Louis Celli

If you find yourself in Indianapolis, take an hour and take a lap around the Indy Race Track while listening to its fascinating history and cutting-edge technology, like the SAFE barriers that protect the barrier walls and help soften the impact of the car when they hit the wall at speeds of up to 230 miles per hour!!!!

Walk along (or kiss if you must) the original bricks that gives this raceway its nickname, the Brickyard.

Well worth your time, cool on many levels, and available year-round.

Enjoy.

We've been to a couple of the Artechouse exhibits, and as impressed as we were with the first one, each new one gets better and better.

This butterflies exhibit is a feast for the eyes. Absolutely beautiful, and there's no way pictures can possibly do it justice.

You've got to see it for yourself.

Three floors that take you through a tour of the earliest life on our planet, through nearly all of our different ages, including American and world wars that include important artifacts, while peppering in geology, commerce, literature, pop culture, and more.

So much more than you would expect. Cool exhibits included mummies and shrunken heads, and respectful signs asking not to take pictures of actual human remains (so I didn't).

A great take, indeed.

This is a great way to spend a quiet afternoon among superbly manicure flora and fauna, some native to the area and many imported to give this park several splashes of color and beauty that is expertly manicured, obviously, by a team that absolutely loves what they do, and this garden.

I've been to a bunch of different gardens around the country, and while the Wichita Botanical Garden may not be the biggest, it is certainly among the best in design and impact per square foot.

Every inch of this place has been carefully thought through and planned by someone who clearly knows how to make the most of an outdoor space.

There are several water effects that include babbling brooks that feed into several coy ponds, open water ponds that are home to a variety of water flowers, including three different color lilly pad flowers.

Small bronze statues of wondrous children and animals dot the paths and on the daily I went, there were several dinosaur exhibits.

There's too much to talk about on this small review, like the many gazebos, and comfortable benches that are tucked away in little hidden sanctuaries off the path to sit, watch, and just enjoy the bustling wildlife and blossoming beauty.

Before you go, don't forget to stop by the Japanese garden on the other side of the administrative building. If you miss that you'll be sorry that you missed one of the most beautiful stops in the park.

The price of admission is nominal, and just so happened to be free for me as an Army veteran on this particular day, but normally entrance in around $15 for adults, more than worth it for a beautiful afternoon.

Bring a picnic lunch and enjoy.