Newfields: A Place for Nature and the Arts

Love this museum. It's the best combo around of garden, museum, restaurant. A+ well done Indi.

There is so much to see and do at Newfields! I hadn't been for a while and wanted to see the Dali immersion exhibit. The tickets were easy (and inexpensive) to purchase on-line. The Dali exhibit is incredible. This was my first immersion experience and I was surprised at how wonderful the program brought the artist to life. I sat through the program twice and learned something new even the second time. The subsequent AI art experience is fun as well at the photo backdrops. I loved reading more about Dali and seeing a few of his original watercolors. LOVED THIS.The Lume ticket gave us access to the entire museum and grounds. There is so much to see. We visited the Asian artifacts gallery and saw works that were over 2000 years old. We also visited the great works of the Impressionist and Hoosier artists and an exhibit of modern design. The Cafe offered a good break and good nourishment from their healthy menu. Outside, the gardens are spectacular, peaceful and invigorating. The Spring Blooms were transitioning and there were amazing peonies and allium in bloom. I could have spent a whole day just in the gardens. Our last stop was Oldfield's. The history and beauty of the mansion and grounds are lovely. The entire staff is engaging, friendly and helpful. One staff member even dropped what she was doing to show us to the elevator.We spent almost 5 hours at the museum and didn't see everything. It would take several days to visit everything at the museum and on the grounds. Newfields is a treasure to the Indianapolis community. Restrooms are nice. Parking is easy. Nice gift shop. Facility is lovely with lots of amenities.Tips: Don't bring a big purse as it will slow you down at security. Go early so you can enjoy the maximum amount. Wear comfortable walking shoes. Definitely, eat at the cafe.

This is so much more than an art museum and just surpassed expectations in every way. Highly recommended if you are visiting Indianapolis. Newfields consists of a large campus with the art museum, cafe, gift shop, gardens, greenhouse, walking trails, the Lilly house and even an outdoor beer garden. Give yourself plenty of time - we stayed for 4 hours and didn't get to everything we wanted to. We enjoyed the Dali immersive exhibit which is currently showing and the American art collection, in particular, was wonderful. The collection has pieces that range across all different art mediums and time periods. Lunch at the cafe was delicious. They have a very diverse menu with gluten free and vegetarian options. Everything tasted fresh and homemade. The dining area overlooks a beautiful tulip garden and fountain. They have free onsite lot and garage parking. Adult admission is $20 and it is free if you have a membership. If I lived in Indiana, I would absolutely buy a membership and enjoy visiting frequently.

If you like gardens and art this is the best place to visit in Indianapolis! Newfields absolutely exceeded my expectations. Four floors of art from contemporary to the masters, African and Asian. And the garden consisted of acres of paths, a canal, a lake, incredible flower gardens, outdoor sculptures and so much more. I even spotted a red cardinal! I spent five hours here but could have easily spent the whole day. Even the cafe had delicious food, highly recommend it. The immersive Dali exhibit I thought was just okay, I've seen better immersive exhibits in Vegas and San Francisco. But within the exhibit is an upscale bar, so you can drink a martini while viewing melting clocks, pretty cool indeed. Folks start to line up before the museum opens. You can buy your ticket online or in-person. Shout out to the friendly person from Sacramento working at the front desk! :) I would allow at least five hours at this place, and if you enjoy walking and being outdoors consider spending the whole day here. Definitely have lunch in the cafe, they also have food to-go if you want to take your lunch down to the lake. If you hike don't forget to bring some water and sun protection, it was warm here in May, I can't imagine what it might be like in the summer. No swimming is allowed.

I had not been to Newfields since the name change and rebranding, but I thoroughly enjoyed the Indianapolis Museum of Art when I visited in the past. I'd been wanting to visit The Lume and experience the immersive art experience firsthand, so my fiancé and I recently visited and enjoyed the Van Gogh exhibit. This was his first time ever visiting and he was child-like, hurrying from room to room, eager to see what came next.From beginning to end, the experience was amazing. We started off by visiting the cafe. I had hot cocoa, tomato soup and half of a BLT. Everything was delicious and they did not skimp on the bacon (I hate when restaurants do that!). My fiancé had tomato soup and French fries. He seemed to enjoy his meal as well.Next, we went on a private, guided garden tour. Our volunteer tour guide was delightful. We could tell that she really cared about the garden and was very knowledgeable. She told us that many of the plants she highlighted were ones that she had in her own garden. I really wish I could remember her name because she was a joy to be around. It was rather cold outside, but her excitement to show us all of the things made us want to stay the course and enjoy the entire hour-long tour.After the tour, we headed inside to visit The Lume. It was a truly unique experience. We loved the show itself, but we also enjoyed the interactive portion of the exhibit. It was a lot of fun.To wrap our day up, we took a quick look around at some of the art exhibits, but we agreed that we'd have to return to really take our time in the art galleries. I was happy to be the one to show my fiancé how cool the art museum is. It was a lovely experience that we look forward to enjoying again really soon. We're actually headed to Newfields again tonight for the Harvest Nights event!

