So Your Partner is Going to Gen Con

Gen Con starts on Thursday.  (Am I the only one who’s completely unprepared?) Which for most Pure Geekery readers means four days of gaming wonderfulness. But what about those of you who don’t game? Or those of you who have a gaming spouse and are going to be a bachelor/bachelorette for those four days? Turns out there’s some pretty awesome things going on in Indy next weekend for you too.

1) Indy Fringe – Every year I’m bummed that Indy Fringe is the same weekend as Gen Con. Because really,  I want to go to both. Much as Gen Con is a celebration of gaming,  Indy Fringe is a celebration of theater. If you are a fan of the arts, this is the place for you.

2) Indiana State Fair – Your partner is going to be eating deliciously bad for them food, people watching,  and learning about new things. So why don’t you do the same thing in a different way? There’s a ton of stuff to do (Fun City Finder and Eternal Lizdom have some ideas) You can get through the fair without spending a ton on food or activities if you know how to plan well. Or you know, just hang out with the goats.

3) Dig-IN – There is some amazing food around Indiana. And on August 17th you can sample much of it at the White River State Park at the Dig-IN festival. If you’ve never been, it’s about time (check out this recap from last year by Solid Gold Eats). Walk around, try a little bit of what the state has to offer, and have a beer. The weather has been mild so far this summer so it’s the perfect year to finally go. They still need a few volunteers as well, which gets you in for free!

4) Museums – The Indiana State Museum.  The Eiteljorg. The IMA. The Indiana Medical History Museum. The Children’s Museum (even fun as an adult). There are so many cool museums in the Indianapolis area. When was the last time you went to one?

5) Gen Con – “But you said this was for non-gamers!” I know what I said, but listen for a minute. Gen Con has a ton of “Spouse Activities” as well. Fitness classes, crafting,  cake decorating,  brewery tours, and various Indy tours. There are so many things you can do at Gen Con that don’t have anything to do with gaming. (Note: These activities cost extra over your badge price. But supplies are often included.) Outside of spouse specific activities, there are tons of workshops/seminars/panels that don’t really have much to do with gaming. Job search, writing, copyright, and even bondage (even NPR can loosely connect it to gaming, so it works). And try some games too. Maybe you’ll see why your partner is so into it. If not, there’s always Cards Against Humanity being played somewhere.

If you want more suggestions,  check out this post by Doing Indy. And if you’re not going to Gen Con,  what are you planning in doing next weekend in Indy?