Things to Do in Avon Indiana Beyond the Restaurant Rush

School buses are back on Avon's side streets this week. The first day of the 2026-27 year at Avon Community School Corp was July 30, and back-to-school nights have included Maple Elementary and Avon High School, both of which held theirs on August 6. If you drove past Shiloh Crossing during any of that, you probably noticed the parking lot looks different than it did last August. Two new restaurants have opened on that stretch of US 36 this year, adding to Avon's dining options.

The openings are one part of a broader look at activity in Avon.

Two New Anchors, One Half-Mile Stretch

Ford's Garage opened earlier this year at 10416 E. U.S. Highway 36, inside Shiloh Crossing, the shopping center anchored by Best Buy, Michaels, and the Regal movie theater. It's the fifth location for the Tin Lizzie Restaurant Group, and only its second in Indiana, alongside two locations in Ohio and one in Kentucky. The building is 7,300 square feet, seats 240 people, and leans hard into its licensing deal with Ford Motor Company: vintage vehicles inside, a menu built around items like Mama Ford's Homemade Meatloaf and the Jumbo Piston of Onion Rings, and hours that run until 11 p.m. on Fridays and Saturdays.

A few minutes away, Ale Emporium opened its fourth location on March 9 at 7510 Beechwood Centre Road, in a strip mall near Rockville Road and South County Road 800 East. It's a 12,000-square-foot sports bar with more than 100 TVs, 36 beer taps, a 136-inch LED screen over a live music stage, and a separate carryout counter. The chain started in Castleton in 1982 and already had locations in Fishers and Greenwood before Hendricks County.

Neither of these is a small independent restaurant testing out a concept. Both are established, multi-location operators with locations in the corridor.

Traffic Along the US 36 Corridor

Here's one traffic count for the corridor: US 36, which locals know as Rockville Road once it crosses into Marion County, carries an average of 44,534 vehicles a day past Shiloh Crossing, according to a commercial listing for outlot space on that same block. Compare that to the 11,500 vehicles a day on Ronald Reagan Parkway, one of Avon's other major roads. That's nearly four times the traffic on a corridor that's already dense with national chains.

Ale Emporium's explanation for choosing Avon adds context. Co-owner Scott Baun told the Indianapolis Recorder:

"For years people have told us they drive across town just for Hermanaki wings. Opening in Avon lets us bring Ale Emporium closer to a lot of those guests."

The quote describes existing demand for Ale Emporium's wings and the company's decision to open in Avon. Ford's Garage Operating Partner Sam Tancredi framed the Avon location around its proximity to the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, calling it a pit stop for race fans headed to or from the track.

An Established Retail and Dining Corridor

What makes this year's openings notable isn't scarcity. Shiloh Crossing already had Texas Roadhouse, Portillo's, Donatos, BJ's Restaurant & Brewhouse, On The Border, Olive Garden, Red Lobster, and Chipotle before Ford's Garage arrived. Across the street sit Target, Meijer, Menards, Dick's Sporting Goods, HomeGoods, and Marshalls. The corridor already had a broad mix of retail and dining businesses, with Ford's Garage and Ale Emporium among its recent additions.

Restaurant openings offer one perspective on Avon's growth and the activity along its highway frontage. The town's parks, trails, and local events offer other ways to experience the area beyond the US 36 corridor.

Washington Township Park

Two miles south of US 36, Washington Township Park, sometimes still called Avon Park by longtime residents, is off Whipple Lane.

The park system manages roughly 275 acres across three properties, including Washington Township Park, Pecar Park with Pock Woods, and Murphy Park. Washington Township Park itself carries:

• A three-sectioned Paw Park dog park, split by dog size
• A splash pad and sand volleyball and basketball courts
• Three stocked fishing ponds and an outdoor amphitheater
• The White Lick Creek Trail, a cooperative infrastructure project between the Towns of Avon, Brownsburg, and Plainfield, with a completed .67-mile segment owned and operated by Avon running through the park
• The historic 1876 Whipple Iron Truss Bridge

That trail cooperative is worth sitting with for a second. Three separate town governments coordinating on a shared trail system is the kind of local investment residents will actually be walking, biking, and running on for years.

Through August 17, the Parks Foundation of Hendricks County runs its Summer Fun Run/Walk Series at the park every Wednesday from 4:30 to 6:30 p.m., a 2.774-mile out-and-back along the White Lick Creek Trail that's open to anyone at their own pace. It's free, it's recurring, and it's organized by a local parks foundation.

Avon Gardens' Flower Fest Was Scheduled for August 9

Avon Gardens' fourth annual Flower Fest was scheduled for Sunday, August 9, at 6259 E County Rd 91 N, from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. The event listing included free entry, free parking, five acres of display gardens, food and drink trucks, and a kid- and pet-friendly event. Avon Gardens is a locally run garden operation.

Looking further out, Avon-Washington Township Community Park hosts the Avon Heritage Festival every September, an annual event the park has built its reputation around since long before this year's restaurant openings.

What This Actually Tells You About Avon

This year's restaurant openings add to activity along Avon's US 36 corridor. Parks, trails, and garden festivals offer other ways to experience the town, including a few minutes away from the highway. Together, these places and events are part of Avon's local character.

If you're already living here and wondering what the next few years of growth might look like in Avon, that's exactly the kind of question Sue Sells Indy spends her days answering for Hendricks County residents. Reach out any time you want a conversation grounded in what's actually happening on the ground here, not just what a traffic study says.