Indy is for motoring and remembering
Spring is in the air -- just a few days away -- and you know that Memorial Day and warmer weather are not far behind.
Traditionally, Memorial Day is when summer resorts open and people launch their warm-weather getaways. This sometimes tends to overlook the true purpose of this national day for recognizing the contributions of America's servicemen, past and present.
Indianapolis ranks second only to Washington, D.C., in paying tribute to America's heroes. It has a Civil War monument and a museum dedicated to that conflict. It also has the only memorial designed to recognize the nation's highest military honor: the Medal of Honor. Indy visitors also find the memorial to the sinking of the USS Indianapolis and, in Crown Hill Cemetery, a burial plot for 1,616 Confederate soldiers who died as prisoners of war.
Begin with a stop at the Soldiers' and Sailors' Monument built of gray limestone quarried in Indiana. The monument commemorates the Civil War, a conflict in which Indiana solders fired the first and last volleys and were the first and last soldiers to die. Located underneath the monument is a museum dedicated to the Civil War.
The Central Canal, a 1.6-mile landscaped waterway, flows through the heart of downtown Indianapolis. The canal and adjoining 10½-block Canal Walk are favorite spots for outdoor exercise with walkways, jogging paths, gardens, decorative bridges and antique-style street lamps. In warmer weather, folks rent pedal boats.
Two memorials that pay tribute to American heroes are along Canal Walk. The USS Indianapolis National Memorial honors sailors aboard the last American ship sunk during World War II. Two weeks before the war ended, the USS Indianapolis sank in the Philippine Sea after being torpedoed by a Japanese submarine.
The cruiser went down in 12 minutes, leaving survivors to spend almost five days in shark-infested waters. Their fate is recalled in the movie "Jaws" when gritty shark hunter Quint, cast as an Indianapolis survivor, tells their story in a graphic monologue that ends, "… 1,100 men went in the water, 316 men come out, the sharks took the rest."
Opened last summer, the USS Indianapolis Museum within the World War Museum provides a permanent home for the archives, artifacts and memories of the men who served on this historic cruiser. During World War II, the ship endured a kamikaze attack, earned 10 battle stars and, under great secrecy, transported the world's first operational atom bomb. About 70 Indianapolis survivors are still alive.
Near the south end of Canal Walk, the Medal of Honor Memorial incorporates 27 bluish-green curved glass walls that bear the names of all Medal of Honor recipients from 15 military conflicts beginning with the Civil War. Each day, as dusk settles over the canal and lights twinkle on in Indy's distinctive skyline, the memorial's sound system plays recorded stories of medal recipients and of the conflicts in which they fought. Touch screens enable visitors to learn about individual recipients.
Being awarded the Medal of Honor is a rare honor accorded those singled out for gallantry and selflessness in combat above and beyond the call of duty. Of the millions of men and women who have served their country since the Civil War, only 3,459 medals have been issued. Nineteen have received the Medal of Honor twice. One woman has received a Medal of Honor.
Civil War buffs might wish to time a visit to coincide with a popular annual event at Conner Prairie at Fishers, just a short drive north of Indianapolis. Civil War Days (May 17 and 18) is where blue meets gray, with thundering cavalry charges and infantrymen, with bayonets fixed and sabers drawn, racing toward a skirmish. Artillery men roll heavy field pieces into the firing line -- black powder cannon discharging clouds of acrid gun smoke that drift on a soft spring breeze. Here's the spot to go back in time to the 1860s, talk with a soldier and perhaps visit an infantry camp and field hospital.
Leafy Crown Hill Cemetery is a popular venue for Sunday strolls and picnics. In fall, the many different kinds of deciduous hardwood trees are identified and treasured for their blazing colors. Confederate Mound contains the remains of 1,616 soldiers who died at Camp Morton in Indianapolis.
Crown Hill is the third-largest cemetery in the country. Notables buried there include 23rd President Benjamin Harrison and famed Hoosier poet James Whitcomb Riley. Riley's gravesite is at the top of a hill, the highest spot in the city that on a clear day presents an expansive view of downtown. The Indianapolis homes of Harrison and Riley are open to the public.
Of course, what would the Memorial Day weekend be without the running of the Indy 500 at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway -- the famed "Brickyard" built in 1909? Its Hall of Fame Museum houses a collection of more than 30 cars driven by 500 winners (including the 1911 Marmon "Wasp"). Other artifacts include trophies, photographs, helmets, uniforms and goggles. Bus rides around the track are offered when it is not in use.
For an unusual round of golf, book a tee time at the Brickyard Crossing. Designed by Pete Dye, this 18-hole championship course features four holes on the inside of the track and 14 on the outside.
If you go
Information: Indianapolis Tourism Hotline, (800) 824-4639, www.indy.org; Indiana Tourism Hot Line, (800) 884-4612, www.enjoyindiana.com.
Mileage: Indianapolis is about 180 miles southeast of Chicago.
MikeMichaelson is a travel writer based in Chicago and the author of the guidebook"Chicago's Best-Kept Secrets."