15 Best Things to Do in Carmel, IN

By VI Staff on June 19, 2020 - Updated

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The town of Carmel, just outside of busy Indianapolis has been noted by both Niche.com and Money Magazine as one of the “Best Places to Live in America,” which means it shouldn’t come as a surprise that it’s also home to trails for biking and walking, numerous great restaurants, a renowned arts scene, a winery, and much more. Carmel, Indiana is particularly great for anyone to take a break and get out into nature, with the town offering several parks and the Monon Trail. CDC information for travelers. Hours/availability may have changed.

1.Monon Trail

The Monon Trail spans through central Indiana and is a paved, rails-to-trails path that connects to the Indianapolis Cultural Trail and downtown Indianapolis. Starting in Indiana’s Hamilton County, the trailhead for Monon Trail can be found on 96th Street in the town of Carmel before it travels over twenty miles through Grand Park, Westfield, and Sheridan, and past several of the area’s attractions. Visitors can walk the trail or bring their bike to explore the trail. Bicycles can also be rented at one of the Zagster bike share stations. Free parking is also available at the 96th Street access point.

2.The Center for the Performing Arts

The Center for the Performing Arts in Carmel, Indiana is a non-profit organization that operates a performing arts campus and provides arts programs to the local community and the surrounding area. Facilities of the performing arts center include the 200-seat Studio Theater, the 500-seat Tarkington theater, and the Palladium, which is the center’s 1,600-seat, state-of-the-art concert hall. Numerous events are held at The Center for the Performing Arts in Carmel throughout the year, and each season features leading performers in dance, international music, Great American Songbook, country, rock, pop, jazz, and classical music. The center also provides outreach and educational programs.

1 Center Green, Carmel, IN 46032, Phone: 317-843-3800

3.Coxhall Gardens

The Coxhall Gardens in the nature-filled town of Carmel, Indiana is an interesting and unique park that has plenty just waiting for visitors to explore. The modern botanical park encompasses a total of 125 acres and consists of a recreation lake, 90-foot twin bell towers, and the elegantly beautiful Centerpiece. The Coxhall Gardens are also home to a Children’s Garden that features Tiki huts, a sundial, peek-a-boo hills, echo walls, and village stores. The Coxhall Gardens are open seven days a week from 6:00am until 9:00pm. The gardens also hosts special events and private parties.

11677 Towne Rd, Carmel, IN 46032, Phone: 317-770-4400

4.Peace Water Winery

The Peace Water Winery is the only locally-owned “California winery” in the state of Indiana. The wines made by Peace Water are handcrafted within the heart of Napa Valley in California, one of the best wine growing regions in the world. Visitors can sample some of these Napa Valley wines in the heart of Indiana at the Peace Water Winery Tasting Room with no reservations required. The Tasting Room is open from 2:00pm until 9:00pm on Tuesday to Thursday and until 10:00pm on Fridays, noon until 10:00pm on Saturday and noon until 6:00pm on Sunday.

37 W Main St, Carmel, IN 46032, Phone: 317-810-1330

5.Booth Tarkington Civic Theatre

The Booth Tarkington Civic Theatre in Carmel is a unique combination of professional musicians, directors, and artists who combine their various expertise with talented avocational community performers to produce a variety of high caliber theatre performances throughout the year. The Booth Tarkington Civic Theatre also offers a wide array of outreach and educational programs designed to enrich the communities of Central Indiana. Established back in 1915, the theatre also happens to be the largest community theatre out of the over seventy located throughout the state of Indiana and has played a vital role in the cultural landscape of the town.

3 Center Green, Carmel, IN 46032, Phone: 317-843-3800

6.Cool Creek Park

One of the most popular parks in Hamilton County, the Cool Creek Park offers an array of activities and features for both visitors and local residents alike. A great place for the entire family to spend an afternoon, the park spans across approximately ninety acres and is open throughout the entire year. There are around four miles of woodland trails, ideal for bird watching, jogging, or hiking, as well as scenic paved roads winding through the Cool Creek Park for rollerblading and bicycling. Another feature of the park is the Cool Creek Nature Center, open daily until 5:00pm.

2000 E 151st St, Carmel, IN 46033, Phone: 317-774-2500

7.Art on Main Gallery & Gifts

The Art on Main Gallery and Gifts provides a pleasant art gallery environment located within the heart of the Arts and Design District of Carmel, Indiana, offering visitors a mix of abstract, contemporary, and traditional gifts and artwork in both two-dimensional and three-dimensional media, along with digital photography. The gallery also maintains a wide price range on gifts, prints, and original works of art. The Art on Main Gallery and Gifts is open on Wednesdays and Thursdays from 11:00am until 6:00pm, Fridays and Saturdays from 11:00am until 8:30pm, and Sundays from noon until 5:00pm.

