I often have people walk by the table and look at the cover of the book and say, "Oh, there's not 100 things to do in Indianapolis." There are things to do. You just have to be more deliberate about making those plans. There's some super cool history. All the moments where things had to go right to [music] get to where we are today. Want to make it a better place to live and work.
The enthusiasm that people have for the city is something [music] that is really special to me. Everyone should know about that's just essential to Indiana heritage. What do you think that would be? From South Bend to Evansville and everywhere in between, this is Get In, the show focused on the Who's Your State and the incredible stories happening here today. I'm Nate Spangle, founder of Get Indiana, and I will be your host for today's conversation. Mark your calendars for Wednesday, November 11th at 6:30 to be downtown with me cuz I'm going to the IU Indie men's basketball game inside the brand new James T.
Morris Arena. The IU Indie Jaguars are calling the gym their new home. It's named after Jim Morris, who was a national leader of our city, state, and a huge supporter of our sports teams. The state-of-the-art facility is the newest venue downtown to check out and will seat 4,000 people across the street from Military Park. We're packing the house for a massive 500 festival and military appreciation game as IU Indie takes on Southern Indiana on Veterans Day. I'm actually mceing the [music] game and want to see you there packing the gym for what should be a third straight sellout.
[music] Come see me, see the arena, and most importantly, see the high-flying IU indie men's basketball team November 11th. Get your tickets at iUndyjacks. com/tick and use code [music] spangle410 at checkout. And let's go Jags. My guest today is Ashley Petry and she's an Indianapolis author and historian whose passion for the Circle City has turned into a career telling the stories that make Indiana special. Through books like 100 Things to Do in Indianapolis Before You Die, Secret Indianapolis, and Indianapolis and Illustrated Timeline, she's helped thousands of people discover both the iconic landmarks and hidden gems that even lifelong hooers often overlook.
I'm really excited to dive into the story today and learn all about how you became a published author, highlighting the city that I live in, the city that I love, and dive into some of the crazy cool things people can do in Indianapolis. Ashley, welcome to the show. Thank you so much for having me. Holy cow. I mean, this is like uh the ultimate thing if you're a content creator or just an adventurer, having 100 things to do in the city of Indianapolis. I mean, it it could literally set you up for like 3 years of weekend activities.
Uh, so awesome. I have to know, how long have you been an Indianapolis resident? My whole life. Really? Yeah. I've lived in uh some of the suburbs like Zansville, Greenfield, but um and Broadripple and now in Lawrence.
A little bit of everywhere, but always Indianapolis area. Yeah. I love that. So, how did the opportunity to come around and become an author of not only 100 Things to Do in Indianapolis before you die, but what Secret Indianapolis and I mean one that's all about what the timeline the illustrated timeline of Indianapolis. How did you become an author? So, I started my career as a freelance journalist.
So, I did a lot of uh travel writing and arts writing and things like that. And I started to focus on the Midwest because that was, you know, where I could get access to go visit places and things like that. And more and more I started to focus on Indianapolis specifically because that was the place I knew best. So, um, I did that for 10 years. And then, um, I was actually approached by my publisher to write the first edition of 100 Things because, uh, I had a reputation for writing about Indianapolis and they asked me to do it and I was delighted. Yeah.
So, when you're writing a book, Okay. So, was this one the first one you did? The first edition? The first edition was the first one. Yeah, that was 10 years ago. Wow, that is so awesome.
I mean, 10 years ago, you're talking about 2016. That's like before the rise of like the Instagram influencer and like the whole the whole thing that way. Uh, how do you start? So, they approach you and they say, "Okay, we want we would love for you to write uh 100 things to do in Indianapolis before you die, which I'm sure there is like 100 things to do in every city in America before you die, right?" Uh, so it's like they definitely I'm sure they had like a template, but it's up to you to fill the content, right? So, where do you start when writing a book like this?
Yeah, the only real template is that there are different categories of things like history and culture and food and drink and things like that. But within those categories, I can do whatever I want. So, I got to choose, you know, ob the obvious things like St. Elmo Steakhouse and in those sorts of things in the food category, but also some of the more hidden gems as well because I didn't want it to be just the obvious stuff. Yeah. What So, do you start with just a list?
You're like, "Okay, uh, how many different categories are there?" Five. So, five. So, basically 20 and five categories. Uh, yeah. They're not divided evenly in the 2020 way, but yes.
Oh, okay. Okay. So, we have food and drink. Mhm. We have music and entertainment, sports and recreation, uh, culture and history, shopping and fashion. Yes.
Wow. And then you have even itineraries in here. That's crazy. Cool. So, okay, take me through where do you start? So, you get the idea, you know, the five topics.
Do you start building a list? Uh, because I mean, obviously, if you're going to go and research or go and do a lot of these things, that's going to take a long, long time. Well, I had the advantage of having uh that experience of writing about Indianapolis as a freelance journalist. So, there were a lot of places I'd already been uh because I'd lived here my whole life or because I'd written about them in the past. So, I was able to start from there and then sort of fill in because there are always places when you live in a city that you've meant to go for the longest time but never actually gone to. Jazz Kitchen for the longest time.
That was one for me. It's in South Broadripple. Uh I was like, "Oh, I want to go. I want to go." And I finally went and it was incredible. But there's there's all these places that everyone talks about and you almost start to like talk about it like you know about it because you've heard about it so much but you've never actually gone.
Country Kitchen was another one down on College A. Great. Oh well I saw Shaquille O'Neal says this was his favorite food in Indiana and I was like I I find that was the Domino that got me to go and it was heavenly. It's so so good. Country Kitchen's in the book actually. Oh there we go.
Okay. So you you obviously have been doing this for a long time, so you probably come with a list of of a decent amount, but getting to a hundred in five different categories is pretty challenging. What was the easiest category to fill up and what one took the most effort? Well, food was the easiest because, you know, I eat out a lot and um we have a lot of great restaurants, so that was easy. Um the sports and recreation was a bit more difficult for me personally because I'm not a big sports fan. Sorry.
