SMILEY

1.  Monon Trail – INDIANAPOLIS / CARMEL

Everyone has a bike.  Dust it off and get out on the monon trail for a trip into Carmel.  It’s so nice in the afternoon - Go get some pizza at “Bazbeaux Pizza” or a burger at “Bub’s”!

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BAZBEAUX WEBSITE

BUB'S WEBSITE

2.  Brown County – NASHVILLE

Time For a trip to the BC.  I am a big camper guy – love to take the travel trailer to Nashville, IN to the fun camp sites.  There are lots of places to go and during the day, I like to take the short drive into Bloomington, IN.  Sink the Biz at “Nick’s English Hut” and hit an IU game!

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NICK'S WEBSITE

3.  Champps Americana – INDIANAPOLIS Northside

Summertime brings people out to CHAMPS on the north side.  Besides the cold beer and multiple sports games on over 25 screens, they have great live music and even a DJ.  Every Wednesday night, DAVE & RAE play by the water outside.  The people are loose, wild, and free!

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 KJ

1.  Symphony on the Prairie - “Bond, James Bond” – July 25th - 26th

Being a fan of the Bond movies, I can’t wait to hear the ISO perform some of the most famous music from the movies. 

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2.  Poison, Dokken and Sebastian Bach at Verizon Wireless Music Center – August 15

Don’t need nothin’ but a good time and it don’t get better than this!  Enough said.

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3.  Indiana State Fair – August 6th - August 17th

The fair food alone is worth one trip to the fairgrounds.  It’s a tough choice between the Wisconsin Cheese booth or the American Dairy Association’s Dairy Barn.  Plus, the Backstreet Boys are coming on August 10^th which is sure to make this the best fair ever!

WEEDMAN

1.  Valley Branch Retreat – BLOOMINGTON

Every year, in July, my family and I go and rent a Cabin at the Valley Branch Retreat.  They have Hiking Tours, 4 Wheel Tours, Boating, Fishing, and Paintball!  It's a very cheap "retreat" for me.  It's only $5 per person per night to stay in an Air Conditioned Cabin and they have cabins that hold up to 11 people.

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2.  Catholic Festivals or “Beer Bashes”

My favorite thing to do every Summer is the fun Summer festivals at the many Catholic Churches around Indy.  There’s everything you’d find at a fair and more.  Delicious food (walking tacos, corndogs, elephant ears, and more), drinks (including a beer truck at a lot of them), fair rides, bingo, and casino games (my favorite).  Normally, it’s a weekend event, lasting from Thursday to Sunday.

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3.  Rib America – INDIANAPOLIS – August 29th - September 1st

Every Labor Day weekend, Military Park hosts “Rib America”!  This year’s event includes such artists as Peter Frampton, Dennis DeYoung (from STYX), Ted Nugent, and .38 Special.  It’s a great place for good music and has over 10 different BBQ vendors from across the country.  Tickets are only $5.

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2.  Various Indiana Festivals

From April to October, Indiana has a TON of fairs & festivals throughout the state.  Every weekend is filled with fun events that are all less than a 3-hour drive from Indy (many are right here in Central Indiana!).  Loads of entertainment, food, games, rides, kids activities and even the occasional beer garden.  The Fun Company performs at many of these throughout the summer and we often bring our families along to "make it a day."  Many we go to on our own too though just because we enjoy them so much.  Most are in small towns, but then there are huge week-long events in bigger cities like Ft.Wayne too.  Indiana Festival guide magazines are available by calling 800-677-9800 or can be found at local Visitors Bureaus, rest stops, Chambers of Commerce, attractions and area hotels.  You can also visit their website and search for events on a particular date or location. Descriptions on what kinds of things are happening at the festival as well as dates/times are listed in short paragraphs for each festival.

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3.  Jimmy Buffett at Verizon Wireless Music Center – July 29th

An Indianapolis tradition for margaritas, coronas and cheeseburgers! ;)  Not only do I go for the music/fun, but it's like a college reunion because people I hung out with college are always there (and it's the only time I see them every year!) even though we don't even plan it!

