or shine, sleet or snow.
The enclosed walkways are a perfect example of how Indianapolis didn’t become a convention powerhouse by accident. It built itself into one over the course of a century. The roots go back to 1923, when a group of civic boosters formed what eventually became Visit Indy and began pitching the city to national organizations. Their sell was simple: The city was central, affordable, and friendly.
That strategy accelerated in the late 1960s with the creation of the Capital Improvement Board, a public entity designed
to finance and build the infrastructure that could turn those early ambitions into reality. The opening of the original Indiana Convention Center in 1972, a comparatively modest low-profile building clad in the popular masonry and cast-concrete of the day, marked the true turning point. Indianapolis doubled down with the RCA Dome in 1984, connected hotels, multiple convention center expansions, and the addition of Lucas Oil Stadium, creating a seamless urban landscape that feels and functions more like a college campus.
Behind Indy’s convention success story is a long list of early movers and shakers. Chris Gahl of Visit Indy credits visionaries like the late Bill McGowan, who served as the president and CEO of Visit Indy during the 1980s and worked alongside Indiana Sports Corp, the mayor’s office, and the governor’s office to turn Indianapolis into a convention event destination, as well as business and sports leaders Jim Morris and Jerry Semler and Indiana Supreme Court Justice Ted Boehm, “a fascinating human whose fingerprints are all over Indianapolis,” Gahl says.
They knew then, and we know now, that Indianapolis might not have the sandy beaches or mountain views that bless a place with built-in tourism. But by working with what we have, we have become an annual destination for legions of seminar-attending visitors who might never experience the Circle City if not for gatherings like Gen Con, the Gospel Coalition National Women’s Conference, Herbalife Nutrition
Drum Corps International, Pentecostal Assemblies of the World Summer Convention, MAPP Benchmarking and Best Practices Conference, TechKnowledge Conference & Expo, Gas Machinery Conference, Midwest Healthcare Engineering Conference & Trade Show, Pokémon Indianapolis Regional Championship, and Wound, Ostomy & Continence Nurses Society Annual Conference.
A comedian once joked that a conference center is like a Wikipedia rabbit hole that you can walk through in person.
And sometimes, when we win convention-goers over, it’s nice to see the city through their fresh eyes. “Everything here is so clean! There are so many flowers, and I think the skywalks are the coolest thing ever invented,” says NAHAD conventioneer Nick Gorman of Philadel-
phia, visiting Indianapolis for the first time. “We went to White River State Park, and what’s so cool about that is how they put the parking garage underground, so you have all of that beautiful landscaping,” he says, almost breathlessly. “I was here for one day, and I told my friends this is the only city I would consider moving to. Before that, it was Boston.”
GO BIG OR GO HOME
The Performance Racing Industry Show (top) and Drum Corps International (above) are among Indy’s biggest convention draws.
Rolling Deep
BY CAMILLE GRAVES • PHOTOGRAPHY BY MICHAEL SCHRADER
PATCH IN
OPPOSITE PAGE: 317 Ryders member Richard Hammond, aka Rich Dollaz, shows off his patches, which help identify riders and their accomplishments, affiliations with organizations and businesses, and contributions to their club.
ABOVE: A custom-wrapped Triumph Bonneville T120 embodies the Ton Up Club’s retro, British Invasion–inspired aesthetic.
EVERY SUMMER, MOTORCYCLE RIDERS ACROSS INDIANAPOLIS BREAK THEIR BIKES OUT OF STORAGE AND TAKE TO THE PAVEMENT IN SEARCH OF THE RUSH OF ADRENALINE, THE ENCOMPASSING CALM OF THE WIND WHIPPING BY, AND THE CONNECTION AND KINSHIP THAT CAN ONLY BE FOUND IN A LIFE ON TWO WHEELS.
PRETTY COOL BELOW, FROM LEFT: MMCI members Jack Fowler, Wil Baldwin, and Baldwin’s husband Dickie Smith relax outside of English Ivy’s. Smith grew up on a farm in Georgia and has ridden all his life, but Baldwin was afraid to join at first. Their kids and grandkids “think it’s pretty cool.”
CAPTURING THE FEELING
Our photographer, known by many as Pink Bike Mike, shares how he ended up cruising around town on a pink chopper, camera bag strapped to his back.
WWHEN I was in second grade, my friend’s mom gave me the nickname “Michael Michael Motorcycle.” She thought she was teaching us how to balance a checkbook, not realizing she was manifesting my destiny instead.
But it wasn’t until eight years ago that my friend Scooter taught me how to ride on his 2002 Honda Shadow Spirit 750cc. We both dropped the bike that summer, putting matching dents on either side of the gas tank. A year later, I bought the Shadow and fully entered a new chapter of my life.
Three years ago, I became a “chopper guy,” earning a reputation for my hot pink 2004 Harley Davidson Sportster Custom chopper. Oil leaks, loose screws, the backbreaking feeling of hitting every small bump in the road, and old men constantly asking, “But why’s it pink?” became a personality statement.
Film photography and motorcycles go better together than prom king and queen. They hark back to a time when you tinkered with the equations and used your hands to determine the results. Plain and simple, they are a vintage lifestyle.
The biggest story in these photographs is the strength of the riding community. Sure, we rag on each other—sport bikes versus cruisers, vintage versus brand-new, carbureted versus fuel injection, Harley Davidson versus … everyone else—but at the end of the day, we are all just little kids cruising the neighborhood showing off our bikes. — MICHAEL SCHRADER
TAKE ME TO CHURCH
TOP: Tim Arndt, seen here with his 2013 Triumph Bonneville, started riding when he was a kid. “Hooligan stuff.” He’s been a member of Ton Up for a decade and previously chaired Indy’s annual Distinguished Gentleman’s Ride. BOTTOM: Kendra Janney finds solace in riding. “It’s like my church,” she says. Seven years ago, she was a passenger in a motorcycle accident that sadly took her fiance’s life. Determined to keep going, she learned to ride her own motorcycle four months later.
Ton Up Club
TALKING SHOP
ABOVE, FROM LEFT: John Eichhorn, Jeff Parrish, and Tim Arndt shoot the breeze at a Ton Up meetup at Kismetic Beer Company. Ton Up is known for its members’ love of vintage bikes.
LEFT: Jason Lamar bought his 1985 BMW K100 C, the first fuelinjected bike made by BMW, in the classifieds 22 years ago. One of the fastest stock bikes in the U.S. in the mid’80s, it soon became a banned bike when the government ordered the model to be detuned.
Bike Night
Originally founded in Erie, Pennsylvania, in 2002, high-performance motorcycle parts manufacturer Horsepower Inc. has called Gasoline Alley in Indy home since 2012. Every year around the Indianapolis 500, HPi hosts a bike night with hundreds of attendees from around the world. What started out in 2018 as a small gathering among friends and customers, with some Sam’s Club hot dogs on the grill and a few bottles of beer or Londo’s Flameade, has turned into a much-anticipated yearly event featuring vendors, food trucks, DJs, and stunt crews including Jeff (C-Bear), CJ and the Concrete Cowboys, Junkyard Kenny, and the EastCoastin’ Crew.
317 Ryders
SAFETY FIRST
Marco Velazquez, aka Vato, and $hady G, business manager, talk outside the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. 317 Ryders is heavily focused on philanthropy and runs its own nonprofit foundation.
BELOW: Nichelle Wise, aka Chi, prepares for a ride to the ABATE of Indiana safety memorial in Springville, Indiana. Prospective members must take a safety course with ABATE before joining.
LEAVE IT IN THE WIND
been a member for 16 years. She never thought she’d ride a motorcycle but says riding is her way to “leave it all in the wind.”
Nikki Wilson, aka HotShot, the 317 Ryders’ public relations officer, has
Men’s Motorcycling Club of Indiana
LIKE A FAMILY
TOP: Current MMCI president Mark Saalmuller (front), partner Jack Fowler (back), and their stylish yellow rubber duck ride a higherend Honda Gold Wing, “the ultimate touring bike.” MMCI doesn’t strongly restrict the type of bike its members ride, prioritizing camaraderie and inclusivity. ABOVE: When MMCI was established in 2001, there were no opportunities for gay and bi men in the Indianapolis area to connect and share their interest in motorcycle riding. Celebrating its 25th anniversary this year, the club has been like family to the 116 men who have ridden in its ranks.
BUY A MOTORCYCLE INSTEAD
During Covid, Courtney Rice intended to buy a camper but bought a motorcycle instead. He fell in love with the color of his neon-green CanAm Spyder. It’s extra safe when he takes it on the famous Tail of the Dragon—318 switchback turns on 11 miles of mountain road on the Tennessee/North Carolina border.
GRAND NATURE BY
An Indianapolis couple built their spacious second home on Grandview Lake with visions of sun-drenched, carefree family gatherings for generations to come.
BY JEANA HARRIS
PHOTOS BY ADAM REYNOLDS
FOR MORE than 20 years, a couple from the north side of Indianapolis enjoyed weekends at the husband’s parents’ home on Grandview Lake in Columbus. As their lives evolved and they welcomed four children, the family outgrew the grandparents’ space and came to a bittersweet realization: The days are long, but the years are short. “We only have so many summers with our kids,” the husband says. While they brainstormed the possibility of building a home nearby, an innovative concept began to percolate: a generational lake house.
The couple envisioned a property that could accommodate kids, extended family, friends, and (eventually) grandkids. They wanted a destination where they could celebrate birthdays, holidays, and all the long weekends in between.
Before these new experiences could come to life, they needed to find a lot on the same side of the water as the grandparents’ home. The only problem? Most homeowners on the private lake had been there for decades, and available space was virtually nonexistent. The wife began going doorto-door to ask if anyone was interested in selling.
In a serendipitous twist, a longtime friend opened one of these doors—at her parents’ home. While the friend’s parents had no desire to move, they were willing to sell some of their land.
After securing the coveted lot, it was time to interview architects. The couple had a simple, crystal-clear vision of what they wanted: “Bedrooms, kitchen, and decks,” the wife says with a laugh. Some architects seemed too eager to push
their own agenda, but the couple soon found a kindred spirit in Patrick Kestner, principal and founder of Still Architecture + Design.
“From the very first conversation we had, we had similar philosophies [regarding] what they were trying to achieve and what I could bring, so it was a good fit,” Kestner says. “We were very like-minded, and we all had similar aesthetics.”
To round out the team, the couple selected Stidham Construction and Annie Baker Design for the interior. Kestner also collaborated with fellow architect Paul Desmond of Form Function Studio in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, on the project.
The topography of the lot presented unique challenges, including a 30-foot change in grade from the street down to the lake. Stidham Construction had experience navigating Grandview’s tricky terrain on other builds. Ensuring a stable foundation meant pouring 5-foot-wide footers instead of 24 inches, which is to code in standard construction. With this house, “everything’s a little deeper and a little wider,” Kestner explains. While the couple’s primary home features a more transitional style, they wanted to embrace a modern aesthetic at the lake. “We didn’t want to recreate our house [in Indy], so this was a very fun departure,” the wife says. In part, they wanted to honor Columbus’ rich architectural history, but they also wanted to prioritize the
“We looked high and low and eventually found the perfect black marble,” says interior designer Annie Baker of the kitchen counters and backsplash.
TOP SHELF FINISHES
LET THERE BE LIGHT
The main staircase, which is highlighted by floorto-ceiling windows, is the organizing centerpiece of the floor plan and provides a visual connection to the lake throughout the home.
water. An overly elaborate design would detract from the natural beauty of their surroundings.
Two key threads—sustainability and efficiency—were woven throughout the plan, both inside and out. The home runs on geothermal energy, with Structural Insulated Panels incorporated into the exterior walls and roof framing. These high-performance panels provide a notable increase in energy efficiency, coupled with a dramatic decrease in air leakage.
The home’s exterior is a testament to reimagining classic materials in an eco-friendly way.
A product called NuCedar, which looks like traditional cedar shakes but is made from PVC and is fully recyclable, was used for the siding. It’s impervious to the elements and to cedar-loving critters like woodpeckers.
Natural stone accented with stucco and metal composes the other primary exterior material.
The materials were chosen to keep the home’s exterior low-maintenance. With minimal gutters and few painted surfaces outside, the list of upkeep chores is relatively short. Only one outdoor spring cleaning is required to get the house ready for summer. Because the family uses it year-round, winterizing isn’t necessary.
To create a home with a seamless connection to the outdoors while also fulfilling the family’s desire to house numerous guests without feeling overcrowded, Kestner employed a bifurcated design that subtly separates shared spaces from private ones. The family spaces stretch toward the lake, while the bedrooms occupy a three-story tower away from the daily hustle and bustle.
At full capacity, the house can sleep an impressive 22 guests in beds. Two cozy bunk rooms on the lower level maximize every inch of occupancy. “On a normal weekend, we’ve got 10 to 15 people here. I wanted it to feel like everyone is welcome, and you can bring your food, and your kids, and your dog, and it’s fine,” the wife says.
The house is light and bright, with an undercurrent of softness throughout. “With the clean lines of modern architecture, I love to add warmth and interest from natural materials. Mother Nature really is the most amazing artist,” interior designer Annie Baker says.
The lake’s presence feels almost ethereal in the kitchen, but the space remains grounded. Accordion doors on one wall open the entire space out to the deck, while another wall showcases floorto-ceiling windows.
To achieve this perfect balance while also maximizing functionality, two islands were installed. The working island is outfitted with a sink and walnut base cabinets. Overhead, spherical pendant lights add geometric interest. The second island provides seating for 10 high-top
chairs. The rest of the cabinetry is white, but an unexpected splash of drama appears in the eyecatching countertops.
“The kitchen is a highlight of the home, and it was really important to the owners that we find a stunning stone for the countertops, waterfall islands, and backsplash,” Baker explains.
Moving downstairs, the lower level is the ultimate hangout zone. Here, design choices remain stylish but thoughtful, like ultra durable LVT on the floors to handle wet feet coming from the lake. The rec space offers a cozy TV area that opens to a game room with a kitchenette. Accordion doors allow the entire area to flow into the four-season room. “This is where we spend most of our time,” the wife says, citing ceiling heaters, retractable screens, and a powerful lake breeze that combine to create a lovely atmosphere.
Even with its generous 5,644-square-foot floor plan, the home is usually bursting at the seams with people in the best possible way. With a smile, the wife says, “When there are 16,000 people here, it is very much full of love, and dirt, and water, and towels. It’s amazing.”
REST ASSURED
To encourage togetherness, none of the bedrooms are oversized. Each room is outfitted with simple, uniform furnishings—a chair, a modest nightstand, and wardrobe with a chest of drawers. The strategy enhances the home’s laidback, vacation vibe.