Um that's fine. Well, and it's like, you know, the easy thing is, you know, Lucas Oro Stadium or Gainbridge Fieldhouse or Victory Field. Like that's But some of these ones that you have in here, like, uh, go battling at Eagle Creek Park or get some aerial exercise at Circ. Yes. Circ Indie, which I don't even know what that is. Um, it's like circus meets exercise.
Oh, that's so cool. Yeah. Like those are all pretty interesting. Um, Circle City Curling Club. No way. Yes, curling gets a lot of attention during the Winter Olympics every four years, but you can check it out anytime here in Indianapolis with the Circle City Curling Club.
Wow. I have actually I did that lesson in order to research that uh particular entry. And yeah, it was it was fun. I fell a lot on the ice, but it was still fun. I mean, going curling would be crazy. Yeah, there are some really really good one uh uh good ones on here that are not just like your traditional Indianapolis Motor Speed, which I love.
Like, by the way, go to Indie 11 game, go to a you know, go to the race, go to all those things, but some of the interesting ones here that are are non-traditional I think is so so cool. Well, thanks. Wow. So, when putting this together, like how do you start to whittle away some of the restaurants? How do you decide what goes in the book? I try to find a way to include everything that deserves to be included.
So maybe it's not one of the hundred things, but maybe it's in a sidebar or, you know, maybe it just gets a brief mention. I try to make sure everything gets a little bit of attention. Um, I had the benefit when I was working on the first edition of this book of knowing that there was another book coming, which was Secret Indianapolis. So that's more off the beaten path kinds of experiences. So I whenever there was something that just didn't fit in the book, I said that's okay. I can put it in secret.
It'll make sense there. So, I was able to have sort of an overlap there. Wow. And now you're on your third edition. So, is and everything has been roughly 70% new material in each one of them. That's right.
Is there anything that's made it through all three? Um, of course, like Somo and The Race and the Children's Museum, you know, those are always going to be in there. Yeah. Um, but for example, the second edition came out right before CO and so this is the first update since co and we lost a lot of, you know, restaurants and places like that during that time. So, is there anything that that was in your first or second edition that's no longer still around today that you really really miss? I really miss Black Market down on the end of Massav.
Um, it was a great restaurant and it's where Bod is now, which is also a great restaurant. Um, but I I really miss that one in particular. Yeah, that is a good one. Okay. Wow. So, through years of experience writing, traveling, doing all of it, you've you've clearly seen a ton of Indianapolis.
What do you think makes Indianapolis, Indiana so special? One of the books that I my most recent book is called Remarkable Women of Indianapolis. And one of the things that I noticed as I was writing that book was how much people here really care about the city and really want to make it a better place to live and work and, you know, improve the art scene and transportation and all that sort of thing. Um, so I think just the hope and the enthusiasm that people have for the city is something that is uh really special to me. Wow. Wait, what?
Okay, so what's the newest book that you've worked on? It's called Remarkable Women of Indianapolis. Oh, I mean, no better time to talk about The Remarkable Women of Indianapolis. Who are a few of the the flagship women that you're covering in that book? Well, of course, you know, Madam Walker is in there. Uh May Wright Su who helped to um found the uh not the children's museum, the art museum.
Um uh but I also wanted to focus on lesserk known women as well. So, um, for example, there was a woman named Eliza Blaker in, uh, the late 1800s, early 1900s who founded a city-wide program for underprivileged children, uh, in terms of kindergarten programs. And thousands and thousands of children were served by this kindergarten program over decades. It lasted all the way up until Indianapolis started offering uh, kindergarten in its public school system. No way. What was your name?
Eliza Blaker. That's so so cool. Yeah. Okay. So, what does the total now bring to you? How many books have you published about Indie?
Uh, well, it depends on whether you count the uh 100 things separate editions as separate books. I'm going to count them as separate books. Okay, then seven. Seven. Okay. So, you have three editions of that.
You have Secret. You have the timeline. You have Women. Mhm. And the other one is Amazing Indianapolis, which is like a historical fun facts collection. Oh, wow.
How are you learning all these places and all of these people and all these things? I own every history of the city that's ever been written pretty much the very huge dusty old ones. Um some of the more recent ones and I read them all. Um and can we talk through the history? How did how did Indianapolis get it start? Sure.
So uh basically we were we originally had our capital down in Cordan but the state legislators and Oh, go ahead. which is a a crazy fun fact cuz some people are like Vincens's is the real first capital of Indiana and it's like that's the Indiana territory which is different than the state of Indiana when it was the state of Indiana it was started down right on near the river uh in Cordon uh which is like right by the Oanon wood state forest which is so beautiful because that's where the population was at the time because the Ohio River was how people were getting to the state uh there was no road there was no railway So that was sort of the superighway of the time. Um but when Indiana was formed, the legislators thought ahead for once and they said, you know what, we really want the capital to be equally accessible to everyone who who is a citizen of Indiana. And so they decided they would put the capital in the middle of the state.
Uh so the surveyors came in 1820. They looked at a couple of different locations. They picked this location because they thought the White River was navigable. They thought we would be a bustling riverport, basically. Um they were wrong about that. The White River is not navigable uh for larger ships, but um that's why they picked this location.
I feel like I remember hearing the story like uh the final straw was like a paddle boat or something got beed trying to come down the White River. That's right. It was the uh General Hannah uh and it uh so it came to Indianapolis one day and there was a huge hoopla about look a paddle boat made it up here and then the boat said okay we'll give little recreational trips around the area uh just you know to get people excited about boats being able to be here and then yeah it beached and uh and then it got stuck on a sandbank for like 6 weeks and then it went away and never came back. No way. Okay. And then that's when they realized, uh-oh.
