MUST see! A truly unique and enormous hidden gem in downtown Indianapolis; you will be in awe of this spectacular building! Great place to visit, learn about the history, to see the dedication to the United States military along with its accomplishments and sacrifices. Makes you feel proud to be a Hoosier and an American!

I loved the monument and the museum inside. It’s full of history and color. Entrance is free so there are no excuses.

This museum takes you through all the wars in chronological order. It's amazing the amount of memorabilia that's here and many items we haven't seen before (and we've been to a few war museums!). The shrine upstairs is absolutely stunning!! Even though there is a lot of Indiana information, it was still worth seeing being from a different state! Set up very nicely and we enjoyed it immensely!

This really is an excellent stop. There are a lot of nice stops in Indy. We've passed over this several times. It is well worth the time. Well worth. Set aside at least 90 minutes. Maybe more, but 90 minutes at least. There is a lot of good stuff. The propaganda posters from the 2 world wars is the best. The post 9-11 stuff, especially post Afghanistan, the worst. Not that it was bad, but the display doesn't match the outcome. Not the soldiers' fault. They did their job.

I lived in Indiana for the first 23 years of my life. I have driven by the memorial hundreds of times, but until today had never visited. The basement is a pretty good museum of Indiana Service Men and Women from all conflicts starting at the Revolutionary War until today. The main floor houses a really good exhibit about the sinking of the USS Indianapolis at the very end of WW2. I knew of the sinking, but really learned a lot about the history of the ship, and what led to the sinking. The top of the Memorial is called the Shrine Room. The only word I can think of is FANTASTIC!! If you visit, save the Shrine for last, so it will be the lasting impression!

I wish I could rate this a 10! It was amazing. So much war history in such a beautiful building. We've traveled and seen a lot of historical sites, but this is my favorite, by far. A great opportunity for kids to "see" the past and for adults to remember. Don't miss out.

I can't believe that I've lived in Indiana most of my life and have never checked out this fascinating place! This museum is truly a Hoosier gem. I loved the beautiful, stunning auditorium and the chapel above it. The museum was HUGE and chock full of war-related memorabilia. I highly recommend checking out this gem.

I took the family to breakfast in downtown Indianapolis. We were walking on the canal and decided to warm up in the sunlight when we found ourselves at the steps of the Indiana war memorial and museum. We enjoyed everything about the experience. From the moment we entered we were greeted by a friendly employee who answered our questions. We dove in and had no idea what to expect. We were all surprised with the quality and quantity of amazing memorabilia, artifacts, an actual pieces of history. I was able to show my son every uniform camouflage I wore in the US Army. I was also able to show him every unit patch I wore. For crying out loud, there is a AH-1 Huey Cobra on the Vietnam war era! Everything about our visit was a success. You are the gold standard of museums, and in Indiana fashion, rivals the Seoul South Korea War Museum in I-tae Wan.

The most awe-inspiring place ever! THE most comprehensive collection of American military history, under one roof, I've ever seen. The honor and respect paid to all branches and those who've served is embedded throughout.

One of the BEST museums that I've visited thus far. Tons of history and a timeline that depicts crucial moments of this country. A true testament in honoring the veterans that served and the ones that paid the ultimate sacrifice. A MUST see if you are ever in Indianapolis.

I was totally blown away at this place. Such a remarkable building, huge and stunning. I could rave and rave. If you are considering stopping here, it's a absolute must. And it's a lot of stairs to walk, but wait til you see the upstairs, your mind will be blown. If you love history, and our nations past, you'll love this place. And, another kicker, is it's free to the public with a donation box.

This was an amazing experience. It was way better then we expected. It had amazing architecture in the top room. They had a lot of information and very cool exhibits. They were also improving some of the exhibits. You could probably spend close to two hours in here. Best part is it is free.

On par with the national monuments in Washington D.C , this memorial Is a appropriate tribute. Wonderful vies of downtown Indianapolis all the while reflecting on the true cost of freedom.

I actually visited the memorial in 2017. I really enjoyed the experience. I took the stairs up to the observation deck, and that is a workout! If you have any issues with tight spaces, the observation deck isn't for you. The stairwell is very narrow, so think twice before ascending via the stairs. Speaking of which, there are approximately 350 steps, so be mindful of the toddlers ability to climb that many stairs. As you can see from the photos that I have submitted, the view is spectacular. You are able to see the city skyline from various directions. By the way, there is an elevator. There is a fee associated with the lift. There is also a gift shop. Go and enjoy the building which is very ornate.

The outside architecture is fantastic. Inside it is quiet and reverent. The top level is absolutely quiet and beautiful. It is a good memorial to those who passed in service of the country.

Visiting from Maryland for a hockey tournament, we regularly see several incredible & breathtaking monuments in DC, but nothing specifically like this hidden gem in downtown Indianapolis because they have artifacts from every military engagement from the American Revolution to Afghanistan interestingly displayed. Truly a must-see.

