Downtown Indianapolis will be transformed into every basketball fan’s fantasy the first week of April when the NCAA Women’s Basketball Final Four Tournament comes to downtown. April 1-5 is packed with opportunities to cheer on your favorite teams. No ticket, no problem! With over 300 restaurants and bars and various fan events, Downtown is the place to watch every minute of the tournament. Use this information as a guide to optimize your basketball experience at the center.

Women’s Final Four Games:

• April 3, 7 and 9:30 pm – National Semifinal Games (Conseco Fieldhouse)

• April 5, 8:30 pm – National Championship Game (Conseco Fieldhouse)

Even if you don’t have game tickets, there are plenty of ways to enjoy the excitement of the Final Four.

Fan Events:

• April 1-3, various times – Tourney Town (Indiana Convention Center) FREE

Tourney Town is the epicenter of all Final Four fan and community events. Enjoy basketball clinics and interactives, kids’ entertainment, coach and former player autograph sessions, giveaways and merchandise. It is home to the Center Stage concert hall, which offers FREE concerts daily. Fans will experience great music in a food festival-style setting, retail experiences, concessions and exciting fan activities. Kellie Pickler headlines April 2 for a FREE concert!

• April 1, 11:30 am – NCAA POWERADE Youth Clinics (Tourney Town) FREE

Boys and girls ages 8-16 can participate in NCAA youth clinics to learn and improve their basketball and life skills with women’s basketball coaches, student-athletes and basketball experts from around the country. This event is free and open to the public. Registration is required.

• April 2

o 8 am – 4Kay Run hydrated by POWERADE Zero (Motor Speedway)

Join the fight against women’s cancer by participating in the 4Kay Run held in honor of the late North Carolina State University women’s basketball head coach, Kay Yow.

o 9 am – 4 pm – NCAA Girls Youth Journalism Workshop (Conseco Fieldhouse and Tourney Town)

Participants can watch the Women’s Final Four practices, actively participate in press conferences, and learn radio, television, and blogging techniques. To top it off, all participants will receive official NCAA credentials.

o 10:45 am – 3:30 pm – Open practices and team autograph sessions (Conseco Fieldhouse) FREE

Attendees can watch team practice and receive autographs from the student-athletes and coaches of the Women’s Final Four on complimentary commemorative banners.

o 3:45 – 4:15 pm – Battle of the Bands (Conseco Fieldhouse) FREE

Immediately after open practices, this battle features the pep bands from all four institutions showing off their school spirit.

o 4:30 pm – WBCA High School All-American Game (Conseco Fieldhouse)

This prestigious event features the most talented high school basketball players.

o 5:30 pm – Kellie Pickler at Center Stage (Tourney Town) FREE Concert

Indiana native Casey Jamerson will be the featured artist at 4:30 p.m.

• April 3

o 7:30 am – Sunrise Service with Indy Racing Ministry (Artsgarden) FREE

The service will feature pastors and musicians and is open to all fans and members of the community.

10 am – noon – Special Olympics Youth Clinic (Tourney Town)

Young Special Olympics participants will learn and improve their sports, fitness and life skills.

o 2 pm – Circle City Dribble (Conseco Fieldhouse and Tourney Town) FREE

Youth 18 and under are invited to tour downtown Indianapolis. Participants receive a jersey and a basketball.

o 2:30 – 3:30 pm – NCAA Pep Rally (Tourney Town) FREE

It features performances by pep bands, cheer squads, and mascots from all the Final Four teams.

• April 4 and 5, 9 am – 6 pm and 10 am – 5 pm – Tourney Journey Tours (throughout downtown)

Visit the top sights and exciting attractions in Indianapolis.

• April 5, 11:30 pm – NCAA/WBCA Coaches Trophy Presentation (The Westin Grand Ballroom) FREE

Celebrate the 2011 NCAA Women’s Basketball National Champion and Head Coach. Free and open to the public.

Final Four Fan Meeting Restaurants

Downtown restaurants will adopt fans from each Final Four team during the tournament.

Spokane Regional: Buffalo Wild Wings

Dayton Regional: RAM Restaurant and Brewery

Philadelphia Regional: American Champions

Dallas Regional: Scotty’s Brewery

Plus, visit the Final Four tent at Scotty’s Brewhouse April 2-6 or enjoy food and drink specials while watching the games on one of Champions Sports Bar’s many HD TVs. Get a list of downtown Indianapolis Downtown restaurants , Inc.

Spring Break Fun Downtown

Basketball isn’t the only exciting thing happening at the center this spring. Look what is happening from March 25 to April 10.

Just kick back and see the sights!

Take a scenic tour of White River State Park on a Segway. Segway of Indiana has organized an outdoor tour that takes participants through the many attractions of White River State Park, including the Indiana State Museum, the Indianapolis Zoo, and the NCAA Hall of Champions.