And and this is when they built uh the governor's circle, right? Like right where Monument Circle is today, it there's no monument and it was supposed to be where the governor's cabin or house would be, right? That was the original intention when um Alexander Rston laid out the city um which is also you talking about Rston Avenue. You talk about like the bar I think on Massav called Rston's like like it's crazy when you start to get into it that all of these names that you see all over the Walker Theater like all these things have a purpose have a story behind they're it's not just Rston Avenue or whatever Rston Street Avenue one of the two R it's not just that because of the heck of it uh this is the original city planner right um yeah and so he laid out a mile square which is what we now call the mile square with northeast, south, and west streets surrounding it. Um, and he put the governor's circle right in the middle.
And yeah, that was supposed to be where the governor's home was. But the issue was that there was uh there was no kitchen in the house. There was no it was not a very functional house that they built and the governor's wife refused to live there partly because she didn't have a backyard to hang her laundry on and she didn't want everyone to see her underwear. I mean, can you blame her? No. Like, I don't think I I wouldn't want that either.
It's like, come on. You don't want people looking at your dirty laundry. Wow. Okay. So then fast forward, I feel like the thing that that really saves Indianapolis uh because we Okay, this is um this is some deep history, right? We go all in on the canal system.
Yes. Right. Like we we put all the state of Indiana puts all of their chips in the central Erie Canal. And so trying to connect from Lake Erie up through northern Indiana. Uh this is down to where this is not the canal downtown. This is the like Butler area over here canal with the toe path next to it if I if I'm right like Broadripple like where it swings over here.
That's right. Uh the issue was that they decided they would build canals and railroads and regular roads all at the same time. Uh and in in every part of the state because that's how they managed to get the bill passed. But that meant that they were trying to do all this at once and they were competing with each other for labor and materials and then there was an economic downturn and the state essentially went bankrupt. literally like uh I mean it's largely like summarized as the canal project that I think was supposed to be like hundreds of miles and it ended up being like seven, right? Or like 10.
I don't know what the exact number is. Right. They built the Indianapolis portion first because they wanted to show the legislators that they were making progress on the project. Um but that's why it kind of doesn't really connect to anything. No. Right.
It's like I don't think it goes past like where it enters over here in Broadripple. Uh there's like other portions where there were canals in the state, but largely like very displaced and and not connected and that was supposed to be our our big like, hey, this is how we're going to make it navigable. Didn't work there. But the savior ends up being the railroad if I'm not mistaken. That's absolutely right. I believe it was 1847.
Uh I could be slightly wrong about that date, but yeah, the railroad showed up and that really transformed everything. It gave us access to travel. It gave us access to send our agricultural products out into the world. So, we were able to charge a lot more for them. So, it really boosted the economy here in the city almost immediately. Yeah.
And like like it does seem like we go bankrupt. It's just like our river after a lot of misfortune. I would say um the railroad ends up Yeah. uniting us to the rest of the country. And I think a lot of people don't know, uh, Indiana as a railroad hub was super innovative. Yeah.
The first ever Union Station across the country was right here in Indianapolis. That's right. And this is like old hat for a lot of people. Like, Union Station, what do you mean? So, how it used to go is every railroad was owned by a different company, right? And um, and [clears throat] each one had its own station.
So if you were connecting in Indianapolis from one train to another, you might have to run all the way across the city to the next train because the two stations were owned by different companies and were in different places. Yeah. They would talk about having to like charter a wagon or a trailer or something to like get your stuff from one spot to another train. And they said, "No, we can all work together." And they built it all in one spot. Right.
It was the Union Depot at first and then uh the one we know was built in 1888. Wow. That is so cool. We've always been collaborative here in the city of Indianapolis. Um, and then fast forward, things keep going on and uh I feel like the next big milestone everyone talks about is uh the the test track out on the western portion of the state. Unless there's another piece that I'm missing in there.
No, that's Yeah, they like early 1900s. They built the test track in 1909. Um partly because well, mostly because we had a huge auto industry here at that time and they wanted to uh have a place to test the new vehicles that they were creating. Um, they didn't actually think about the race until 1911 was when they did the first race. Well, and and okay, this is an interesting piece, too, when you talk about this. Uh, Indianapolis rivaled Detroit in all things automotive.
That's right. And ours were more almost like luxury. What's that one brand called? Uh, Duesenberg. Yes. Or Cord.
Yes. Also, I feel like the was it maybe there there's one car that's known as like this was like the most beautiful innovative, but it was so expensive. Well, the one that sort of made headlines was the Stuts Bearcat. That was sort of the first sports car. Really? Yeah.
Um but yeah, we specialized in those luxury custom vehicles and we just that industry didn't survive the Great Depression. Yes. Right. So, we were an automotive hub. So, at the same time, the speedway is happening or the speedway is coming around. 1911, Carl Fischer uh has the first 500 mile sweep stakes or it wasn't called the Indianapolis 500.
It had a different name, right? And then was it 1917 uh when World War I's going on and the speedway gets used for something different and they move it to Cincinnati for a year. Oh, I didn't know that actually. Oh, yes. They they split the race in half. So they make it the 250 mi Cincinnati sweep stakes or something at the Cincinnati Speedway, which is I think just north of that city.
And I believe I don't know how it all came to be, but like we had to recruit to bring it back to Indianapolis and like make sure that we got to keep it here, but I believe it was Yeah. 1917 the race was not held in Indianapolis because of the war and it went to it went to Cincy for a year and then came back. uh which is like a wild little known fact um that I think is really is really fun. And then it took a couple of years off during World War II as well just because of fuel shortages and things like that. Yeah. Wow.
And I mean the early uh Indianapolis 500 was dangerous. It was. People died. While the track opened in 1909 and saw six spectator and participant deaths during earlier, shorter predecessor races. Okay. Only one death occurred during the first official 500 mile race itself.
But I remember the first whenever the track opened, it was like very dangerous. It was uh which is wild. And that's why they went back in and uh replaced the the surface with brick because brick was a bit safer. And the brick is from Veersburg. Uh I believe so. Yeah.
Supplied by the Wabash Clay Company in Veersburg, Indiana. Uh and yeah, 3. 2 million paving bricks, which is so crazy. It is. Um I'm trying to think about Okay, so after the speedway, what would you say would be the next big portions of Indianapolis history? Like along that timeline?
