Going to Indianapolis for the Star Wars convention in April 2005...Need help.

[PhotobearSam]

Hi there..Dh wants to go to Celebration 2005 (Star Wars) conferance in Indianapolis in april 2005.

I need advice on a lot of things,,,


Where to fly from? Halifax? (We live on the east coast of Canada) or should we drive to Bangor Maine?

Where to stay close to the convention centre that won't kill my budget...



What is there to see and do in Indianapolis? What are the things to not miss?

What is the weather like in late April...?

Anything anyone can recommend would be great...Thanks

 

[tlgoblue]

Indy in April is very nice. Check out this website for fun things to do and see. http://www.indydt.com/midnightshop03.html
Accomodations, restaurants, nightlife. It's in there.

Have fun!
tracy

 

[Serena]

Hi

Welcome to Indy. First of all, I have no idea where you should fly from, good luck with that.

I also don't know where you can stay. It depends on your budget, how close you want to be, and where you want to stay. There are several options, but I'm not familiar with any of them.
I know of the Hyatt, the Westin, a couple others. But only by name.

As for what to see and do. That depends on your interests and who's all coming.
For example, the Indy 500 Museum, for race fans, it's a must see. For everyone else, they can skip it.
If you have children, the Children's Museum.
We have a good zoo to visit.

So we need more details.

The weather??? yeah right, lol Indy weather changes faster than you can imagine. It doesn't get really cold here then, but it depends on what you are used to. It can be hot and sunny, or cool and rainy. Sorry I'm not more help on this.

 

[TigrLvsPooh]

There are tons of hotels downtown to choose from. The Westin and Hyatt are very close and have walkways to the convention center. There is also a Courtyard by Marriott that's not too far down the street, and a Fairfield Inn. Omni is also close, also Embassy Suites. The Circle Center Mall is also connected with walkways, so it's nice to be close to everything down there.

 

[PhotobearSam]

Just me and DH...In our early 30's

Thanks for the ideas...Looks good.

We are not race fans but I will have to get a souvie for my brother.

We like siteseeing and I take tons of photos...Does that help...

I'm used to very cold. If this is an indication...We were in WDW before X-mas and we could see our breath one night at Epcot and I was NOT complaining...

I can't wait to visit.

I have already found airfares and prices from Halifax, and Bangor...Either one seems doable.

The biggest budget buster for us is the Hotel...I will look at the ones mentioned. We need inexpensive and clean...CLose is good as long as it is about 15-20 minutes walk.

 

[TigrLvsPooh]

Have you thought about doing priceline? We used it for downtown Indy a couple of times and got the Hyatt for $69. Check out biddingfortravel.com for more info.

 

[Pixie_Dust]

If it is still there, don't miss Connor Prairie farm. It is world class. I always wanted to try their restaurant too, but couldn't get my family to drive all the way across town on Thanksgiving the last time we visited! We did eat at Dodd's Townhouse on that trip and visited the Scottish Rite Cathedral. On previous visits we went to the zoo and the Indianapolis Museum of Art. Remember that Robert Indiana painting on the cover of Love Story? I wonder if it's still there. Next to the museum is historic Crown Hill Cemetery. Say Hi to my Mom there. We stayed by the airport so I can't help you there, although we worked a deal for a king bed suite at Wellesley Inn for $49/night! Amazing! Speaking of cold, snow was dusting across the road, astounding my Georgia hubby, lol. One time I went to that racetrack museum and rode around the track, which was interesting but not quite as fun as WDW's Test Track though

Btw, DH just found a 1977 Star Wars poster today, along with an E-ticket!

 

[powellrj]

we love to stay in downtown Indy and will always use biddingfortravel.com to help find a priceline room, 2 weeks ago we stayed at the Marriott which is connected to the convention center for $45 and it was listed on the web for around $150 per night. You will be right by circle center mall which has lots of shopping and resturants. If you have an extra night out we like to do Beef and Boards Dinner Theater which is north of the downtown area. If you have any question feel free to pm me and I will try to help you! I hope you have a wonderful trip!!

 

[PhotobearSam]

Darn...Us Canadians are not supposed to use priceline but some people on the Canadian board have found a way so I will see if I can too.

What area should we try for to be close to the convention center?

What is the Farm all about...What do they do there? I like anything so we thought of taking an all-day coach tour of the city if that exists...

I'm getting excited now...It's not as great as a trip to WDW but will do in a pinch.

 

[powellrj]

I would try for 3 or 4 * downtown. Even the 2.5* downtown wouldn't be bad. The farm is called Conner Prairie. Its a re- enactment village from the middle 1800. Its located a little north of Indianapolis. I am not sure if they have any kind of bus tours, but they could have one that I don't know about. If you stay at one of the downtown hotels, many things are within walking distance. Circle Center Mall, State Museum, Imax and Conceco Field House are all places you could walk to. The weather that time of year is usually cool (40-60) and sometimes raining. (like today).