I haven’t lived there since I was 4, but grew up in Indiana and went to Indianapolis regularly to visit relatives or just have fun. It’s like a lot of other big cities, with nicer areas and not-so-nice areas. The winters aren’t as extreme as in other places, but you’d still have a decent amount of snow to look forward to.
The museums and restaurants are great, and there’s no lack of shopping. We used to go to Union Station, which was an old train station that was converted into a shopping center. I guess they’ve closed it down which was sad, because it was one of the stops my grandfather made when he was a train conductor and opened a new mall in the same area. Anyway, the Children’s Museum is absolutely amazing even for adults. We took our kids last time we were in Indy, and I think my husband and I had more fun than they did.
While it isn’t that far to other cities like Chicago, there isn’t a whole lot else around. You drive through a lot of flat corn and soybean fields to get anywhere. If you’re up for a road trip, you can visit Brown County in southern Indiana. I don’t think Mammoth Caves is too far off either.