Attend an event downtown

To get lost in a crowd, check out an event downtown. Most weekends, something fun is going on near Monument Circle. I attended June’s Strawberry Festival and got my yearly shortcake fix, but you can go to any event downtown and hear lots of excited people, bustling cars, sirens, live music and the wind at your back.

Garfield Park Sunken Garden Fountains

The fountains in the Sunken Garden at Garfield Park have finally reopened. The Sunken Gardens are a wonderful free place to stroll through and smell lots of slowly growing flowers. Eat your lunch here or stop by after visiting the Garfield Park Farmer’s Market.

Hear clear water splish-splashing, kids playing and clouds drifting lazily above your head.

Attend a neighborhood garage sale

A garage sale is maybe the only place in 2026 where prices still feel fair. Stay vigilant in your neighborhood and ask your friends to do the same, so you know when the garage sales around you will be popping up. I attended the Woodruff Place Flea Market in June, and I look forward to attending more this summer.

Listen to coins jingling, neighbors haggling and hands shuffling through bins and racks hunting for treasure.

All Star Bowl East

If you are looking to beat the heat this summer, eat junk food and participate in a sport without sweating, bowling may be right up your alley. There are a few wonderful bowling establishments around Indy; All Star Bowl at 10th Street and Shortridge Road is one great option.

Go to a bowling alley to immerse yourself in the sounds of crunchy junk food, slurps of sodas, cheers and the rumble of the ball rolling down to crash into pins.

Splash pad at Wes Montgomery Park

The best splash pad in town is at Wes Montgomery Park. There are different kinds of water spouts and arches to run under, and each piece is shaped like a musical instrument in honor of the late great guitarist. If you don’t live close by, the second best splash pad is the one by your house!

Run through a splash pad and hear delighted kids, amused parents and gallons of water slapping the pavement.

Construction everywhere!

OK, if you are hearing construction sounds, you are likely feeling inconvenienced by the slow-down in your route. But, I invite you to embrace an opportunity to breathe a little more slowly for a minute and welcome the change that is being built. Road work is undeniably an iconic sound in Indianapolis. It is always happening somewhere when the temperature is above freezing.

Next time you are driving near construction, turn off the music, open your windows and treat your ears to the percussion sounds of drills and jackhammers, the bangs and clangs of incremental progress.

Nine Lives Cafe & Cat Lounge

Another cool indoor spot to listen deeply this summer is Nine Lives Cafe & Cat Lounge in Fountain Square. You can reserve an hour for petting adoptable cats and kittens or just hang out in the allergy-friendly cat gallery and coffee area.

Spend some time in this divine feline space and hear purrs, licks and lots of relaxed humans giggling.

Lawnmowers

When people visit Indianapolis, they are often pleasantly surprised at how much plant life we have all around us. Growing up here, it’s easy to forget that lawnmowers are not a part of everyone’s summer soundtrack. If you love the drone of machinery as much as I do, take a little walk through Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Park — a block-wide park with homes on either side. Someone is sure to be mowing their lawn any given day of the week.

Huge bonus — this man-made soundscape also has some of the most awakening summer smells: fresh cut grass and gasoline.

Rocky Ripple Safeway

Some of the most pleasant summer white noise can be found at the Rocky Ripple Safeway. Inside this cozy grocery is a symphony of older refrigerators, noisily compressing hot air into cold air, a rhythmic core for vocal solos of deli counter conversation, scanner beeps and D-list ’80s radio. Grab some delicious fried chicken while you are there.

Virginia B. Fairbanks Art and Nature Park

It’s still free to wander the gorgeous 100-acre sculpture-filled trails around Newfields. If you haven’t been in a while, it’s worth stopping back through.

Around the lake, you’ll hear lots of bugs and birds and waves lapping on the shore. You’ll see and hear families having fun with the sculptures, pondering what the artist intended and jumping off the various shapes of benches.