2024/Attendance/Travel
Indianapolis — 3-6 October 2024
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Indianapolis, or Indy, is the capital city of the US state of Indiana. The Indianapolis metro area had a 2022 population of approximately 1.5 million. Indianapolis' nicknames include "Circle City" and "Naptown." More than just the racing capital of the world, Indianapolis is also home to significant Black cultural history; a growing LGBT scene; high concentration of public art, monuments, and trails; and the world's largest children's museum.
Venue
- See more: Venue
The conference is being held on the campus of Indiana University Indianapolis at Hine Hall (875 W North St, Indianapolis, IN 46202). Please see our venue page for more information about the venue.
Hotel and Accommodation
Scholarships
- See more: Scholarships
All scholarship recipients are being housed at:
- Hampton Inn / Homewood Suites Downtown IUPUI
- 414 W Vermont St, Indianapolis, IN 46202
Full scholarship and partial scholarship recipients that include accommodation will be managed by the conference organizer. Please do not book a hotel room if your accommodation cost will be covered by scholarship.
Conference Partners
For all other attendees, we have discount codes to book with our partner hotels. These include:
- Hampton Inn / Homewood Suites Downtown IUPUI
- Address: 414 W Vermont St, Indianapolis, IN 46202
- At checkout, use Group Code "CHH91A" for Hampton Inn or "CHW90E" for Homewood Suites, or click the direct links above, to book at the guaranteed $129 discount rate at the closest hotel to the venue. This is also where scholarship recipients will stay.
- Courtyard by Marriott Downtown / SpringHill Suites Downtown
- Address: 501-601 W Washington Street, Indianapolis, Indiana, USA, 46204
- Use the link above for guaranteed $149 rate discount rate at the Courtyard by Marriott / SpringHill Suites combined property downtown. This is only a block or two further than the other hotels, but somewhat closer to dining options.
Hampton Inn / Homewood Suites is the closest hotel by distance to the venue, just a few blocks away (approx. 10 minutes walk), nearly on-campus. The Courtyard by Marriott / SpringHill Suites is nearly as close, in a more walkable area on Indy's main street.
Getting in
Foreign travel
- See more: Visas
Canadian citizens generally do not need a visa to visit the United States. Mexican citizens not holding another passport generally need to have obtained a Border Crossing Card or visa prior to now, due to wait times to obtain them. Citizens of other foreign countries who seeks to enter the United States generally must first obtain a U.S. visa. Certain international travelers may be able to travel to the U.S. for tourism for 90 days or less without a visa under the Visa Waiver Program.
You can use the U.S. Department of State Visa Wizard to find out what visa type is appropriate for you and/if you are eligible for the Visa Waiver Program.
Conference organizers may be able to give potential attendees a letter of invitation.
By plane
The Indianapolis International Airport is the only major airport in the Indianapolis area. It is located southwest of downtown. You can expect to pay about $25 by Uber/Lyft from the airport to downtown. There is also a public bus, IndyGo Route 8, which runs about every 30 minutes and goes to the Downtown Transit Center, passing nearby to the conference venue and hotels, for $1.75. There is no subway or rail connection.
By train
Travel by rail to Indianapolis is possible from locations in the US Midwest and Northeast, but can be challenging due to infrequency of service and limited routes. In past years, some WCNA attendees have organized a WikiTrain originating in New York, and this route is possible to Indianapolis. Stay tuned if interested!
Amtrak service to Indianapolis stops at the Indianapolis Union Station. The station is only served by the Cardinal line, which stops in cities including Chicago, Cincinnati, Philadelphia, Washington, Baltimore, and New York. The station is in the southern downtown area, not from the conference venue and hotels.
Indianapolis was once home to (arguably) the first union station in the world, and the surviving terminal building and is an impressive Romanesque structure and clocktower worth a visit!
By bus
For regional destinations, it is very possible to get to Indianapolis by bus. Downtown Indianapolis is served mainly by Greyhound, Amtrak Thruway, Megabus, and FlixBus. Depending on the carrier, you might be dropped off at the Indianapolis Bus Station (connected to the train station) in the south part of downtown, or at a street stop downtown, such as the one at the City-County Building across the street from the Downtown Transit Center. These are about a mile from the conference venue/hotels.
By car
Indianapolis is an easy city to drive to and get around in your car. The city is about 2 hours from Cincinnati, Dayton, or Louisville; 3 hours to Chicago, Columbus, or Toledo; and 4 hours to Detroit, St. Louis, Milwaukee, Nashville, or Cleveland. Many hotels close to downtown offer free parking, or daily rates that are less than other major cities. It is generally not difficult to find downtown street parking, which is metered—only in certain downtown or popular neighborhoods— until 11pm (except Sunday). Electric charging stations are possible to find, but not as common as many other cities.
However, it is difficult to find free or street parking within the IU Indianapolis campus, which has pricey on-campus visitor parking garages and surface lots. If you are driving, please make sure to let us know and park in a visitor garage (not a surface lot), so you can use our provided free parking validation ticket on your way out.