Things to Do in Fountain Square

Fountain Square Brewing Company taproom

The converted auto garage on Virginia Avenue pours house-made cream ales under strung lights, with the sweet tang of mash still hanging in the air from the brewing tanks behind the bar. Locals bring board games on weeknights, and the bartender might slide you a tiny taster of whatever experimental IPA they're tinkering with.

Thursday night farmers market on the plaza

From May through October the fountain plaza fills with folding tables loaded with heirloom tomatoes that smell like summer, while a three-piece brass band noodles under the linden trees. Kids chase bubbles past the tamale stand, and you can taste free samples of honey that still hold hints of clover from nearby farms.

Action Duckpin Bowl

The 1928 alley still uses original pin-setters that clatter like typewriters, and the smaller balls fit kids' hands well. Wood lanes gleam under low amber bulbs, and the snack bar fries mini corn dogs that arrive almost too hot to hold, sending up curls of savory steam.

ComedySportz Indianapolis shows

The brick-walled theater on Prospect Street rattles with laughter most nights, when two teams race the clock to turn audience shout-outs into scenes. Popcorn arrives in plastic buckets slick with butter, and the front-row seats get you close enough to hear the players' quick breathing between punchlines.

Indianapolis Art Center galleries

Inside the old RCA factory, hallways echo with the hiss of glass torches as artists bend neon tubes. You can wander open studios on First Fridays, smelling hot metal from the jewelry co-op and hearing the low hum of pottery wheels behind half-shut doors.

The Murphy Art Center lofts - sun-flooded studios with polished concrete, right above the music venue

Virginia Avenue vintage brick apartments on Airbnb, usually half the price of downtown hotels

Fletcher Place guesthouse on Lord Street, walkable to both Fountain Square and the hospital cafés

Bates-style motor lodge on the south edge - retro wallpaper but clean, and the neon sign still buzzes

Downtown boutique hotels along the Cultural Trail - ten-minute scooter ride to the fountain

Old Southside B&B in a restored 1890 home, creaky floors and a porch swing that faces the city skyline