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Our writer learns to be a rider as she gets a lesson from one of the Segway staff before taking off on her escorted tour through White River State Park.   Kim Harms  Visitindy.com photo

BY PAT LINDSEY

The next time you’re taking an eastbound trip on I-70 and you’re planning to by-pass Indianapolis, don’t.  Instead, add a day or two to your itinerary and visit Indianapolis for a while. It just might be the most surprising part of your journey.

Before I visited Indianapolis this summer, all I knew about it was that it is the home of Dave Letterman’s pie-baking mom, Dorothy, and the site of the big Indy 500 race each Memorial Day. I also had a preconceived notion that it was an industrial town Rust Belt town.  Was I ever mistaken!  The sections of Indianapolis that we explored were immaculate and modern.

The city planners did an excellent job of rejuvenating the downtown area while preserving history and combining it with modern architecture. They built major attractions within walking distance of each other inside White River State Park and within blocks of the business district, shopping and restaurants. By this winter, most of downtown will be connected with catwalks, so that Indianapolis can continue to be a walking city even in the most inclement weather.

The brand new Marriott Place complex across the street from the park is the official “park inn” and offers rooms or suites at a variety of prices in order to accommodate families on a tight budget, as well as VIPs with deeper pockets.  The complex consists of a Courtyard by Marriott, Fairfield Inn, Springhill Suites, and the soon to open, JW Marriott Tower.

Park Tour on Segway

In two days, we managed to see every museum in the park and the fabulous Indianapolis Zoo, but we also wanted to experience something we wouldn’t do at home.  A Segway tour of White River State Park was just the ticket.  We had reservation for 4 p.m., the last tour of the day, and met our tour guide for our helmet-fitting and brief training session.

I’ll have to admit that I was a little nervous about riding that two-wheeled vehicle for two hours, but it was kicks. By leaning forward, we could make our Segway move up to 10 mph, but slowing down and idling at points of interest was a bigger challenge.

Bob, our guide, led us past the zoo and botanical gardens and through Indiana’s War Memorial National Historic District. The most fun was rolling along the canal that flows through the park and downtown area past rows of beautiful new apartments and condos.

People walking or jogging along the canal seemed to know to stay out of our way, but each time we approached someone, I always hoped they would choose to stay closer to the water’s edge.

Going into the drink with a $5,000 Segway was not on my itinerary. Tour guide Bob said it had happened four times previously and in each instance it was a male who had gone into the water. He said he knows if he ever hears, “Let’s see what this baby can do,” there’s never a good outcome. Cost $45 for 2 hour tour of area. www.segwayofindiana,com

By the end of our tour, we were tired and exhilarated, but it took a few minutes to get our land legs back. After a refreshing shower at the hotel and a spicy Mexican dinner at Adobo, we walked over to the park again for the Moody Blues concert.

The Lawn is the concert venue at White River State Park and the 1-800-QUIT-NOW 2010 concert series will feature nine big acts this summer.

The Moody Blues was the first in the series and five concerts  remain: Honda Civic Tour featuring Paramore with special guests Tegan and Sara on 8/19; Gov’t Mule with Jackie Green 8/20; Crosby, Stills & Nash 8/23; Train with Needtobreathe 8/31; and Jackson Browne with special guest David Lindley 9/21.  The backdrop for the stage is the White River and it was a gorgeous sight on a summer’s night as the sun set on the river and the stage filled with blue smoke and lights while the Moody Blues played their big hit, “Knights in White Satin.”

Even though the orchestra members are too young to remember the British Invasion of the 60s, the principle singers were the originals, and together they took the audience on a sweet trip down Memory Lane. Concert-goers can bring a blanket and sit on the lawn, pay for seats near the stage, or buy VIP seats that are elevated at the back of the amphitheatre, but have the luxury of a bar and/or cocktail servers and deluxe porta-potties. The sound is phenomenal wherever you decide to sit.  When the concert was over, we only had to walk across the street to the Marriott Courtyard, instead of dealing with traffic.

With Indianapolis being less than four hours away over I-270 and I-70 from, the city   a perfect destination for a family vacation, girls’ weekend getaway or a special baby boomer birthday celebration Now, whenever I hear the visitindy.com spots on local radio encouraging St. Louisans to visit Indy, I pay attention.

And next time I plan to visit the world’s famous Children’s Museum, spend more time at the Indiana State Museum and, yes—take another Segway  tour.

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