Why do families love the Children’s Museum of Indianapolis? Just from the outside of the museum, you realize it must be a special place. There are three life-sized dinosaurs breaking out of the building, and two brontosauruses have found their way to the lobby where they are peering in through the glass.
Once inside, you don’t need a time machine to walk among Tyrannosaurus Rexes, explore an Egyptian Pyramid, or journey back to Ancient Greece. Want to visit a space station, race in a mini-version of the Indianapolis 500 and get your hands wet learning about the ecology and the natural world? All that is possible, too, which is why we think it’s the best. No matter what your child is interested in, you can find something to dazzle their minds here.
It is the largest children’s museum in the world with nearly a half-million square feet of incredible hands-on exhibits and experiences which are both inside the building and (mostly) outside in the gigantic Sports Legends Experience.
Here are some reasons why families love the Children’s Museum of Indianapolis and why you should visit:
You can explore the world (and outside our stratosphere, too)
You can visit several countries on the lower level in Treasures of the Earth. There is an Egyptian tomb complete with a mummy (which has been there since I was a kid!), the Xian Terra Cotta Warriors of China and a shipwreck of a pirate’s boat. All exhibits are very interactive – you can put together the Terra Cotta Warriors just as if you were an archeologist who had discovered the pieces in the farmer’s field in China; search the ocean floor for fragments of the pirate’s ship; and head deep into the tunnels of an Egyptian pyramid.
Hop on a plane and land in Greece! The Take Me There Greece exhibit is another family favorite (it held special significance for us when it was a China exhibit since we lived there and one of our sons is Chinese). It’s a huge part of the museum where you feel like you’re walking down the streets of Athens or Corinth. Yell, “Opa!” at the Greek taverna where kids can “make” moussaka and gyros and serve it to customers (plan plenty of time for this activity. We found it hard to tear them away.). Learn some Greek words; visit a Greek home; and make some olive oil. Alex even got to show off some of his baking skills when he was selected to help make some Greek cookies as part of a live demonstration.
There’s also a special exhibit on level 2: The Treasures of Ancient Greece where you can learn about the life and times of ancient Greece. With several Greek statues and mosaics to admire on loan from museums in Athens, but you can also build a Parthenon; race against a marathoner in the Olympics – my stamina won over my 9-year old competitor’s quick start; and try on a toga. And, my son’s favorite – see some actual props used in Percy Jackson movies.
While exploring earth is amazing, you can also adventure beyond our planet via the Beyond Spaceship Earth exhibit. It’s another one of our favorites because you can pretend that you’re living on the International Space Station. Walk through a model ISS unit where you can try on space suits or feel what it’s like to be wrapped up in a sleeping chamber. There are also astronaut artifacts and computer games that simulate duties that you might have while living on the space station like exercising or fixing the electrical panels. Tons of buttons to push and pull, which even my 11-year old still enjoys.
The Children’s Museum also has a planetarium on site, and shows are included in your admission fee.
You can go way back in time.
Have a kiddo who can ID dinos and has watched The Land Before Time dozens of times? Head straight to the Dinosphere and transport yourselves back to the Jurassic era when the giant creatures roamed the earth. Thunder rolls and lightning streaks across the sky as you hike through the world of the life-sized T-rexes. The first time we visited the Dinosphere, I got goosebumps because it was so realistic and the boys shuttered in fear and delight! Budding paleontologists will love digging for bones and watching professionals prepare bones that have been found across the U.S. We were able to touch a real femur from a diplodocus that was found in Wyoming and talk to a paleontologist about her work as she used some tools to remove millions of years of dirt from another bone. Minds blown!
You can be inspired.
The most poignant exhibit at the best children’s museum in the world is called The Power of Children and brings the stories of three child heroes: Anne Frank, Ruby Bridges and Ryan White to life. Walk through recreations of their rooms and schoolrooms are which tell their journeys of being an agent of change, even though they were kids. This exhibit is best for older kids who can better understand the significance of their lives and why they were such important It also suggests that all children can be a force of change and goodness in the world.
You can have fun with science!
Whether it’s doing a science experiment in the Corteva Agriscience SciencePort lab or learning about ecology and meteorology, ScienceWorks is a perfect playground for your future scientist. There’s a geology lab and cave where kids learn about different minerals and how they are formed; a hands-on water table that traces water flow from the Great Lakes to the Mississippi Delta; or create your own weather forecast based on radar data. This is another area that you might want to devote extra time to as it is always tough to peel my kids away from these activities.
You can play – with balls, a carousel, water and so much more.
The Sports Legends Experience is the newest addition to the museum and could take a day of its own to enjoy all of the activities (note that it is only open from March to early November). Even my boys who are not ultra sports-oriented love taking a try at each of the stations. Their favorites are racing pedal-powered cars around mini version of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway (home to the Indy 500); climbing the 25-foot Tree of Sports (and then sliding down it); channeling their inner Rapinoes and Messis at the soccer area; and going for a hat trick in the hockey rink.
However, there are nine other experiences including a mini golf course, a baseball diamond, a mini tennis court, a track, a football field where you can throw and catch like an Indianapolis Colt or kick a field goal, and my personal favorite, a huge basketball area with small and large basketballs and various heights of basketball goals so that everyone can feel like Larry Bird or Tamika Catchings. If your kids like sports, it’s possible that they will never want to leave.
At the inside part of the Sports Legends Experience, you can simulate being in the pit at the Indy 500 by trying to change a car tire with lightning speed, row against a crew team and several other interactive exhibits.
And on level 5 – more playtime fun — and another one of our family favorites (I feel like everything is a favorite, but there are so many awesome exhibits and things to do) is a Carousel from the early 1900’s, that is still in great working order. This is another blast from my past as I remember riding on the colorful horses when I was a kid. It’s a $1 a ride (free if you have a membership) and worth every cent. It’s also a great way to end your day.
Playscape is also on the fifth level. It’s an area specifically created for kids five and younger. There’s a massive water table (plan on getting wet); a really cool “tree” with levels and tunnels to roam and climb; and a bunch of other sensory activities designed for younger visitors.
You can enjoy some art.
Some of the fun of the Children’s Museum is that it has a ramp system for going up or down a level instead of stairs which opens in the middle to a dazzling art installation. An incredible Dale Chihuly five-story glass work of art, “Fireworks of Glass”, follows as you move from floor to floor. It springs up from the bottom level, all the way to the top with vibrant and various colored glass. ribbons, noodles and flowers that bursts at the top like fireworks. In fact, before you leave the bottom level, you can play with plastic versions of the glass pieces and make your own creations or lay back in cool chairs and get a view from the bottom.
Kids of all ages and interests will find something (or maybe everything) they love. But, the best reason why families love the Children’s Museum of Indianapolis is that kids are learning while they are having fun. When your son answers a Jeopardy question because of something he remembered from the model space station or he wants to get a book at the library to learn more about Greece because of the Greek exhibit, you’ll smile and revel in your brilliant decision to visit.
And, don’t forget the tons of other sights to visit in Indiana and Indianapolis with kids! Indiana was just named to Frommer’s best places to travel in 2020!
