Things to Do in Beech Grove

In 1830, a group of history enthusiasts formed a club around a pledge to delve deep into their state’s history and record each decade’s goings-on. So were the humble beginnings of the Indiana Historical Society, now an expansive home for artifacts, images, and a library, all showcasing the state's rich past.

One of the facility's main attractions, the Indiana Experience sculpts the Indiana Historical Society's research into interactive exhibits and programs to forge personal connections between modern populations and their regional predecessors. Within, actors interpret the lives of historical figures and interact with three-dimensional re-creations of historic photographs in the You Are There series, staging periods such as in 1955: Ending Polio, when workers at the Eli Lilly and Company packing line rushed to get shipments of the polio vaccine out the door to help ailing people. Beginning March 26, visitors can also help with the recovery effort after the great flood of 1913, interacting with volunteers to help the flood sufferers and wandering the Wulf’s Hall Relief Station.

The William H. Smith Memorial Library also maintains a can't-miss archive of documents that explore Indiana's history, including films, sheet music, and commemorative coins and medals, as well as more than 1.7 million photographs. When hunger makes its way onto agendas, visitors can dine indoors at Stardust Terrace Café or outdoors on its canal-side patio, returning on select summer nights to gather along the water for special events such as the Concerts on the Canal series.

Surrounded by the bright butterflies, trees, and flowers painted on You Are The Potter's walls, patrons transform bare, gray dishware into vibrant works of art. After choosing a piece from the hundreds of raw bowls, platters, and mugs that line the shelves, artists use brushes, stencils, stamps, and ideas from project books or encouraging staff members to personalize their creation. Staff glaze and fire the finished products, making them ready to hold food or the attention of pets who have been told they contain food.

When Occasions Divine planted its roots in a trio of historic locales, the event-hosting company made sure to keep most of the buildings' original décor and architecture intact while adding modern kitchens and other amenities. The staff orchestrates an ever-changing combination of themed dinners, wine and beer pairings, multiple-course meals, performances, and art classes.

Signature events, such as 10-course meals and dinners with magic shows, occur within The Propylaeum, a manicured Victorian clubhouse and historic landmark built in 1890. Guests mingle in meeting rooms, private guest rooms, and a third-floor ballroom while surrounded by period-accurate décor enhanced by glow-in-the-dark area rugs. An intimate house built in 1868 hosts Serenity events, including educational family etiquette dinners, which invite patrons to enter through antique doors, traverse vintage carpeting, and learn the difference between salad forks and back scratchers. A communal table presents light meals and traditional english tea, and reconstructed outdoor gardens let patrons reenact scenes from crime-thriller reboots of Romeo and Juliet. Serendipity 2 events convene at The Propylaeum's original carriage house, which did a stint as a children's museum starting in 1925. Parties ramble through the main floor and balcony under tall ceilings and light from antique windows.

Wheels glide gracefully across Skateland Roller Skating Center's indoor rink to a soundtrack of popular music and gleeful shrieks. Guests don rolling shoes while capering to Disney tunes, which frequently inspire hand-holding, friend-making, and adopting a wisecracking animal sidekick. All ages stir and stomp as they skim across the hardwood to the sounds of Top 40 hits and hip-hop songs, and skaters can upgrade their skill levels at Saturday morning skate lessons. All-inclusive party packages are fun options for birthday, bachelorette, or office-related celebrations and safer than traditional icicle-jousting tournaments.

Orchard in Bloom’s annual garden show and symposium in Holliday Park raises funds for The Orchard School, an independent grade school for grades pre-K through 8. Select local landscapers create macro-landscapes with in-season botany as well as specialized microgardens, designed to showcase specific plant varieties and new design ideas that homeowners can easily incorporate into their own yards. Gardeners can stock up on tools, plants, and art at the Gardener’s Market, full of national and regional artisan vendors. The children’s area entertains youngsters with age-appropriate activities, such as filling flowerpots with soil and playing patty-cake with the limbs of trees.

The first 18-hole course ever designed by legendary architect Pete Dye, Maple Creek Golf and Country Club's challenging course layout unfurls across 6,633 yards of tree-lined, water-kissed topography. The club's driving range is an expansive tract that absorbs players' practice shots as they prepare for the fast-starting course where the second hole is the most difficult and most willing to throw a tantrum. Babbling streams and rippling ponds add to the scenery of the pristine par 72 course, threatening the life force of ill-struck orbs on as many as 11 holes. Class-A PGA pro Jim Grossi roams the verdant valley, shoring up swings in lessons, on a never-ending mission to appease his golf mentor, who was half golf cart.