If bone, joint or muscle issues are slowing you down, the expert physicians at Central Indiana Orthopedics can help. For more than 75 years, our comprehensive, neck-to-toe services have helped thousands of Hoosiers move more freely.
Our five practice locations, offering surgical and non-surgical solutions, also feature Walk-In Clinics (no appointment necessary) that provide specialized immediate care more quickly and affordably than the ER. From recent injuries to chronic conditions, CIO is ready to relieve your pain—and get you back to the life you love.
MEDICAL GUIDE M E D I C A L G U I D E
This list of Indiana hospitals, specialty clinics, and healthcare networks is only a sampling of local practices. The sites are in Indianapolis unless otherwise noted. Entries may not mention every service a provider offers, and inclusion does not imply an endorsement by Indianapolis Monthly. Talk to your doctor for recommendations or referrals.
HOSPITALS
ASCENSION ST. VINCENT CARMEL HOSPITAL
This critical care hospital offers a wide range of surgeries, 24/7 emergency care (its ER has been designated an Emergency Center of Excellence), and advanced specialty services including cancer care, breast imaging and testing, bariatric surgery, pediatric specialty services, and perinatal care. The Women’s Center provides personalized care in services such as gynecology, obstetrics, and bone, pelvic, breast, and heart health.
13500 N. Meridian St., Carmel, 317-582-7000, healthcare.ascension.org
ASCENSION ST. VINCENT FISHERS HOSPITAL
Ascension St. Vincent Fishers has earned Five Star Excellence Awards in the areas of emergency care, inpatient, inpatient OB/GYN, inpatient medical/ surgical, and outpatient services. Additional services include imaging, mental-health care, a weekday sports injury walk-in clinic, a Saturday-morning pediatric walk-in clinic, a pediatric and adult sleep disorders center, Monogram Maternity, and the Peyton Manning Children’s Outpatient Center.
Healthgrades has consistently recognized this facility in the areas of critical,
stroke, and gastrointestinal care, as well as orthopedic, cardiovascular, and pulmonary services. Several Centers of Excellence, including those dedicated to cardiovascular, neurosciences, orthopedics, women’s, bariatric, spine, transplant, and cancer care, are located here, as are services in emergency medicine, trauma care, digestive health, sleep disorders, imaging, hospice care, wound treatment, and general surgery.
2001 W. 86th St., 317-338-2345, healthcare.ascension.org
ASCENSION ST. VINCENT SETON
Accredited by The Joint Commission, this long-term, acute care hospital provides services to medically complex and critically ill patients who require an extended hospital stay and more specialized treatment programs. The facility offers ventilator management and individualized weaning programs; complex infusion therapy; telemetry; hemodynamic monitoring; long-term wound care; chemotherapy; surgical, radiological, dialysis, and laboratory services; and physical, occupational, respiratory, and speech therapy.
8050 Township Line Rd., 317-415-8500, healthcare.ascension.org
COMMUNITY HOSPITAL EAST
Opened in 1956, this comprehensive acute care facility offers maternity, orthopedic, inpatient and outpatient surgery, emergency, and cancer care services. The hospital’s affiliation with the MD Anderson Cancer Network
provides certified physicians with access to MD Anderson’s evidencebased guidelines and treatment plans. Additional highlights include the Center for Joint Health, the Shelbourne Knee Center, Community Breast Care, Level III obstetrics and neonatal care, and accreditation as a Primary Stroke Center.
1500 N. Ritter Ave., 317-355-1411, ecommunity.com/east
COMMUNITY HOSPITAL NORTH Community North and its surrounding campus include Community Heart and Vascular Hospital, Community Surgery Center North, Community Rehabilitation Hospital North, and Community Cancer Center North, home to MD Anderson Cancer Network-certified oncologists. Other services and amenities offered include an emergency room; the Community Women’s Center; digestive-health care; a Level III neonatal intensive care unit; a wide range of medical imaging; the Center for Joint Health; behavioral health for children and adults; medical weight loss; and the Adolescent and Young Adult Health Center.
This comprehensive, coordinated care unit provides a full range of certified oncologists specializing in gynecologic, breast, skin, colorectal, lung, and head and neck cancers. The multidisciplinary approach includes a dietitian, a social
worker, and patient navigators. Community Hospital South also provides the Center for Joint Health, Community Surgery Center South, an ER, Community Breast Care, private labor and delivery suites, a Level II NICU, Community Heart and Vascular, and an on-site pharmacy.
1402 E. County Line Rd., 317-887-7000, ecommunity.com/south
FRANCISCAN HEALTH CARMEL
This short-stay, six-bed hospital offers both inpatient and outpatient services, such as cancer care, imaging and radiology, physical therapy, rehab, and sleep and sports medicine.
12188B N. Meridian St., Carmel, 317-705-4500, franciscanhealth.org
FRANCISCAN HEALTH INDIANAPOLIS
Franciscan has achieved top Healthgrades rankings for best overall heart care, heart surgery, heart failure treatment, and coronary interventions. Its emergency room is an accredited Chest Pain Center. Its Breast Center is accredited by the National Accreditation Program for Breast Centers. Amenities include multidisciplinary cancer, diabetes, and endocrinology care; the Wound Care Institute; joint and spine care; a bariatric-surgery program; behavioral health; and outpatient services such as physical and occupational therapy, laboratory tests, and imaging.
8111 S. Emerson Ave., 317-528-5000, franciscanhealth.org
FRANCISCAN HEALTH
MOORESVILLE
The nationally recognized Center for Hip & Knee Surgery is housed in this hospital. The facility also provides a wide range of other programs and services, including emergency medicine, cardiovascular care through Franciscan Physician Network Indiana Heart Physicians, behavioral health, diabetes care and education, cancer screening and treatment, neurosciences, sports medicine, sleep disorders, and endoscopy. Franciscan Health Mooresville is also home to the only full-service, hospitalbased obstetrical and maternity care program in Morgan County.
A member of the Mayo Clinic Care Network, Hancock Regional provides a full complement of inpatient and outpatient services. These include 24-hour emergency care; diagnostic imaging; and cardiology, neurology, pulmonology, and oncology care. The multispecialty outpatient Hancock Surgery Center, the Center for Wound Healing, the James T. Anderson MD Center for Women’s Health, a bariatric weight loss program, a heartburn center, and a sleep disorders center are also available. Additionally, the facility is an accredited Chest Pain Center by the American College of Cardiology.
801 N. State St., Greenfield, 317-462-5544, hancockhealth.org
HENDRICKS REGIONAL HEALTH
Hendricks Regional Health has achieved the Healthgrades Outstanding Patient Experience Award for 16 consecutive years, and is Five Star–rated by Healthgrades in COPD, respiratory and heart failure, pneumonia, sepsis, and GI bleed. Two hospitals include the Center for Breast and Bone Health (designated a Breast Imaging Center of Excellence), emergency departments, imaging, rehabilitation, lab services, respiratory care, and the Center for Diabetes Excellence. Additionally, Danville offers an inpatient and outpatient surgery unit, pediatric care, neurodiagnostic services, and the Childbirth Center.
1000 E. Main St., Danville, 317-745-4451; 5492 N. Ronald Reagan Pkwy., Brownsburg, 317-456-9051; hendricks.org
IU HEALTH FISHERS HOSPITAL
This hospital focuses on advanced cardiovascular care (it has a Level I Heart Attack Program), orthopedics (home to the IU Health Hip & Knee Center), and emergency services. The facility also provides outpatient surgery, cardiac rehabilitation services, radiology, sports medicine care, women’s healthcare, and a sleep disorders center. Breast care includes 3D breast tomosynthesis and mammography screening, ultrasounds, and surgery.
13000 E. 136th St., Fishers, 317-678-2000, iuhealth.org/fishers
IU HEALTH METHODIST HOSPITAL
This longtime health leader is consistently ranked among the top 50 in U.S. News & World Report ’s “America’s Best Hospitals.” Its designation as a Magnet hospital speaks to its achievements in excellence for nursing service and patient outcomes. It’s home to the largest Level I adult trauma center in the state, a nationally recognized organ transplant center (the first in the state to perform a pancreas transplant), cardiac critical care, orthopedics and sports medicine services, the largest neuroscience critical care unit in the country, and the Fairbanks Center for Medical Ethics.
1701 N. Senate Blvd., 317-962-2000, iuhealth.org/methodist
IU HEALTH NORTH HOSPITAL
This Carmel-based, full-service hospital offers a wealth of assistance for adults and children, as well as an attached medical office building and the IU Health Joe and Shelly Schwarz Cancer Center. Clinical programs include breast imaging, cardiovascular, emergency, labor and delivery, oncology, outpatient surgery, radiology, urology, hematology, bariatric and medical weight loss, plastic and reconstructive surgery, and a sleep disorders center. It is accredited by The Joint Commission as a Primary Stroke Center.
11700 N. Meridian St., Carmel, 317-688-2000, iuhealth.org/north
IU HEALTH UNIVERSITY HOSPITAL
Throughout the years, U.S. News & World Report has routinely ranked several of IU Health University Hospital’s clinical programs among the best in the nation. The teaching facility also boasts a comprehensive organ transplant center; a nationally recognized gastroenterology program; oncology, dermatology, and radiology care; full surgical services; diabetes and endocrinology care; and a top orthopedics program providing joint, bone, spine, and muscle care.
550 N. University Blvd., 317-944-5000, iuhealth.org/university
IU HEALTH WEST HOSPITAL
IU Health West has earned Magnet designation from the American Nurses Credentialing Center, meaning its nurses rank in the top tier nationwide. It has also earned advanced certification as a Primary Stroke Center from The Joint Commission. Highlights include emergency services, the Back and Neck Center, a Cancer Center, a 24/7 cardiac cath lab, cardiovascular testing and treatment, orthopedic care and sports medicine, imaging, sleep services, pediatric care, and women’s health services.
1111 N. Ronald Reagan Pkwy., Avon, 317-217-3000, iuhealth.org/west
JOHNSON MEMORIAL HOSPITAL
The Cardiovascular Care Center here is offered in partnership with IU Health Physicians Cardiology. The hospital provides an emergency room, general and specialty surgery, a comprehensive
weight loss and wellness program, and care centers related to cancer, diabetes, breast health, respiratory care, maternity, orthopedics, stroke, and sleep. The facility’s Stones Crossing Health Pavilion, in conjunction with Community Health Network, is located in Greenwood and offers imaging and lab services, primary and specialty care physicians, rehab and physical therapy, and a sports performance program and amenities for athletes.
1125 W. Jefferson St., Franklin, 317-736-3300, johnsonmemorial.org
MHP MAJOR HOSPITAL
The primary healthcare provider for Shelby County serves patients and families throughout southeast Indiana through the hospital and its practice groups. MHP Cardiovascular provides a full slate of services to prevent and treat heart and vascular diseases and conditions, and its Renovo Orthopaedic Center offers surgical and nonsurgical care, joint replacement, rehabilitation, and sports medicine. Additional highlights include an emergency department, MHP Oncology & Hematology, diabetes education and prevention, women’s health, gastroenterology and hepatology, primary care, and surgery services.
Peyton Manning Children’s Hospital at Ascension St. Vincent features dozens of pediatric specialties, including cancer, blood diseases, cardiology, diabetes and endocrinology, gastroenterology, leukemia and lymphoma, nephrology, neurology, pulmonology, orthopedics, sleep disorders, and emergency care. There are also pediatric and neonatal intensive care units.
2001 W. 86th St., 317-338-2345, healthcare.ascension.org
RICHARD L. ROUDEBUSH VA MEDICAL CENTER
This center, in partnership with the IU School of Medicine, has been helping veterans since 1932 with a range of services. These include emergency, cancer, palliative, amputee, dental, women’s, and PTSD care, as well as rehabilitation, weight management, mental health services, and suicide prevention.
1481 W. 10th St., 317-554-0000, va.gov/indiana-health-care
RILEY CHILDREN’S HEALTH AT IU HEALTH
U.S. News & World Report ranked Riley among the top children’s hospitals in the areas of cancer, cardiology and heart surgery, endocrinology and diabetes, gastroenterology, neonatology, nephrology, neurology and neurosurgery, pulmonology, and urology. Riley has achieved Magnet status for nursing excellence, and offers a comprehensive Level IV neonatal intensive care unit. It
also features a Level I pediatric trauma center, a Level I children’s surgery center, and a nationally recognized pediatric transplant program.
705 Riley Hospital Dr., 317-944-5000; 11700 N. Meridian St., Carmel, 317-688-2000; rileychildrens.org
RIVERVIEW HEALTH
At Riverview Health Westfield Hospital, patients receive emergency and urgent care, imaging, rehab, lab services, and surgery. The location in Noblesville offers a combined ER and urgent care, along with surgery, radiology and imaging, a wide spectrum of women’s services, cosmetic surgery, and care related to diabetes and endocrinology, internal medicine, cardiology, oncology, and sleep disorders. A modern maternity center is housed in the women’s pavilion with private guest suites and a Level II special care nursery. Riverview’s Chest Pain Center is accredited by the American College of Cardiology.
Part of Eskenazi Health, facilities here include the Smith Level I Shock Trauma Center and the Richard M. Fairbanks Burn Center. The Kathi & Bob Postlethwait Mental Health Recovery Center serves those with mental illnesses and chronic addictions, and primary care locations provide physical exams, immunizations, prenatal care, social services, and dental care. Other hospital services include women’s and children’s care; dermatology and cardiology; infectious diseases; orthopedics; eye health; and urology; family planning; joint replacement; the Sandra Eskenazi Outpatient Care Center; and palliative care.
Boone County’s Witham facility offers cardiovascular care, a Sleep Center featuring diagnostic testing, an Allergy and Sinus Center, a Wound Healing Center with hyperbaric oxygen therapy, emergency and surgical services, radiology and imaging, pediatric care, pain management, dermatology, rheumatology, sports medicine, the GI Institute, and the Cancer Institute. Witham’s Women’s Center offers 3D tomosynthesis mammography and a complete slate of health services.
2605 N. Lebanon St., Lebanon, 765-485-8000, witham.org
AMBULATORY SURGICAL CENTERS
CARMEL AMBULATORY
SURGERY CENTER
Surgical services are offered in the areas of orthopedics; hand; ear, nose, and throat; gynecology; vein removal; pain
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management; neurosurgery; plastic and reconstructive surgery; ophthalmology; colorectal care; and general surgery. Pre-procedure and recovery areas, as well as a separate pediatric waiting room, allow for patient privacy.
13421 Old Meridian St., Carmel, 317-706-1600, carmelambulatory.com
COMMUNITY SURGERY CENTERS
These Community Health Network outpatient surgery centers feature private patient rooms and surgeons representing nearly every specialty. They’re located on the north, south, and east sides of Indianapolis, as well as in Noblesville, Kokomo, Greenfield, and Anderson.
