Whether your family lives nearby or only visits Indianapolis for special occasions, you want to make the most of your time with them. Not to mention showing off the city you call home.
For me, there’s nothing better than spending the day with the women who raised me. But with different interests and levels of mobility, it can be a challenge to find activities to everyone’s liking.
Rest assured — not only do these activities exist, but many are affordable and accessible, too. Here are five places to spend quality time with your mom and grandma.
Find no-skip records at Square Cat Vinyl
📍Square Cat Vinyl, 1054 Virginia Ave.
From Donna Summer to Karol G, even families with the widest range of tastes can find their new favorite records among Square Cat’s stacks.
Flip through the shop’s new and used records together, or go your separate ways and reunite at the bar that serves everything from iced lattes to local beer and wine. There are even cozy listening nooks where you can don headphones and share your finds with each other.
If you come from a family of true audiofiles, catch a live show at the shop or attend one of Square Cat’s album release listening parties, surrounded by die-hard fans and fellow music lovers.
Browse typewriters and rare books at Indy Type Shop and Pen and Pink
📍Indy Type Shop, 2621 Shelby St.
📍Pen and Pink, 2610 Shelby St.
Going antiquing is one of my family’s favorite pastimes, so the next time I see them, I’m planning a visit to Indy Type Shop and Pen and Pink.
I envision the three of us testing out some refurbished typewriters and hunting for the perfect retro button pin for my tote bag before heading across the street to drool over Pen and Pink’s gorgeous vintage editions.
“One good thing about bookstores, and this one in particular, is these are books that are passed down from generation to generation,” Pen and Pink owner Laura McPhee said. “You could be reading a book for the first time, and it connects you to your mother and grandmother, but also connects you to women in history.”
Another plus? Both shops offer various price points.
“If you’ve only got a couple bucks in your pocket and you want to read a book, we have some things for you, but we also have some rare and collectible items too,” Indy Type Shop co-owner Dr. Adam Henze said.
Admiring antiques can work up an appetite, so plan to stop for eclectic pastries and satisfying patty melts just steps away at Café Babette and Parkside Public House.
Shop multicultural reads and locally made gifts at Ujamaa
📍 Ujamaa Community Bookstore, 2424 Doctor MLK Jr. St.
Another bookish option is Ujamaa Community Bookstore, located at Flanner House — a nonprofit that’s provided educational, social and economic resources to underserved members of the community since 1898.
Ujamaa’s namesake comes from one of Kwanzaa’s seven principles: cooperative economics. In addition to books by authors of color, the store sells items made by local Black entrepreneurs and artists, from bejeweled hats and bags to wood-wick candles.
Keaun Michael Brown, an Ujamaa employee, was surprised by all the books the shop has to offer when he first visited Ujamaa.
“I never realized that all the books I read were rarely ever about me, and it wasn’t until I started coming here first as a customer that I was like, ‘yo, they got all types of Black books!’” Michael Brown said. “[Ujamaa has] books I didn’t even know existed, like Black and Latino books. That means a lot to me.”
Whether you want to gift your niece or nephew with an illustrated tribute to Harriet Tubman or read up on Wok recipes to add to your weekly dinner rotation, Ujamaa’s multicultural reads are bound to inspire and empower readers of all ages.
Less than a block away, Cleo’s Bodega Grocery and Cafe is the spot to pick up everything from fresh produce to a flavorful lunch combo.
On top of sourcing its beverages, treats and ingredients from Black-owned businesses, Cleo’s Bodega also provides employment opportunities to young adults through Flanner House’s Farming, Education, Employment and Distribution program, making your Trap and Cheese sandwich and cherry lemonade taste all the sweeter.
Enjoy yummy treats and vintage vibes at Mansion Society
📍 Mansion Society, 202 Steeples Blvd.
Before Ana Lezama and her mother Zorayda opened Mansion Society, they were regulars at its predecessor, Café Mansión.
“My mom and I used to come here all the time,” Ana Lezama said. “Then one day, we came and found out it closed. So we decided to try opening our own place here.”
The coffee shop is in the nearly 90-year-old Central State Mansion apartment complex, once the administration building of the possibly haunted Central State Hospital.
These days, the cafe’s aura is anything but bone-chilling, with its doors that read “una mansión para todos, a mansion for everyone” and cozy decor resembling a 1970s living room.
Catch up with your mom and grandma while sipping a carrot cake chai latte on the couch or have everyone bring their cross-stitch or crochet project for an afternoon of caffeinated crafting.
If a museum afternoon is more your speed, take your specialty latte to-go and explore preserved brains and a 1950s doctor’s office at the Indiana Medical History Museum, just 0.3 miles away.
Learn some new steps at Iris Rosa Dance Studio
📍 Iris Rosa Dance Studio, 1145 E. 22nd St., Suite 201
To spice up quality time with your mom and grandma, consider learning something new together at Iris Rosa Dance Studio.
Iris Rosa Santiago opened her studio to offer classes focusing on dance and music from the African and African American diaspora. Before becoming a studio owner, Santiago was a professor and founding director of the African American Dance Company at Indiana University Bloomington.
“I want to cross-pollinate populations, dance genres, and music instruction,” reads Santiago’s bio on the studio’s website. “I want to offer dance classes to enjoy, learn technique, history, performance, feel comfortable in a dance space and serve the community. This is your opportunity to engage in the joy and love for dance.”
Majorette, West African, salsa and tap are just a few of the options the studio has offered since it opened its doors in 2022.
Speaking from experience, there’s no greater feeling than accomplishing something new, and being able to share that achievement with loved ones in an encouraging environment is a particularly joyful way to spend the day.
Mirror Indy, a nonprofit newsroom, is funded through grants and donations from individuals, foundations and organizations.
Emily Schlorf is a Mirror Indy freelance contributor. You can reach her at schlorfemily@gmail.com.
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