Downtown Indianapolis will transform into every basketball fan’s fantasy the first week of April as the NCAA Women’s Final Four Basketball Tournament rolls into Downtown. April 1 – 5 is jam-packed with opportunities to cheer on your favorite teams. No ticket, no problem! With more than 300 restaurants and bars and several fan events, Downtown is the place to catch every minute of the tournament. Use this information as your guide to optimize your basketball experience Downtown.
Women’s Final Four Games:
• April 3, 7 & 9:30 p.m. – National Semifinal Games (Conseco Fieldhouse)
• April 5, 8:30 p.m. – National Championship Game (Conseco Fieldhouse)
Even if you don’t have tickets to the games, there are numerous ways you can still enjoy Final Four excitement.
Fan events:
• April 1 – 3, various times – Tourney Town (Indiana Convention Center) FREE
Tourney Town is the epicenter for all Final Four fan and community events. Enjoy basketball interactives and clinics, children’s entertainment, coach and former player autograph sessions, giveaways and merchandise. It is home to the Center Stage concert venue which offers FREE daily concerts. Fans will experience great music in a festival-style atmosphere of food, retail experiences, concessions and fan excitement activities. Kellie Pickler headlines April 2 for a FREE concert!
• April 1, 11:30 a.m. – POWERADE NCAA Youth Clinics (Tourney Town) FREE
Boys and girls ages 8 – 16 can participate in the NCAA youth clinics to learn and enhance their skills in basketball and in life with women’s basketball coaches, student-athletes and basketball experts from around the country. This event is FREE and open to the public. Registration is required.
• April 2
o 8 a.m. – 4Kay Run hydrated by POWERADE Zero (Motor Speedway)
Join the fight against women’s cancers by participating in the 4Kay run held in honor of late North Carolina State University head women’s basketball coach Kay Yow.
o 9 a.m. – 4 p.m. – NCAA Girls Junior Journalism Workshop (Conseco Fieldhouse and Tourney Town)
Participants get to observe Women’s Final Four practices, be active participants at news conferences and learn radio, TV and blogging techniques. To top it off, all participants will receive official NCAA credentials.
o 10:45 a.m. – 3:30 p.m. – Open Practices and Team Autograph Sessions (Conseco Fieldhouse) FREE
Attendees can watch teams practice and receive autographs from the Women’s Final Four student-athletes and coaches on complimentary commemorative posters.
o 3:45 – 4:15 p.m. – Battle of the Bands (Conseco Fieldhouse) FREE
Immediately after open practices, this battle features the pep bands form the four institutions displaying their school spirit.
o 4:30 p.m. – WBCA High School All-American Game (Conseco Fieldhouse)
This prestigious event showcases the most gifted female high school basketball players.
o 5:30 p.m. – Kellie Pickler at Center Stage (Tourney Town) FREE concert
Indiana native, Casey Jamerson, will be the guest performer at 4:30 p.m.
• April 3
o 7:30 am – Sunrise Service with Indy Racing Ministry (Artsgarden) FREE
Service will feature pastors and musicians and is open to all fans and community members.
o 10 am – noon – Special Olympics Youth Clinic (Tourney Town)
Special Olympic youth participants will learn and enhance their sports, conditioning and life skills.
o 2 p.m. – Circle City Dribble (Conseco Fieldhouse and Tourney Town) FREE
Youth, 18 and under, are invited to dribble their way through Downtown Indianapolis. Participants receive a t- philadelphia phillies houston astros hoodie and basketball.
o 2:30 – 3:30 p.m. – NCAA Pep Rally (Tourney Town) FREE
Features performances by the pep bands, cheerleading squads and mascots from all Final Four teams.
• April 4 & 5, 9 a.m. – 6 p.m. & 10 a.m. – 5 p.m. – Tourney Journey Tours (Throughout Downtown)
Visit major Indianapolis landmarks and exciting attractions.
• April 5, 11:30 p.m. – NCAA/WBCA Coaches’ Trophy Presentation (The Westin Grand Ballroom) FREE
Celebrate the winning 2011 NCAA Women’s Basketball National Champion and the head coach. FREE and open to the public.
Final Four Fan Gathering Restaurants
Downtown restaurants will adopt fans from each Final Four team during the championship.
Spokane Regional: Buffalo Wild Wings
Dayton Regional: RAM Restaurant and Brewery
Philadelphia Regional: Champps Americana
Dallas Regional: Scotty’s Brewhouse
Additionally, check out the Final Four Tent at Scotty’s Brewhouse April 2 – 6 or enjoy food and drink specials while watching the games on one of Champions Sports Bar’s many HD TVs. Get a list of Downtown restaurants at Indianapolis Downtown, Inc.
Spring Break Fun Downtown
Basketball isn’t the only exciting thing happening Downtown this spring. Check out what’s happening March 25 – April 10.
Just relax & see the sights!
Take a scenic tour of White River State Park on a Segway. Segway of Indiana has organized an outdoor excursion that takes participants past the many attractions at White River State Park such as the Indiana State Museum, Indianapolis Zoo and NCAA Hall of Champions.
