Why it’s a Must-See with Kids of all Ages

Ok- there’s children’s museums, and then there’s the INDIANAPOLIS CHILDREN’S MUSEUM. It’s in a class of its own and honestly cannot even be compared to more typical children’s museums around the country.

Read on for the best ways to spend your time at the largest children’s museum in the world.

What Makes This Museum Different

The moment you arrive- you just know the Indianapolis Children’s Museum is one-of-a kind. From the giant Egyptian statue in the parking garage that is several stories tall to the dinosaurs bursting into the museum’s glass windows, the excitement begins before you even step foot in the museum.  Even outside of the museum is a garden with different iconic sites around the world like the Great Wall of China and the Egyptian pyramids.

While most children’ s museums focus on science and maybe small world play, this museum is so much more expansive. With history exhibits, sports exhibits, cultural exhibits, dinosaur exhibits, there is no end of things to do here.

Plus, this museum is able to offer something for children of all ages, making it great for families with kids of different ages. It’s even genuinely awesome for parents- not just in the “aww, look how happy my kid is” kind of way.  But in a “I seriously cannot wait to go to this museum” kind of way.

From the moment you arrive- you just know this museum is one-of-a kind.

Lower Level and Level 1: Must-See Exhibits

The lower two floors of the Indianapolis Children’s Museum have several exhibits that start on the ground floor and then move to the lower floor with several exhibits that I would consider to be “must-sees.”

National Geographic Treasures of the Earth (Archeology Exhibit)

Definitely see the National Geographic Treasures of the Earth. Here kids can learn about the terra cotta soldiers of China and actually assemble terra cotta soldier pieces as well as pretend to be on an archaeological dig.

Kids can also learn about Egyptian mummies, put together Egyptian mummy pieces, learn about hieroglyphics, and crawl through a pyramid tunnel.

I was blown away at how the exhibits simultaneously offered something for kids of all ages. Toddlers and preschoolers love the pretend dig and the puzzle pieces, elementary aged students can have a blast with solving puzzles, and middle school and high school students can learn more about the history of these places. They even have working labs where a scientist was teaching kids how the Egyptians made ink out of natural materials.

Dinosaur Exhibit

The lower two floors also include the Dinosphere- an area with dinosaur fossil replicas, displays for different time periods, and interactive activities for kids. There were coloring sheets, papers to encourage kids to write a story about dinosaurs, and tracing and etching activities.

There were also actual paleontologists working with real fossils and kids can watch them work through glass windows. The paleontologists also took time to explain what they were doing to kids of all ages.

Again- it was amazing to see how everything was set up so that the smallest of kids were engaged right alongside older kids.

Space Station Exhibit

In the lower level is also the space exhibit. Toddlers can pretend to use tools to fix the space station- older kids learn about space research. It was super fun to walk through an exhibit that actually looked like the space station.

Level 2- Special Exhibits

Level 2 of the Indianapolis Children’s Museum hosts exhibits that aren’t quite as permanent. We visited during the Mickey Mouse Clubhouse exhibit and my younger kids LOVED IT. This is an exhibit that seasonally cycles out to different things, making the museum a fresh experience every time you return.

Take Me There- A Must See

The Take Me There exhibit is also on Level 2 and this is a MUST. About every five years or so they make a new exhibit for a new country, but the idea behind it remains the same. We visited when Peru was the focused country.

Children get to sit in a pretend airplane to “arrive” in Peru. But listen- I could not get over how much detail had gone into the plane. Besides getting to sit in the seats, you could hear the sound of the landing gear raising and the plane taking off. Then you were shown a video welcoming you into Peru in both Spanish and English. Out of the pretend windows was a screen that made it really look like you were flying over Peru- you could see the tops of the rainforest, the beaches on the coastline, and Machu Picchu through the clouds.  We did this SEVERAL times because it was just so much fun.

Once you “arrive” in Peru, they had so many different exhibits set up. There was a market place where children could pretend to work in a cafe and a restaurant and it looked SO realistic.  

You could explore the Amazon rainforest and search for animals. You could brush little llamas as you learned about the Andes.

They even had a home and a school set up with what it might look like to live in Peru. My daughter LOVED this section.

We spent well over an hour taking it all in and ended up going back the next day just to visit Peru again!

