INDIANAPOLIS
the American West rendered in natural materials such as bark, seeds, pine cones and pebbles.
Visitors will see versions of national parks, including Yellowstone and Yosemite, as well as landmarks such as the Golden Gate Bridge and a fanciful Las Vegas.
This year, a new Route 66 display includes familiar sights along the “Mother Road” from the skyscrapers of Chicago to the Santa Monica Pier on the Pacific Ocean — all in the space of a few square feet.
The Indianapolis skyline gets its own space, complete with an all-natural version of Lucas Oil Stadium and a scale version of the 242-foot tall Soldiers and Sailors Monument — the magnificent edifice at the heart of downtown Indianapolis— lighted like the real monument during the holidays.
Visitors should also make time to peruse the museum’s wonderful, world-class displays of American Indian and Western art.
Admission to the Eiteljorg Museum costs $15, or $8 for children ages 5 to 17 and for full-time students with an ID. Parking is free with admission.
Just a block from the museum, the Festival of Trees at the Indiana History Center offers another Hoosier holiday tradition that’s certainly fit for a Buckeye.
The museum is dotted with 80 Christmas trees, each elaborately decorated by local families, businesses and organizations. Many have distinctly Indianapolis themes, such as the NBA’s Indiana Pacers basketballthemed tree, “Basketball is Coming to Town,” and “Is it May Yet?,” the Indianapolis Motor Speedway’s Indy 500-themed tree.
Be sure to stop by the Cole Porter Room, named for the composer and Indiana native, celebrating the season with holiday music and singalongs.
And, while at the center, visitors can learn about Indiana history at exhibits including “You Are There” displays, three-dimensional re-creations of historic photographs that let visitors literally step into the past.
Special Festival of Trees events for the coming weekend will include a Saturday With Santa from 12:30 to 4:30 p.m. The jolly old elf will hand out treats to A tree of poinsettias welcomes visitors to the Winterlights at Newfields celebration at the Indianapolis Museum of Art. • To see a video of the dancing lights at Winterlights at Newfields, at the Indianapolis Museum of Art, visit Dispatch. com/videos.
children of all ages and read holiday stories.
On Sunday, the center will host a Sugarplum Breakfast, with treats and sweets from 10 a.m. to noon and selections from “The Nutcracker” performed by the Dance Refinery at 12:30 and 2 p.m. Admission is $9, or $5 for children ages 5 to 17. Parking is free with admission.
Speaking of “The Nutcracker,” one of the most unusual “performances” of the ballet can be seen at Winterlights at Newfields, on the campus of the Indianapolis Museum of Art, about 5 miles north of downtown.
Guests can take an evening stroll through the gardens and woodlands of Oldfields, the former estate of Indianapolis businessman and philanthropist J.K. Lilly Jr., decorated with more than 1.5 million holiday lights.
At the heart of the display, the allee in front of the historic Lilly House is bedecked with an expansive carpet
of lights choreographed to “dance” to Tchaikovsky’s famous music from “The Nutcracker.”
The inside of the house is also beautifully adorned with period decorations, including a sea of old-fashioned holiday paper chains.
Refreshments are available inside the museum. And, along the walk, guests will find warmup tents with hot drinks for children and adults. (I recommend the hot chocolate enhanced with a bit of peppermint liquor.)
Admission to Winterlights costs $20, or $15 for children ages 6 to 17.
One of the city’s most famous sites, the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, embraces the holiday spirit with Lights at the Brickyard.
The home of the Indianapolis 500 is dazzling with dozens of holidaythemed light displays along a 2-mile drive, including a long stretch of the famous racetrack itself. But don’t get too caught up in the moment. Although you’ll be driving past the display’s 2.5 million lights at a heady rate of about 5 million per hour, that means you’ll be driving some 200 mph slower than the Indy 500 racers.
Passes for the event start at $25 per car.
HOLIDAY DISPLAYS • Jingle Rails at the Eiteljorg Museum features model trains zipping through famous landscapes of the American West, each created from natural materials such as nuts, pine cones and leafs. For more information, call 317-636-9378 or visit eiteljorg.org/exhibitions/ jingle-rails/ • The Festival of Trees at the Indiana History Center boasts 80 Christmas trees, each uniquely decorated by Indianapolis families, businesses and organizations. For more information, call 317-232-1882 or visit indianahistory.org/events/ festival-of-trees/ • Winterlights at Newfields, the holiday celebration at the Indianapolis Museum of Art, features a beautiful and lavishly decorated evening walk through gardens and woodlands, highlighted by a choreographed dancing light display at the historic Lilly House. For more information, call 317-923-1331 or visit discovernewfields.org/calen dar/winterlights-2018. • Lights at the Brickyard features dozen of holidaythemed displays and more than 2.5 million lights at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Best of all, visitors get to make a brief drive on the historic track. For more information, call 317-492-8500 or visit www. indianapolismotorspeedway. com/events/lights
For information on these and other Indianapolis holiday celebrations, and for information about other things to see and do in the city, call Visit Indy, the Indianapolis tourism organization, at 1-800-323-4639 or vist www. visitindy.com.
Travelers who can’t make the Big Ten football game on Saturday shouldn’t worry. Indianapolis’ holiday decorations and exhibits can be seen through the entire holiday season, making the city a perfect destination for a quick holiday getaway, with or without a championship team to follow.