If a peaceful Spring Break is what you seek, the Indianapolis Museum of Art (IMA) should be your first stop. Every Thursday night from 5 – 6 p.m., you can walk the tranquil grounds of the IMA for a Meditation Hike. If you can’t make it out during Spring Break, don’t worry – they run all year long, every Thursday! You can also take a stroll in the 100 acres: The Virginia B. Fairbanks Nature Park. Tours start at 11 a.m. Saturdays and Sundays. Don’t miss out on any of the exhibits inside the museum including Gauguin as Printmaker: The Volpini Suite, The Old Masters and Hard Truths: The Art of Thornton Dial. See Chicago-based installation artist Theaster Gates and his ensemble’s response to Hard Truths at And the Whole Yard Said Amen April 8..
Catch a movie at the Indy IMAX, the Garfield Park Arts Center or the Central Library for a unique movie night experience. Sea Rex 3D, Hubble 3D and Born to Be Wild 3D will all be at the IMAX various times. Want to see the man behind the curtain? Register for Reel Life: IMAX Behind the Scenes to get a backstage tour March 30 & 31 and April 1, 4, 5 & 6. Space is limited so call in advance. Go to vintage movie night at Garfield Park and see a movie for $3. See The Law of the Sea April 9. The Central Library’s series Movies that move the Arts will feature “Blood of the Poet” April 10.
See Madagascar Live at the Old National Centre March 29 & 30 starring the cast from the “Madagascar” film series including Alex the Lion, Marty the Zebra, Melman the Giraffe, Gloria the Hippo and King Julien and the crafty Penguins. Join the action-packed adventure with magnificent singing and dancing for an experience the entire family will enjoy.
Nothing says spring like lemonade. Relax with a glass at Scotty’s Brewhouse and make a difference during your spring break. Twenty-five percent of all lemonade and Shake Up sales in April will go towards teaching kids to be entrepreneurs.
Take me out to the ballgame Indians style
Baseball season in Indianapolis starts with the Indians opener April 7 at Victory Field. Enjoy the game, fireworks and then take your ticket stub to Scotty’s Brewhouse and get a FREE order of dill chips with the purchase of two entrees.
Get food and drink specials on game day at Champions Sports Bar and look for them at the stadium for additional coupons! Champions will help you support your favorite pro team too, no matter who you are rooting for, with their baseball package.
The Indiana Pacers are nearly finished with the regular season, but there are still some games where you can catch the action at Conseco Fieldhouse. The Pacers take on Boston Celtics March 28, Detroit Pistons March 30, Milwaukee Bucks April 1, Washington Wizards April 6, Atlanta Hawks April 8 and New York Knicks April 10.
Get fit
The Madame Walker Theatre Centre has ways to get you fit this spring. Attend weekly Zumba classes on Mondays or the Stepper’s class on Tuesdays with the Circle City Steppers.
Have fun and get fit at the Learn to Skate classes at the Indiana/World Skating Academy Mondays and Saturdays.
Exciting exhibits
See the Bat suit, Darth Vader’s helmet or the Wicked Witch of the West’s hat at Incredible Costumes from Film and TV at The Children’s Museum. Make a day of it and explore the many other fascinating exhibits on display.
Remember Pumba from the Lion King? Now you can see his relatives at the Indianapolis Zoo’s Warthog exhibit. The Warthog and Bats exhibits are the two newest additions to the Zoo family. Since it’s beginning to feel like spring, check out OMG! Orchids in White River Gardens. Gorgeous orchids from the Wheeler Collection at Ball State, the largest University collection in the United States, will rotate throughout the season.
Also check out Red Black: Related Through History at the Eiteljorg Museum of American Indians & Western Art.
Show-stopping spring performances
See The Frog Prince at The Children’s Museum’s Lily Theater now – April 17.
Love musicals? See the Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra’s Great Choruses of Hollywood & Broadway at Hilbert Circle Theatre March 25 – 27. Also check out the Music of Styx with Dennis DeYoung March 31, Sibelius 2 April 1 & 2 and Tchaikovsky 3 April 7 – 9.
Join the Madame Walker Theatre for Soul Food Friday March 25 or An Evening of Song March 26. The night will include sultry vocalist Catrece Young, saxophonist Dar’rell Green and male vocalist Albert Townsend. Willie Nelson will be performing at the Old National Centre March 26 or see An Intimate Evening with Melissa Manchester at The Cabaret at the Columbia Club April 2. Victorian Theatre by Candlelight, Murder Most Merry will be at the Benjamin Harrison Presidential Site throughout April.
Get a laugh in at the Athenaeum Theatre with Comedian Jon LaJoie March 31 or head to ComedySportz Theatre Thursdays – Saturdays for some unforgettable improv.
Spring specials
Stop by the T-Mobile Downtown to check out some of the nation’s fastest phones on the T-Mobile 4G network and get data plans or international talk and text for $10 a month.
write by Maris