From a rich cultural heritage to exceptional shopping and dining, Indy has it all! The NAEYC Institute hotels, known as Marriott Place Hotels, are conveniently located in the heart of downtown Indianapolis. Below is some of what Indianapolis has to offer right in walking distance of your hotel! If rain should make an appearance, don’t fret, much of downtown is connected via climate-controlled skywalks. 

Shopping & Entertainment

With more than 100 specialty stores, Circle Centre Mall is downtown Indianapolis' foremost shopping, dining, and entertainment complex. Anchored by Carson Pirie Scott department store, this four level shopping mall also offers a vast array of dining options and a United Artist movie theater. Use the skywalks…they will take you there!

Dining (view restaurant map)

Downtown Indianapolis offers over 200 restaurants and many are within walking distance of the Marriott Place Hotels. Choose from well-known national chains or local restaurants using home-grown ingredients. From Mexican to Italian, seafood to steaks…choose the restaurant that suits your palate best! Also, dine outside and take in the beautiful scenery of the city.

However, if you don’t feel like venturing out, the Marriott Place Hotels also offer a variety of dining options including High Velocity, Osteria Pronto, Tavern on the Plaza, T.G.I. Friday’s, and more.

Museums & Other Attractions (view attractions map)

The Eiteljorg Museum of American Indians and Western Art offers one of the finest collections of Western and Native American art and culture in the United States. The museum’s design is additionally inspired by the land, people, and architecture of the colorful American Southwest.

Next door is the Indiana State Museum, a dynamic gathering place that invites exploration and discovery of art, science, and culture. Made from Indiana materials like limestone, sandstone, steel, brick and glass, the building itself is a marvelous work of art and houses three floors of Core Galleries, which tell the story of Indiana. The museum also houses the state’s first IMAX Theater that delivers 2-D and 3-D films on a six-and-a-half-story screen.

Across the street is home to the Indiana Historical Society. Since 1830, the non-profit society has been the state’s official storyteller, connecting people to the past by collecting, preserving, and sharing the state’s history. The society maintains the nation’s premier research library and archives on the history of Indiana and presents a unique set of visitor experiences called the Indiana Experience.

From Arctic lands to the African plains, a visit to the Indianapolis Zoo is literally a trip around the world! The Zoo is a 64-acre zoological park, aquarium, and botanical garden, providing recreational learning experiences for visitors and instilling a sense of stewardship for the Earth’s plants and animals.