Well, in 1913, we had a major flood, which is actually very timely right now because we're having some flooding at the moment. Um and this was the what we're having now is the worst flooding since 1913, which really devastated West Indianapolis in particular. Um and um most of the Midwest actually. Really? Cuz this was like an was it uh snow melting? I feel like I heard was that was a huge portion of the 1913 and a lot of rain.
Wow. Okay. So, West Indianapolis. So, if you think of like down by where like the Indianapolis uh or the uh White River State Park would be like that area, right? And the zoo and places like that. Wow.
Okay. 1913. Then as we keep going, is this all in the timeline book? It is. Yes. Wow.
Okay. What What are some of the other big pieces of the timeline? Um, this is fascinating to me. That's That's a hard question to answer because it sort of goes year by year. So, it depends on, you know, what you're interested in. How many different inserts are there?
Oh, I don't know. Probably 200. Wow. Okay. Are there other like major like major milestones along? Obviously, you go year by year, but we're talking like into the 1900s now.
I'm like trying to think of things that I remember hearing about that are like iconic moments of Indianapolis history. Uh well, not long after that, Madam Walker moves to the city. So, uh and and uh bases her cosmetics empire here. So, that was a big moment for the city as well. And for anyone who might not know one, you should know. But if you don't know who Madam CJ Walker was and her impact on entrepreneurship uh in female uh like like female entrepreneurship, I believe she's the first self-made female millionaire in the world.
That is the legend. Yes. Oh, the legend. That is the legend. Wow. Oh.
Uh, her great great granddaughter wrote a biography of her where she did some pretty extensive investigation into her finances and found that it that probably isn't quite true. I mean, she was incredibly wealthy for the time. Uh, but was she a millionaire? Maybe not. Wow. But I but I don't mean to uh, you know, say anything bad about what she accomplished because it was incredible.
But it's like TBD on if it was a million or like if it was at some point they did like the equ the equivalent of what a modern day dollar, right? That's interesting. Um, okay. Madam T. J. Walker comes to town, bases her cosmetics empire, does incredible incredible things.
If there were like if there were like a couple more stops along the timeline that like every resident of Indianapolis should know in the 1900s, like everyone should know now, I guess it's timely probably like a little bit of recency bias, but the flood of 1913, that's a huge milestone, right? Madam CJ Walker, a hugely important person uh in Indianapolis history. Uh at some point in here we have um the fastest man in the world, the Velro Major Taylor. Oh yeah, of course. I don't know. I think is he the late 1800s, early 1900s.
Late 1800s. Yeah. He uh well, if you haven't heard of him, you should know who he is because we have the drrome that's named after him. Um and he has a mural as well. But um yeah, he was the the a world champion writer and because he was black, he encountered a lot of uh prejudice and uh difficulty. He, for example, wasn't welcome at a lot of the tracks in the south.
Um, yeah, but he did. And honestly, it opens your eyes a lot about just the state of the world, no matter where you were in the 1900s and in the the late 1800s, early 1900s. This is post Civil War, but still like uh I mean a a world-renowned athlete uh that like I mean their biking their races would last days. Like it's like the craziest book about I think it's called The Fastest Man Alive or the Fastest Man in the World and it is a spectacular read about an Indianapolis native. Yeah. He did a race at Madison Square Garden I believe that lasted for days and by the end the people who even managed to get to the end were hallucinating and exhausted and uh yeah it was it was some of those races were rough.
Yeah. Uh I'm thinking like that is one that's that's amazing. Okay. We do go from the in the 1900s uh the rise of jazz like jazz in Indianapolis becomes a huge thing. Uh I don't know where the time frame is but like the West Montgomery era is in there. Kurt Vonagget is in there like the old north side and the original uh spot of Butler University.
There's a lot of interesting pieces to the Indianapolis timeline. Yeah, absolutely. Uh are there specific pieces of Indianapolis history that you just find fascinating? Uh, I do find it actually fascinating the way we stole the Colts from Baltimore. I love that story. How they had to sneak out in the middle of the night to avoid being uh captured by eminent domain.
Um, yes. Like the the Maryland government threatens to seize the Ursay's football team and everything. Uh, and so they literally like pack up all their stuff in the middle of the night with Mayflower trucks. uh and and they all take alternate routes to get back to uh to get back to Indianapolis and start their new team. And we had built the Hooser Dome without a football team, right? On just like the premise of we'll be able to get a team for sure, right?
And what's interesting about that is uh a couple years previously, the Pacers had actually been in danger of moving to a different city. and uh in order to raise enough money to keep them in the city, we had this huge teleathon and it was um a huge success and they were able to stay in the city. But the thing is that teleathon, if you think about it, if we had lost the Pacers, would we still have invested in a football stadium? Would we still have, you know, the fieldhouse that we have now? It's that moment in terms of that teleathon was hugely important. Again, they talk they tell the legends of like little kids riding up on their bikes and dropping their quarters in to save the Pacers and uh Slick and Nancy Leonard and the whole thing.
Uh we actually had oh Michael Hussein I think he was a documentary that worked on that ESPN feature uh that like highlights the Save the Pacers teleathon and all that stuff. There's some super cool history and it's funny to look back and say like um all the moments that like where things had to go right to get to where we are today, right? Uh I mean you talk about Yeah. If cuz then in the '7s when we go all in on being the amateur sports capital of the world, you get your opportunity, then you get the Panama Games, then that fast forward to the capital improvement board, getting all the venues built, getting the Super Bowl, like I don't know, a lot of things had to go right for Indianapolis to get where it is today. Absolutely. I mean, I could I could talk about Indianapolis history forever.
And it's always fun when I have someone like there's a lot of people that kind of know Indiana that kind of know Indianapolis, but to have a true expert on the show is it gets me fired up. I don't know if I'm an expert, but okay. I mean, you've written seven books about the city of Indian. If you're not an expert, [laughter] nobody is. Thank you. Uh I love it.