Multiple locations throughout Central Indiana; ecommunity.com/ communitysurgerycenter
HENDRICKS REGIONAL HEALTH
HIBBELN SURGERY CENTER
This center offers a chronic pain management area to treat muscular, lower back, and neck pain. Surgical specialties include orthopedics; ophthalmology; urology; gynecology; oral surgery; podiatry; general surgery; plastic surgery; and ear, nose, and throat.
8244 E. U.S. Hwy. 36, Avon, 317-272-4372, hendricks.org/hibbeln-surgery-center
AUTISM
BEHAVIOR ANALYSIS CENTER FOR AUTISM
This organization uses the principles and procedures of applied behavior analysis to teach language, social, self-help, academic, and employment skills to children and young adults with autism and related disorders.
Multiple locations throughout Central Indiana; 317-288-5232, thebaca.com
BARIATRICS & WEIGHT LOSS
ASCENSION ST. VINCENT BARIATRICS
Ascension’s weight management program includes both surgical and nonsurgical weight loss solutions, dietary and behavioral counseling, exercising, and support groups.
13430 N. Meridian St., Ste. 168, Carmel, 317-582-7088, healthcare.ascension.org
COMMUNITY BARIATRIC AND MEDICAL WEIGHT LOSS
Community Health Network’s bariatric services include weight loss surgery and nonsurgical medically supervised weight loss options with help from seminars, board-certified bariatric surgeons, a board-certified bariatrician, dietitians, exercise specialists, and psychologists.
North: 7250 Clearvista Pkwy., Ste. 100, 317-621-7771; South: 8711 S. U.S. 31, 317-887-7771; ecommunity.com/bariatric
FRANCISCAN HEALTH
WEIGHT LOSS CENTER
Franciscan provides a full range of bariatric services, including a thorough preoperative evaluation, patient support groups, pre- and post-operative counseling, exercise and dietary guidance, and a long-term follow-up plan to help patients achieve and maintain results.
5255 E. Stop 11 Rd., Ste. 440, 317-528-7525, franciscanhealth.org
IU HEALTH BARIATRIC & MEDICAL WEIGHT LOSS
This program, honored as an MBSAQIPaccredited center, offers surgical procedures to aid weight loss, nutritional counseling, weight loss support, long-term care, and informational seminars and classes.
11725 N. Illinois St., Carmel, 317-688-5031, iuhealth.org
CARDIOLOGY
ASCENSION ST. VINCENT HEART CENTER
Several cardio-related Centers of Excellence are based here. Features and services offered include a 24/7 Heart Emergency Unit, a Women’s Cardiac Risk Clinic, interventional cardiology, vascular and aortic care, radiology and imaging, open-heart surgery, pacemaker installation, electrophysiology, cardiac rehabilitation, and transplants.
10580 N. Meridian St., Carmel, 317-583-5000, healthcare.ascension.org
COMMUNITY HEART AND VASCULAR HOSPITAL
Located on the campus of Community Hospital North, the facility offers a 24/7 heart care emergency room and cardiovascular genetic counseling. A cardiologist is on site all hours of the day. Services include cardiothoracic and vascular surgery, electrophysiology, cardiac rehabilitation, clinics dedicated to cardio-oncology and anticoagulation, cardiac-catheterization labs, a full range of diagnostic tests, heart failure care, and prevention and wellness tools. Most services are also offered at Community Hospitals East and South.
8075 N. Shadeland Ave., 317-621-8000, ecommunity.com/heart
FRANCISCAN
HEALTH HEART CENTER
Healthgrades has ranked this center among the top in the country. The state’s first Heart Valve Center was established here and has earned international attention for its technology that has allowed patients to naturally regrow heart tissue and its minimally invasive approach to repairing leaking mitral valves. Surgeon Marc Gerdisch was the first ever to implant the CorMatrix ECM Tricuspid Valve, the first and only tissueregenerative heart valve.
8111 S. Emerson Ave., 317-528-1580, franciscanhealth.org
IU HEALTH HEART & VASCULAR
As one of the highest-volume heart and vascular programs in the nation, IU Health Heart & Vascular offers a full range of diagnostic testing; interventional radiology; heart and lung transplants; heart failure therapy; lipid disorder treatment; and care for congenital heart disease, valvular heart disease, peripheral vascular disease, and coronary artery disease.
Specialty care locations throughout Indiana, 317-962-0500, iuhealth.org
The center’s doctors specialize in the diagnosis and treatment of diseases of the anus, colon, and rectum, including colon and rectal cancer, Crohn’s disease, irritable bowel syndrome, incontinence, hemorrhoids, prolapse, diverticulitis, and ulcerative colitis. Colonoscopies and surgeries are offered.
The experts here provide laparoscopic and da Vinci surgery for colorectal cancer and other maladies; colonoscopies and sigmoidoscopies; and diagnosis and treatment for conditions such as incontinence, ulcerative colitis, abdominal pain, diverticulosis, polyps, irritable bowel syndrome, and small intestine and pelvic floor disorders.
13421 Old Meridian St., Ste. 210, Carmel, 317-844-5273; 8240 Naab Rd., Ste. 160, 317-872-1577; 2705 N. Lebanon St., Ste. 360, Lebanon, 317-872-1577; midwestcolon.com
FERTILITY
ADVANCED FERTILITY GROUP
A multitude of reproductive services is offered here, including in-vitro fertilization, artificial insemination, hormone evaluation and treatment, endometriosis care, tubal reversals and repairs, and ovarian induction and tissue freezing.
An experienced team of physicians and support staff provides treatments for men and women, including fertility evaluations and both conventional and advanced reproductive techniques. Those who wish can donate eggs at the facility, and surgeries related to infertility, reproduction, and menstruation issues are also offered.
12188A N. Meridian St., Ste. 250, Carmel, 317-571-1637, midwestfertility.com
GASTROENTEROLOGY
COMMUNITY ENDOSCOPY CENTER
This licensed surgery center is dedicated to the diagnosis and treatment of gastrointestinal disease using endoscopic procedures. Board-certified physicians and registered nurses experienced in gastrointestinal endoscopy provide patient care. Colonoscopies are also offered.
8315 E. 56th St., Ste. 100, 317-621-1800, ecommunity.com/locations/communityendoscopy-center
INDIANAPOLIS GASTROENTEROLOGY AND HEPATOLOGY
This integrated group of gastroenterologists combines compassionate, nonsurgical care with state-of-the-art technology to treat complex digestive and metabolic problems, such as Crohn’s disease, colon polyps, esophagitis, anemia, autoimmune hepatitis, celiac disease, stomach and colorectal cancers, and hiatal hernia.
8051 S. Emerson Ave., Ste. 200, 317-865-2955, indygastro.com. Additional locations in Indianapolis, Mooresville, and Greensburg.
IU HEALTH GASTROENTEROLOGY & HEPATOLOGY
IU Health’s team of doctors diagnoses and treats diseases and conditions of the gastrointestinal system, like ulcers, inflammatory bowel disease, Crohn’s disease, esophageal disorders, diseases of the liver, and more. It also provides colonoscopies, liver transplant services, and medically supervised weight loss.
550 N. University Blvd., Ste. 1710, 317-944-0980, iuhealth.org. Additional locations throughout Central Indiana.
MEDICAL IMAGING
COMMUNITY IMAGING CENTERS
These facilities throughout the Indy area offer wide-bore and traditional MRIs, X-rays, ultrasounds, CT/CAT and PET/ CT scans, interventional radiology, and nuclear medicine. Some locations offer evening and weekend appointments.
Multiple locations throughout Central Indiana; 317-355-4680, ecommunity.com/imaging
NORTHWEST RADIOLOGY
Northwest Radiology has delivered high-quality, compassionate, affordable imaging since 1967. Services include MRIs, CTs, PET/CTs, 3D mammography, ultrasounds, DEXA bone density scans, nuclear medicine, and diagnostic X-rays. Outpatient imaging centers offer extended evening hours and Saturday appointments for patient convenience.
Multiple locations throughout Central Indiana; 317-972-9669, northwestradiology.com
RAYUS RADIOLOGY
This national network of centers provides MRIs, CT scans, X-rays, EKGs, ultrasounds, pain injections, biopsies, breast imaging, bone density scans, interventional and vascular treatments, injections, and nuclear medicine.
Multiple locations throughout Central Indiana; rayusradiology.com
MENTAL HEALTH
ASCENSION ST. VINCENT STRESS CENTER
A variety of behavioral health services for all ages is offered, including assessments and consultations; crisis intervention; inpatient and outpatient treatment; addiction services; inpatient detoxification; and care related to PTSD, anxiety and depression, eating disorders, and schizophrenia. Its dual diagnosis unit assists those with co-occurring mental illness and substance use disorder.
A part of Community Health Network, Fairbanks focuses on recovery from alcohol and other drug problems. In-patient detoxification; partial hospitalization and outpatient programs for adults and adolescents; Community Fairbanks Recovery Lodge, long-term residential treatment centers; transitional living and recovery management programs; women’s trauma care; and family counseling are among the services offered.
COMMUNITY HOSPITAL NORTH BEHAVIORAL HEALTH PAVILION
Community Health Network’s inpatient and outpatient services provide mental health and addiction care for children, adolescents, and adults. Special features include individual, family, and group therapy; crisis intervention; chemical dependency treatment; and Seasons, a program designed for those 65 and older.
7165 Clearvista Way, 317-621-5100, ecommunity.com
IU HEALTH BEHAVIORAL HEALTH
Doctors provide comprehensive psychiatric and outpatient chemical dependency treatment. Assessment, diagnosis, and treatment are offered for children, adolescents, adults, and older adults, and include inpatient, outpatient, and partial hospitalization programs. Specialty services cover anxiety, obsessive-compulsive disorder, mood disorders, depression, chemical dependency, and cognitive issues.
Multiple locations throughout Central Indiana; 317-329-7313, iuhealth.org/ behavioral-health
RECOVERY CENTERS OF AMERICA AT INDIANAPOLIS
RCA at Indianapolis offers comprehensive, evidence-based addiction and mental health treatment for adults.
The Joint Commission–accredited and CARF/ASAM certified center provides medically supervised detox, inpatient residential treatment, and outpatient services, including PHP, IOP, and virtual care. RCA at Indianapolis accepts most major insurance plans and offers 24/7 admissions.
8530 Township Line Rd., 866-944-9925, recoverycentersofamerica.com/ locations/Indianapolis
NEUROLOGICAL SURGERY
GOODMAN CAMPBELL BRAIN AND SPINE
Specializing in neurosurgery, interventional pain management, and neuroradiology, the physicians at Goodman Campbell treat adult and pediatric disorders of the brain, spine, and nervous system using the latest treatments and technologies. In addition to surgical procedures, the practice offers noninvasive and minimally invasive treatments such as neuroendoscopy, spinal cord stimulation, and specialized physical therapy.
13345 Illinois St., Carmel, 317-396-1300, goodmancampbell.com. Additional locations throughout Indiana.
NEUROLOGY
JOSEPHSON-WALLACKMUNSHOWER NEUROLOGY PC
Josephson-Wallack-Munshower Neurology physicians specialize in disorders of the central nervous system. Those include Alzheimer’s disease and dementia, multiple sclerosis, sleep disorders, Parkinson’s disease, strokes, epilepsy and seizures, headaches, dizziness, and cerebral palsy.
12 locations throughout Central Indiana; 317-308-2800, jwmneuro.com
ONCOLOGY
ASCENSION ST. VINCENT CANCER CARE AND RADIATION ONCOLOGY
This outpatient center offers an integrated approach to medicine with a diverse team of experienced doctors that includes surgeons and oncologists. With the most advanced technologies and innovative treatment methods available, Ascension offers a wide range of treatment options in radiation therapy, chemotherapy, and surgery.
These Central Indiana locations provide radiation therapy, surgical treatment, chemotherapy, immunotherapy, a neuro-oncology clinic, cancer screening and diagnostic services, breast health navigators, support groups, and clinical trials. Doctors certified by the MD Anderson Cancer Network have access to evidence-based guidelines, treatment plans, and studies developed by MD Anderson experts.
Multiple locations throughout Indiana; 317-621-2627, ecommunity.com/ cancercare
IU HEALTH CANCER CENTERS
These fully integrated outpatient facilities provide state-of-the-art diagnostic and treatment services. Radiation and surgical oncology, chemotherapy, hormone therapy, immunotherapy, precision genomics, rehabilitation, and clinical trials are all offered.
Multiple locations throughout Indiana; iuhealth.org/find-medical-services/ cancer
IU MELVIN AND BREN SIMON COMPREHENSIVE CANCER CENTER
The IU Melvin and Bren Simon Comprehensive Cancer Center is Indiana’s only National Cancer Institute–designated comprehensive cancer center. The NCI designation recognizes that the center’s research programs meet rigorous criteria for world-class, state-of-the-art programs in multidisciplinary cancer research. The goals of those programs range from understanding the molecular changes that cause cancer to developing targeted therapies to prevent and treat the disease.
1030 W. Michigan St., 888-600-4822, cancer.iu.edu
OPTOMETRY
ALTERNATE VIEW
The board-certified optometrists at Alternate View provide complete medical eye care, starting with a comprehensive eye exam. They diagnose and manage a range of conditions, including earlystage glaucoma, diabetic retinopathy, age-related macular degeneration, and chronic dry eye. Bespoke eyewear styling and facial aesthetics, including injectables, wrinkle relaxers, and skin tightening treatments, are also available.
Dr. Sydney Lehman offers a personal eye care experience. Every comprehensive exam lasts a full hour. Exams include retinal photography, dry eye evaluation, eye disease screening, and nextgeneration diagnostic technology. Dr. Lehman personally conducts every test and takes all the time needed to under-
Orthopedic surgeons, sports medicine doctors, and therapists specialize in treatments to get you moving again. The center offers outpatient minimally invasive procedures, as well as advanced surgical expertise. Certified hip and knee replacement programs help patients regain strength and function.
2001 W. 86th St., 317-338-2345, healthcare.ascension.org/specialtycare/orthopedics
ASCENSION ST. VINCENT SPORTS PERFORMANCE
Ascension St. Vincent sports medicine doctors, orthopedic surgeons, and affiliated care teams specialize in treating common sports injuries in teens and adults. These experts work with patients to devise recovery plans that combine medical treatments, rehabilitation, strength and conditioning, performance psychology, and nutrition counseling.
The Center for Joint Health at Community Hospitals East, North, and South are dedicated units for hip and knee joint replacement patients. Experienced orthopedic surgeons and clinical staff provide support, education, and physical therapy to get patients back to the activities they enjoy.
