Indy has so many amazing photo spots, and the War Memorial is one of them! Im a wedding photographer in Indianapolis, and this is one of my favorite spots to take couples for engagement sessions or downtown sessions. The neutral backdrops and epic views help make photos stunning, plus I love highlighting the local Indy landscape! I see families and and individuals always enjoying the area around the memorial too, making it a perfect destination for exploring our beautiful city.

Visited the memorial in the morning. It’s very beautiful. We climbed up stairs to take a look at the city - great view! Didn’t get a chance to go in tho... For first time visitor like me, I suggest to walk around this area with other beautiful spots (e.g. monument, public library, fountain) and then visit the restaurant street nearby.

I liked coming back here. Theyve kept it pretty much the same since my last visit in 2012. Its completely free, and has three sections, the auditorium, the museum and the shrine. If you have kids, its a great place and as you can see from my photos, photography is allowed. My most favorite place is the shrine as I feel very centered when I sit in that space even for a few minutes. Its generally quite empty and quite a few steps to climb, but I believe there is a ramp as well on the outside and elevator inside. The restrooms are also clean. There is no souvenir shop and everything is donated. Hope you can enjoy yourself and with you family or friends!

Beautiful place and view... I loved it. My tip is go to bathroom before go there because there os not any close to this.

Even the little ones love this museum .. How could a person go wrong learning about history in such a cool free way

Awesome tribute and memorial to our soldiers and veterans in downtown Indianapolis, IN. Very nice park with very nice views and many attractions in walking distance.

This is a rather large and beautifull park. It is usually clean and we kept. There is nothing for the kids to do here besides run around. The park does have a large bum population, so stay away at night.

We absolutely loved our visit to the Indiana world war memorial.So much in fact that we will be bringing our 7 children back to see all the wonders the Museum has to offer.Truly is an amazing place to walk through and look at all the history of the men and women from Indiana who have been a part of all the wars.Really loved all the info on the USS Indianapolis. It was really cool to see some of the people who went through the days and nights after the sinking.And its all free. So go and check it out, learn about Indianas history in war. Its worth it.The place was very clean and well done and the staff is very friendly.We will absolutely be back.

Such a gem in downtown Indy. We just walked by, and were like this is an impressive building. Free entry, friendly staff, in mid week there was almost no one there.Have to start by going to the upstairs memorial - breathtakingThen go through time in the exhibits, all are authentic and very informative. You can spend hours or just a quick visit, depending how avid you are on history

I didnt get to go inside the building but just to see it its worth it . Impressive!

Very nice and cool structure. Seeing people coming here to exercise also!!

Great place for adults and kids alike. Several informational plaques there to learn about the history of our wars.

Great experience. My kids who are 7 and 10 really enjoyed it. Its a beautiful museum. The only reason why I didnt give it 5 stars was bc I felt there was no organized flow. It seemed difficult follow a historical timeline due to the room changes and sudden change in war.

The shrine in the upper story is a significant emotional experience. The museum below is great- not just displays of things, but the history and the personal stories too, both in writing and on video.

If you are in the Indianapolis area this is a must see museum. The building is absolutely stunning!! The architecture is so amazing. My friend and I were lucky enough to get an impromptu tour from Jason! Jason is so knowledgeable about the museum and history of the artifacts. He took the time to show us the theater and shrine upstairs. These areas of the museum are breathtaking. The detail in these rooms is so incredible. Hand carved woodwork and impressive marble are seen throughout these rooms. Paintings and engravings are on every wall. This will be one of the most impressive World War museums you will ever visit. Downstairs you will see countless items from all American War eras. Weapons, uniforms, personal letters, gear and even an Apache helicopter. There is a fully functional radio room depicting the radio room aboard the USS Indianapolis. The tour is self guided and goes in chronological order of the American wars. I would dedicate a couple of hours to enjoy the museum. I’ve uploaded several pictures of the displays. There is parking all around the building. Indiana chose to memorialize our war heroes before the end of World War 1 and I believe that you will be truly impressed with this beautiful museum. Enjoy the pictures!!