PAUL POTEET

1.  BIKING

We spend a lot of time biking in the summer.  There’s a top secret route we’ve devised that gets us into Zionsville, where Eagle Creek Coffee Company serves a delicious drink they call a mocha frappe, but pretty much tastes like a chocolate milkshake to me.  A really good chocolate milkshake.  We also bike up and down the Monon from Carmel to the Rip, and will sometimes stop and eat at Bazbeaux, or Bub’s, or Three Sisters, or La Piedad, or just get an ice tea at the Monon Coffee Company.

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2.  Annual Poteet Family Vacation

Summer always meant some kind of vacation/trip when I was kid, and it’s still a tradition with us.  We just got back from Niagara Falls, and Canada, where my comedy-loving youngest son joined us in taking in a live performance on the Toronto stage of the famous SecondCity.  Over the years we’ve taken our kids to the Grand Canyon, the mountains of Colorado a couple of times, (via a narrow gauge railroad train last year) a cabin in Montana, the Atlantic Ocean, Disney World, King’s Island, the whole nine yards.  Many summers ago, me and Mrs. Poteet hiked up Pikes Peak, and we also have some great Summer memories of white water rafting and horseback riding while on our getaways.

3.  Indiana State Parks

State parks are always a good cheap Summer date.  We really liked the hotel at th Clifty Falls State Park near Madison down by the Ohio River.  Brown County has plenty of trails, and of course nearby Nashville where we usually go at least once a year.  There’s a really cool place in Montgomery County called the Pine Hills Nature Preserve.  It’s got rugged hills and deep gorges carved by two streams.  The pathway over “Devil’s Backbone” is 6 feet wide, with a sheer drop-off on either side.  Good times.  Also, we finally made it the Indiana Dunes, earlier this Summer, when I was in South Bend, running a race.  We should have gone earlier.  Beautiful beach, the biggest bunch of fresh water you’re going to see in these parts and a distant view of Chicago, across Lake Michigan.  We’ll be back.

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BRIAN MOORE

1.  Mama Carolla's Old Italian Restaurant – BROAD RIPPLE

Nestled just off of the Monon Trail in southern Broad Ripple, or as Smiley has deemed it "So-Bro", sits one the crown jewels of Indianapolis - Mama Carolla's.  In my opinion, it's the best Italian restaurant in the city.  In the summer time, you can make an evening out of an adventure there, instead of the everyday boring dinner plans.  Save some gas and get some exercise by driving to 91st or 86th street just off of the Monon Trail.  Get on your bike and ride down to the restaurant at 54th street.  Be sure to make a reservation days in advance.  In the summer, everyone wants to sit outside and enjoy their dinner, and the wait can reach hours.  With the old white-washed brick house look outside and in, it really feels like you dining in a house in Italy.  The outside patio features flowers and other greenery, great summer atmosphere.  Their prices are very reasonable, and their portions are extremely generous.  For those who do not like Italian cuisine, they offer delicious steaks, chops and other entrees.

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2.  Wrigley Field – CHICAGO

Basically, it’s a one-tank trip from Indianapolis. You can buy tickets in advance, or buy some from the sleazy scalpers on the street.  Decent seats will run you around $40-50 per ticket if bought on the street, but the longer you go in the season, the tougher it is to buy them from the ball club.  A few Olde Style's in the sun cost about $5 per pop, but well worth it.  Throw in a dog for $3 and $70 in gas, a day trip to Wrigley will cost around $200, but the local atmosphere is well worth it.

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3.  Newport on the Levee – CINCINNATI/Northern Kentucky

Another one tank trip that is relatively inexpensive as well.  Head down I-74 to "The Queen City" this summer.  Being a big baseball fan, catching a game at Great American Ballpark is probably one of the cheapest tickets around.  You can get good seats for under $20, depending on what team they are playing.  The Reds are not playing well right now, so go see them when they are playing another bad team, and save more.  Tickets during the week, along with hotels, are always cheaper during the week. If you plan on spending the night, make sure to book your hotel on the Kentucky side of the river, in the Covington or Newport district, they are cheaper and they give you a spectacular view of the downtown skyline of Cincinnati.  Before every game, walk down to the Newport on the Levy entertainment area, it's where everybody goes to have some drinks and eat lunch or dinner before, and after, the game.  There is a “Hooters” and numerous other restaurants and bars, right there on the river.  About 90 minutes to one hour before game time, you take a ferry directly across the river that drops you off right in front of the ball park.  The fee is a few bucks for each way.  There is also a bridge in which you can walk across for free.

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