If your ideal vacation melds history and great eats, you may want to put Indianapolis on your post-lockdown travel bucket list. The Circle City recently debuted Bottleworks District, a sprawling new 12-acre mixed-use development that encompasses a boutique hotel, a food hall, a movie theater, a spa and tons of retail space. The project, which has been underway for several years, has taken over an old Coca-Cola bottling plant that was the largest of its kind in its heyday back in the 1950s.
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The crown jewel of the self-sufficient neighborhood is the 139-room Bottleworks Hotel, which occupies the plant's former administration building. The striking Art Deco structure sat vacant for many years before it was painstakingly renovated, breathing new life into original architectural details (like those stunning tiled walls in the lobby). Rooms range from a 450-square-foot classic king to the posh Pemberton penthouse, which is equipped with a billiards table and private veranda.
But perhaps one of the hotel's biggest selling points is the fact that guests don't have to go far to dine and imbibe. There's a cocktail and snack bar situated behind the lobby in the former accounting room, and Blue Collar Coffee Co. offers caffeinated sippers from the crack of dawn through dinnertime. Coming soon are modern cocktail bar Sundry & Vice as well as in-house restaurant Modita, which will offer a menu of sushi, dim sum and robata treats.
Just across the street from the hotel is The Garage Food Hall, an industrial-style marketplace that features 15 vendors dishing out everything from lobster rolls and ice cream to arepas and hamburgers. Tucked amongst the kitchens are a barbershop, an artisanal gift shop and a philanthropic boutique. On the entertainment front, there's an eight-screen movie theater and a 25,000-square-foot bowling alley, and retail options include a nail bar, a yoga studio and a full-service spa.
Take a look around the remarkable hotel below, then go for a spin around the neighboring food hall. You might just have to book an extra night to ensure you can try it all.
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