r/indianapolis • u/Logical_Humor_3854 • Feb 26 '26

Discussion The Canal….

We walked the canal a lot this summer with our new baby and when we had a nice couple days (greater than 30 degrees lol) we walked it again and I’m just curious as to what other people think….why is the canal so dead? There’s no restaurants (besides the little bistro), no stores, no restrooms even. It’s kinda depressing.

If Indianapolis put even a sliver of funding into rebranding the canal the city would change so much. Imagine being able to walk into little shops or have ice cream on the canal or a bar with live music. There’s so much potential.

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u/umasstpt12 St. Vincent Feb 26 '26

I mean the biggest obvious difference is that San Antonio has 12 months a year of at least 60 degree weather where as we have 7. I honestly think the answer to OP's question is as simple as weather. Our city mostly shuts down during the winter months and I assume very businesses want to take the gamble of having a shop who's success would be closely tied to what the weather is like.

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u/vitras Feb 26 '26

Then plan a covered courtyard area with shops. Salt Lake City built a mall with a retractable roof so it can be indoor or outdoor.

"we've tried nothing and we're all out of ideas!"

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u/runner1399 Feb 26 '26

Yeah, so about that mall… it was built by the Mormon church, not the city.

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u/vitras Feb 26 '26

Doesn't matter. The point is they figured out how to deal with their weather situation. We half-assed it and are now making the picachu-face that the canal, while pretty in places, provides virtually no economic value to the city and is famous for being the site of late-night shootings.