Carmel Arts and Design District

There's a wonderful mural that was created by the Art Department from Carmel High School. The mural is located just off Main Street in Carmel and was created in 2007. The mural is entitled "Cityscape" and depicts images from the the Art District with some modern twists. I was touched to see faculty and students given the opportunity to express their creativity in their community. The names of the artists are listed on the south end of the mural. The mural is slightly faded with age. There is a small, lovely garden with benches at the base of the mural with a plaque that honors donors.

I've yet to spread the love on the CADD...so here it goes!I love the charm of Main Street in downtown Carmel. Kudos to the city for building this place up into a lovely place to dine, shop and stroll. My tips for exploring the area:1) Browse the local art galleries and shops (my faves are CCA Gallery, Old Town Antique Mall and Silver in the City) -- come on the second Saturday of the month for Gallery Walk nights! 2) You've worked up an appetite, so grab a bite to eat -- Mudbugs, The Pint Room, Bazbeaux or Blu Moon just around the corner on Rangeline. Feeling fancy? Enjoy scones and high tea at Tina's English Tearoom. Don't forget wine tastings and live music at Peace Water! 3) Walk off that food with a stroll or bike ride on the Monon Trail (Zagster bikes for rent - $3/hour). From there, you can go north to Westfield for a more scenic/nature route or south to Carmel City Center/the Palladium to explore more shops/dining options.This area continues to grow and thrive - just south is the emerging Midtown district with the new Sun King distillery and a chophouse. It's a great place to explore and discover something new!

I used to live in Carmel way back before all of the round a bouts and The Palladium and have to admit, I don't get outside of the circle much. Little did I know how much the Carmel Arts District has expanded! A friend and I had several hours before we had to pick up kids from school, and started at Carmel Old Town Antique Market. For those familiar with Midland Antiques, this place is very much like that, chock full of wares from days gone past. Their vendors include everything from primitive to mid century and everything in between. Plan to spend several hours here, as you're sure to find something unique that you cant live without!From there we crossed the street past a Tattoo parlor to enjoy a taste of Napa wine made for Indiana owners of Peace Water Winery. We relaxed over a bottle of wine before having to dash back to the real life of moms, to pick of the kids. Plan to make a day of it. We'll be headed back as soon as we have the time and funds to enjoy ourselves.

The Carmel Arts and Design District is what it is. That is, it is very walkable, and there are cute shops all up and down Main Street. Also, there are some interesting-slash-scary-AF statues lining the streets of the district. There are also some good restaurants; I like to get pad Thai at the appropriately named Pad Thai. I also love the milkshakes at Bub's. It's a nice, safe area to stroll and window shop in Carmel.

A few years ago, I might've rated it two stars, but today, I'm thrilled about these additions: - Silver In the City: a funky, gift store with lots of funny, quirky & Indiana gifts that are priced normally - The Pint Room: with loadddds of taps with local beers and amazing cheese curds, it's the new hangout spot of downtown Carmel- Joe's Butcher Shop: amazing service, handmade sandwiches to perfection, great sides, local spreads/sauces/snacks, quality meats- Peace Love Winery: expensive but dang cool, trendy space with tips always going to a charity- The Antique Store: Im not even an antique store kind of girl, but this place is COOL. Every time I walk in, I want to snag an old Nancy Drew book or vintage ring. - Sub Zero: Brings in a lot of people who want to see the dry ice process - Coming soon: Sun King Distillery; can't wait, this will be huge and well-run Now.... we just need a local coffee shop. Luckily, Indie Coffee Roasters is opening up in a cute, restored house, one block east, on Main Street (by Greek's Pizza). So. Excited.

I am relatively new to the world of public art. Sure, I checked out some of the art displayed downtown in Indy when it was there. And I checked out the murals that went up for the Super Bowl (XLVI for 46). But, other than that, I hadn't really noticed.I don't think that I'm the only one who walks or drives by ornate buildings and sculptures, murals and graffiti without taking time to see what is there. So, now that I am retired, I have the time to slow down and look at the world around me. When I saw that Carmel had an extensive collection of public art, I hopped in my car to check it out. The area designated as the Arts and Design District (and the area to the immediate south on Rangeline Road) is filled with artistic sculptures and fountains. There are murals and private pieces of art as well. And there are numerous shops in the district to appeal to anyone looking to acquire something for themselves.My focus on the day I traveled was to find the pieces by J Seward Johnson Jr. The city has acquired 15 of his bronze lifelike sculptures and placed them in places that are likely to be noticed by anyone in the area, but are so real looking that you may be surprised they aren't fellow humans. I started out my journey just south of the district at the Carmel City Center. The first piece I found was "My World" (1992) where a little girl sits reading a book on south Rangeline Rd. The next piece was "Big Sister" (1987) at Hanover Place in the area behind Divvy Restaurant. The piece depicts a young girl receiving help in tying her shoe from her big sister.I then headed north to Main Street and parked on the east side of the district. As I walked along the north side of the street, I found "Who's in Charge" (1991) at 30 N Rangeline. It shows a boy sitting upon his father's shoulders. The next piece I found was "Sidewalk Concert" at 22 W Main, right in front of a music store. A statue of a violinist playing for tips is the focus of this piece.Further down the street at 40 W Main (on the corner of 1st Ave), "There, Now You Can Grow" has a little girl with a watering can placed next to some live flowers. From that location, you can also see a large Mural painted by students at Carmel in 2007. Across 1st Avenue, I then saw "Ambassador of the Streets" (1993). This woman in a red dress is walking her dog. The dog has other things in mind than walking in the direction the woman wants to go. A little farther down the street and I found "One Man's Search" (1996). It shows a man (in a Carmel HS jacket) sitting on a bench reading a book.Across 2nd Avenue near the Monon Trail is "Oh, It's You, Welcome!" (1997) portraying a policeman named W Carey. Further down the street is an oversized bronze of a dancing woman by Jerry Joslin titled "Eternal Spring" (or Spring Eternal). And finally, near the roundabout, an artist is painting the fountain in the middle. This piece is called "The Right Light" (1983). I really liked that this piece not only shows off the sculpting ability, but the painting skills of the artist as well.Working my way back to my car on the south side of Main Street, I soon noticed the piece "First Ride" just a short way down the Monon Trail. This piece is a bit dated, showing a father helping his daughter ride her bike before the days of safety helmets. Interestingly, the city put a plaque that the use of a helmet is not to be ignored just because of the statue!The next block shows two pieces. The first is "Confirming Predictions" and shows a man on a bench checking his stocks in the morning paper. The second is a woman coming out of a butcher shop called "Holding Out". Sadly, the plaque for this piece is missing, so there was little information about it.As I crossed 1st Avenue, there was another colorful mural on the east side of the street. As I got to Rangeline, I turned south and saw a couple holding an umbrella called "Elemental" (1993). Although it seemed a bit out of place on this sunny day, I can imagine it seems very realistic on a rainy day.I crossed the street and at 1 S Rangeline found "Things to Do". This piece has a business woman seated on a bench making out a list of things to do that day. By the look of things on the list, she seemed rather ambitious!The final piece was found at 19 E Main St. This statue reminds me of several photos taken after World War II ended as a returning sailor plants a kiss on a willing lady. The original title of the piece was "Unconditional Surrender" (2004), but is also known a "Embracing Peace".Overall, the pieces are very lifelike, although some have become dated. Still, I appreciate the nostalgic feel that made me feel welcome. After the walk, I was able to try out one of the numerous restaurants in the area. There is a great diversity of shops along the path as well as places to acquire art. It was a fun way to spend my morning.Review #154indyartsguide.org/public...