Its completely free, and has three sections, the auditorium, the museum and the shrine.

Great stop if you wondering downtown Indy. Free admission and full of military history. Interior is art deco style. The museum covers all the wars and conflicts involving the US military (Revolutionary War to the present conflicts in the Middle East), with a basement full of interesting artifacts. I highly recommend that visitors check out the shrine room, its very moving.

Beautiful monument and historical venue to teach all generations about our nations wars.

Was under construction at the time, but was a nice walk around the park.

This place has some amazing facts...check it out

One of the more beautiful monuments/museums I have ever been. Its deceptively huge compared to how it looks on the outside but so fascinating!

Everyone needs to read what this memorial stands for and why it was built.It brought tears to my eyes because I feel many of us Americans have forgotten who we are.

An amazing sense of both the history and horrors of war. While not exactly young child appropriate, it is worth bringing them just to see the Shrine. Also, info (and relics) of the USS Indianapolis, the World Trade Center and the Pentagon attack. Be warned, LOTS of stairs, but so very very moving as to be 100% worth going.

This place is amazing! I cant believe they packed so much history into this building. Beautiful, very clean and organized. A MUST SEE if you are in Indianapolis! Great for all ages. Full of displays that will attract even the youngest childrens attention. Plan on staying a few hours, there is so much to see, read and hear, you do not want to miss any of it. Very informative and very respectfully displayed. I highly recommend! If this place doesnt leave you feeling grateful for your freedom, you are a lost soul.

It was a very nice place to reflect and learn about the history of Indiana.

Excellent museum in a stunning and conveniently located building downtown. The museum itself is very well laid out, with amazing and informative displays covering every conflict from pre-revolutionary times to the present day, with an emphasis on Indianas involvement and many significant contributions. Definitely an informative, entertaining, and humbling experience. If you have any interest in history, this is a DO NOT MISS experience.

Really nice and respective place to visit in Indianapolis downtown

Great memorial honoring World War One. Museum in basement, stunning shrine room up high. Amazing interior hidden by a ho hum exterior.

Visited by accident, we were just walking through. What a great museum! The Shrine and the other sections are really cool. You are looking at history at its best! In the middle of downtown surrounded by beautiful parks! Best of all its free!

Interesting place to go especially when you are traveling here and find nothing to do

Very good museum, have story from WW1 to 2 and everything related to Indiana. Must place to visit.

The museum is incredibly educational. There were so many cool things to see. I went on a Sunday and only saw 2 other groups of people, which was nice because I like to take my time and read all the things in museums. It took me about 2 hours to go through it.

Great place to gather with family and friends.

Must see for everyone, really inspiring to see things like this in Indiana. I doubt Illinois would ever put something like this together. Glad we stopped even if it was under construction. The folks at the desk were very well informed and made our visit that much more enjoyable. We auditorium in this building is really amazing.

Great walk around the city. Lots of memorials in Indy!

A unique treasure hidden in plain sight. This downtown landmark is chock full of historically important and rare exhibits and artifacts. The auditorium is a one of a kind look into a bygone era. Crafted in ways with materials that just arent available today. Well worth a visit!

Very nice memorial, was refreshing to see a Civil War Monument that was not dedicated to the confederacy.

Tables were dirty, we had to clean them OURSELVES to even have a place to sit. Rude, standoffish staff that acted like it was an inconvenience when we asked were our lane was (they never told us). Cherry on the sundae was that it took 20 min to get a simple cocktail (: happy Saturday night.

Went to this museum for my husbands military ball. We had a great time! The displays are an amazing life like set up of a walk in time through our countrys rich military history!

The Shrine inside is a must see. Was truly awe inspiring for its size. The exhibitions were well done and I wish I knew about the breadth of them as I would have planned to spend more time there. It being free is an amazing value!

I feel this museum is underrated. It had plenty of information from pre-revolutionary war to WWI. Dont expect much for WWII era, as the focus here is WWI.

Love visiting the memorial.

This was a beautiful yet emotionally heartwarming event.

