Hey all, this will be our first Gen Con and never been to Indy in general. We have our hotel booked thru Monday 08/07 but not sure if we are doing Sunday or Monday. Are there other neat/fun things in the area worth staying for to check out? 

It all depends on your definition of fun/neat. The Eiteljorg Museum is close to everything, but they close at 5pm on Sunday and reopen at 10am on Monday. The Zoo isn't too far away as well.

Of course, there is always what we do as well, which is pack up Sunday night and play any games we can with friends, family or the random hapless stranger we can before heading out Monday morning. Leaving on Monday is worth not having to hurry up on Sunday morning to get checked out of the hotel before going back to the con floor for that final day.

Thanks armored badger! I was thinking of the museum or zoo actually. I saw there were 1 or 2 barcades in the area, and some breweries/distilleries that might be worth checking out too. I like the idea of simply not rushing and leaving Monday, just wanna make sure it's worth the extra time and money but thinking of it probably worth it alone to not have to rush out of the hotel 

No problem!

If you want to hit some breweries, Sun King has a really good variety of brews and just a little over a mile from the convention center. There is also Taxman Brewing Company with a location on the opposite side of the Gainbridge Fieldhouse. They have a good selection of Belgian style brews. Scarlet Lane Brewing is a great location for those wanting more darker ales like stouts, and also themed more in step with classic horror films. They are located on 17th and Bellefontaine St about 3 miles away and across the street there is West Fork Distilling Company.

All three have food as well. Sun King has tacos, Taxman has fancier fare and Scarlet Lane has pizza. 

As for barcades, we have been to Tappers on Virginia Ave. That is a fun place with a wide selection of beverages available.

If you are flying (or driving), it is definitely worth the extra just not having to deal with the headache of packing on Sunday and the traffic once everybody starts to head back home. 

I am finally going to the state fair this year, and am pretty stoked about that, though you would have to go on Sunday since it is not operating Monday or Tuesday.

If you stay until Monday, you can fully participate in gencon Sunday. After that, have dinner, play something you bought in your hotel lobby with friends or strangers. Get a good night sleep and drive home Monday. If you leave on Sunday, gencon becomes the best three days in gaming. 

  People talk about arriving on Wednesday, Tuesday, sone even on Monday. So why skip a day of gencon that is already a thing? 

When my daughter was in school, we flew out on Saturday so that she would have a day to recover before going back to school.  It was a bummer, but it was that or not bring her.  Saturday or Monday at the airport is much better than Sunday afternoon when the place is packed.

In years past, I liked walking the dealer hall on Sunday, looking for last minute deals.  Also, as stated above, it's nice to grab a meal on Sunday and share highlights or get a game in.

This year, I'm flying out Monday afternoon.  I'm looking forward to enjoying Gencon fully on Sunday and packing Monday morning.

I don't know your financial or work situation, but if you can stay through Monday, I'd recommend it.

Oh, one more possible activity...You can do the capitol building tour...it's free and about 30-45 minutes.  Not sure if that's your thing, but I enjoy geeking out on something like that.  You can always hit that Monday morning before you head out.

Cheers,

We ended up deciding to leave on Sunday afternoon. Between the extra day's cost and leaving our dogs for an extra day at home figured this was the best way for this year. This is our first Gen Con, so if anything we will know for next year if we want to extend til Sunday. Thanks for all the input!

Depends on what you'd like to do.

I'm getting to Indy early myself, partly to do food tourism, and partly to just wander. 

If you're willing to go a bit beyond downtown - and yeah, it's unfortunately a fair bit away - Broad Ripple is a nice little entertainment district. There are some restaurants as well as bars worth seeing, the Indianapolis Art Center is there too (and yes, that's different from the Indianapolis Museum of Art, which is elsewhere in Indy), The Vogue (a concert venue) has some shows that week, and if you just want to be outside there's Holiday Park and the Monon Trail (a converted rail trail) too.

Another cultural district is Fountain Square (another link). That's much closer than Broad Ripple (might be a bit too long for some to walk to, but some others might find it just right) and has some funky little eating and drinking spots to hit, not to mention activities like Duck Pin bowling. 

Into historical stuff? There's a "living museum" to the northeast called "Connor Prairie". It's way out - it's beyond the I-465 ring freeway - but it's got tons of events, and even something called "Symphony on the Prairie", which isn't about history but just about having a night outside with music. Link for the Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra's page on these concerts. And that's just one of several historical things to do.

Food tourism? I can go on and on, but I'm just citing two things I'm specifically arriving early to go to: City Market, and The Garage Food Hall. If you stay into Monday, you could visit those too. 

"Mass Ave" ("Massachusetts Avenue") is yet another cultural district, and like Fountain Square, it's a lot closer than Broad Ripple. Like the two others mentioned, it too has some good restaurants, bars, funky shops, etc. The above mentioned Garage Food Hall is right off of Mass Ave.

That's quite a bit right there. There's stuff I'm missing - I haven't even mentioned the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, parks like Fort Harrison State Park, Eagle Creek and Geist reservoirs, Monument Circle (which is totally within walking distance), etc. - but there's simply a lot to list. 

--- 

Edit: Oh, shoot, I didn't read your last post. Well, those things are available too during the Con. And also if you arrive on Wednesday, you can hit them up, but yes, this list should also be valid for next year if you either get in early or stay to Monday.