Multiple locations throughout Central Indiana, 800-777-7775, ecommunity .com/jointcenter
CENTRAL INDIANA ORTHOPEDICS
This group provides orthopedic and musculoskeletal care for all ages, including that related to the neck, back, spine, foot, ankle, hip, hand, and knee; joint replacement surgery; treatment of work-related injuries; sports medicine services; electrodiagnostics; and imaging. Walk-in clinics are offered at the Fishers, Muncie, Marion, Zionsville, and Anderson facilities, and satellite locations are based in Elwood and Winchester.
14300 E. 138th St., Fishers; 625 S. Main St., Ste. 200, Zionsville, 800-622-6575, ciocenter.com. Additional locations throughout Indiana.
COMMUNITY SPORTS MEDICINE
Community is the official healthcare provider for various local organizations and professional teams. Its sports medicine physicians and athletic trainers work with clinical experts in physical therapy, imaging services, and sports nutrition. Services include sports
physicals, concussion screenings, injury prevention, and treatment of concussions, ACL injuries, and back pain.
7930 N. Shadeland Ave., Ste. 200, 317-497-6024, ecommunity.com/sports. Additional walk-in clinic locations in Greenwood, Westfield, and Anderson.
FORTÉ SPORTS MEDICINE AND ORTHOPEDICS
These offices offer treatment, prevention, and rehab of sports injuries; concussion care; pain management; joint replacement; treatment for conditions of the hand, ankle, back, wrist, elbow, shoulder, foot, and knee; and rehabilitation. The group, composed of fellowship-trained physicians, provides care for the Indianapolis Colts and high schools, colleges, and universities.
10767 Illinois St., Ste. 3000B, Carmel; 1401 W. County Line Rd., Greenwood; 16289 Boden Rd., Ste. 2, Noblesville; 317744-2898, forteortho.com. Additional locations in Mooresville and Tipton.
FRANCISCAN HEALTH CENTER FOR HIP & KNEE SURGERY
Part of the Franciscan Health network, this nationally recognized location focuses on hips, knees, and shoulders. Treatment of sports-related injuries and rotator cuff repair is offered as well, and physical therapists and nurses provide inpatient and outpatient therapy.
FRANCISCAN HEALTH ORTHOPEDIC HOSPITAL INDIANAPOLIS
This joint venture between Franciscan Health and Forte Sports Medicine and Orthopedics features inpatient and outpatient surgical suites for joint replacements and surgeries on the spine, shoulder, elbow, hand, hip, knee, foot, and ankle; an urgent care clinic; and a sports performance and athletic training center. Physical and occupational therapy, pain management, primary care sports medicine, lab services, sports chiropractic care, and imaging are also offered.
Therapists at Hendricks work with sports medicine specialists and orthopedic surgeons to help patients heal and regain movement after injury or surgery. Services include physical, aquatic, and pediatric therapy. Video motion analysis, soft tissue manipulation, wound care, and a back-to-golf program are also available.
Multiple locations throughout Central Indiana; hendricks.org/rehabilitation
INDIANA HAND TO SHOULDER CENTER
This center features specialty care for problems and injuries of the shoulder, elbow, wrist, and hand. Areas of expertise include joint replacement
and reconstruction surgeries; arthritis care and treatment; care of simple and complex sports injuries; and nonsurgical treatments, like splints, casts, wound care, and strength-building programs.
8501 Harcourt Rd.; 8820 S. Meridian St., Ste. 235; 317-875-9105, indianahandtoshoulder.com. Additional locations throughout Indiana.
INDIANA
JOINT REPLACEMENT INSTITUTE/INDIANA ORTHOPEDIC INSTITUTE
These partner institutes offer advanced orthopedic care and comprehensive hip, knee, and shoulder replacement options. Their providers manage the continuum of care from initial evaluation and nonsurgical treatments to surgical procedures and recovery. The flagship facility in Noblesville includes an ambulatory surgery center with four operating rooms, a dedicated orthopedic clinic with 20 exam rooms, therapy services, X-ray imaging, and a research gait lab.
14065 Borg Warner Dr., Noblesville, 317978-4113, indianaortho.com. Additional locations in Terre Haute and Fort Wayne.
INDIANA SPINE GROUP
The comprehensive spine care provided here includes diagnoses for all spinal disorders and abnormalities, surgical and nonsurgical treatment by boardcertified specialists, spinal therapeutic and diagnostic treatment, imaging, specialized injections, chiropractic work, and physical therapy. It is affiliated with the Medical Academic Center, a stateof-the-art, hands-on medical education training facility for physicians, clinicians, educators, and students.
Multiple locations throughout Central Indiana, 317-228-7000, indianaspinegroup.com
IU HEALTH ORTHOPEDICS & SPORTS MEDICINE
Patients can get up and moving again with a wide range of specialties, including joint replacement surgery, arthroscopy, limb preservation and reconstruction, orthopedic oncology, sports medicine, hand and upper extremity surgery, foot and ankle surgery, orthopedic trauma, and pediatric orthopedics and spinal care.
Multiple locations throughout Central Indiana, 317-944-9400, iuhealth.org/ find-medical-services/sports-medicine
MIDWEST CENTER FOR JOINT REPLACEMENT
MCJR commits to “taking the pain out of joint replacement” with providers who work closely with patients from the first call through follow-ups. MCJR surgeons are national leaders and educators in implant design and use of minimally invasive techniques, and are renowned for their research and recovery protocols and commitment to outpatient joint replacement.
6920 Gatwick Dr., Ste. 200; 625 S. Main St., Zionsville; 317-455-1064, mcjr.com. Additional locations in Bloomington and Terre Haute.
ORTHOINDY
OrthoIndy specialists present a spectrum of care for muscles, bones, joints, and the spine. Services include surgical and nonsurgical treatment, physical therapy, orthobiologic therapies, trauma and urgent care, pediatric care, sports medicine, imaging, cartilage restoration, and bone oncology. Owned by OrthoIndy physicians, OrthoIndy Hospital is the area’s first specialty facility with a focus on musculoskeletal care and complex inpatient and outpatient surgical procedures, including total joint and spinal operations.
Multiple locations throughout Indiana; 317-802-2000, orthoindy.com
RECONSTRUCTIVE HAND TO SHOULDER OF INDIANA
A team of board-certified doctors, nurses, and occupational therapists dispenses comprehensive care for all conditions involving the shoulder, elbow, wrist, fingers, and hand, including arthritis, tumors, Dupuytren’s contracture, nerve compression disorders, dysfunction, and deformities resulting from injury, tendon problems, and fractures and dislocations.
13431 Old Meridian St., Ste. 225, Carmel; 6920 Gatwick Dr.; 6085 Heartland Dr., Ste. 200, Zionsville; 317-249-2616, indianahandsurgeons.com. Additional location in Bloomington.
RIVERVIEW HEALTH PHYSICIANS ORTHOPEDICS & SPORTS MEDICINE
Three locations provide an array of orthopedic services, including treatment for sports-related injuries and conditions; joint replacement for the hip, knee, ankle, elbow, and shoulder; physical therapy; care for hip and knee arthritis; partial knee replacements; and minimally invasive surgical techniques.
Dr. Donald Shelbourne established the Shelbourne Knee Center, the state’s only center dedicated to knees, in 2004. He and his staff deliver care related to ligament and meniscus injuries, ACL tears, arthritic pain, tendonitis, deconditioned knees, and arthrofibrosis. Surgeries offered include knee replacement, ACL reconstruction, and patella realignment.
1500 N. Ritter Ave., Ste. 500, 317-924-8636, fixknee.com
PAIN MANAGEMENT
ANESTHESIA PAIN CONSULTANTS OF INDIANA
APCI specializes in the evaluation and treatment of acute and chronic pain disorders, such as lower back, neck, and cancer pain. Extensive knowledge of both surgical and nonsurgical options
for spinal pain allows for the latest techniques to be used.
Specialists here treat a variety of acute and chronic pain conditions, including back, neck, joint, and cancer pain. Other areas of treatment include degenerative disc disease, spinal stenosis, fibromyalgia, and myofascial and neuropathic pain. Imaging, infusion therapy, nerve blocks, plasma therapy, and physical therapy are also offered.
11595 N. Meridian St., Stes. 401 and 402, Carmel; 317-706-7246, americanpainconsortium.com/centerfor-pain-management. Additional locations throughout Central Indiana.
MIDWEST PAIN & SPINE
Midwest Pain & Spine provides minimally invasive diagnosis and treatment to those living with acute or chronic back and spine pain. The center offers diagnostic imaging and a broad range of treatments that includes steroid injections and radiofrequency procedures.
American Health Network employs hundreds of primary care physicians and specialists in Indiana and Ohio in family medicine, dermatology, orthopedics, urology, imaging, pain management, and physical therapy.
optum.com
ASCENSION MEDICAL GROUP
Recognized by the American Medical Association, this physician-led national provider organization strives to present the best possible outcomes, enhanced experiences for patients and clinicians, and affordable healthcare. ascension.org
COMMUNITY PHYSICIAN NETWORK
Ranked among the nation’s most integrated healthcare systems, Community Health Network is a leader in providing convenient access to exceptional healthcare services across Central Indiana. 317-621-2727, fad.ecommunity.com
FRANCISCAN PHYSICIAN NETWORK
This group of doctors associated with Franciscan Alliance offers a comprehensive range of services. Areas include cardiology, family medicine, dermatology, endocrinology, oncology, orthopedic surgery, sports medicine, and bariatric surgery, among others.
franciscanhealth.org/find-a-provider
HENDRICKS REGIONAL MEDICAL GROUP
Hendricks Regional Health’s network of primary care, specialty, and immediate care physicians provides a spectrum of services in internal medicine, pediatrics, orthopedics, sports medicine, diabetes, neurology, obstetrics, and gynecology.
This group, a partnership with IU Health and the IU School of Medicine, has over 5,000 providers at 700-plus locations in an array of specialties.
888-484-3258, iuhealth.org/ find-providers
RIVERVIEW HEALTH PHYSICIANS
Riverview Health’s network of primary, specialty, and immediate care physicians serves patients in Hamilton and Tipton counties. Areas include family, internal, and sports medicine; pediatrics; obstetrics and gynecology; and pain management.
317-773-0760, riverview.org/doctor
PLASTIC SURGERY
HAMILTON FACIAL PLASTIC SURGERY
Dr. Mark Hamilton is double boardcertified and specializes in cosmetic surgery of the face, head, and neck. He has authored many publications and lectured widely to colleagues on all aspects of facial plastic surgery. Dr. Hamilton has been selected by his peers as one of Indianapolis Monthly’s “Top Doctors” annually for over a decade and has been recognized by Castle Connolly as one of the “Top Physicians” in America. His offices house one of only 65 facial plastic surgery fellowships in North America.
170 W. 106th St., Carmel; 533 E. County Line Rd., Ste. 104, Greenwood; 317-859-3810, hamiltonfps.com
TURKLE & ASSOCIATES
This plastic surgery provider is led by double-board-certified plastic surgeons
Dr. Janet Turkle and Dr. Brandon Specht, who use their knowledge built on years of surgical experience to offer patients natural looking results using the safest and most effective technology. They also deliver comprehensive education about treatment options. Within the same family, Phases Skincare & Laser Center also provides resultsdriven aesthetic treatments.
11455 N. Meridian St., Ste. 150, Carmel, 317-848-0001, turklemd.com
REHABILITATION & PHYSICAL THERAPY
ASCENSION ST. VINCENT PHYSICAL THERAPY
This program includes services such
as surgical and nonsurgical therapy, sports-specific and oncology rehabilitation, pediatric therapies, audiology, aquatic therapy, occupational therapy, and speech language therapy. Ascension St. Vincent Physical Therapy has been designated a Center of Excellence by Focus on Therapeutic Outcomes.
Multiple locations throughout Central Indiana; 317-338-3364, healthcare.ascension.org
COMMUNITY REHABILITATION HOSPITAL
Community Rehabilitation Hospital provides intensive services to treat patients living with cognitive and physical disabilities related to brain and spinal cord injuries, stroke, amputations, and neurological conditions. The centers are maintained in partnership with Kindred Rehabilitation Services. Amenities include private patient rooms; therapy gyms; and private treatment spaces for physical, speech, occupational, and recreational therapy.
Throughout this group of rehab facilities, patients with a wide range of needs are helped, from those who have suffered a neurological disorder to those with spine, orthopedic, or sports medicine injuries. Occupational, physical, and speech therapies are provided to patients of all ages, from infants to the elderly, with any medical condition in which restoring lost skills and attaining maximum self-sufficiency are priorities.
Multiple locations throughout Central Indiana; 317-528-5800, franciscanhealth .org/rehab
KINDRED HOSPITALS
Two locations provide long-term acute care to medically complex patients who require continued care and extended recovery time. The facilities provide intensive care units; a full slate of rehabilitation services; stroke, brain injury, and post-transplant care; dialysis suites; pulmonary services; complex wound care; IV antibiotic therapy; pain management; and nutrition support.
1700 W. 10th St., 317-636-4400; 8060 Knue Rd., 317-813-8900; kindredhospitals.com
REHABILITATION HOSPITAL OF INDIANA
A collaboration between IU Health and Ascension St. Vincent, this hospital offers brain, spinal injury, transplant, and stroke rehabilitation, as well as intensive rehabilitation for patients with complex medical, surgical, and/ or neurological injuries and illnesses. Physical, occupational, and speech therapy are offered here as well. Among the specialized services are a general physiatry clinic, a spasticity clinic, a balance retraining program, vision
rehabilitation, and a therapy gym and swimming pool.
4141 Shore Dr., 317-329-2000, rhirehab.com
RIVERVIEW HEALTH REHAB & FITNESS
Two centers feature acute rehabilitation for conditions like pediatric disorders; stroke; brain and spinal cord injuries; athletic injuries; Parkinson’s disease; and hip fractures. Cardiopulmonary rehabilitation; physical, occupational, and speech therapy; concussion testing; arthritis aquatic classes; and post-rehab fitness training are also provided.
Fellowship-trained specialists here are dedicated to helping women with pelvic organ prolapse, bladder control and bowel problems, pelvic floor pain, difficulty urinating, constipation, and recurrent bladder infections.
1801 N. Senate Ave., Ste. 3300; 11725 N. Illinois St., Ste. 140, Carmel; 13100 E. 136th St., Ste. 3600, Fishers; 317-688-3700, iuhealth.org/findmedical-services/urogynecology
UROLOGY OF INDIANA
These expert urologists and urogynecologists treat disorders and diseases of the genito-urinary system. That includes diagnosis and treatment for enlarged prostates, kidney stones, pelvic floor dysfunction, male infertility, urinary incontinence, urinary tract infections, low testosterone, and erectile dysfunction. Vasectomies and care for bladder and testicular cancers are also offered.