One of the Greatest Building structures in the state of Indiana. If U live in this state of Indiana and never have been there .Thats a shame.these are also pics from the downtown soldiers an sailors monument too. my mistake. that is a must go to too there is also a museum that is in the basement of that place that is also free its all dedicated to the Civil war. No, excuses Its free just whatever u have to donate as the same with the the war memorial.

So much to see in this museum. If you take your time and look around it could easily take 3-4 hours. Some exhibits are showing thier age but that doesnt deter from the experience. This is a must see place

Lots of memorials, statues, fountains and open space in honor of veterans and fallen heroes. An oasis in downtown.

This is an absolute must-see. We were taken aback by everything about this beautiful and well-kept memorial. The outside is incredibly grand and will inspire dozens of pictures. The inside is stunning. There is a beautiful theater that has been kept historical intact as if you were stepping into the past. There is a memorial room that is incredible, a true place to reflect on the sacrifices made by our service men and women. Downstairs is a large museum that guides you through all the wars of our American history. Couldnt recommend this place enough.

Awesome buildings and park area. Construction going on when we were there. Would love to come back later and check out the inside.

A nice place to visit if you are a tourist in Indianapolis. It looks pretty good even at night with all the lighting.

A really fantastic collection of war memorabilia and artifacts...a truly breathtaking shrine and wonderfully peaceful interiors. A MUST SEE when visiting Indy. The building outside is truly gorgeous... the interiors are equally so.A hidden gem for those interested in history and warfare.

This is a short walk from monument circle. There are nice views from the top of the steps and some nice prices of art in the nearby parks. Definitely a beautiful place to sit and enjoy a Midwest spring day.

Excellent (free $) museum that remembers all of our fallen soldiers and documents the historic battles and conflicts. Its well worth a visit and its only a couple of minutes walk from the center of town. Its a beautiful building and hard to miss from the street.

I enjoy taking my son here! And friends too. There is a lot to learn and see. The shrine room(top floor) is so tranquil. There is an elevator or two stairways. The exterior is under construction(July2018).

The building exterior and interior are beautiful. The shrine room is awe inspiring. Its a very humbling experience being inside. The museum displays are a bit dry and some come with great detail and others nearly no explanation.

This museum has its rooms and displays laid out very well. You can get a little lost if you arent paying attention to the direction youre going. Lots of wonderful artifacts from over the years. Ill definitely come back time and again.

Very Respectfull to all who have served.

Our guide Rich was amazing! So knowledgeable and fun.

Inspiring! The building itself is beautiful, and the exhibits very well done. It may not be huge, but one could spend hours here reading all the history and stories they have on display. Parts of the museum feel immersive, like it takes you to the place these soldiers were. The atmosphere is reverent; just walking in made a sense of hush come over me. I definitely recommend visiting this place!

This was absolutely amazing! I cant believe it was free with the amount of information, history, and artifacts on display. If you decide to visit, go to the basement first and end the tour going upstairs. I spent several hours reading the displays and didnt manage to read nearly half of what was on display. I would return without hesitation and encourage those history buffs to check this out. They could easily charge admission for this outstanding exhibit.

Its beautiful there. Great place for inspiration and for families to enjoy.

The Indiana War Memorial sprawls over several city blocks with several monuments and other features of interest. The memorial honors U.S. Veterans, and has a lot of open greenspace. In the adjacent plaza. A great place to take the family or to visit by yourself to remember those who sacrificed so much for their Country.

Absolutely a great honour to see to all the service men and women . A must

Find incredible history displays and the most magnificent room atop the best museum about Hoosiers serving our nation. Majesty and significance defined. Dont miss it!

This is an impressive War Memorial Museum for a state to offer. It has lots of different displays and if youre interested in war history you will really love it. I came to this Museum on a Sunday and there are some kind of religious Extravaganza going on with tables set up with many different religions and the place was overrun with people but when I made my way downstairs to see some of the monuments it was really nice. Indiana does a really great job with their public displays

Awesome building right downtown that few people in Indiana check out. Amazing architecture especially inside and in the top floor. There is a amazing museum inside too. Worth any donation you give them.