Okay, so when looking at things to do, people are going to listen to this episode and they're going to want to know what are some interesting things to do. And I'm kind of I'm interested in obviously there are the iconic spots like, you know, go to St. Momo, go to the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. If you don't know these by now, I mean, you probably have not hit a Google search engine. But I want to know what are some things off the beaten path that everyone in Indiana needs to do. So, one thing that is newer in Indianapolis that a lot of people aren't aware of yet is that the Crystal Dhan mansion has been transformed into a showroom for Restoration Hardware.
Well, it's called RH now. And there's actually a restaurant in the showroom. And you so you can go to see Crystal Dhan's mansion. Now, who was Crystal Dhan? Crystal Dhan was hu multi-millionaire who owned um the travel company um RCI and there was a whole uh big divorce scandal and that kind of thing. But she came out of that ahead and ultimately sold RCI for I think uh $800 million and used that to fund uh the purchase of this former um monastery actually on Michigan Road and turn it into her private uh retreat.
Wow. Okay. Well, I see. I didn't know anything really uh about Crystal Blah. So, wow. Founded So, RCI, Resort Condominiums International, right, was a pioneering time share vacation exchange network founded in Indianapolis in ' 74 by John and Crystal Dhan.
Wow. They sold it then in 1996 for Yeah. $8 almost a billion dollars. Wow. Yeah. They really invented the whole category of time share uh exchanges which now are you know a little bit out of date but at the time it was revolutionary.
Yeah. At the time then everyone was like oh no I'm not going to show up to this meeting and about golf clubs or for like a if you sit through like an hourong presentation and you end up buying a time share that you can't get out of or whatever it is. But [laughter] I mean you know at the time it was super popular. Yeah. Wow. Okay.
So then that was an old monastery that that's now the RH on Michigan Road. That's right. Um there was actually the when it was a monastery, it had been open to the public for um you know picnics and that sort of thing because it's a beautiful uh area with a lake and all that sort of thing. So when she bought the property and started putting up a giant wall around it, there was initially a bit of a a scandal that she was, you know, taking this park away from the community. Um and so there was a little bit of a movement to get her uh to to stop the construction, but it failed. Yeah.
Wow. Are there other like interesting developed places around Indianapolis that you've learned about uh like similar to that? Now that's a restoration art, but are there other like converted spaces that maybe had its first life as one thing like like one I always look up is uh the Aanam downtown. Like that has always been um like the what do they call them? Turn vines. like the whole thing with uh like German immigrants that came over like they had like basically the OG YMCA where they would like do their gymnastics and stuff which is really crazy.
Yeah. Um we had a huge influx of German immigrants particularly in uh 1848 and uh a little bit past that um because of what was going on in Germany at the time and uh they basically built themselves a clubhouse and that's what the name is. Yeah. I'm thinking of like they they had a name for him before turns. I feel like it was more like it was like the Deutsch house or something like that. Oh.
Oh yeah. The building was Yeah. The specific one where Rascal is today. Yeah. That was the Deutsch House. Yes.
They changed it during World War I because there was a lot of anti-German sentiment. Yeah. Which is super interesting. We did a whole deep dive in on the Aanam. Um cuz there's another one on the south side of Indianapolis down by Madison Avenue, I believe. Uh that's another historic turn that has been converted and restored.
Right. So interesting to see like all the different cultures, which like it's funny cuz today in 2026, you're like, "Oh, that's just like Midwestern white people kind of like the stereotype of Indianapolis," which is just not true as you dive into our history of Indiana Avenue and jazz and our history of of like, you know, German immigrants and and the different cultures that all intersected in downtown Indianapolis. Yeah. Uh we have a we had a huge wave of um Irish immigrants when the canals were being built because we needed labor and a lot of people a lot of um Irish and Italian immigrants came over during that time. Um we really are a city of immigrants and I think that's important to remember. Yeah.
Super fascinating. Okay. Are there other things? So, obviously you've written seven books about Indianapolis, three of them featuring different things to uncover. And people on this show, whether they're guests or listeners, love to know about hidden gems. They're just they're very interested in like the hidden pieces of whether it's history or whether it's uh places to visit, restaurants to eat, like are there spots where you feel like you've uncovered stuff that not a lot of people know about?
Well, there is something that's relatively new that I feel like a lot of people don't know about, which is Frank's Paddle Sports Delivery. I just spent a week on the water with uh with Pete and the crew there. But but it's amazing. Yeah, it's the only in Marian County. It's the only place on the White River where you can rent paddle boats and canoes and kayaks and things like that. And you get to see the city from a different perspective.
And I think it's it feels like a secret when you're out there on the water. It's really fun. Yes. Like again, I did a whole thing where I would screenshot my map dot and then show you what I see versus what everyone else sees. Like I was behind the Keystone Mall when I was coming down the White River and I felt like I was on an episode of uh clothed and afraid, you know, like I'm out there in the water and it's crazy. And like the Keystone Fashion Mall is right there or as we got down by Broadripple.
You know what is crazy? Everyone has, not everyone, a ton of people have driven down Westfield Boulevard and like seen that massive wall that and you're like, "Oh yeah, the the river is over there." You know, that's Broadripple, whatever. But seeing it from the other side looking back into the like into the village is crazy. Absolutely. Yes.
Uh and then so Frank's I think they drop uh they do one drop at the Broadle Art Center. They do another drop maybe at Ravenswood or No, no, no, sorry. Uh Rocky Ripple. Yes, that's right. Right. That's so you can do like a couple different distances there.
And then you finish at 30th in the White River. It great people, awesome organization and not a lot of people know that the Citizens Energy, the city of Indianapolis, there's been a ton of organizations that have spent a ton of time and money. Um, one, they're spending a ton of time and money right now like cleaning up after the floods, but they're also spending they've spent a ton of time and money over the last decade getting the river up to like the standard for the nation uh in terms of water cleanliness, right? Yeah. And you can uh if you're paddling, you can stop on one of the little sand bars, have a picnic, something like that. Was there something that surprised you?
like was there something like you're like, "Wow, I can't believe Indian I can't believe Indianapolis has this." Uh, one thing that surprises me is what's going on in the Garfield Park area in terms of the new uh art museum, the contemporary art museum and uh that transformation with the tube factory art space. I think that that's um a really a really cool project and I'm really excited about that. Wow. What this is a contemporary art museum down at Garfield Park. Yeah, it just opened a couple months ago I believe.
