A Visitor's Guide to Indianapolis for the DCI Fan: Part 2
Part 2 of some tips and recommendations to visiting Indy next week - what to do, where to eat, and more!
Hello and welcome to part 2 of A Visitor’s Guide to Indianapolis for the DCI Fan!
If you haven’t read part 1 yet, I strongly recommend you go back and read it first. As a short intro, I’ve been living in the Indianapolis area for close to the past decade and decided to write a guide for people visiting Indy next week for the DCI World Championships. In part 1, we talked about how to get to Indianapolis, how to get around Indianapolis, and where to stay. In this part, we’re going to talk about a lot more of the fun stuff - some tips for attending the shows, what to do while you’re not getting your face blown off by drum corps, and where you should eat. Let’s dive in!
Some info and tips about attending World Championships at Lucas Oil Stadium
Of course the main reason you’ll be visiting Indy is to watch some amazing drum corps performances for one to three days straight. If you’ve never been inside the Mecca of Band, known formally as Lucas Oil Stadium, here’s some tips and what you should expect from the stadium.
Parking at the stadium: the parking lot on stadium property is incredibly limited and half of it is usually devoted to parking for corps vehicles. That being said, they usually sell some parking for around $20 a spot (the lot entrance is on the east side of the stadium on Capitol Ave). The trick is getting there early enough - if you’re arriving midday on Thursday and Friday, you can probably get lucky and can snag a spot. On Saturday - forget about it.
If you can’t park on stadium property, do not fret - there are a number of public lots and garages within reasonable walking distance of the stadium. Expect to pay around $20 for a spot. And like we talked about in part 1, if you’re staying at a downtown hotel, save the money and just walk or Uber. Some other lots worth considering (and I make no promises on their availability):
Gate Ten Event Center at 343 W McCarty Street
327 S Missouri Street
365 S Meridian Street
The garage at Pan Am Plaza, 201 S Capitol Street
Important tip! If you want to see a particular corps perform or the start of the show, give yourself a MINIMUM of 30-40 minutes to arrive near the stadium, find a spot, walk and get into the stadium, and find your seat. The last thing you want to happen is you missing your favorite corps because you didn’t plan your time accordingly.
Once you’re in the stadium, it’s pretty much what you would expect from any other football stadium. You’ll go through security, get your tickets scanned, and if you plan on exiting and reentering later, make sure you get a hand stamp or wrist band. The main entrances are usually the east gates off of Capitol Ave or the north gates off of South St (near the Peyton Manning statue - he’s kind of a big deal here). If your seats are in the 100 or 200 sections, they are accessible from the main concourse on ground level. For the higher sections, you can use any of the escalators at the north plaza or in the west club. All of the corps merchandise booths are typically located on the north plaza near section 152.
Another important tip! Make sure you are aware of the stadium’s policies when it comes to what you can and cannot bring. Like a lot of other venues, Lucas Oil now has a clear bag policy with strict restrictions on what can be brought in. And if you forget, there’s always an announcement stating stadium policies playing on a loop outside the stadium recorded by none other than Dan Potter. Also keep in mind the stadium is air conditioned which is great to keep out of the hot and muggy Indiana summers, but also means it can get chilly inside the stadium; consider bringing a long sleeve shirt or light sweatshirt if you get cold easily.
Food options inside the stadium are the typical concessions that you would expect at most venues - pricey items for mediocre food. If you don’t want to leave the stadium, there’s some serviceable options. But if you have time to run out during one of the lengthier intermissions, there’s a good variety of restaurants close by (we’ll talk about food more in a bit). Keep in mind the lengthier intermissions are typically only on Thursday and Friday. On Saturday, there’s usually only one intermission around 15 minutes long. I definitely recommend eating before going to finals on Saturday night to avoid getting stuck in a long line for concessions and missing a corps.
Otherwise, have fun! Lucas Oil is an awesome venue and DCI knows how to put on a great show. Sound quality in a dome is a whole other debate we could get into that is best saved for another article; but it’s great to have a roof over everyone’s head and not worry about weather threatening the cancellation of finals.
How to spend your time when you’re not at the stadium
If you’re coming for more than one day of the competition and are a drum corps super fan, you’re likely going to be spending nearly every waking moment at Lucas Oil Stadium. But if you want a little more variety in your life and want to see what the rest of Indy has to offer, there’s no shortage of other attractions to check out.
First, let’s talk about lots and rehearsals. One of the most popular activities for DCI fans is to attend their favorite corps’ rehearsals or pre-show warm up at Military Park up the road from the stadium. This year though, circumstances are a bit different - with covid cases and outbreaks happening in multiple corps this summer, a lot of corps have changed in-season protocols to limit members’ exposure to the general public and prevent chances of an outbreak. This includes a number of corps making statements that they are closing their rehearsals and warm up areas to the general public for the remainder of the season. While it is unfortunate that fans will not be able to partake in these activities this year, everyone should do their part in respecting the requests of the corps. And personally…this is definitely a hot take - but I think attending lots is overrated. The walk to and from Military Park is far, especially in the summer heat, and your time could be better spent enjoying the performances of EVERY corps instead of watching a corps warm up that you’re going to see perform 20 minutes later. But I digress.