There are a lot of cool artifacts and a lot of research that went into this war memorial. It could use a better self-guided tour, but its a great place to learn a little military history and spend about an hour doing so.

Wow nice place

If youre into history in any degree, youll need several hours to go through this memorial. There is so much information, on the various wars and conflicts, that it may take days to read everything here. When visiting you must be sure to go to the sanctuary, all the way at the top. Its a very reverent, almost sacred setting. There are quite a few stairs here so its not wheel chair / handicap accessible.

Nice historical landmark to visit and to remember the people who paid the ultimate price for our freedom.

Been here multiple times over the years. Beautiful building and well thiught out displays to show history. Top floor is a must-see, absolutely awe inspiring.

Awesome monument to see when in Indianapolis!

Self guided tour through exhibits...easy to follow and lots of information and facts about Indiana military involvement. Highly recommended!!!

This is THE place to go if you only have time to make one stop in the Hoosier state! Beyond special. Beyond deep. This is about who we are, who we have been and who we want to be!This is about peace and victory and fellowship. About service, sacrifice and courage.This is about dreams that we wont be doomed to repeat history because weve taken time to understand it.The memorials Jennifer Watson shared a geologic history with me about the stone, which our allies shipped from all over the world as a testament to unity in fighting for right: Italy, Northern Africa, Canada,Im looking at a portrait of Serbian Field Marshall Radomir Putnik. The Shrine Room contains portraits of Allied generals from the US, Britain, France, Italy and Belgium.Before appending the self-tour guide to the Shrine Room, Ill leave off with a teaser...Youd never guess what theyve got stashed in the basement!Now, heres some info staff provided me today:The Shrine RoomThe framed lists lining the walls of both staircases leading up to the Shrine Room contain the names of Indiana’s World War I Veterans. The names with crosses next to them are those who were wounded in action, while the names with stars next to them are Hoosiers that were killed in action. At the top of the stairs you enter the Shrine Room.The Shrine Room is 110 feet tall and 60 feet square and was constructed with materials from all over the world, symbolic of the global nature of WWI. In the center of the room, raised on a stepped marble platform is the Altar of Consecration. This altar commemorates the sacrifices made during WWI. On the sides of the altar are inscriptions by Royal Cortissoz, who also authored the inscriptions on the Lincoln Memorial in Washington D.C. The top of the altar features the American Golden Eagle, the Shield of the United States, the Wreath of Memory, the Palms of Victory, and a gold ribbon with the 1923 Pledge of Allegiance. This version of the Pledge varies slightly from today’s version.Hanging above the shrine is the 30 foot tall garrison flag, the largest national flag used by the U.S. Army. The garrison flag is usually flown only on national holidays and special occasions.  Suspended over the flag is the Star of Destiny, made entirely out of crystal. This eight pointed star, representing the eight points of a compass, and symbolically provides a guiding light home for the troops.Moving out from the Altar, you will see sixteen 40 foot tall columns, each made from red Vermont marble. Each corner of the room contains flags from nations who assisted the Allies during the war. Some flags represent countries that no longer exist.  In each cluster, the American flag is at the center.Tucked between the marble columns on the east and west walls of the Shrine Room are six oil paintings portraying the national military commanders from the major Allied Powers of WWI: General John Pershing (American Expeditionary Forces), Field Marshal Sir Douglas Haig (British Expeditionary Forces), Maréchal Ferdinand Foch (French Generalissimo of the Allied Forces), General Armando Diaz (Italian Army), King Albert I of Belgium (Belgian Army), and Marshal Radomir Putnik (Serbian Army).The white sculpted frieze around the room tells the story of America’s involvement in WWI.  On the north wall, the narrative begins with United States’ entry into the war in 1917. The east and west walls represent the war itself, and the south wall represents the peace settlement. Above the frieze, you will see the blue stained glass windows casting light into the room, as well as blue lights shining down from the stepped ceiling.The Shrine Room was carefully designed, with close attention paid to every detail. Each color in the room represents something different. The blue lights and the blue stained glass windows represent freedom. The white in the star and in the frieze represents peace and purity.  The red in the marble columns represents the ultimate sacrifice made by those WWI soldiers who never made it home. When combined these colors also are also asso

Amazing museum with nice exhibits. Go upstairs to the chapel. Dedicated to WWI.

