This Midwestern Capital Wants to Be America’s Newest River City
Since 2018, local organizations have been working to clean up and revitalize Indianapolis’s White River, and their efforts are paying off.
Photo by Daniel Woody/Frank’s Paddlesports Livery
As we kayaked Indiana’s White River in the state’s capital of Indianapolis, we paddled through a thicket of sycamores and cottonwoods, and an osprey soared overhead. “They started migrating all the way up from Florida and Alabama to roost here and graze the river,” our guide, Peter Bloomquist, told us. On the shore, something shuffled in the shrubs. “Indiana now has armadillos,” he added. “They’re following the river basin up into Indiana, for the first time since the megafauna age.”
Clad in his “Make Indy a River City” hat, Bloomquist, the owner of Frank’s Paddlesports Livery, was the first to offer water sports rentals when he opened on Indianapolis’s White River in 2023. During our four-mile paddle from the neighborhood of Rocky Ripple to Riverside, I kept forgetting I was on the north side of the Midwestern metropolis, and not deep in the Everglades. The White River wasn’t always like this.
For 200 years, the 362-mile river was one of the most polluted waterways in the USA, due to industrial waste, litter, and environmental disasters that killed millions of fish. That changed thanks to decades of efforts from Visit Indy, nonprofits like Friends of the White River, and Frank’s Paddesports Livery.
Starting in 2018, the group made a vision plan to create tunnels along the 58-mile stretch — through Marion and Hamilton Counties—that reduce sewage overflows, remove 75 tons of solid waste at annual cleanups, and set a course to turn Indy into a river city.
Now, as wildlife returns and paddle sports hit the water, the White River is entering its unpolluted era. Here are top attractions in Indianapolis today, both on and off the water.
Best water activities in Indianapolis
Wildlife has returned to the White River, and so have kayakers.
Photo by Grant Kinast/Frank’s Paddlesports Livery
Frank’s Paddlesports Livery, located upriver at Riverside Regional Park, offers hourly rentals for kayaks, canoes, and stand-up paddleboards, as well as four- and seven-mile guided trips. In partnership with the Parks Alliance of Indianapolis, Frank’s is opening a new river access site in July 2026 at Park Alliance headquarters, complete with concrete steps and a gravel beach. The Emrichsville Dam—about 2.5 miles northwest of downtown—is also set to be demolished later this year, paving the way for paddlers to travel all the way into the city center.
About 27 miles north, in Hamilton County, White River Canoe Company offers paddle and tubing trips on the newly clear water, and people can fish for bass and bluegill from spots like Town Run Trail Park or right off a canoe. Visitors can also ride gondolas downtown and explore White River State Park, a 250-acre oasis in the heart of the city. The park is home to gardens, a canal walk, wilderness trails, and museums.
Gardens and museums in Indianapolis
Set along the White River, Newfields is a 152-acre campus with parks, gardens, and the Indianapolis Museum of Art, home to the largest public collection of neo-impressionist paintings in the country. The Newfields Sustainability Committee are stewards of the river, working on stream bank restoration to decrease erosion.
The Indy Art Center further blends art and nature and is currently reimagining its own riverfront with a renovation of its 9.5-acre Artspark space, featuring new boardwalks and trails connecting visitors with the White River. The project is expected to be completed in fall 2026.
Additionally, the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Museum reopened in 2025 following a $60.5 million renovation. Exhibits include 300 historic cars, the Winners Gallery, and state-of-the-art sensory technology—including the Starting Line experience on an 80-foot by 20-foot LED-screen—that immerses guests into the roaring energy of the Indy 500.
Restaurants with river views
On the edge of White River State Park inside the Eiteljorg Museum, an arts and culture institution that features Indigenous and western history, the Eiteljorg Museum Café serves bison burgers and buffalo chili on a patio overlooking the river.
Dine dockside at Rick’s Cafe Boatyard, situated on a reservoir that connects to the White River. The seafood-focused menu changes seasonally, with summer fare such as crab cakes with corn salsa and lobster hush puppies with kimchi mayo.
For a panoramic view of the White River and all of Indy, head to the Eagle’s Nest, a revolving restaurant atop downtown’s Hyatt Regency. Expect globe-trotting dishes like buttery shrimp “cargot,” miso-glazed seabass, and roasted eggplant ragout.
Where to stay
The JW Marriott Indianapolis immediately east of the river downtown is a luxe property with floor-to-ceiling views of White River State Park. Among the largest JW Marriotts in the world, with more than 1,000 rooms across 34 floors, amenities include an upscale steakhouse, an executive lounge with daily hors d’oeuvres, and an elevated sports bar with wagyu sliders and craft beer.
Hotel Broad Ripple is an intimate property sandwiched between the White River and the Monon Trail in Broad Ripple. Seven miles north of downtown, the hotel’s 20 distinctly designed rooms are divided among a lodge, cottages, and a tower. The rooms feature bamboo canopy beds, heated bathroom floors, and river rock fireplaces.