The Take Me There exhibit is unlike anything I’ve ever seen at any other children’s museum. Be sure to block out a good bit of time for it.

Levels 3 and 4

Levels 3 and 4 of the Indianapolis Children’s Museum include more permanent exhibits.

On Level 3 is the Playscape that’s just for babies, toddlers, and preschoolers. There were water tables, music rooms, dig pits- you name it. Even inside this exhibit were areas that were designated just for babies so that they weren’t getting trampled by an overzealous four year old.

We loved this section of letting our littles run free a bit more.

On the same floor though is the Power of Children, which the museum recommends for older children only. This exhibit explores the history of children who have made a difference in the world such as Anne Frank and Malala Yousafzai.  

As it’s heavier content though, if you have younger kids in your family are with two adults, send one adult with the older kids through the Power of Children exhibit while the younger ones burn off some energy in the Playscape.

Level 4 has an Agriscience ScienceWorks that focuses on Indiana’s biome and agriculture.

Kids can pretend to drive a tractor, learn how dams work, and explore the different landscapes of Indiana. My littles particularly loved pretending to discover a cave.

Levels 3 and 4 are great and it’s definitely worth visiting. However, if you’re low on time- focus on Levels 1, 2, and the Sports Legends Experience. These are where the most unique experiences are.  

Outdoor Sports Exhibit

Ok- honest mom confession here. I’m a geography and history person and while I do enjoy sports, I never really thought about coming to a museum for sports. I originally wanted to come here for the National Geographic exhibits and the Take Me There exhibit.

I thought we’d do a quick glance at the outdoor sports exhibit, decide our kids were too little for it, and move on.

BOY WAS I WRONG.  

There are basketball courts, a football field, a hockey rink that looks like it’s ice, a mini golf course, a soccer field, you name it.

They’re all set up to make kids feel like they’re playing at a collegiate or professional level (the football field is all Indianapolis Colts themed). 

And just like they did in the indoor exhibits, it perfectly accommodates kids of different ages. On the basketball court there’s different zones for kids of different ages where the goals are set to different heights.  The football field and the soccer field have different sides for kids below five and kids above five.  

It was a perfect set up for our young daughters to be able to enjoy it without getting accidentally run over by a teenager.

My favorite part though was a huge tree sculpture that you could climb into and explore all sorts of different nooks and crannies. It’s amazing and honestly- I don’t even know how to describe it. Just go experience it. 

Logistics

This outdoor exhibit is only open seasonally, so make sure you check beforehand. Additionally, they have to close if there’s lightning in the area.  

And it’s fun no matter what time of day you’re visiting, but I do think my favorite time is in the evening when they stay open late on the first Thursday of every month. The lights come on, the sun is setting, and it feels like when you’re playing in a stadium. It is truly magical.  

The Logistics/Tips and Tricks

The Indianapolis Children’s Museum is HUGE, so you definitely want to be strategic with your time. However, this museum has been so well planned and it feels like they’ve really thought of everything possible to make this as logistically easy on families as possible.

The parking is free in a huge garage right across the street. Use the pedway to safely cross over to the museum.  

Stroller wagons are welcome- I highly recommend bringing one if you have littles that might wear out.

On your way out, make sure you see the world landmark sites in front of the museum.

Budget Tips and First Thursday

If you are looking for ways to make this more budget friendly, check out the First Thursday deal. On the first Thursday of every month the museum stays open until 8:00 PM and starting at 4:00 you can get discount admission.

This was how we visited the first time since we weren’t even sure how long our girls would be able to enjoy the museum without running out of steam.

The cafeteria stays open for dinner, but they do close down closer to closing, so if you’re planning on eating in the cafeteria, make sure you do that earlier on.

If you paid for regular admission on a First Thursday, you can still stay until 8:00 to get more time for your money’s worth.

Indy Pass and Other Indianapolis Sites

If you’re visiting other Indianapolis attractions, check out the Indy Attraction Pass. We used our Indy Pass to actually go back to the Children’s Museum the next day to visit the exhibits we had loved the most the first day.  (This actually is a really great bargain- definitely worth looking into.)

And if you are looking for other things to do in Indianapolis with kids (many of which are included on the Indy Pass, be sure to check out my post here.)