If it’s a quiet spring break you’re looking for, the Indianapolis Museum of Art (IMA) should be your first stop. Every Thursday night from 5-6pm, you can walk the peaceful grounds of the IMA for a meditation walk. If you can’t make it over spring break, don’t worry—they’re available year-round, every Thursday! You can also take a walk through the 100 Acres: The Virginia B. Fairbanks Nature Park. Tours start at 11am on Saturdays and Sundays. Don’t miss any of the exhibits inside the museum, including Gauguin as an Engraver: The Volpini Suite, The Old Masters, and Hard Truths: The Art of Thornton Dial. See Chicago-based installation artist Theaster Gates and his ensemble’s response to Hard Truths at And the Whole Yard Said Amen on April 8.

Catch a movie at the Indy IMAX, the Garfield Park Arts Center or the Central Library for a unique movie night experience. Sea Rex 3D, Hubble 3D and Born to Be Wild 3D will be in the IMAX multiple times. Do you want to see the man behind the curtain? Sign up for Reel Life: IMAX Behind the Scenes for a behind-the-scenes tour on March 30-31 and April 1, 4, 5 and 6. Space is limited, so call ahead. Go to a vintage movie night at Garfield Park and see a movie for $3. See The Law of the Sea on April 9. The Central Library’s Films That Move the Arts series will present “Blood of the Poet” on April 10.

See Madagascar Live at the Old National Center on March 29 and 30 starring the cast of the “Madagascar” film series including Alex the Lion, Marty the Zebra, Melman the Giraffe, Gloria the Hippo and King Julien and the crafty Penguins. Join the action-packed adventure with magnificent singing and dancing for an experience the whole family will enjoy.

Nothing says spring like lemonade. Kick back with a drink at Scotty’s Brewhouse and make a difference on your spring break. Twenty-five percent of all Lemonade and Shake Up sales in April will go toward teaching kids to be entrepreneurs.

Take me to the ballgame Indian style

Baseball season in Indianapolis kicks off with the Indians’ home opener on April 7 at Victory Field. Enjoy the game, the fireworks, and then bring your ticket stub to Scotty’s Brewhouse and get a FREE order of dill chips with the purchase of two tickets.

Get game day food and drink specials at Champions Sports Bar and look for them in the stadium for additional coupons. Champions will also help you support your favorite pro team, no matter who you’re rooting for, with its baseball package.

The Indiana Pacers are almost done with the regular season, but there are still a few games where you can catch the action at Conseco Fieldhouse. The Pacers will face the Boston Celtics on March 28, the Detroit Pistons on March 30, the Milwaukee Bucks on April 1, the Washington Wizards on April 6, the Atlanta Hawks on April 8 and the New York Knicks on April 10.

Get fit

Madame Walker Theater Center has ways to get you in shape this spring. Attend weekly Zumba classes on Mondays or Stepper class on Tuesdays with Circle City Steppers.

Have fun and get fit at Indiana/World Skating Academy’s Learn to Skate classes on Mondays and Saturdays.

exciting exhibits

See the bat suit, Darth Vader helmet or Wicked Witch of the West hat at Incredible Costumes from Film and TV at The Children’s Museum. Take a day and explore the many other fascinating exhibits on display.

Do you remember Pumbaa from the Lion King? You can now see her relatives at the Indianapolis Zoo’s Warthog exhibit. The Warthog and Bats exhibits are the two newest additions to the Zoo family. Since it’s starting to feel like spring, check out OMG! Orchids at White River Gardens. Beautiful orchids from the Wheeler Collection at Ball State, the largest university collection in the United States, will rotate throughout the season.

Also check out Red Black: Related Through History at the Eiteljorg Museum of American Indian and Western Art.

Spectacular spring performance

See The Frog Prince at the Children’s Museum’s Lily Theater now – April 17.

Do you love musicals? See the great Hollywood and Broadway choirs of the Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra at the Hilbert Circle Theater March 25-27. Also check out Music of Styx with Dennis DeYoung on March 31, Sibelius 2 on April 1-2, and Tchaikovsky 3 on April 7-9.

Join Madame Walker Theater for Soul Food on Friday March 25 or An Evening of Song on March 26. The night will feature sultry vocalist Fourteen Young, saxophonist Dar’rell Green and male vocalist Albert Townsend. Willie Nelson will perform at the Old National Center on March 26 or see An Intimate Evening with Melissa Manchester at The Cabaret at the Columbia Club on April 2. Victorian Theater by Candlelight, Murder Most Merry will be at the Benjamin Harrison Presidential site throughout April.

Entertain at the Athenaeum Theater with comedian Jon LaJoie on March 31, or head to the ComedySportz Theater on Thursdays and Saturdays for unforgettable improv.

spring specials

Stop by T-Mobile Downtown to see some of the fastest phones in the country on T-Mobile’s 4G network and get data plans or international talk & text for $10/mo.