Another activity that is still happening and is worth checking out is the International Music & Food Festival on Saturday afternoon before finals at Pan Am Plaza downtown. The event features a number of SoundSport and other music ensembles participating in a free to the public festival. It also includes a number of food trucks that set up shop for the afternoon, which is a huge bonus if you’re looking to take care of eating before finals, as I mentioned earlier. For a full list of other activities DCI has planned throughout the week, check out their 2022 day-by-day guide which was just released yesterday.
Beyond the scheduled DCI activities, Indianapolis features your typical tourist attractions, some of which are definitely worth checking out. Within the downtown area, there’s a number of awesome museums that are great spots to kill a few hours. Some of these are:
If you have a car, Newfields (formerly known as the Indianapolis Museum of Art) and the museum at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway are also great attractions and both are only a 20 minute drive from downtown. And if you’re traveling with kids, the Indianapolis Children’s Museum is an absolute must as it is the largest children’s museum in the world.
Of course, no one will judge you if you just want to stay in your hotel and sleep. You’re on vacation after all, you deserve the rest! But if you get bored and have time to kill, there’s no shortage of great attractions in the area.
Where the heck should I eat?
Now for the section that probably everyone is waiting to read about….food. There’s a number of food options in the downtown area close to the stadium but the trickier part can be figuring out which ones to prioritize.
First, a short note about Basey’s. A lot of drum corps alumni and fans (of drinking age) affectionately knew this dive bar as THE hangout spot during World Championships mainly due to its proximity to the stadium. Well if you were a Basey’s regular and haven’t yet heard, I hate to be the bearer of bad news - the bar closed for good during the pandemic. In its place, a new owner bought the space and reopened as Empire Street Bar & Grille with a similar looking menu and vibe. It remains to be seen though if the new place will be as accommodating as Basey’s was, or even if management knows what’s about to hit them next week.
Beyond Basey’s, there are a number of local bars and restaurants a short distance away. Below is a curated list from our GEM team of some of their favorite spots, grouped by location.
Downtown:
St. Elmo’s - world famous fancy steakhouse. Try the shrimp cocktail if you have a strong stomach. Pricer, but a must try at least once in your life. Suggested to schedule reservations in advance.
Harry & Izzy’s - a “lower scale” steakhouse owned by St. Elmo’s and is right down the street. Similar menu but more casual vibe.
Prime 47 - Another popular steakhouse and competitor to St. Elmo’s.
Slippery Noodle - an Indiana staple that holds the title of Indiana’s oldest bar. Casual bar food with live blues music on the weekends.
Kilroy’s - another Indiana staple with much more of a college bar vibe. They first started in Bloomington near Indiana University but their downtown Indy location is just as good. Try the stuffed cheesy breadsticks.
Spaghetti Factory - family friendly mecca of all things pasta
Gallery Pastry Bar - great brunch & dinner
Pier 48 Oyster Bar - popular seafood spot, lobster rolls, oysters, etc
If you are looking for a quick bite, there are also a number of fast food spots near the stadium such as Subway, Arby’s, and White Castle. The food court at Circle Center Mall also has a good variety of options.
Mass Ave is technically downtown, but is a separate strip of bars and restaurants. It’s a bit of a walk from the stadium but there’s also some great spots worth checking out:
Yats - incredible Cajun food, gumbo, etc
Livery - upscale Latin/Hispanic
FortyFive Degrees - sushi & cocktails
The Tap - brewery and casual bar eatery
Nine Irish Brothers - fantastic Irish food
The new Bottleworks district is also a cool spot with a huge food court type area with a number of locally owned walkup eateries
South of Lucas Oil Stadium:
Shapiro’s Delicatessen - Popular deli/”cafeteria” style restaurant for brunch and lunch
Milktooth - another great breakfast spot
Bluebeard - American chic-ish gastropub-ish; small plates and craft cocktails
Of course the lists above are just a small snapshot of the many downtown restaurants. In fact, I could probably write a whole other article or two listing a number more, but I think this list will do for your time in Indy. Hopefully you get a chance to try and enjoy at least one of these restaurants; and if you don’t like a spot, forget that I even recommended it in the first place.
And with that, here’s the end of A Visitor’s Guide to Indianapolis for the DCI Fan! We’ve covered a wide range of topics the past two articles and hopefully I’ve answered a lot of your burning questions about your upcoming trip. Enjoy your time in Indianapolis and at DCI World Championships!
Marching Arts by the Numbers is a current staff writer and stats guru for General Effect Media. He has been involved in the marching arts activity for nearly two decades in a variety of roles. Marching Arts by the Numbers is his newest project with the vision of being the primary source of statistical information for the marching arts community. You can follow more of his work at @band_scores on Twitter.