I was here for hours in awe. I even left to go get a friend and returned. I saw items that I didn't see the first time. The bells from the USS Indianapolis and USS Indiana were a surprise to see. Several hours later after taking in as much information we could and history we had to leave as they were closing. This monument is astonishing. From conception to finish was well done. I can't wait to go back to seeing it again.

Our group of veterans came in from the Ortho Indy V.A. YMCA Pain Clinic. We had a wonderful time wandering through the different displays and sharing stories of our past. We were very proud to see representation for all branches of service and each campaign! God bless!

What a beautiful place to visit. I was sad to only be able to get to some parts of the museum that were handicapped accessible, but the parts we saw were incredible. I love all of the marble and historical architecture. There are, sadly, many areas that need strong upkeep. The elevator isn't functional and I noted several areas that had significant water damage. Fortunately, there were areas I could visit on the main level and in half of the lower level (including a super cool helicopter...a cobra, I believe my husband said...because of stair lifts. Overall, a really lovely and free place to visit and remember our past and those who have fought for our freedom.

A wonderful tribute and memorial to honor our men and women who have sacrificed so much for our freedoms. Thank you to the community and city for creating such a beautiful space to recognize them!

I visited the memorial on Veterans Day 2021. It's a beautiful building that everyone needs to visit at least once! Don't forget to make your way up to the second floor for a nice surprise.

In town for a water polo tourney. Didn’t know Indianapolis had this place. I’ve already talked to other families to make a special trip back here. The 2 old timers in “radio controls” for the Battleship were great!

We didn’t go inside but used the Memorial steps for two photo shoots (HS senior and marriage proposal). The photos turned out great.

The museum was impressively designed from architecture to all the exhibits they have on display. They were very informative and I appreciate it more because it’s free for anyone to see.

Nice! Open on Sundays and free. Walk around to get to know Indiana’s participation in the most important historical moments of the USA. Very well taken care. Staff is very nice and they explain you how to visit the Memorial.

We went here on a Sunday morning after hearing that this would be a good place to visit and learn more about Indianapolis. We parked at a street nearby (free parking) and walked over to the museum. It was a little chilly outside, and when we entered were quickly greeted by staff and directed to walk a specific way to get to the museum. There was no charge to enter the memorial. The museum has a collection of US military history spanning from the Revolutionary War to the Iraq War. It pays tribute to the men and women of the armed forces and recognizes their contributions. There's so much history to be found walking through these halls, and I was surprised to see the evolution of weapons and uniforms/wear in each conflict. There was also a staircase leading up to the top of the memorial that honored everyone that sacrificed their lives in WWII.

Free museum, with so many great displays. Gorgeous architecture inside and out!

I’m really glad we made the time to visit. A wonderful place with good exhibits and a chance to see a classic American building. We found the names of family relatives from the world war on the memorial wall and visit the solemn centerpiece. Well worth the visit.

Super neat place! So much history, didn't even get through everything in 2 hours! It's free and I would highly recommend! Beautiful place too.

Great platform to view the Circle City Classic Parade. Free to enter museum. Beautiful an ornate entrance. Always a joyful and educational experience.

I truly deeply respect & humbly admire what army people do for us. The staff at this place was notably humble & helpful. Thanks to them. For those who know detailed history of both world wars & other wars, this place us one of those hundreds of war memorials where history has been narrated from American point of view rather than what actually happened, which I feel is fair to know how great they did while dropping nuclear bomb on japan, or how great they did by managing millions of people to save this planet from mighty Germany. They have hundreds of the war propaganda pictures that were used to motivate youth of that time. They interestingly cover the sad painful part of wars where people die due to lack of resources & bad circumstances. I noticed there's a small gallery of how great usa army did in Afghanistan to build their nation, culture & democracy there. Well, now that things have changed in 2022, I feel museum mgmt should make changes in this gallery. Overall a great place to be to feel the honor, pride, passion for the nation. Must visit for teens and young people.

You had me at free museum. I've been to several World War museums (KCMO, NOLA, etc.) and this museum is easily top tier. Very informative and thorough... So many memorabilia (from uniforms and weapons to personal affects and even veteran volunteers). When we toured, several volunteers were in a replica radio room. A volunteer spoke to the different equipment, life on board the USS Indianapolis, and also tied in certain areas of the museum that would bring his stories to life. I will definitely come back to visit!

Simply incredible. I hadn't been to the memorial in at least 15 years and had completely forgotten about just how incredible the shrine room is. Massive pillars with an incredibly high ceiling decorated with blue lights and a white star on the ceiling with a huge American flag hanging from the ceiling. The actual museum portion was far larger than I thought it was going to be and spanned every major war America has taken part in dating back to the revolution, and not just the two world wars. You can literally spend an entire day in this place, and it's completely free on top of that. There's plenty of parking around the American Legion Mall (which this memorial is apart of), which means you won't walk far. Highly highly recommend for those who have an interest military history.