What to do in Indianapolis for a day in mid-July?

[commasense]

@Maserschmidt

If you like racing, it looks like you’re about 5 miles away from the Indianapolis Motor Speedway museum. If you don’t like racing, but you do like thrills, you could still go there and drop $500 for them to drive you around the track a couple of times at high speed.… i’ve done the low speed version, and it was kind of fun.

@Broomstick

no need to drop hundreds at the track for the “high speed” tour.

STRONGLY DISAGREE! If you are a race fan, and if you can afford it, and if their schedule lines up with yours, riding in the IndyCar two-seater is definitely a peak experience you will never forget. Here’s what I wrote about it five years ago:

@commasense

[I’ve done] two Indy Racing Experiences at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway: one where you drive an Indy car with a detuned engine that can go about 120 mph tops, and the other in a full-powered two-seater where a pro driver takes you at around 180+. Driving (or riding in) a real race car is great fun and gives you a hint of what pro race drivers have to be able to do. Although driving the detuned car was fun, and being able to say you actually drove a race car around the Indianapolis Motor Speedway is pretty cool, I’ve gone faster in my own car (on track, of course).

But riding in the two-seater was AMAZING! My driver was Davey Hamilton, who ran the 500 eleven times, finishing 4th in 1998. Even though the pros go 40+ mph faster in races, at “only” 180 mph the G-forces in the turns are incredible! The aero downforce gives the car a grip in the corners you just can’t believe. It was light years beyond anything I’ve experienced in any of my other track driving! Unfortunately, it was only two laps, less than two minutes! But probably one of the most memorable things I’ve done in a car.

The main problem may be scheduling. Looking at the site, it looks like most dates in July for the oval are sold out, although there were some slots for the road course.

But if you can’t, or don’t want to, do a driving experience, I agree that the museum and tour are interesting, although I’m a long-time open-wheel fan, and not a NASCAR fan.

The Indiana State Museum is not far from downtown, IIRC, and has an IMAX theater and a lot of exhibits about the history and natural history of the state. If you’re interested in those subjects it might be worth a visit. I don’t remember any real “wow!” moments from my visit, but take a look at the website; I might be doing them an injustice.