Lodging, Vehicle Rental & Things To Do

For accommodations during your stay, their are over fifty lodging facilities within six miles of our training facility. The list includes hotels, inns, suites & studios, and a Golf Resort at the entrance of the Historic Fort Harrison State Park. To help you decide, listed below, in rank order by rates and amenities, are several recommendations in four nearby areas:

Of all the accommodations, the Candlewood Suites and the Hampton Inn in the Castleton Area seem to be the most popular of those attending our training; however, interest is growing in the Fisher's area since they offer complementary transportation (with prior notice) and their hotel tax bracket is 6% lower than Indianapolis hotels.

If you enjoy dining at local restaurants or plan to do some shopping, etc., we recommend renting a vehicle if you are flying into Indianapolis.

Castleton Area (near the Castleton Mall on 82nd Street)

Fisher's Area (at 96th Street & I-69)

Fisher's Area Transportation Note: Free transportation to and from our Training Center is available from the above listed hotels via prior arrangement with the hotel. Make such arrangements when calling in your reservation. If you rent a vehicle, we recommend traveling to and from our training center via North Hague Road to avoid rush hour traffic on I-69.  When you head south from your hotel, North by Northeast Blvd. becomes North Hague Road at 96th street. Continue south on Hague Road to 71st Street and then west to North Shadeland Ave. and then south to 6610 North Shadeland Ave.

Fort Harrison State Park Area (at the park entrance)

Keystone and 86th Street Area (near the Fashion Mall)

* Rates are subject to change over time.

For a complete list of the lodging facilities in our area, see Hotels and Lodging in the Yahoo Yellow Pages, sorted by location to our training facility.

Vehicle Rental

For information on renting a vehicle, go to the Ground Transportation link of the Indianapolis International Airport website. Our training facility is located about 45 minutes from the airport on I-465. (Area Map)

If you prefer to not rent a car, a Shared Ride limo service is available from the airport to various hotels in the area at Carey Indiana for about $28 plus gratuity, each way. When you open their website, click on Point to Point Reservations and select Arrivals and Round Trip, or call them at 317-241-7100 for reservations. If your hotel provides complimentary shuttle service to our Training Facility make arrangements to do so when checking in. You might also check to see if such services are also available to nearby shopping centers and local restaurants. Such extended services are available at the Hilton - North Indianapolis hotel, but may also be available in the Fisher's area hotels..

What's Happening in Indy

If you would like something to do on the weekend, or want to bring your spouse and family along to vacation in the area while you're taking training, there is plenty to do.

For information on current events and what's happening in Indy, visit Indy.org  and Indy.com. 

Attractions in the downtown area include carriage tours, a canal area with paddle boats and bicycles for rent, a cafe at the Indiana Historical Society and other eateries that are springing up as the area develops.  Also downtown is the White River State Park which features the Eiteljorg Museum of American Indians and Western Art, the Indiana State Museum of Indiana History, the Indianapolis Zoo and Gardens, an IMAX Theater and the NCAA Hall of Champions.

Other attractions in the surrounding area include the Eagle Creek Municipal Park, and Fort Harrison State Park plus a number of outstanding museums, and of course great shopping areas: Castleton Square Mall, located north of the Training Center; the Fashion Mall at Keystone at the Crossing, and the Circle Centre Mall downtown Indy.

If you are into museums, Indianapolis also features a Children's Museum which is ranked #1 in the Midwest by Family Fun Magazine; an Art Museum located on a beautiful grounds of the former Eli Lilly Estate, the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Hall of Fame Museum on the grounds of the Indy 500, and a very unique living history museum called Conner Prairie, in which costumed actors and actresses portray and interact, in 1st person, with guests to give them a sense for what life was like in the 1800's.  This is such a unique attraction that it's worthy of a little more explanation.

Conner Prairie is located on about 800 acres of land northeast of Indianapolis, and features five areas that are open to the public in April through October.  The features include...

• 1886 Liberty Corner, with a working farm, complete with farm animals and implements of the era, and the opportunity for participants to join in the daily chores. The Zimmerman farm is also a destination where people can come and experience, first hand, what life was like as they spend a weekend on the farm.
• 1836 Prairietown, which features village life as people immigrated to the state of Indiana and formed communities in which they applied their life skills (i.e., gathering and preparing foods, spinning and weaving clothes and household items, making pottery, creating iron works at the Blacksmith barn, running a country store, training of children at the one-room school house, and treating ailments with herbal approaches which of course are in conflict with Dr. Campbell's traditional approaches of the day).
• The historic 1823 Conner House, in which William Conner and his family resided, and
• The Lenape Indian Camp, which depicts what early pioneer life was like in 1816, when Indiana became a state.
• A Passport discovery area, where children and adults alike enjoy hands-on work and play activities of the 1800's.

Besides the ongoing interaction with the characters at Conner Prairie, special activities are scheduled each day, along with special events throughout the year which include...

• Opening day on April 1st with events to kick off the year.
• A spirited horse race in May on Memorial Day weekend between Dr. Campbell of Prairietown and an out-of-town guest, as they good naturally challenge and wager each other on the outcome.
• Civil War days in June with military reenactments and special guests portraying historic figures like Abraham Lincoln.
• A Prairie Tykes programs for ages 2-6
• An Adventure Camp for kids K-8.
• Weddings in June and the fall as young people of Prairietown set out on their own.
• Celebration of the 4th of July in the custom of the time with oratory, parades and fireworks.
• Symphony on the Prairie throughout the summer with thousands of people bringing their lawn chairs and picnic baskets and spreading out across the hills to enjoy an evening under the stars with the Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra.
• The County Fair in September at the 1886 Zimmerman farm.
• The Headless Horseman in October with ghostly hey rides, square dancing at the Connor Barn, a kid's craft area at the Apple Barn, and special entertainment and festival foods throughout the grounds.
• Butchering and preparing meat for winter storage.
• Follow the North Star program, conducted in the fall and spring, where participants experience what life was like during the days of the Underground Railroad. 
• Candlelight tours in December at Prairietown with costumed actors and actresses roll playing special characters for the event. 
• Candlelight dinners at the Conner House during the winter months.