Indiana Landmarks is launching two new downtown Indy tours: the “Mass Ave Walking Tour” and “Landmarks Along the Indianapolis Cultural Trail Biking Tour.”

The two new tours join a robust lineup of excursions offered by Indiana Landmarks from April to September, including walking tours highlighting the Old Northside, Herron-Morton Place, Chatham Arch, and Woodruff Place neighborhoods, as well as Indy’s Notable & Notorious, Decoding Downtown, White River State Park and Monument Circle Historic District tours. Details on all are available at indianalandmarks.org/indianapolis-walking-tours.

Mass Ave Walking Tour

One of downtown Indy’s surging hot spots, Mass Ave has a long history as a commercial and residential hub. Learn about the origins of the street, its renaissance, and its loads of public art on a new walking tour by Indiana Landmarks. The 90-minute tour starts at the Viewfinders Sculpture on the pedestrian island where New York Street, Delaware Street and Mass Ave meet, and it ends at Mass Ave and Bellefontaine Street, near Bottleworks District.

Just a few of the Mass Ave tour highlights you’ll see on the tour:

• Condos where at one time more than 12 million pairs of women’s hosiery were made annually
• Hotbed of the mid-century Indianapolis tamale craze
• Three flatiron buildings
• Places central to how local establishments handled Prohibition
• Historic LGBTQIA+ spaces
• Buildings housing two of the oldest theatres in the city
• A 1930s Art Deco Coca-Cola bottling plant
• Storefronts dating back to the Civil War-era
• Locations housing historically Black barbershops
• Public Art, including murals of Mari Evans, Etheridge Knight and Kurt Vonnegut

WHEN:

Sat., June 28 at 9:30 a.m. and 10:30 a.m.

Sat., July 12 at 1:30 p.m.

Wed., July 23 at 6:30 p.m.

Sat., Aug. 9 at 1:30 p.m.

Wed., Aug. 13 at 6:30 p.m.

Wed., Sept. 10 at 6:30 p.m.

Sat., Sept. 13 at 1:30 p.m.

WHERE: Starts at the Viewfinders Sculpture on the pedestrian crossing island where New York Street, Delaware Street and Mass Ave meet (301 N. Delaware St., Indianapolis)

COST:

$20/General Public (Ages 12 & up)

$17/Indiana Landmarks Member

$15/Child (Ages 6-11)

Free/Child (Ages 5 & under)

RSVP: indianalandmarks.org/mass-ave-walking-tour or 317-639-4534

 

Landmarks Along the Indianapolis Cultural Trail Bike Tour

Explore the history of downtown Indianapolis on a guided bike tour featuring the Indianapolis Cultural Trail: A Legacy of Gene and Marilyn Glick and its surrounding landmarks. Opened in 2013, the trail now covers ten miles and connects six cultural and historic districts including Indiana Avenue, White River State Park and The Canal, Fountain Square, Mass Ave, Market East, and the Wholesale District.

During a 5-mile ride, tourgoers will make use of the trail’s main loop, stopping along the way for Indiana Landmarks guides to point out interesting architectural details and share tales of preservation and revitalization, including how the Indianapolis Cultural Trail serves as an asset to the city and its place in Indianapolis’s biking history.

Participants will ride Pacers Bikeshare e-bikes on the tour and cover approximately five miles over the course of 2 to 2.5 hours. The tour will maintain a leisurely pace and include minimal incline and street crossings. Participants must be competent bike operators and are encouraged to wear a helmet.

WHEN:

Sat., June 21 at 10 a.m.

Sat., June 19 at 10 a.m.

Sat., Aug. 16 at 10 a.m.

Sat., Sept. 20 at 10 a.m.

Sat., Oct. 18 at 10 a.m.

WHERE: Starts at Indianapolis Cultural Trail Headquarters, 132 W. Walnut St., Indianapolis

COST:

$45/General Public (Ages 16 & up)

$40/Indiana Landmarks Member (Ages 16 & up)

Pricing includes the use of a Pacers Bikeshare Bike for the duration of the tour (which may be used with e-bike assist on or off). Adaptive bikes available by request.

RSVP: indianalandmarks.org/indy-cultural-trail-bike-tour or 317-639-4534

# # #

Indiana Landmarks revitalizes communities, strengthens connections to our diverse heritage, and saves meaningful places. With nine offices located throughout the state, Indiana Landmarks helps people rescue endangered landmarks and restore historic neighborhoods and downtowns. People who join Indiana Landmarks receive its bimonthly magazine, Indiana Preservation. For more information on the not-for-profit organization, call 317-639-4534, 800-450-4534, or visit www.indianalandmarks.org.

MEDIA CONTACTS:

Mindi Woolman, Director of Marketing and Communications, Indiana Landmarks, 317-639-4534, mwoolman@indianalandmarks.org

Kasey Zronek, Director of Volunteers and Heritage Experiences, Indiana Landmarks, 317-639-4534, kzronek@indianalandmarks.org