111 W Main St, Carmel, IN 46032, Phone: 317-564-4115

8.Carmel Old Town Antique Mall

The Carmel Old Town Antique Mall is housed within a historical building in the historic district of Carmel, Indiana, a building that formerly was home to the town’s first fire truck. Originally starting out with just five dealers in 2002, the antique mall today is home to more than fifty specialty dealers, with booths selling a wide array of antique items, including vintage linens, jewelry, books, pottery, toys, furniture, and much more. The Carmel Old Town Antique Mall is open seven days a week from 10:00am until 6:00pm, with the exception of Thanksgiving Day and Christmas Day.

38 W Main St, Carmel, IN 46032, Phone: 317-566-1908

9.River Road Park

The River Road Park spans across sixty-three acres, situated on the banks of the scenic White River. The park offers green space in abundance, as well as paved trails, prairies, and wetlands to explore. As for sports recreation, the River Road Park contains baseball fields and soccer fields. There are also more unique features of the park, such as the interpretive building, the sandbox, and the archeological playground, designed to provide some education about the Native American life in the area hundreds of years ago. River Road Park is open dawn to dusk, every day of the year.

12575 River Rd, Carmel, IN 46033, Phone: 317-770-4400

10.Sol Hot Yoga Studio

The Sol Hot Yoga Studio in Carmel, Indiana is a family-owned and operated studio for the increasingly popular type of yoga. All of the hot yoga classes here are taught using a systematic therapeutic sequence, designed to help people quiet the mind and awaken the body, mindfully moving from simple postures to more complex ones. The gradual flow of yoga helps prevent injuries to the body. The Sol Hot Yoga Studio aims to integrate all of the senses during their classes through its state-of-the-art combination of sound, lighting, and temperature. Classes are offered at multiples times Sunday through Saturday.

7245 East 146th St, Carmel, IN 46033, Phone: 317-379-7216

11.Great American Songbook Foundation Exhibit

Great American Songbook Foundation, located in Carmel at the Center for the Performing Arts campus, is a nonprofit organization committed to preserving and promoting the music of the “Great American Songbook.” The Songbook Exhibit Gallery showcases rotating exhibits that provide visitors with both an entertaining and educational look at the Songbook, helping them place the featured music of the era in context with major cultural shifts and significant events. The exhibit gallery is open from 10:00am until 4:00pm on Mondays, Thursdays, and Fridays, 10:00am until 2:00pm on Tuesdays and Wednesdays, and noon until 4:00pm on the second Saturday.

1 Center Green, Carmel, IN 46032, Phone: 317-843-3800

12.Sugar Creek Winery

The first grapes and the Sugar Creek Winery were planted in 2012, followed by the first grape harvest in 2015. The winery now offers a variety of artisan wines produced from their own Montgomery County grapes in a laid-back, comfortable setting. Sugar Creek also produces wines from grapes sourced elsewhere, including South America, Oregon, New York, and California, offering wines for just about everyone. The Sugar Creek Winery is open to visitors Tuesday to Thursday from 4:00pm until 9:00pm, Fridays from 4:00pm until 10:00pm, Saturdays from 1:00pm until 10:00pm, and Sundays from 1:00pm until 7:00pm.

1111 W Main St, Carmel, IN 46032, Phone: 317-688-7222

13.Bub's Burgers & Ice Cream

Established in Carmel in 2003, Bub's Burgers and Ice Cream was opened by Rachel and Matt Frey to provide delicious food with an emphasis on a fun atmosphere and quality. Bub’s burgers are always made by hand with fresh ground chuck and the buns are made in-house every day and perfectly fit the restaurant’s burgers. Service, value, and quality rule at Bub’s Burgers and Ice Cream with a standard itself set for the highest levels of service, products, and ingredients possible. While known for burgers, there are other items on the menu, such as chicken sandwiches and grilled mahi mahi.

210 W Main St, Carmel, IN 46032, Phone: 317-706-2827

14.Bazbeaux Pizza (Carmel)

Bazbeaux Pizza has three different locations, including one in the town of Carmel, Indiana. First opening its doors in May of 1986, the pizza joint gained fast fame for delectable, freshly made pizzas. The pizzeria specializes in creating freshly prepared, thin-crust pizza, featuring more than fifty toppings for customers to choose from, in addition to a choice of white or wheat crust. Toppings at this vegetarian-friendly eatery include an excellent assortment of vegetables, cheeses, and meats and all pizzas are made fresh to order. In addition to the variety of pizzas available, the menu at Bazbeaux Pizza also includes sandwiches and salads.

111 W Main St, Carmel, IN 46032, Phone: 317-848-4488

15.Divvy

A locally-owned and operated restaurant, Divvy specializes in shared plates, encouraging guests to taste new dishes and share food among friends and family to create memories. Kevin and Richelle Rider, owners of Divvy, have created a unique dining experience for both visitors and local ages twenty-one and over. The menu includes a variety of small plates of contemporary American fare, focused on being shared, as well as desserts and taster tours of beer, champagne, and wine. Divvy is open Monday to Thursday from 11:00am until 10:00pm and Friday and Saturdays from 11:00am until 11:00pm.

71 City Center Drive, Carmel, IN 46032, Phone: 317-706-0000