14 Central Indiana locations; 877-362-2778, urologyin.com
VASCULAR MEDICINE
INDIANA VEIN AND LYMPHATIC
This Intersocietal Accreditation Commission for Vascular Testing–accredited practice specializes in venous ablation treatment (including thermal and nonthermal modalities), ultrasound-guided sclerotherapy for varicose veins, and surface sclerotherapy and vascular laser therapy for spider veins. On-site certified lymphatic therapists treat chronic swelling of lower extremities.
11590 N. Meridian St., Ste. 270, Carmel, 317-348-3020, indyveins.com
WOMEN’S HEALTH
ASCENSION ST. VINCENT
WOMEN AND INFANTS HOSPITAL
At the largest comprehensive women’s
health facility in Indiana, moms can receive a full slate of pre- and post-birth services, including maternal-fetal medicine, care for high-risk babies, breastfeeding classes and support, and a Level IV newborn intensive care unit. An emergency room; breast, gynecological, and urological surgeries and exams; senior services; and bone density testing are also offered.
2001 W. 86th St., 317-415-8111, healthcare.ascension.org
COMMUNITY WOMEN’S CENTER
Community Health Network takes care of women through every stage of life. Services include pre-pregnancy and pregnancy planning and treatment, newborn care, midlife health, breast and pelvic diagnostics, fertility, and preventative screenings. Virtual childbirth education and parenting classes include Birth & Baby, Childbirth Refresher, Breastfeeding Basics, and Natural Labor Discussion.
Multiple locations throughout Central Indiana; 800-777-7775, ecommunity.com/ services/womens-care
FRANCISCAN HEALTH CENTER FOR WOMEN & CHILDREN
Recognized as a baby-friendly hospital by the World Health Organization with Safe Sleep silver level recognition, this center provides treatment and consultation for gynecology; family planning; pregnancy and delivery; breastfeeding and lactation; fetal and pediatric medicine; and conditions such as PMS, endometriosis, uterine fibroids, ovarian cysts, incontinence, and cervical cancer. 8111 S. Emerson Ave., 317-528-5541, franciscanhealth.org
IU HEALTH OBSTETRICS & GYNECOLOGY
IU Health Women’s Health offers a complete lineup of services and education, including well-woman visits, obstetrics, gynecology, fertility treatment, pelvic floor health, birth control, menopause management, and breast care. Expectant mothers have access to quality maternity care from doctors, as well as certified nurse midwives, and maternal-fetal specialists.
Multiple locations throughout Central Indiana; 888-484-3258, iuhealth.org/ find-medical-services/obstetricsgynecology
OB/GYN OF INDIANA— INDIANAPOLIS SOUTH
Operating under Axia Women’s Health, OB/GYN of Indiana—Indianapolis South is a group of compassionate and experienced physicians and nurse practitioners who provide personalized and effective healthcare to women in need of prenatal care; gynecologic surgeries or exams; and other office procedures, such as colposcopy, urodynamic testing, and cryosurgery.
8051 S. Emerson Ave., Ste. 400, 317-865-3600, axiawh.com/locations/ ob-gyn-of-indiana-south
DOCTOR PROFILES
Courtney Kassenbrock, OD Alternate View
750 Veterans Way, Ste. 228 Carmel, IN 46032
317-785-7470
www.alternateview.com
Physician Field of Practice: Optometry
Practice Focus: Comprehensive Eye Care, Dry Eye Treatment, Personalized Eyewear Styling, Facial Aesthetics. With a passion for personalized care and modern eye health solutions, Dr. Courtney Kassenbrock delivers an experience designed to feel refreshingly different from traditional eye care. Through attentive service, customized treatment plans, and advanced dry eye expertise, she helps patients experience a more intentional, comfortable, and elevated approach to vision wellness.
Medical School: Indiana University School of Optometry
American Board of Optometry
American Optometric Association; Indiana Optometric Association
Indiana University Health
Medical Group
IU Health Fishers Hospital 13100 E. 136th St., Ste. 2000, Fishers, IN 46037
Methodist Medical Plaza North 201 Pennsylvania Pkwy., Ste.100, Carmel, IN 46280
Medical School: Indiana University School of Medicine
Fellowship: Central Indiana Orthopedics and Sports Medicine
American Board of
American Medical Society for Sports Medicine (AMSSM)
IU Health Fishers Hospital and Ambulatory Surgery Center, Indiana University Academic Health Center
Indianapolis Monthly
Top Doctor. Dr. Mayol is an Assistant Clinical Professor at IU School of Medicine. He believes in helping people maintain an active lifestyle and that exercise is truly the best medicine.
Brian L. Badman, MD
Central Indiana Orthopedics
14300 E. 138th St. Fishers, IN 46037
625 S. Main St. Zionsville, IN 46077
800-622-6575
indyshoulder.com
Physician Field of Practice: Orthopedic Surgery
Practice Focus: Shoulder
Medical School: Indiana University School of Medicine
Residency: University of Florida, Orthopedic Surgery
Fellowship: Shoulder and Elbow Fellowship, Florida Orthopedic Institute
American Board of Orthopaedic Surgery
Active Level, American Shoulder and Elbow Surgeons; Member, American Academy of Orthopedic Surgeons; Member, Indiana Orthopedic Society; Associate Clinical Professor, Department of Orthopedic Surgery, IU School of Medicine; Associate Editor, Journal of Orthopedic Trauma
Additional Information: Indianapolis Monthly Top Doctor, Newsweek Leading Surgeon 2025 – Shoulder Surgery, First in Indiana to perform ARVIS® Shoulder replacement
P. Jamieson Kay, MD
Central Indiana Orthopedics
14300 E. 138th St., Building B Fishers, IN 46037
800-622-6575
ciocenter.com
Physician Field of Practice: Orthopedic Surgery
Practice Focus: Hip & knee arthritis, joint replacement & revision, Mako robotic-arm assisted total and partial knee replacement
Medical School: Indiana University School of Medicine
Residency: Indiana University Health Center
American Board of Orthopaedic Surgery
Board Member, Indiana Orthopaedic Society; American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons; American Association of Hip and Knee Surgeons
St. Vincent Fishers Hospital, St. Vincent Anderson Regional Hospital
Additional Information: Medical Honoree Arthritis Foundation Bone Bash 2025. Indianapolis Monthly Top Doctor. Dr. Kay has had two Mako total knee replacements and documented his journey on video at CIOcenter.com/blog.
David M. Ratzman, MD
Anesthesia Pain
Consultants of Indiana
8240 Naab Rd., Ste. 101 Indianapolis, IN 46260
317-471-1400
855-664-3636
APCIndy.com
Physician Field of Practice: Interventional pain medicine/pain management; Spinal pain (low back and neck pain); Cancer pain; Workers’ compensation
Medical School: Indiana University School of Medicine
Residency: Indiana University School of Medicine
Fellowship: Pain Medicine/Pain Management, Indiana University School of Medicine
Pain Medicine and Anesthesiology, American Board of Anesthesiology; Pain Medicine, American Board of Pain Medicine
American Academy of Pain Medicine, North American Spine Society, International Spine Intervention Society, American Society of Anesthesiologists
Ascension St. Vincent Hospital, Hancock Regional Hospital, IU Health, Riverview Hospital
Additional Information: Indianapolis Monthly Top Doctor. Dr. Ratzman is a past president of the Indiana Society of Anesthesiologists and is currently a member of the Medicare Carrier Advisory Committee. He is a Clinical Assistant Professor at Indiana University School of Medicine and a teaching faculty member at St. Vincent Hospital.
John J. DePowell, MD
Goodman Campbell Brain & Spine
13345 Illinois St. Carmel, IN 46032
317-396-1300
GoodmanCampbell.com
Physician Field of Practice: Neurological Surgery
Practice Focus: Complex spinal surgery
Medical School: University of Cincinnati College of Medicine
Residency: University of Cincinnati Department of Neurosurgery
Fellowship: Complex Spine Surgery, Barrow Neurological Institute
American Board of Neurological Surgery
American Association of Neurological Surgeons, Congress of Neurological Surgeons, Indiana State Medical Association, Indianapolis Medical Society
Ascension St. Vincent Indianapolis, Ascension St. Vincent Fishers, Indiana Spine Hospital, North Meridian Surgery Center, Riverview Health
Additional Information: Indianapolis Monthly Top Doctor. Dr. DePowell provides consultation and treatment of all spinal disorders including cervical and lumbar degenerative conditions, spinal deformity, spinal oncology, and trauma.
Vincent Alentado, MD
Goodman Campbell Brain & Spine
14540 Prairie Lakes Blvd. North, Ste. 104 Noblesville, IN 46060
Medical School: Case Western Reserve School of Medicine
Residency: Indiana University Department of Neurological Surgery
Fellowship: Complex Spinal Surgery, Committee on Accreditation of Subspecialty Training–Accredited, Indiana University
American Board of Neurological Surgeons Eligible American Association of Neurological Surgeons, Congress of Neurological Surgeons
Ascension St. Vincent Indianapolis, Ascension St. Vincent Fishers, Riverview Health
Additional Information: Dr. Alentado provides consultations and treatment of all spinal disorders including cervical and lumbar degenerative conditions, spinal deformity, spinal tumors, and spinal trauma.
Christopher M. Doran, MD
Goodman Campbell Brain & Spine
120 Avon Marketplace, Ste. 100, Avon, IN 46123 317-396-1414
GoodmanCampbell.com
Physician Field of Practice: Interventional Pain Management
Practice Focus: Spine pain; Spinal cord stimulation
Medical School: University of Illinois
Residency: Anesthesia, Washington University at Saint Louis
Fellowship: Interventional Pain Management, Northwestern University
Anesthesiology and Pain Managment
Indiana State Medical Association, North American Neuromodulation Society
Naab Road Surgery
Center, Ascension St. Vincent Indianapolis, Hendricks Regional Health, Franciscan Health Indianapolis, Union Hospital
Additional Information: Indianapolis Monthly Top Doctor
Neurological Surgeons, Society of Minimally Invasive Spine Surgery, Congress of Neurological Surgeons
Additional Information:
Charles Kulwin, MD
Goodman Campbell Brain & Spine
13345 Illinois St. Carmel, IN 46032 317-396-1300
GoodmanCampbell.com
Physician Field of Practice: Neurological Surgery
Practice Focus: Complex cranial surgery; Brain and spine tumors and vascular malformations; Cerebral aneurysms; Chiari malformation; Trigeminal neuralgia; Skull base surgery; Stroke and brain trauma; Degenerative spine surgery
Medical School: University of Chicago Pritzker School of Medicine
Residency: IU Department of Neurosurgery, Goodman Campbell Brain and Spine
Fellowship: Cerebrovascular/Skull Base
Surgery, Goodman Campbell Brain & Spine
American Board of Neurological Surgery
American Association of Neurological Surgeons, Congress of Neurological Surgeons, North American Skull Base Society
Ascension St. Vincent Indianapolis, Franciscan Health Indianapolis
Additional Information: Indianapolis
Monthly Top Doctor and IBJ 40 Under 40.
Dr. Kulwin is Associate Director of the ASV Neurosurgery Residency Program and Medical Director of the ASV Brain Tumor Program.
Medical School: Indiana University School of Medicine
Residency: Indiana University Neurological Surgery
Fellowship: Indiana University Complex Spinal Surgery
American Board of Neurological Surgeons
American Association of Neurological Surgeons, Congress of Neurological Surgeons, Indiana State Medical Association, Indianapolis Medical Society
Ascension St. Vincent Indianapolis, Indiana Spine Hospital, North Meridian Surgery Center
Additional Information: Indianapolis Monthly Top Doctor. Dr. McCanna offers consultation and treatment of all spinal disorders including degenerative conditions, spinal deformities, spinal oncology, and trauma.
Richard B. Rodgers, MD, FAANS, FACS
Goodman Campbell Brain & Spine
13345 Illinois St. Carmel, IN 46032
317-396-1300
GoodmanCampbell.com
Physician Field of Practice: Neurological Surgery
Practice Focus: Spinal surgery including minimally invasive surgery, spinal fusion surgery, and tumor; Neurotrauma, including acute brain and spinal cord injury; Neurocritical care; Peripheral nerve surgery
Medical School: IU School of Medicine
Residency: IU School of Medicine
Fellowship: Neurotrauma and Neurocritical Care, University of Miami
Neurological Surgery
American Association of Neurological Surgeons, Congress of Neurological Surgeons, American College of Surgeons, National Neurotrauma Society
Ascension St. Vincent Indianapolis, North Meridian Surgery Center, Indiana Spine Hospital
Additional Information: Indianapolis Monthly Top Doctor. Dr. Rodgers is Program Director of the Neurosurgery Residency at Ascension St Vincent Indianapolis. He is a Clinical Assistant Professor at Marian University College of Osteopathic Medicine and Purdue University College of Veterinary Medicine and a Central Member of the American College of Surgeons Committee on Trauma.
Jean-Pierre Mobasser, MD
Goodman Campbell Brain & Spine
13345 Illinois St. Carmel, IN 46032
317-396-1300
GoodmanCampbell.com
Physician Field of Practice: Neurological Surgery
Practice Focus: Minimally invasive spine tumor surgery; Degenerative spine surgery;
Medical School:
Residency:
Fellowship:
Additional Information: Indianapolis Monthly
Eric Potts, MD
Goodman Campbell Brain & Spine
13345 Illinois St. Carmel, IN 46032
317-396-1300
GoodmanCampbell.com
Physician Field of Practice: Neurosurgery
Practice Focus: Spinal Surgery, Minimally Invasive Spine Surgery; Spinal Tumors; Cervical Spinal Surgery, Complex Spinal Surgery, Image- Surgery Guided Surgery
Medical School: Indiana University School of Medicine
Fellowship: Indianapolis Neurosurgical Group
American Board of Neurological Surgeons
American Association of Neurological Surgeons, Congress of Neurological Surgeons, AANS/ CNS Joint Section on the Disorders of the Spine and Peripheral News
Ascension St. Vincent Indianapolis, North Meridian Surgery Center, Indiana Spine Hospital
Additional Information: Indianapolis Monthly Top Doctor
Todd E. Schmidt, MD
Goodman Campbell Brain & Spine
13345 Illinois St. Carmel, IN 46032
317-396-1300
GoodmanCampbell.com
Physician Field of Practice: Interventional Pain Management
Practice Focus: Spine pain; Spinal cord stimulation
Medical School: Indiana University School of Medicine
Residency: Anesthesiology, University of Virginia Fellowship: Interventional Pain Management, Indiana University
Anesthesiology and Pain Medicine, American Board of Anesthesiology
American Society of Anesthesiologists, North American Neuromodulation Society, American Society of Regional Anesthesia Pain Medicine
Ascension St. Vincent Fishers, Franciscan Health Indianapolis, North Meridian Surgery Center, and Fishers Surgery Center
Additional Information: Indianapolis Monthly Top Doctor
Jodi L. Smith, PhD, MD
Goodman Campbell Brain & Spine / Peyton Manning Children’s Hospital at Ascension St. Vincent 8402 Harcourt Rd., Ste. 830 Indianapolis 317-338-0900
GoodmanCampbell.com
Physician Field of Practice: Neurosurgery
Practice Focus: Pediatric neurosurgery
Medical School: University of Utah School of Medicine
Residency: University of Utah Department of Neurosurgery
Fellowship: Shillito Fellowship in Pediatric Neurosurgery, Children’s Hospital Boston/Harvard Medical School
American Board of Neurological Surgery, American Board of Pediatric Neurosurgery
American Association of Anatomists, American Medical Association, American Association of Neurological Surgeons, Congress of Neurological Surgeons, Indiana State Medical Association, Indianapolis Medical Society, Women in Neurosurgery, American Society of Pediatric Neurosurgery
Ascension St. Vincent
Additional Information: Indianapolis Monthly Top Doctor. Dr. Smith has been Director of Pediatric Neurosurgery at Peyton Manning Children’s Hospital since March 2019.
