Dreading the debates and cringe questions that tend to take over holiday meals with the family? Consider employing one of these five table topics — they may just lead to your favorite conversation yet.

Have you seen these animal sculptures around downtown Indy?

Whether you've noticed them or not, we've got the backstory to the wildlife sculptures around downtown — like turtles hiding under lampposts. Tell your friends and family about this and they're sure to go on a safari thenext time they're walking around the city.

Soon, the area around Gainbridge Fieldhouse will look very different.

Bicentennial Unity Plaza— the new public plaza currently under construction north of Gainbridge Fieldhouse — was named in conjunction with the 200th birthday of Indianapolis and will have two public art installations. The plaza will even have a community basketball court in the heart of downtown that will be transformed into an ice skating rink in the winter.

How well do you know the Circle City?

Prove you're a hometown expert with our 15 Interesting Facts about Indy. Make it a game to see who can guess the most correct answers.

Your sports-loving loved ones will appreciate this.

Indy is the real MVP when it comes to hosting sporting events. The city of Indianapolis recently celebrated another award for its success in hosting large-scale events. SportsTravel Magazine recognized Indy for hosting the 2022 College Football Playoff National Championship — and the city is hosting the Olympic Swimming Trials in 2024, the women's Final Four in 2028, and the men's Final Four in 2029.

Convince your out-of-town friends and family to move to Indy.

If you have friends and family visiting for the holidays, there's a good chance that Indy may be a more affordable place to live than where they came from. Indy has been constantly growing and announcing new developments this year, so we figured it was time to talk about the cost of planting some roots in the Circle City. Who knows — while they're visiting, they could be scouting out their future home. Love this!