Indiana’s “Little Smokies” and the artist town of Nashville.
Race-week road trip guide
Indianapolis 500
The 111th running of the greatest spectacle in racing fills Indianapolis — and the Hoosier state hides Brown County’s hills, the country’s densest cluster of covered bridges, and the French Lick resort.
Part of the Indy 500 series — see every year →When to book
345 days out- Plan6–12 mo out
- Book3–6 mo out
- Lock infinal 6–10 wk
- On the groundevent week
You’ve got time. Start with the scenic route in and vote the IN gems worth a slack day — the lodging pressure comes later.
Straight talk: “book now or it’s gone” gets overstated. We flag both surge risk and the cooldown deals when a market runs soft.
Host-state Gem Hunt
Help decide the detours fans should not miss.
Why this trip works
Built around real travel intent.
Race fans in Indianapolis who want a Hoosier detour on Memorial Day weekend around the 500.
Parke County’s famous spans west of the city.
A historic resort and springs to the south.
Worth the slack day
Indy 500 side quests.
Vote the Indiana gems near Indy and build a hills-and-bridges day around race week.
Brown County State Park
rolling hills and an artist town south
Parke County covered bridges
the country’s densest covered-bridge cluster
French Lick
historic springs resort for a slower day
Plan the logistics
Where to stay, and what to know.
Where to stay
Indy 500 week spikes lodging around Indianapolis, Indiana. When rooms by the venue are gone or overpriced, the smarter play is to base an hour out and drive in along a scenic route — Roamward matches the stay to the drive. Booking hand-offs arrive with the iOS beta.
Know before you go
Event week brings road closures, shuttle-only zones, and timed entry. We surface the passes, reservations, and closures that matter — and point you to the official source for tickets and schedules.
Indianapolis Motor Speedway →Event-trip guides
Roamward turns the trip around the event into the trip you remember.
Vote the host-state gems now, then join early access for scenic routes, verified stops, collaborative planning, and poster-style trip cards when the iOS beta opens.