Daniel Spomar, MD
Goodman Campbell Brain & Spine
555 E. County Line Rd., Ste. 202 Greenwood, IN 46143
317-396-1325
GoodmanCampbell.com
Physician Field of Practice: Neurosurgery
Practice Focus: Spine surgery including minimally invasive spine surgery, spinal fusion
Medical School: Indiana University School of Medicine
Residency: University of Illinois
Fellowship: Advanced spinal surgery training during residency training
American
Board of Neurological Surgery
American Association of Neurological Surgeons, Congress of Neurological Surgeons
Franciscan Health Indianapolis, Franciscan Surgery Center
Additional Information: Indianapolis Monthly Top Doctor.
Derron K. Wilson, MD
Goodman Campbell Brain & Spine
13345 Illinois St. Carmel, IN 46032
317-396-1300
GoodmanCampbell.com
Physician Field of Practice: Interventional Pain Management
Practice Focus: Interventional pain management; Spinal pain; Implantable pain therapy
Medical School: Indiana University School of Medicine
Residency: Indiana University School of Medicine
Fellowship: Indiana University School of Medicine
Anesthesiology and Pain Medicine
ISMA, AMA, ASIPP, NANS, ASPN
Ascension St. Vincent Indianapolis, Naab Road Surgery Center, North Meridian Surgery Center, Indiana Spine Hospital, Witham Hospital
Additional Information: Indianapolis Monthly Top Doctor. Dr. Wilson participates in clinical trials to help advance the
Rukeme Ake-Uzoigwe, MD, MPH, FACOG New Life Associates
5492 N. Ronald Reagan Parkway, Ste. 210 Brownsburg, IN 46112 317-858-4605
www.hendricks.org/ locations/new-life-associates
Physician Field of Practice: Obstetrics and Gynecology
Practice Focus: Obstetrics and Gynecology
Medical School: Olabisi Onabanjo University
Residency: Icahn School of Medicine
American Board of Obstetrics and Gynecology, American Association of Gynecologic Laparoscopists, American Medical Association
American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists Hendricks Regional Health Medical Group
Physician Field of Practice: Orthopedics, Sports Medicine
Practice Focus: Orthopedic Surgery
Medical School: Indiana University School of Medicine
Residency: Duke University Medical Center
Fellowship: University of South Florida, Rizzoli Orthopaedics Institute, JIS Orthopedics
American Board of Orthopedic Surgery
American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons, Connective Tissue Oncology Society, Musculoskeletal Tumor Society, American Orthopaedic Association, Indiana Orthopaedic Society, Piedmont Orthopedic Society, American Association of Hip and Knee Surgeons
Hendricks Regional Health Medical Group
Mark Hamilton, MD
Hamilton Facial
Plastic Surgery
170 W. 106th St. Carmel, IN 46290
533 E. County Line Rd., Ste. 104 Greenwood, IN 46143 317-859-3810 hamiltonfps.com
Physician Field of Practice: Facial Plastic Surgery
Practice Focus: Surgical and nonsurgical facial plastic and cosmetic surgery
Medical School: Indiana University School of Medicine
Residency: Saint Louis University
Fellowship: Indiana University
American Board of Facial
Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, American Board of Otolaryngology Head and Neck Surgery American Academy of Facial Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, Indiana State Medical Society, American Medical Association
Ascension St. Vincent, IU Health North, Franciscan Indianapolis, Community South Indianapolis
Additional Information: Indianapolis Monthly Top Doctor
Gerirose Gooding, MD
Hendricks Surgical Associates
112 Hospital Ln., Ste. 100 Danville, IN 46122 317-745-3740
Physician Field of Practice: General Surgery, Minimally Invasive Surgery, Robotic Surgery, Complex Hernia Repair
Practice Focus: Hernias; gall bladder disease; small bowel disease; colon cancer, diverticulitis and other colonic disease; hemorrhoids and disease; conditions affecting the spleen and adrenal glands; skin and soft tissue tumors, cysts, lesions; dialysis and venous access:
Biopsies: muscle, temporal artery, lymph node
Medical School: St. George’s University School of Medicine
Physician Field of Practice: Plastic Surgery, Reconstructive Surgery
Practice Focus: Breast reduction; breast reconstruction and reconstruction revision; skin cancer removal and reconstruction including DecisionDX melanoma testing; skin and soft tissue lesion removal; abdominoplasty (tummy tuck); liposuction; body lift/body contouring; mommy makeover; breast augmentation / enhancement; blepharoplasty (eyelid lift)
Medical School: Uniformed Services University
Residency & Fellowship: Wright State University
American Board of Plastic Surgery, American Board of Surgery
American Board of Plastic Surgery, American Board of Surgery, Fellow of the American College of Surgeons
Hendricks Regional Health Medical Group
Additional Information: His core principle is that each patient has unique life circumstances, needs and desires and he enjoys treating each patient as an individual to optimize their outcome.
Laurie Van Donselaar, D.O. Westside Physicians for Women
Physician Field of Practice: Obstetrics and Gynecology, Robotic Surgery
Practice Focus: Obstetrics and Gynecology, Robotic Surgery
Medical School: Des Moines UniversityCollege of Osteopathic Medicine
Residency: Des Moines UniversityCollege of Osteopathic Medicine
American Board of Obstetrics and Gynecology
American Board of Obstetrics and Gynecology
Hendricks Regional Health Medical Group
Indiana Spine Group
13225 N. Meridian St. Carmel, IN 46032
317-228-7000
indianaspinegroup.com
Physician Field of Practice: Spine Surgery, Neurosurgery
Practice Focus: Comprehensive diagnosis and treatment of spinal disorders, including neck and back pain, degenerative conditions, disc herniations, spinal stenosis, deformity, and instability.
Medical School: Various, including University of Arizona, IU School of Medicine, University of Iowa College of Medicine, and more
Residency: Various, including Emory University
Orthopedic & Spine Hospital, University of Wisconsin, Northwestern University, and more
Fellowship: Various, including Harvard University, Massachusetts General Hospital and Brigham & Women’s Hospital; Harborview Medical Center, University of Washington; and more
American Board of Orthopedic Surgeons, American Board of Neurological Surgery
American Academy of Orthopedic Surgeons, American Association of Neurological Surgery, and more
Indiana Spine Hospital, North Meridian Surgery Center, Ascension St. Vincent, and more
Indiana Spine Group
13225 N. Meridian St. Carmel, IN 46032
317-228-7000
indianaspinegroup.com
Physician Field of Practice: Interventional Pain Management, Non-Operative Spine Specialists
Practice Focus: Non-operative diagnosis and treatment of neck, back, and spine-related pain.
Medical School: IU School of Medicine
Residency: Various, including University of Tennessee Medical Center, IU School of Medicine, University of Michigan, and more
Fellowship: Various, including IU School of Medicine, University of Cincinnati School of Medicine, University of Michigan, and more
American Board of Anesthesiology, American Board of Pain Medicine
American Society of Anesthesiology, American Society of Interventional Pain Practitioners, American Society of Regional Anesthesiology, and more
North Meridian Surgery Center, Ascension St. Vincent Indianapolis, Carmel, Fishers
Nikhil M. Patel, MD
Midwest Colon and Rectal Surgery
8240 Naab Rd., Ste. 160 Indianapolis, IN 46260
317-872-1577
midwestcolon.com
Physician Field of Practice: Colon and Rectal Surgery
Practice Focus: Colon and rectal surgery, colon and rectal cancer, diverticulitis, colonoscopy, hemorrhoids, robotic and laparoscopic colon
Medical School: Medical School
Residency:
Fellowship: Grant Medical Center
American Board of Surgery and American Board of Colon and Rectal Surgery
American Board of Colon and Rectal Surgery, American Board of Surgery
Ascension St. Vincent
Additional Information: Indianapolis Monthly Top Doctor
Jeffery P. Schoonover, MD
Indiana Vein and Lymphatic 11590 N. Meridian St., Ste. 270, Carmel, IN 46032
317-348-3020
1-888-LEG-VEIN
1-888-534-8346
IndyVeins.com
Physician Field of Practice: Minimally invasive
Practice Focus: Venous ablation treatment,
Medical School:
Residency:
Additional Information:
William E. Cooke, MD, FAAFP, FASAM Recovery Centers of America at Indianapolis 8530 Township Line Rd. Indianapolis, IN 46260 866-944-9925
recoverycentersofamerica.com
Physician Field of Practice: Addiction Medicine, Family Medicine
Practice Focus: Addiction Treatment and Mental Health Care
Medical School: Graduated with honors from IU School of Medicine in 2001
Residency: Ball Memorial Family Medicine in Muncie, IN in 2004
Fellowship: Fellow of the American Academy of Family Medicine (AAFP) and Fellow of the American Society of Addiction Medicine (ASAM)
American Board of Preventative Medicine
Indiana Rural Health Association, Indiana Academy of Family Medicine, Indiana Society of Addiction Medicine, American Board of Preventative Medicine, Gold Humanism Honor Society, Alpha Omega Alpha Medical Society, Author of Canary in the Coal Mine published by Tyndale House Publishers in 2021, 2026 Hoosier Heartbeat Aware, 2026 Served on regional Grow coalitions to address rural health transformation.
Caroline Asava, DNP, NP C Lyfe MedSpa
3965 N. Meridian, Ste. #C Indianapolis, IN 46208 317-600-3217
mylyfemedspa.com
Provider Field of Practice: Aesthetics & Wellness
Practice Focus: Blends advanced clinical care, wellness, and preventive health maintenance. At Lyfe MedSpa, she approaches aesthetics thoughtfully and intentionally, recognizing the connection between skin health, aging, philosophy emphasizes personalized care, evidence-based practice, patient education, and preventative approaches that support
Academic Background: Indiana University School of Nursing BSN, Indiana University School of Nursing MSN, Valparaiso University School of Nursing DNP
American Academy of Nurse Practitioners AANP
Lyfe MedSpa, Center For Pain Management
Additional Information: Received advanced aesthetic training through Aesthetic Medical Educators Training (AMET)
Sydney Lehman, OD Ra Opticians
1011 Massachusetts Ave., Ste. 121, Indianapolis 317-759-0317
raopticians.com
Physician Field of Practice: Optometry
Practice Focus: Comprehensive Eye Exams for all ages, Dry eye, Ocular disease, Specialty
Medical School: Indiana University School of Optometry
American
American Optometric Association, Indiana Optometric Association
Additional Information: Dr. Lehman delivers where every appointment is a comprehensive, one-on-one experience tailored to the individual. She takes the time to thoroughly plans, ensuring each patient leaves with
Jan Turkle, MD
Turkle & Associates
11455 N. Meridian St., Ste. 150 Carmel, IN 46032
317-848-0001
TurkleMD.com
Physician Field of Practice: Plastic Surgery
Practice Focus: Cosmetic surgery of the breast, body and face
Medical School: University of Kansas Medical School
Residency: University of Kansas Medical School; IU Medical Center
American Board of Surgery, American Board of Plastic Surgery
American Society of Plastic Surgeons, American College of Surgeons, Indiana State Medical Association, Indiana Medical Society, Ohio Valley Society for Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery
Ascension St. Vincent, IU Health
Additional Information: Indianapolis Monthly Top Doctor for over 20 years
Brandon C. Specht, DO
Turkle & Associates
11455 N. Meridian St., Ste. 150 Carmel, IN 46032
317-848-0001
TurkleMD.com
Physician Field of Practice: Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery
Practice Focus : Cosmetic and reconstructive surgery of the breast, body and face.
Medical School: West Virginia School of Osteopathic Medicine
Residency: General Surgery - Wright State University/United States Air Force and Grandview Medical Center
Fellowship: Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery Fellowship - Cleveland Clinic Main Campus/South Pointe
AOBS General Surgery and AOBS Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery
American College of Osteopathic Surgeons Fellow, American Society of Plastic Surgeons, Ohio Valley Society of Plastic Surgeons
Ascension St. Vincent
Trent Kirkwood, DDS Kirkwood Dentistry
101 N. State St.
DocKirkwood.com
Dental Field of Practice: General Dentistry
Dental School: Indiana University School of Dentistry
American Dental Association (ADA), Indiana Dental Association (IDA), Indianapolis District Dental Society (IDDS)
Additional Information: Indianapolis Monthly Top Dentist. Dr. Trent is focused on complete patient care for all ages. He provides a wide range of services, from cosmetic veneers and crowns to implants, dentures, and more. Dr. Trent spends time with each of his patients to understand their individual needs and to explain their custom treatment options. Dr. Trent is happy to be advancing healthy smiles for his hometown community.