Love the architecture! Theres so Many things to see inside! If you havent been here, you definitely need to add this to your To visit list in Indy

The best military museum I have ever seen!

Pretty cool place. Lots of interesting things to see and learn about.

The Indiana War Memorial is THE monument to see in Indy and its hard to miss. It anchors the downtown and can be seen from all parts of the city.The architecture of it is impressive and you can even go inside and up during on season.My toddler loved climbing the steps up to it and I enjoyed photographing it.

This has to be one of the most breathtaking war memorials that I have seen. this war memorial rivals those in Washington DC. It is absolutely breathtaking and informative. Chalked full of real artifacts, and informative details, there is nothing this memorial leaves out! This is definitely worth the trip for any individual, student, wanting to know more about our countrys history.

Free to public and wonderful place to reflect on American history

Amazing place with a lot of military history. But how did they get the Cobra helicopter in there?

This is one of the best places to take kids on a budget. Totally free museum with the entire history of Indianas involvement in wars.Clean facility with friendly staff and some amazing things to see.I strongly suggest anyone to take a couple hours and wander the place. You wont be disappointed

Really nice quiet place to sit and read on a nice day

Really nice place to meet up with friends in the summer time, to hang out and read a book or just to get some fresh air. The memorial is beautiful and the sound of the fountain is soothing. Located between the public library and the circle. Its a cool spot to skate as well, I dont know if its against the rules and if cops or security will show but Ive been lucky so far lmao.

A beautiful place. It does well at honoring our veterans.

Beautiful landmark and tribute to our veterans. Auditorium, meeting rooms and museum. Safe place, officers inside, they dont frisk you but they dont allow bags, food or drinks.

One of our nations greatest historical landmarks. And what a great honor it was for me to be able to see it in person. I would recommend this to anyone and everyone who is interested in our nations history.

Like anything else a must do if you like to learn about history just takes a few minutes

Best free attraction in Indy. Great museum exhibits and the grandeur of the shrine room is truly impressive.

One of the more iconic monuments in Indianapolis this is just one of many must sees when downtown. The architecture is amazing with the bronze doors and overlooks a mall that faces towards the main library. This entire area is great on warm days just to relax or enjoy the mall. Be sure to go up the stairs and take in as much of the history that is here....truly an amazing part of dedication to American History.

Beautifully designed and gorgeous monuments

This a great museum to visit, free admission donations are appreciated. They have exhibits that span Indianas involvement in our history. With new ones being completed as youre reading this review. Including a large selection of artifacts including, flags, weapons, uniforms, documents, medals, and many other interesting things. These are not reproductions but actual items from history along with the stories of the people who lived the history.Bring your camera, as there is a lot to see.

A great place to learn about the major wars the US has fought. It begins with the Civil war and the exhibits end with the current modern war on terrorism.

Awesome place to see military history

Very shocked to find a place that exhibits these two flags fully extended (see pictures) as equals. Americans who died in battle do not deserve this kind of disrespect. More importantly exhibiting a full Nazi flag with a bust of Hitler in the front can be dangerous and encourages the perpetuation of the cult.

So fun. I have lived in/around Indianapolis for 25 years and just recently visited the War Memorial. Lots of interesting history and incredible views. Its free/donations welcome too!

Very educational, liked the museum. Realistic looking models.

Loved this museum. When you walk upstairs, prepare to be overwhelmed. This is one museum I will always remember and so glad I got the opportunity to visit!

Every high school student in Indiana should visit this place. They will realize freedom is not free.

First time to Indianapolis and have to say I loved the historic monuments in and around the downtown area and plan to come back and finish seeing the rest of the ones I missed