Wow. No, I'm here for that. If you were rewriting this book today, so obviously this one came out in April, but I'm sure you had to have it finished well before then. If they were if you were rewriting the book today, is there is there something you would put into it? Fortunately, it stayed pretty current. U not not any of the restaurants have closed or anything like that, so that's good.
Um well, right now I'm working on some revisions for Secret Indianapolis. So that is because we're going to do another printing of that and give it an update. So, that's where my brain is right now is on those uh more hidden things that I'm going to put in Secret Indianapolis. Oh, are there some things that are in the first version of Secret Indianapolis that people need to know about? It depends on what interests you. There are all sorts of weird museums in the area.
Uh we recently lost the uh Tiny Statue of Liberty Museum. Unfortunately, it closed. Where was that? Oh, I don't remember. It was attached to an antique store. I'm really bad at geography, though.
Um, but we do have like the antique fan museum which is in Zansville which is just rooms full of antique fans. There is um a secret firefighting museum and in the offices of uh the Corsen Fire and Security Company over on the east side. Um we have a Doctor Who museum down in Cami. So lots of lots of these really tiny museums that people don't know about. Wow. I'm I'm sad that Yeah.
It's Indy's Teeny Statue of Liberty Museum is permanently closed. Yeah. Dog gone it. What a cool Like what a cool little like niche museum. You also said okay there's one in the course and fire. What's that one?
Course and fire and security. Uh it's the it's a private collection of firefighting equipment and fire extinguishers and thousands upon thousands of uh those big old brass fire extinguishers and uh firefighting trucks and wagons and all sorts of stuff. And you just have you can just show up and go explore it. W Corson Training Center and Museum. Mhm. Wow.
Oh, that is so cool. Wow. That is truthfully like secret Indianapolis. Mhm. No way. Um, this is so fun.
I could do this literally all day. Is there a spot that you think iconically to the state of Indiana? So, obviously we have the Secrets. Obviously, we have the St. Elmo. We have that.
But if there's a spot that's just not getting enough love that truthfully everyone should know about that's just essential to Indiana heritage, what do you think that would be? I often send people to the world's largest ball of paint. Yes. Yes. [laughter] Up in Alexandria. Oh.
Because you can have an opportunity to participate in a Guinness World Record. Basically, if you can uh you can make a reservation to paint a layer on the ball of paint and put your name in the register and you're part of a world record forever. I I have been a world record holder. I broke a world record and painted a layer on the world's largest ball of paint. It is huge. It's on like a uh like almost like an engine scale.
Like it's it's it weighs 5,000 lbs uh and has a circumference of about 14 ft when I last check. It's huge. It I mean it's like probably a 30 minute activity at max. Like you go up there, you hang out, you hear the stories, you sign in the wall, you paint a layer. It's it's super super cool. Sure.
But at the center of that, a lot of people forget is a baseball. It's a baseball with paint on it and it's enormous. Like it the guy is so kind. I can't remember what his name is off the top of my head, but he was so nice and he has people come from all around the world to break the Guinness Book of World Records. Right. From a food perspective, what are like some of the oldest biggest staples for restaurants in Indianapolis?
Uh well, of course, St. Elmo uh which was founded in 1902 which is actually the same year the soldiers and sailors monument was was dedicated. Um the wrath skeller is the oldest um in at theam. Um that's been opened since 18 I can't remember off the top of my head. Um and then um we've got the working man's friend which has been around for more than 100 years of obviously that that one is like super I actually think I'm going to lunch there on Friday. Okay.
Uh yeah, every it was only open like 11 to three or something like that, right? Only during the week, right? And it's like it was built when was it railroad workers or construction worker. It's like it has some really interesting history around it. Yeah, definitely. Um I'm forgetting something.
Oh, well, there's a Slippery Noodle, of course, which is the oldest bar uh in the area. Yeah. So cool. Wow. I I feel like I could just go through all this. All right.
Wait, wait. Do you have all the numbers memorized? What? Uh, no, I don't. No. Okay, so you give me a random number.
Uh, 47. 100 things to do in Indianapolis before you die. Number 47. Here we go. Sample the summer nights film series at New Fields. On Friday evenings in the summer, bring a blanket in your favorite picnic fair to the outdoor terrace at the Indianapolis Museum of Art at New Fields.
As part of its summer nights film series, the museum screens classic films like Vertigo and Breakfast at Tiffany's, as well as nostalgic favorites like Dirty Dancing and The Princess Bride. Trust me, you haven't seen Dirty Dancing properly until you've seen it under the stars, glass of wine in hand, surrounded by a crowd of people who cheer when Baby finally pulls off that lift. Tickets often sell out, so be sure to book early. 400 Michigan Road and then the phone number and the website. That's great. Yeah.
Like I feel like you could just get this book which is available everywhere, Amazon, whole nine yards. You get this book, you just flip to a random page and you've got your activity. Yeah. Uh they like made this book into like the little game, you know, the little cards. It's basically it's like they're all similar things from when you people put out Instagram reels to numbers in the book to those little cards. Whatever it is, there is a thousand ways to figure out things to do in Indiana.
The thing you have to do is do it, right? Everyone is so quick to say Indiana's boring. There's nothing to do here. What What's your response when someone says Indiana's boring? Well, when I do events, book events, I often have people walk by the table and look at the cover of the book and say, "Oh, there's not 100 things to do in Indianapolis." And like, well, I I did write a book that had that.
So, yes, there is. Um, my response is that uh it's very easy to take things for granted when you live here and you think, "Oh, I'll do that eventually." But you never actually do it. Um, and so yeah, I would just respond that there are things to do. You just have to uh be more deliberate about making those plans. Yeah, absolutely.