AUGUST 2026
BR 2025
Named one of IM’s Best Restaurants in 2025
New addition to the guide
$$$$ $50 and up
$$$ $30–$40
$$ $20–$30
$ Under $20
Restaurants included in this guide are selected at the discretion of the Indianapolis Monthly editorial staff based on food quality, innovation, atmosphere, service, value, and consistency. IM does not accept advertising or other compensation in exchange for dining coverage. Price symbols indicate the average cost of a meal per person (without tax, tip, or alcohol). Due to limited space, this list does not cover every evaluated restaurant. For a more comprehensive guide to Indianapolis dining, visit IndianapolisMonthly.com/Dining. Feedback? Please email jspalding@IndianapolisMonthly.com
9th Street Bistro
BR 2025 CONTEMPORARY Samir and Rachel Firestone Mohammad’s tiny seasonal innovator continues to delight diners who secure a coveted reservation. A standby at collaborative wine dinners and dining festivals, its take on globally inspired Midwestern flavors has served as an influence for a number of other restaurants on this list. 56 S. 9th St., Noblesville, 317-774-5065, 9thstbistro.com $$$$
Aberdeen Social House
BOURBON BAR This bar and restaurant feels like a bit of Kentucky transplanted to the north side, with a reserve spirit menu as long as your arm. Lunch, brunch, and dinner menus rely on Midwestern classics with an upscale twist (the shrimp and grits also boasts lobster, for example); wise diners will stick with those items over some of the more experimental-sounding offerings. 150 W. 96th St., 317-324-5000, aberdeensocialhouse.com $$$$
Almost Famous
COCKTAILS The fruit-infused spirits and five-option Negroni list make this Mass Ave tapas bar an evening stop for any mixed drink fan, while the extensive menu of coffee and long drinks keeps things buzzy all day. 721 Massachusetts Ave., 317986-7877, almostfamousindy.com $$
Antilogy
BRUNCH This snug corner spot divides its energy between the morning meal and evening libations. Early birds can choose from thoughtful combinations of fat biscuits, sunny eggs, bourbon-candied bacon, and Belgian waffles, with plenty of Bovaconti Coffee–based lattes and mochas to kick-start the day. In the evening, the menu shifts to shareable plates, such as a panko-crusted crispy burrata, parmesan truffle fries, and a molten spinach-Gruyere dip. 5867 N. State Rd. 135, Greenwood, 317-530-5312, antilogycg.com $$
Apicio Ristorante & Enoteca
ITALIAN Chef Emilio Cento applies his more
than three decades of restaurant experience to this upscale Italian spot featuring fresh pasta and Roman style pizza alongside extravagant chef’s creations like a rich and creamy squid-ink pasta tossed with shrimp, lobster, and crab and a decadent stuffed beef filet. 3311 S. U.S. Hwy. 421, Zionsville, 317-344-0100, apicioindy.com $$$
Ash & Elm Cider Co.
CIDER Ash & Elm’s array of complex and quaffable ciders gets broader all the time, with funky cocktails demonstrating a flavor profile well beyond sweet apples. The food pairs beautifully with the drinks, from the now legendary elote fritters made with Indiana corn and cilantro crema to the crispy fried Brussels sprouts flavored with, of course, cider vinaigrette. A thick-cut Cuban and an Italian hoagie with all the meats are great choices among sandwiches. 1301 E. Washington St., 317-600-3164; 525 N. End Dr., Carmel, 317740-1991; ashandelmcider.com $$
Baby’s
BURGERS This playful, family-friendly joint limits its menu to smashburgers, chicken, milkshakes (spiked or not), and cocktails. Housed in a former drag bar, it also has fun with the building’s artsy legacy— the house burger is called a Strut Burger, and all of the cocktail names come straight from the RuPaul meme factory. Sip a Tongue Pop or a Sashay Away as you polish off the last of the Talbott Street Style fries dressed with bacon, cheese sauce, white barbecue sauce, and pickled jalapeño. 2147 N. Talbott St., 317-600-3559, babysindy.com $$
Beholder
BR 2025 CUTTING EDGE Jonathan Brooks patterns himself as a renegade, but the consistent excellence of his restaurant, Beholder, suggests the chef/owner is becoming Indy’s fine dining standard-bearer, not its outsider. Between the urban chic dining room and the two glossy bars (one by the mixologist, the other at the kitchen), there’s a rock-star gloss to the restaurant that makes you feel cool just for showing up. And when you do, the always-changing fixed-price menu is a great place to start, though the a la carte dish list offers intriguing surprises daily. Its awardwinning wine list is calculated to pair with the seasonal food offerings, and its cocktail lineup is witty and strong. 1844 E. 10th St., 317-419-3471, beholderindy.com $$$$
Bluebeard
BR 2025 CONTEMPORARY A fine dining lunch isn’t easy to find in Indy, making Bluebeard a go-to for a power midday meal. Chef Alan Sternberg brings as much attention to his noontime dishes as he does to a daily afternoon snack menu and a seven-days-aweek dinner. Favorites like the house-made chips and dips are always on deck, while entrees, salads, and desserts are switched up based on what’s in season. 653 Virginia Ave., 317-686-1580, bluebeardindy.com $$$$
Bodhi
THAI This family-owned restaurant bills itself first as a “craft cocktail bar,” and for good reason: Its drinks are some of the prettiest in town. Its vaunted menu also shines, with
prettily-plated takes on Thai and pan-Asian classics. 922 Massachusetts Ave., 317-941-6595, bodhi-indy.com $$$$
Borage
BR 2025
ONE-STOP SHOP
Josh Kline and Zoë Taylor’s expansive Speedway spot hits all the craveable notes: One side is all coffee and pastries, while another is a specialty market with fresh food, rare condiments, and gorgeous little things. Its other wing is for brunch, lunch, and dinner, with comfy chairs and table service. It can be a lot to get your head around—especially when you’re trying to figure out what menu to order from—but that’s also part of the fun. 1609 N. Lynhurst Dr., 317-7343958, borageeats.com $$$
The Bosphorus Istanbul Cafe
TURKISH This cozy, colorful cafe in the Holy Rosary neighborhood celebrates the cuisine of the Middle East, Greece, and the Eastern Mediterranean. Silky, tahini-rich hummus is a must, alongside exemplary falafel, creamy eggplant salsa, and borek—buttery phyllo stuffed with feta and parsley. 935 S. East St., 317-974-1770, thebosphoruscafe.com $$$
Bowdie’s Chophouse
STEAK Part of a small collection of upscale steakhouses, Bowdie’s Chophouse in Zionsville stands out for its location on the Graham Rahal motorsports campus. Its glass-walled dining room looks out at a striking collection of rare cars, pairing high-performance eye candy with a menu of prime steaks, from a nicely crusted filet to a massive porterhouse—simply seasoned and served in a pool of butter. Rich sides like a potato pavé–style brick of au gratin potatoes, as well as polished cocktails, complete this luxe dining experience. 10814 Creek Way, Zionsville, 317-680-8230, bowdieschophouse.com $$$$
Cafe Patachou
CAFE The so-called “student union for adults” continues to draw in the morning crowds and has inspired citywide offshoots. The wait for a weekend table can be brutal (but is worth it), as the cinnamon toast remains as thick as a brick, the produce is still locally sourced, the massive omelets continue to have cheeky names, and the broken-yolk sandwiches are a perennial lunch favorite. Multiple locations, 317-222-3538, cafepatachou.com $$
Che Chori
ARGENTINEAN Marcos Perera-Blasco’s colorful restaurant offers a selection of traditional butterflied-sausage sandwiches and warm empanadas filled with seasoned meats. Make sure to pick up the house-made dulce de leche, which is sold by the jar, as well as its churros and specialty Argentinian shortbread cookies. And don’t overlook the cook-at-home sausages, from Spanish-style chorizo to Argentinean black sausage. 3124 W. 16th St., 317-737-2012, chechori.com $$
Cheeky Bastards
BR 2025 BRITISH With crumpets, scones, and a jaw-dropping breakfast fry-up, not to mention afternoon teas and plenty of benedicts and bacon and egg baps, Hope Lane and Robert Carmack’s homage to all things British has long been a daytime destination. In recent years, it’s also evolved into a place for a
Kid friendly Solo dining Cocktails
rib-sticking, mid-evening supper. Golden, lightly fried halloumi with an especially smooth and refined aioli, as well as a house salad with black currant vinaigrette and a less-hefty-than-expected Scotch egg are all reasons to stop in any time to practice your Cockney over a pint. 11210 Fall Creek Rd., 317-288-9739, cbindy.com $$$
Commission Row
BR 2025
UPSCALE This glossy fine dining spot positioned to benefit from crowds headed to or from Gainbridge Fieldhouse makes game nights quite a scene. The baller-level restaurant gilds the lily with caviar service or foie gras and lobster tail for your steak. The wine list is heavy on the bubbles, apt for celebrating a big win at work or play. A three-figure seafood tower is a showy special occasion order. 110 S. Delaware St., 317-550-2500, commissionrow.com $$$$
Corridor
SMALL BITE
ISLAND TIME
Utah-based fastfood restaurant
Mo’ Bettahs plans to open two restaurants in the Indianapolis area this fall. Founded by Hawaii-born brothers Kimo and Kalani Mack, the restaurant serves Hawaiian barbecue favorites including kalua pork, pulehu chicken, macaroni salad, and POG (passion fruit, orange, guava) juice. mobettahs.com
BR 2025 LUNCH At the end of 2024, Erin Kem and Logan McMahan briefly shuttered SoBro favorite Nicole-Taylor’s Pasta + Market + Backroom Eatery, which they had purchased a few years before. After a remodel, they reopened the space as Corridor, a lunchtime restaurant dedicated to the flavors of the Mediterranean, North African, and Arab
worlds. The handmade pasta Nicole-Taylor’s built its fame on remains, as does a tightly edited market of specialty goods. Also intact is the restaurant’s chef’s table, a four-figure group reservation that’s one of the hottest dining tickets in town. 1134 E. 54th St., 317-257-7374, corridorindy.com
$$$
Daisy Bar
AMERICANA Owner Jon Carlos Rangel describes this food and drinks endeavor on the west end of the Factory Arts District as a modern take on the great American diner. It’s open 12 hours a day, seven days a week, offering breakfast options as well as small plates and family-style dining in the evening. Sturdy yet fluffy savory churros come mingled with flaked Verlasso salmon and a cooling, oniony creme fraiche. “Birria” mandu, Korean style dumplings in a bold soy consommé, are filled with ground pork, not the expected beef or lamb. Options for vegetarians include heirloom carrots alchemized into tasty “pastrami.” 1125 Massachusetts Ave., 317-3904002, daisybarindy.com $$
Diavola
PIZZA Pies emerge expertly bubbled and charred from a centerpiece brick oven. Ingredients are simple but top-shelf, with herbs
and produce grown in the owner’s nearby garden. Gluten-free pizzas, made with a house blend of flours, are spectacular. 1134 E. 54th St., 317-820-5100, diavola.net $$
Fernando’s Mexican & Brazilian Cuisine
BR 2025 MEXICAN AND BRAZILIAN This restaurant built a loyal following in Broad Ripple, then in 2025 expanded to Mass Ave, allowing the business—known for sharp, upscale takes on standards—to come into its own. An order of Sinaloa Tacos at the bar remains one of the city’s greatest treats, and the Crawfish Quesadilla is a brilliant marriage of Midwestern and Latin flavors. 834 E. 64th St., 317-377-4779; 888 Massachusetts Ave., 317-7716653; fernandosindy.com $$$
Field Brewing
BREWPUB This Westfield addition to the local craft brewery scene would be dazzling enough for its mod fixtures and bocce ball court that spans the family-friendly outdoor space, but the menu is as daring as it is easy to pair with the house brews. Its event space is simple-chic and full of natural light, available (with reservations) for receptions and birthdays. 303 E. Main St., Westfield, 317-804-9780, fieldbrewing.com $$$
The Fountain Room
SUPPER CLUB This glitzy art deco restaurant is arguably the crown jewel of the Bottleworks area, with enough marble, terrazzo, and chandeliers to outfit Jay Gatsby’s West Egg mansion. Like Fitzgerald’s doomed millionaire, the Fountain Room speaks to the aspirational
stay connected.