I feel so lucky to live in Carmel and have the the Arts & Design District so close! It is home to designers, art galleries, showrooms, shops and restaurants. It's the perfect place for lunch or dinner at one of the restaurants. You can even sit outside on a patio. My favorite thing to do is have lunch outside enjoying the weather and views. You can buy great are and some really cool items like olive oils and vinegars, cupcakes, ice cream, lots of very cool gifts, go to the winery, and even get a tattoo! They have a lot of great activities like the Gallery Walks which are every 2nd Saturday. It's so fun to pop into all the shops and galleries. They often have an art activity to do and you can even do a savager hunt. It's always a fun night even when it's a bit colder out. But on a nice night it's great to get some exercise in while checking out all the shops. We try to go to everyone now that we know now much fun they are! Other fun things to do are Jazz on the Monon, the Art of Wine, and Artomobilia. All very fun events.

Carmel Arts and Design District is basically the name for "Downtown Carmel". With the Monon Trail on its western boundary, you can easily walk up and down Main Street from it or hop on a rental bike and speed off on the Monon Trail. A short ride or walk away is the Palladium area which has some more greenspace and what not. There is public art throughout the district, and the residential units in the area are almost all dog friendly. So if your four legged friend gets excited when he sees other dogs, be prepared to hold onto the leash.Most of the eateries around here have decent to good or great Yelp reviews. There is a great butcher shop as well. What this area could REALLY use is a coffee shop. There is a cafe on the tail end of the district, but it closes at 2 or 3. Which is fine, but sometimes you really want to grab a cup of joe and you don't want to slug your way to Starbucks. I think if Broad Ripple can support Monon Coffee Co with evening hours, Carmel can probably get away with it too.Also, I don't care what anyone says: The statues are creepy AF.

I am torn between 3-4 stars... I ended up going for 3. This place is ok, just like that. Lower-case, no exclamation marks, no hashtags ok.My daughter and I visited Westfield for the USAG Regional Championships and we stayed in Carmel. Next day, after check out, we decided to go here and check it out.It's not bad, but it did not change my life. There are some interesting place, stores and small galleries. A couple of interesting restaurants and coffee shops. Maybe 1-2 bars.We went up and down the whole street at least twice in no more than 90 mins. We went into, at least, 7 stores and browsed things, bought a couple of things. An interesting olive oil store, a t-shirt store with a Stranger Things design. Some very realistic statues all over the place. A $10/pop Miniature Home Museum.Not a bad experience, but neither life-changing. If you have some time to kill, go check it out, why not.

The Carmel Arts and Design District has a lot to offer. I'm most impressed that the city provides free parking so that you can spend time in the Arts and Design District without the fear of a stalking meter maid in your mental rear view mirror.Grab pizza at Bazbeau's, Thai at Pad Thai, challenge your appetite with the "Big Ugly" at Bub's, catch fresh seafood and meats at Joe's, savor a guilty treat at Auntie Em's, dive into an Italian dish at Donatello's, go creole with some Cajun fun at Mudbugs, enjoy pressure cooked chicken and fried cheese at Muldoon's, chips and salsa at Agave's, brews and apps at The Library, or catch a game at Scotty's or the Pint Room. Oh wait,.. I can't leave out a donut at Square Donuts, a chocolate at The Sweet Shoppe, or high tea at Tina's. And.. that's just the restaurants all within a short walk. There are other retail businesses on the strip that deserve similar shout-outs, but I'll tailor this review strictly to the taste buds and pen one for each retailer later. The festivals are plenty and occur annually. There's a lot of pride in this community and the city works hard to create an experience for every season. I couldn't recommend a stop or a road trip enough. There are plenty of things to see and do, dogs to watch, and items to take home to savor later on when shopping at the local businesses on Main St.. Bring your bikes, too, and begin your exploration.