I always say uh anyone who listens to a lot of the episodes of the podcast was probably annoyed by now, but I always say it's not like in Colorado, it's easy to know what you're supposed to do. In Florida, it's easy to know what you're supposed to do. You look at the ocean, you look at the mountains, you're like, "That's what I'm supposed to do." It's not always as easy to know exactly like what you're supposed to do, but that's why there's amazing guides like this. That's why there's people who put out content. That's why there are the little scratch off cards.
Like there are so many good things to do. Uh you sometimes you have to look a little bit or find the guide or do that. Uh cuz there is no shortage from again going to summer movies at new fields to going to the speedway to museums to I mean all sorts of things. I mean I especially like it. Life is a lot more interesting when you become a plaque reader. Like I fully committed to like it was 29.
29 was the age I became a plaque reader. And you know you used to just like go by oh that's cool whatever. when you know the stories behind things. Oh, I just it makes it so cool. Like I'm not really a a nature and wildlife person. Like you know, birds and dogs and squirrels and stuff are like cool, but I mean not really like what fires me up.
But what fires me up is like hearing the stories of the flood of 1913 and how people responded and how they built back the city because all of what we see around us today was influenced by people that came before us. You know, like that's just super intriguing to me in knowing the stories of Indianapolis. Yeah, I agree. There is a one of those historical plaques near the campus of IU Indie to a man named James Overall. If you have heard of his name before, he was uh so we had in early Indianapolis, we had some bullies who liked to harass the African-American community. Um and they went to the home of James Overall one night and basically threatened him and his family and he shot them.
Well, shot one of them and uh he they ran away and they promised they would come back and basically kill him. And so he went uh into the city and he found help from the white citizens of the town to come and uh you know help protect his home. And it really uh it was one of those early moments when Indianapolis did the right thing and I love that story where it's on near IUND's campus. That's Oh yeah. the historical marker. So, that one's actually in my secret indie book because I was looking at all the various historical markers and I thought that one had such a good story behind it.
Yeah. I mean, we there are so many of the uh of those what do you call those? Like the historical society plaques or historical bureau? I'm not really sure how how like what the official name of them [clears throat] is. Uh or Indiana historical markers. Mhm.
They are. When you stop and read some of those, it's so cool. Um, okay. Wait, how many do you think there are? Oh, got to be so many. 100 maybe.
I don't know. 745. Oh, I was way off. You know what we didn't even talk about in the history of Indianapolis was the inner urban. Oh, yeah. Like that is such a crazy thing to me too that we had like light trains that ran all throughout Indiana and now they're just gone.
Yeah. That is a huge loss. I feel like um you used to be able to if you lived in a far corner of Indiana, you used to be able to call, you know, the department stores in Indianapolis and say, "I want, you know, 10 yards of fabric or something and they could send it to you that same day on the inter urban." I mean, it it wasn't just people. It was packages and things like that as well. That's like the OG Amazon Prime.
Exactly. Right here in Indianapolis. Yeah. Gone. Amazing. Wow.
Well, I could talk all day. Uh this was incredible. If people want to pick up your book, 100 Things to Do in Indianapolis Before You Die, or the soontobe released second version of Secret Indianapolis or the illustrated timeline of Indianapolis, or the powerful no remarkable women, remarkable women of Indianapolis, they want to pick up one of your books. How can they do that? Oh, there's just all the usual places, bookstores, Amazon, that sort of thing. Why is it important to document the legacy and these interesting things to do in Indianapolis?
partly what you said about um you know people not thinking that there's anything to do here and not thinking that this is a great state and or a great city and just reminding them of everything all the cultural assets that we have all the amazing history that we have. I love it. Okay, this next question is brought to you by our friends at JC Hart. They're a leader in creating enjoyable living experiences at apartment communities all across Indiana and beyond. Check them out at homejart. com.
My question for you, why do you call Indiana home? I was I was born here, raised here, uh and I chose to stay here and um you know, in return I the city gave me this whole career. Um so I I uh I'm glad I stayed. Yeah, absolutely. Okay, we have some rapid fire fun questions for you. Okay, so to put this in context, world's largest ball of paint.
You should go do it and break a world record. I don't know if you need to go like every week for a year, you know? Like I don't know if you need to like redo it a lot of times. like maybe a couple times, but uh what's one Indianapolis attraction that never gets old to you? I have to be really boring and say the Children's Museum, actually. And I think when you grow up around it, going there, you know, on weekends and field trips and places like that, you uh take you take it for granted that it is actually the largest children's museum in the entire world.
And it is an amazing place for uh for kids and for adults as well. In terms of history, what's one neighborhood in Indianapolis that you think just has remarkable history? Uh, of course I'm going to say Irvington. Irvington has incredible history. Um, it was the first, uh, official suburb of Indianapolis. It was initially 5 miles east of Indianapolis, but it was connected to it by train uh, so people could commute.
Uh, so yeah, it was our very first suburb, and it still has that really, I think, fierce local community identity. Wow, that's a good Irvington. And, uh, that was the second location of Butler University. That's right. So, before it was where it was at now, it was out in Irvington. Before it was in Irvington, it was on the Old North side, which like that's why this is Old North Side's one of my most interesting uh historical neighborhoods cuz it's like those Charleston style homes where all of our like authors and poets and you know just free thinkers used to like live and and creatives and stuff.
Uh which was right by again where they built Butler. Very fun. Okay. What was the first thing that had to be in the new the newest edition of Secret? There is a park, this is actually in the current edition, but I need I want to be sure to include it again called Woolen's Garden of Birds and Botney. It's um it's not that far from Sky Test Nature Park.
Yeah. Um but it's totally unmarked, a complete secret. Nobody even knows it's there. Nobody goes to it. It's this hidden little gem of a park. Um and it's not developed.
is basically woodland. Um, but yeah, you can, but it's a park. Wow. Okay, that's fascinating. There have been a lot of discussions about like building more bridges to it and giving it more access, but it hasn't been done yet. You put me to shame when it comes to hidden gems in Indiana.