crowd with a showy lineup of steaks, seafood, and cocktails, as well as Midwestern stick-toyour-ribs sides. 830 Massachusetts Ave., 463-2383800, thefountainroom.com $$$$
Freeland’s Restaurant
EURO FUSION Tinker Street’s Tom Main says this heritage-based restaurant is his last, making it worth a visit for the farewell tour aspect, alone. But the setting also compels: A massive renovation has turned an 1890s mansion into a glossy place to drink and dine, complete with vintage china and a wildly patterned bar. The oft-changing menu defies easy categorization, with influences from across Europe as well as Indiana’s colonizer class. Desserts are clever and adventurous without being cloying, while a full bar mixes excellent cocktails and pours wines from a well-curated list. 875 Freeland Way, Carmel, 317-4000436, freelandsrestaurant.com $$$
Futuro
PIZZA Fans of this downtown-ish charmer crave Futuro’s thick Detroit-style slabs characterized by a cheesy exoskeleton and sauce spooned over the toppings. Followers quickly learned to make a play for the corners for maximum crispy-crust payoff, though the single-sided squares are hardly a compromise thanks to house-made ingredients, like ground pepperoni and chickenand-ranch fixings. The thinner tavern-style and gluten-free pizzas are just as impressive. 19 Cruse St., 317-360-4725, futuroindy.com $$
Gather 22
317-545-4890; 1411 W. 86th St., 317-790-3406; hisplaceeatery.com $$
The Inferno Room
TIKI The menu at this bar goes well beyond the typical snacks, and its roster of tropically inspired cocktails is truly next level. All the classics are there, as is a long list of inventive original concoctions. 902 Virginia Ave., 317-4262343, theinfernoroom.com $$
Juniper on Main
SUN SPOT
Sun King Brewery opened a twostory taproom at The Union at Grand Junction Plaza, offering familyfriendly dining on the first level with a “casual, highenergy” restaurant concept named Stacked House. The second-floor Upper House Social is reserved for guests 21 and over, focusing on “a more refined, lounge-style dining experience.” 133 S. Union St., Westfield, 833-326-6575, sunkingbrewing.com
BR 2025 BREEZY VIBES Indoor/ outdoor living is the name of the game at Gather 22, which marries co-owner Pablo Gonzalez’s California roots with life and business partner Adam Reinstrom’s Hoosier upbringing. A stylish dining room makes way for a sweeping bar, backed by a huge outdoor (and dog-friendly) area. The menu is equally vibey, with a global menu of dishes backstopped by a list of Byrne’s grilled pizzas (Adam Reinstrom’s parents own that MeridianKessler spot). True to its name, the restaurant was conceived by its owners as a social center for the neighborhood, with public events and gatherings multiple times a month. 22 E. 22nd St., 317-258-2222, gather22.com $$$
His Place Eatery
BR 2025 SOUL FOOD The packed tables at both locations of His Place Eatery tell you everything you need to know about this soul food institution. Married co-owners James and Shawn Jones ensure their business runs like a well-oiled machine, with orders of comfort food standards moving from kitchen to table in lightning speed. That said, you can also taste the care put into every dish; spices and seasonings are calibrated in a way you’ll rarely find in Indianapolis. Smart diners ask their server what they recommend on any given day—with a staff this dialed-in, they’ll always steer you in the right direction. 6916 E. 30th St.,
The
LOWCOUNTRY This Southern coastal charmer’s lunch and dinner menu offers the standard seafood, salads, and boils—then surprises us all with a lineup of tacos that are a lot of fun. High chairs and booster seats are in abundance, and a kids menu moves well beyond the standard grilled cheese and nuggets. 110 E. Main St., Carmel, 317-591-9254, juniperonmain.com $$$
Kanoon Smoked Meat & Steakhouse
MIDDLE EASTERN SMOKEHOUSE
Smoked meats ranging from beef short ribs, to bone-in lamb shoulder, to stuffed chickens are sold by the pound at this house of hearty plates. First-timers should go for a family-style dinner starting with an assortment of cold spreads like thick and garlicky baba ghanoush and vibrant tabbouleh salad. Empanada-like sambousek pastries filled with spiced ground beef are standouts among hot starters. For dessert, a wedge of baklava with a welcome undertone of rosewater and a scoop of vanilla ice cream is the best bet. 8594 E. 116th St., Fishers 317- 567-4021, kanoon-indiana.com $$$
Lawrence
NEW AMERICAN FARMSTEAD Housed in a relocated historic barn, this captivating restaurant near the Purdue University campus specializes in polished-up Hoosier fare, including sweet potato Parker House rolls, beef and noodles with yakisoba and pulled short rib, and a lightly sweet olive oil cake with orangescented whipped cream. 150 McCutcheon Dr., West Lafayette, 765-690-1020, thelawrence restaurant.com $$$
The Loft Restaurant
FINE DINING With its pastoral setting on the grounds of a dairy farm, Traders Point Creamery’s farmstead restaurant (housed in one of several restored historic barns) feels like a working model for farm-to-table dining. Some of the ingredients are grown on-site, and grass-fed Niman Ranch steaks, seasonal fish and seafood, and house-made yeast rolls are always solid choices, as is the burger made with 100-percent grass-fed beef. 9101 Moore Rd., Zionsville, 317-7331700, traderspointcreamery.com $$$
Lone Pine
BR 2025
culinary innovator that promises to take Carmel’s dining scene in a new direction. Beef is sourced from nearby farms, and its dining spaces are dotted with edgy art. Fun starters present vegetables with as much care as their meatier counterparts. 710 S. Rangeline Rd., Carmel, 317-907-0177, lonepinecarmel.com $$$$
Macizo
BR 2025 LATIN If there were an award for the cheeriest eatery by first-time restaurateurs, this Peruvian-Mexican charmer would win hands down. Owners Luz and Omar Gonza have created an atmosphere of bright colors and hip beats that align perfectly with the fruit-forward beer and wine cocktails at the cozy bar. The vibrantly plated food completes the scene: Tiradito, luscious slices of tuna with citrusy leche de tigre, is a must for fresh seafood fans, and Sopa Criolla with beef and a runny egg, along with creamy Pasta Huancaina with hearty lomo saltado sauce are perfect Peruvian comfort foods. 6335 Intech Commons Dr.. 463-202-2853, macizorestaurant.com $$$
Magdalena
BR 2025 NEW ORLEANS This funky New Orleans–inflected bar and bistro from spirits enthusiast and restaurateur Nick Detrich reflects his experience running spots in the Big Easy, with expertly mixed elixirs, including perhaps the best Sazerac in town, and dazzling seafood towers, ultra-fresh oysters from the Alabama Gulf, and a tidy menu of mains with Lowcountry influences. 1127 Shelby St., 317-691-8021, magdalena.bar $$$$
Maialina Italian Kitchen + Bar
ITALIAN Straw-wrapped chianti bottles, wooden cross-back chairs, and family photos give a throwback trattoria feel to this addition to the city’s Italian scene. Meatballs from a family recipe with a solid house marinara are always a good choice. Pastas range from a straightforward toss of rigatoni with sausage and broccoli rabe to a rich, three-meat Bolognese lavished atop gnocchi. 1103 Prospect St., 317-982-7676, maialinaindy.com $$$$
Marrakesh Moroccan Cuisine & Bar
MOROCCAN A refined seasonal menu by Casablanca-born chef Aziz Mountassar honors his roots through aromatic tagines, seafood-rich bisque Atlantique, and spice-driven cocktails. Special earthenware vessels enhance the immersive experience. 4923 N. College Ave., 317-600-3039, marrakesh-indy.com $$$
Natural State Provisions
DOG FRIENDLY A hybrid dive bar, restaurant, and dog park, Natural State is a fun and funky neighborhood spot for wings, sandwiches, and house-made soft serve. A solid mixed crowd of families, hipsters, kids, and pups (which must remain outdoors) makes for a fun and welcoming environment. 414 Dorman St., 317-492-9887, naturalstateprovisions.com $$
Nesso
STEAKHOUSE The first solo effort of Beholder partner and award-winning sommelier Josh Mazanowski is a
ITALIAN Highly stylized seafood and meats paired with small pasta courses and shared a la carte sides add up to a sumptuous dining experience inside The Alexander hotel. Pass around a plate of prosciutto-wrapped prunes or crab arancini, but keep the tortelloni and sea
SMALL BITE
bass all to yourself. 339 S. Delaware St., 317-6437400, nesso-italia.com $$$
Oakleys Bistro
CONTEMPORARY Steven Oakley’s meticulously plated fare hails from a culinary era when sprigs of herbs and puddles of purees provided the flavor, and every single element on the plate served a purpose. The presentations are wild, with menu descriptions giving little more than clues as to what might arrive at the table. Heads-up on anything that appears in quotes, such as a creative “Coq au Vin.” 1464 W. 86th St., 317-824-1231, oakleysbistro.com $$$$
Our Table
CONTEMPORARY Chef and owner Joe Miller focuses on gorgeous, rustic plates of steak, seafood, and Old World lasagna made with fresh pasta and generous layers of beef Bolognese, mozzarella, and creamy ricotta. The brioche sliders (containing buttermilk fried chicken or beef tenderloin with crispy onions and horseradish creme fraiche) are little bites of heaven. 5080 State Rd. 135, Bargersville, 317-847-4920, ourtablerestaurant.com $$$
Petite Chou
FRENCH A little bit of Paris in Indy, this bistro and Champagne bar from the founders of Cafe Patachou offers all the casual French classics you’d like, from Croque Monsieur to crepes. Les enfants get their own lineup, which includes a very grown-up brioche French toast. 823 E. Westfield Blvd., 317-259-0765, petitechoubistro.com $$$
Revery
CONTEMPORARY This Old Greenwood bistro inside an 1800s-era drugstore offers approachable fine dining, with a more casual bar on the historic building’s back end. Small plates have included beets with whipped goat cheese and wasabi, while entrees are seasonal and skew toward seafood, with lobster, halibut, and mussels on recent menus. Whiskey drinks get priority on the cocktail menu, and their old fashioned feels fresh and new. 299 W. Main St., Greenwood, 317-215-4164, reveryrestaurantgroup .com $$$
Rick’s Cafe Boatyard
SEAFOOD You don’t have to be a Parrothead to appreciate the pontoon-life allure of Eagle Creek’s waterside restaurant with its breezy dining room on stilts over the Dandy Trail boat slips. The menu gets creative with all the casual dining tropes, mixing smoked salmon nachos and chicken cordon bleu fingers in with the jumbo shrimp martinis. With a full menu of mules, tropical cocktails, and nonalcoholic concoctions, this is also a great spot for snacks and drinks at sunset. 4050 Dandy Trail, 317-2909300, ricksboatyard.com $$$
Sam’s Square Pie
BR 2025 PIZZA With its limited hours and three-day baking schedule, Jeff Miner’s pizza passion project still feels like an insider score when you can get it. And get it you should, given that the NFL camera operator boasts a second-place ranking at the International Pizza Expo for his painstaking Detroit pie, with a crust that’s deeply browned around the edge yet chewy and pillowy in the middle generously loaded with tangy sauce,
meats, and dollops of ricotta. Takeout is always an option, but eating in the slender dining room dressed with funky outsider art allows Miner’s fans to catch him in his element. 2829 E. 10th St., samssquarepie.com $$$
Serliana
FRENCH-INSPIRED STEAKHOUSE
Located inside the InterContinental hotel on Monument Circle, this posh, French-inspired restaurant with chef Craig Baker at its helm features continental standards with modern, local upgrades such as an Indiana ribeye French dip, brunch biscuits and gravy, and a sorghum-glazed pork chop. 17 W. Market St., 463-303-0380, serlianaindy.com $$$$
Shapiro’s Delicatessen
WHERE THERE’S SMOKE
Louisvillebased Doc Crow’s Southern Smokehouse & Raw Bar is set to add an Indianapolis location in downtown’s Hyatt Place. The kitchen will serve a biscuitfocused breakfast and bar-friendly food for lunch and dinner, including oysters, burgers, and a smokehouse sampler that covers beef brisket, pulled pork, ribs, sausage, and slow-smoked chicken. 130 S. Pennsylvania St., doccrows.com
DELI Slide your tray along and take your pick of East Coast–style comfort foods at this familyowned downtown institution. Hot pastrami and corned beef sandwiches on rye have drawn long lines for more than a century. The Reuben is a contender for the city’s best, and heartier fare such as potato pancakes, stuffed cabbage, and matzo ball soup are perennially satisfying standbys. If you don’t load up on a massive slice of cheesecake or pie, you haven’t really had the proper Shapiro’s experience. 808 S. Meridian St., 317-631-4041, shapiros.com $$
St. Elmo Steak House
BR 2025
CLASSIC In a city so rich in steakhouses, can a familiar favorite like St. Elmo still hold its own? Yes, absolutely—though the restaurant is one of the city’s longeststanding, it’s never taken its foot off the gas. Shrimp cocktails, giant slabs of beef, and martinis remain the stars of the show and are prepared just as excellently now as they were the first time you visited (for a birthday, graduation, or prom, perhaps). It’s been hitting it hard since 1902 and shows no signs of slowing down. If only we could all be as lucky. 127 S. Illinois St., 317-635-0636, stelmos.com $$$$
Strange
Bird
BR 2025 RAMEN Trained in Japan, chef Kyle Humphreys came to Indianapolis to eventually open his Shoyu Shop inside Irvington tiki bar Strange Bird. It’s a glorious pairing, as the thatched and 1970s-leaning interior lends itself equally as well to fun, rum-heavy drinks as it does to big bowls of hand-cut noodles. Broths are layered and umami-laden, while additions like pork belly and scallops are of peerless quality. Many of the dishes are available as vegetarian or vegan preparations, making this a secret gem for the plant-based set. 128 S. Audubon Rd., 317-5504115, strangebirdindy.com $$$
Toast & Thyme
NEW BREAKFAST AND BRUNCH French toast and pancakes embellished with fruit compotes. Avocado toast with all the fixings. Build-your-own omelets. This darling
Brownsburg morning spot caters to early risers with a small but delightful menu and a full roster of coffee and matcha drinks. 773 E. Main St., Brownsburg, 317-939-0236, toastthymebreakfastcafe.com $$
Tinker Street
BR 2025 CONTEMPORARY The Pedro Pascal of Indy, Tinker Street makes excellence look loose and easy, even when your brain tells you its staff must be working as hard as hell. From the sip of bubbles you’re offered when you walk in to the pitch for ricotta doughnuts you get at the end, it’s a breezy dining affair with food of the highest possible caliber. 402 E. 16th St., 317-925-5000, tinkerstreetrestaurant.com $$$$
Vicino
ITALIAN More than filling Mass Ave’s pasta needs, this modern, colorful trattoria from the owners of The Oakmont measures up to some of the best Italian spots anywhere in the city. The menu offers familiar classics, including cacio e pepe, lamb ragu, and panzanella salad. 350 Massachusetts Ave., 317798-2492, vicinoindy.com $$$
Vida
BR 2025 PRIX FIXE Don’t be intimidated by the menu. Though diners are restricted to a six-course tasting affair or a four-course dinner, even within that structure, options abound—there are fully vegetarian menus for both choices, and allergies and dietary restrictions are thoughtfully accommodated. Ingredients are sourced as locally as possible. Its wine list might be Indy’s finest, as the restaurant uses a special Coravin extraction system to open rare and unexpected bottles for a single glass. 601 E. New York St., 317-420-2323, vida-restaurant.com $$$$
Wisanggeni Pawon
BR 2025 INDONESIAN Aji Wisanggeni and Putri Pratiwi’s Indonesian knockout has quickly evolved into a fixture of Indy’s food community. An ever-expanding menu offers spice-forward dishes such as beef rendang simmered in coconut milk or fried duck with rice and nose-clearing homemade sambal, as well as one of the tastiest fried rice plates in the city. 2450 E. 71st St., 317-756-9477, wpawon.com $$
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SMALL BITE
Untitled (Urban Wall)
THE DOWNTOWN MURAL THAT LAUNCHED THE CITY’S PUBLIC ART MOVEMENT IS FADING FROM VIEW, BUT NOT FROM MEMORY.
BY CHRISTINA VERCELLETTO
THE UNTITLED (Urban Wall) was the first publicly commissioned mural in Indianapolis. Shortly after it was created in 1973 by Austrian artist Roland Hobart, art critic Marion Garmel described it as “a complex puzzle of rectangles, pie-shaped wedges, quarter arcs, and S curves in bold but earthy colors.” The massive work at 32 N. Delaware St., now a parking garage, was part of the Indianapolis Urban Walls Project, a region-wide call to artists by the Indianapolis Department of Parks and Recreation to beautify downtown, hoping to attract attention during the era of white suburban flight. The mural was the bellwether of modern, city-supported public art, preceding the Arts Council of Indianapolis by 15 years. It was painted directly onto brick using outdoor mural techniques typical of the era and relying on durable commercial exterior paints. The composition features striking geometric forms in vivid reds, yellows, oranges, and blues arranged in sweeping, wavelike patterns. Today, Untitled (Urban Wall) stands as both a cultural artifact and a testament to the challenges of preserving art exposed to the elements. In the 1970s, it was a splashy visual landmark, but portions have been damaged and painted over, and its once-bright colors are now dull and dingy. These days, it’s easy to overlook. But local advocates are pushing for its restoration and recognition of its place in the city’s artistic history.
Photo by CLAY MAXFIELD
Wherever you are in life,
A Quantum Leap
MIAMI LAUNCHES CUTTING-EDGE QUANTUM COMPUTING PROGRAM
Miami University’s Bachelor of Science in Quantum Computing — developed in collaboration with Cleveland Clinic — is the first program of its kind in Ohio, and the only one in the nation focused on software development and applications of quantum systems. This interdisciplinary degree is designed to revolutionize industries and scientific discovery, addressing the pressing need for skilled professionals to advance sectors such as healthcare, material science, finance, artificial intelligence, and cybersecurity.
Join a new generation of innovators
IBM Quantum System One at Cleveland Clinic Courtesy of Cleveland Clinic
