Indianapolis Travel Guide: Stay, Explore & Experience Indy Like a Local

Use this Indianapolis travel guide to explore Indy’s neighborhoods, attractions, and everyday favorites while planning a comfortable extended stay.

Planning a trip to Indianapolis, Indiana? Whether you're coming to Indy for a corporate assignment, relocation, sporting event, extended business trip, family visit, or simply a few days away, Indianapolis offers far more than you might expect.

Known as the Crossroads of America, Indianapolis combines the convenience of a major city with the welcoming atmosphere of the Midwest. From legendary motorsports and professional sports to local restaurants, distinctive neighborhoods, museums, trails, and hidden gems, there is always something new to discover.

And when you're staying for more than a few nights, having a comfortable place to call home can completely change the experience.

Stay in Indianapolis with CQUSA

Since 1998, CQUSA – Corporate Quarters USA / Stay CQUSA has provided furnished housing for travelers who need more than a traditional hotel room.

Our Indianapolis accommodations are designed to give business travelers, relocating employees, families, and extended-stay guests the comfort and convenience of a real home while they're away from their own.

Depending on the property, guests can enjoy the advantages of apartment living, including:

• Fully furnished living spaces
• Equipped kitchens
• Separate bedrooms and living areas
• More privacy and room to relax
• Convenient locations for work and everyday life
• Flexible solutions for temporary and extended stays

Instead of spending weeks or months living out of a suitcase in a hotel room, Stay CQUSA and experience Indianapolis from a place that feels like home.

Start Your Adventure in Downtown Indianapolis

Downtown Indy is an excellent starting point for exploring the city.

At its center is Monument Circle, one of Indianapolis' most recognizable landmarks. From here, you'll find restaurants, entertainment, sporting venues and cultural attractions within easy reach.

One of the best ways to discover the city is along the Indianapolis Cultural Trail, which connects downtown with some of Indy's most interesting neighborhoods and districts.

Walk it, bike it, stop for lunch along the way, and experience Indianapolis at a slower pace.

Experience the Indianapolis Motor Speedway

Indianapolis and motorsports are inseparable.

The legendary Indianapolis Motor Speedway is home to the Indianapolis 500 and has helped make the city famous around the world.

Race weekend is an experience unlike anything else, but you don't have to visit during the Indy 500 to appreciate the city's racing heritage. Motorsports fans should make the Speedway area part of their Indianapolis itinerary.

Spend a Day at White River State Park

Need a little outdoor time without leaving downtown?

White River State Park offers green space and riverfront scenery surrounded by some of Indianapolis' best-known cultural and family attractions.

It's a great place for a morning walk, an afternoon exploring, or simply enjoying some fresh air between meetings and appointments.

Discover Mass Ave

If you want to experience the personality of Indianapolis, spend some time exploring Massachusetts Avenue—better known as Mass Ave.

This lively district is filled with restaurants, independent businesses, entertainment, nightlife, and plenty of local character.

It's an excellent choice for dinner followed by an evening stroll and gives visitors a chance to see another side of downtown Indianapolis.

Find Something Different in Fountain Square

For a more eclectic Indianapolis experience, head to Fountain Square.

Known for its arts, music, restaurants, vintage atmosphere, and independent businesses, the neighborhood has a personality all its own.

It's exactly the type of place we recommend exploring when you have enough time in Indianapolis to move beyond the traditional visitor itinerary.

Indianapolis Is a Sports City

Sports are a major part of life in Indy.

Catch the Indianapolis Colts during football season, experience Indiana's famous basketball culture, or check the calendar for one of the many tournaments and sporting events hosted throughout the city.

Indianapolis has built a reputation as a city that knows how to welcome sports fans—and major events can transform downtown into one enormous celebration.

Eat Your Way Around Indy

One of the best parts of an extended stay is having enough time to discover where the locals actually eat.

Indianapolis offers everything from classic steakhouses and casual neighborhood restaurants to international cuisine, breweries, bakeries, cafés, and contemporary chef-driven dining.

Our suggestion?

Don't limit yourself to the restaurants closest to the major tourist attractions. Explore the neighborhoods surrounding your CQUSA apartment and look for the places filled with locals. Sometimes the small restaurant you almost drive past becomes the meal you remember most.

Make Time for the Hidden Gems

The advantage of staying in Indianapolis for several weeks—or even several months—is that you don't have to experience everything like a tourist.

Take a different route home.

Try the neighborhood coffee shop.

Visit a farmers market.

Explore a local park.

Find an independent restaurant you won't see advertised everywhere.

Ask people who live here where they go.

Those everyday discoveries are often what turn a temporary assignment into a memorable experience.

Why Choose a Furnished Apartment Instead of a Hotel?

For a short overnight visit, a hotel can make perfect sense.

For an extended stay, the experience is different.

After a long day at work, relocating your family, attending training, completing a project, or dealing with an unexpected temporary housing situation, having your own living room, kitchen, bedroom, and space to unwind can make an enormous difference.

A furnished apartment gives you the opportunity to maintain more of your normal routine.

Cook dinner instead of eating out every night. Relax on the sofa. Keep groceries in your own kitchen. Have space to work and space to switch off when the workday is finished.

It's not simply somewhere to sleep.

It's somewhere to live.

Business Travel, Relocation & Extended Stays in Indianapolis

Indianapolis welcomes professionals from countless industries, and CQUSA provides temporary housing solutions for a wide variety of circumstances, including:

• Corporate assignments
• Employee relocations
• Project teams
• Training programs
• Government and military travel
• Insurance and displacement housing
• Medical and healthcare assignments
• Families between homes
• Extended business travel

Every guest has a different reason for being away from home. Our goal is to make the housing part of the experience easier.

Stay Longer. Live Better. Discover Indianapolis.

Indianapolis deserves to be explored beyond the hotel lobby.

Experience its neighborhoods. Find your favorite restaurant. Walk the trails. Catch a game. Discover the places the locals love.

And at the end of the day, come back to somewhere that feels like your own.

CQUSA – Corporate Quarters USA / Stay CQUSA

Providing furnished housing solutions since 1998.

Traveling to Indianapolis? Stay CQUSA and make yourself at home.

Plan your outings with the official Indianapolis Cultural Trail, Indianapolis Motor Speedway, and White River State Park websites for current visitor information.

Planning an Indianapolis stay? Email reservations@staycqusa.com or call 866-633-6169 to ask about current furnished-housing options. Availability and features vary by property.

More travel planning: explore our travel credit card guide.