I'm sure that people like your close friends are always just like, "All right, tell me what I need to do." And then you say, "Hey, Amazon, go buy the book. That'll tell you everything you need to do." Right. Exactly. Okay.
For you personally, though, so like when you write the book, you're appealing to the masses. everyone. You know, there's something in here for everyone. But for you, what is your favorite Indiana restaurant? I mean, I think my favorite would have to be one I eat at more frequently, which means it would have to be one that's, you know, a little on the cheaper side, not the fancy stuff. So, I would probably say Yats because my husband and I eat it yats a lot.
Yeah. You're like the second person. We had somebody in from Oh, Derek Stroop the He's a comedian. He's playing a show. We did a little interview with him and he was raving about Yats. He was like, "What?"
He's from Alabama and was like, "It's unreal that there's amazing Cajun food in Indianapolis." Yes. And I was like, out of every He's like, "Yeah, shrimp cocktail and yats." That's what he knew Indiana for, which is crazy. Okay. Obviously, you know, books, bookstore, whole nine yards.
I want to know what's your favorite bookstore in Indianapolis. I I think they all have various uh pros and cons, basically. Um, I'm like making you pick a favorite child here. I know. I know. Uh, I really love Golden Hour in Sro.
I think it has um just this really light, airy feel to it and I love browsing in there. Um, the whispering shelf is a new one that uh I have actually haven't been to myself, but is my sister's favorite and a lot of my friends favorite. So, I recommend that one. Everyone talks about the bookstore in Franklin. Oh. Uh, Wild Geese.
Yes. Which is like a a nationally known bookstore. All like literally people know it from across the country. Yeah. Wow. All right.
If someone was visiting Indiana for the first time, where's the first place you would send them? If they wanted to learn more about Indiana history, I'd send them to the uh state museum, but then I'd take them straight to St. Elmo and give them the shrimp cocktail. Yes. It's like for me, it's always a mixture of the shrimp cocktail or the speedway. Like it's tough to beat either of those two.
It's just like crazy. I don't know, just crazy interesting pieces of of the Indiana culture, right? All right, we've come to the end of the show where we ask every guest the same three questions. So, we're going to have one more for I think I've been asking you this literally just different ways of how to ask this question the entire episode. So, I hope you saved a good one. Okay, but I want to know what is a hidden gem in Indiana?
One that I really love is Geraldine Supper Club. It's a restaurant near in sort of in between Fletcher Place and um Fountain Square, but a lot of people have never heard of it. And when you It's in this sort of nondescript building and sort of the middle of nowhere, but you walk in and there's jazz music and there's great food and it's uh it feels really special when you walk in there. I haven't been. I've heard a lot about it, but I need to go there. It's like a good date night spot, I would say.
Absolutely. Yeah. Yeah. All right, we're going to get that one on the books next. This is your opportunity to share the love. Uh this is where we get new guest recommendations and learn about people that are doing cool things.
Who's a whoer we need to keep on our radar? Someone who's doing big things. I'm really excited about what uh Samson Livingston is doing with the through Two Eyes walking tours. Uh I have been on his Irvington tour and on his uh Indiana Avenue tour as well. And I he just does such a great job and they're fascinating and he's clearly so passionate about the history of the city. Yeah, he is.
Uh he's another one. If you put us three in a room for like a few hours, like we would have a full we would have like the second, third, fourth, and sixth edition of [laughter] the uh illustrated timeline of Indianapolis. And uh Ed, do you know uh Fujawa? Oh, yeah. Uh he has a great uh Vanishing Indianapolis. He has great history content, too.
It's just so cool to see so many people of all different walks of life and different experiences and connections to Indianapolis that have such a passion. Uh Samson's been on the podcast twice now. I can imagine. Yeah, he is he is so he's a character. U and I say that with with nothing but love. So finally, uh, when you think about your experience growing up in being a lifelong resident of central Indiana, when you close your eyes and think about what it means to be a Hooser, what is your favorite Indiana memory?
That is a really tough question. The thing that comes immediately to mind is that when I we lived for a couple years when I was growing up, uh, just down the road from Stuckis, which is a upic apple orchard in Sheridan. Um, and it was really it's kind of out in the middle of nowhere, and so it was the only place I could ride my bike. because it was the only place that was closed. So, I used to ride my bike down there all the time and get uh cinnamon red hots from from the candy bin. And um and now it's, you know, it's it's still open.
You can go still in the fall and pick apples and see the cider being pressed and all that sort of thing. Yeah, [clears throat] I love it. That is incredible. Well, this has been so much fun getting to learn more about you, getting to learn more about the city that a lot of us call home or at least a lot of us have been to. Uh, so so I don't know, just so awesome to get in here. I mean, there's 100 different things in this version.
There's two previous editions and there's three other books you could pick up to just learn more about your city. These are easy reads. Like I don't know. It's like that's going to take you, you know, if you did it for 30 minutes a night, you'd probably get it done in a week, maybe even quicker than that. Or it's like just pick something up and, you know, just randomly pick something. Kayak.
Wow, how crazy. I landed on Kayak the White River with Frank's Battle Sport livery. Um, incredible. One last time, if people want to learn more about you, if they want to pick up one of your books, how can they do that? Uh, my website's ashley Petry. com.
Heck yeah. I love it. And when can we expect the uh second edition of Secret Indianapolis to come out? Uh, next year sometime. All right. In 2027.
Yes. All right. Be prepared. Thank you so much for coming on and sharing your love of Indianapolis. It was a pleasure and we'll talk to you soon. Thank you so much.
This show is made possible by our friends up at Sweetwater. Whether you're looking to start a podcast or take your content to the next level, click the link in the description to see all my gear recommendations [music] at Sweetwater. If you want a behind-the-scenes look at everything we're doing across the state, make sure you follow me on Instagram and Tik Tok, Nate Spangle. Thank you [music] so much for listening and being a part of what makes the Hooer State great. We'll see you next time here on Get