I visited Newfields for the first time in March. I'd previously been to the Indianapolis Museum of Art (IMA), but this seemed to be a whole different experience. As previous reviews mentioned, you are thoroughly checked by security before entering the museum. From security you can purchase tickets in-person at the customer service counter, or have digital tickets scanned by the person standing at the bottom of the staircase. We purchased our tickets for the museum and The Lume experience. Before heading upstairs my SO hit the restroom, I admired the orchids in the gift shop and we briefly checked-out the cafe. We purchased tickets for The Lume with an entry time that was approaching, so we headed there first. The Monet/Impressionists show was really neat and included several rooms of this immersive experience. It was super packed on the day we visited and I didn't think there was enough seating. My SO and I sat on the floor for a while. This was fine for us, but would not have been for anyone with limited mobility. Loved the bar inside the experience for drinks and snacks. You can purchase food at a little area just outside when you first enter/exit The Lume, or from the bar inside the show and eat your food while watching. I think the entire show was around 45minutes and there were some things to see while exiting. The interactive room designed for kids was really neat and the pop-up gift shop was well done. Note: if you're prone to any sort of vertigo or motion sickness, I would not recommend The Lume. From The Lume experience we headed to the 3rd floor. The Design Gallery was featuring mid-century modern furniture. I LOVED this. Easily in my Top 3 'favorites.' We spent so much time in here that we kind of had to hurry through everything else. If you like to carry a larger purse: in The Design Gallery I was asked to carry my backpack/purse with my hand, held at my side. From The Design Gallery we went to the 2nd floor. The Steven Sprouse: Rock/Art/Fashion exhibit was also in my Top 3 Favorite Things I Saw at Newfields. Admittedly, I had no idea who Sprouse was until this exhibit. I learned that he was from Indiana and had many connections to other famous fashion designers, rock bands and artists. Remember that iconic dress Debbie Harry from Blondie wore in the music video for Heart of Glass? Yep, a Sprouse design. A replica of the dress is on display. There are many, many other costumes/designs you're sure to recognize that were worn by the famous. Before Sprouse's death he designed a line for Target that is also on display. From the Sprouse exhibit we ended our day in the Clowes Pavilion. We spent a long time admiring the digital art show that plays on the ceiling of the garden area. WOW!Can't recommend this museum enough. Had it been warmer we would have explored the sculptures outside. Another time. Cost was just over $60 for two adult general admission tickets + two adult tickets for The Lume. Free parking. Free lockers. We could have spent from 11am-5pm here. If you like to take your time, plan an all-day visit. Don't forget to check-out the gift shop.

Great museum. Couldn't see everything. Had a Van Gogh special exhibit that was awesome. They have outside gardens and an outside beer garden. Beautiful building and free parking. 4 floors with top floor being special exhibit. Museum had their own van goghs and Gougons and many other famous artists. There are African, Asia, European, and American art.

My husband and I had the best day at Newfields! We explored all the floors and went to the Dali immersion on the 4th floor. I loved all the modern art and the furniture exhibit. There was so much to see and explore. I also want to give a shout out to the cafe! It was exceptional food! Far better than I expected from a museum :-).

This was our first time at Newfields. Our experience was quite amazing. We arrived here right when it opened and it was not necessary to make reservations of any kind. When we entered, we were quickly greeted and directed to the desk to buy our tickets. We opted for the LUME Monet and Friends experience as we thought it would be a good idea to try something new. Once we received our tickets, we did find a section of the wall that indicated a map. We didn't really have knowledge of how to get around, but somehow arrived in the garden in the beginning. It was a little chilly outside so we walked around on the paths quickly observing the various fountains and plants present. This would have been nicer to visit when it was warmer. After walking back inside, we took some stairs to the actual museum where we were able to see a lot of the art. At some point, we arrived at the LUME exhibit which was about a 15-30 minute show. We took a seat on the floor and watched the entire exhibit, which was quite nice. After finishing the exhibit, we noticed there was a bar (Lumiere) that served some drinks (beer, wine, and themed cocktails). There was some bar seating and tables available, but we were also informed that we could walk with our drinks as long as we were in the LUME exhibit. At the end of the exhibit, there was a small gift shop that sold an assortment of items including books, puzzles, and household items. I do recommend you check out Newfields (especially on dates). You can spend a good portion of your day here!

Newfields will always have my heartNewfields has been through some pretty major highs and lows in the past few years. Like any grand old lady, she wears her age with grace & class.There are very few places that allow you to take a deeply calming breath of "aah," upon entering. Newfields tops that list of places in Indy. From the rotating galleries to the permanent collection, there is always something interesting on display. The on-site homes are beautifully curated, and outdoor spaces aren't to be missed. My one complaint is the currently displaced modern art galleries. The modern collection houses some of my favorite Newfields pieces and it saddens me greatly to not see them on display. I'm sure the Lume is an appealing financial boost, but I'll stand up and cheer on the day that the modern & contemporary art returns.Whether you're visiting Indy or here for the long-haul, Newfields should be at the top of your must visit list.