The Children's Museum Of Indianapolis

This Children's Museum is incredible! Ranked as one of the top Children's Museums in the country, we knew we had to take our 2.5-year-old--and it exceeded all expectations.First impressions: The museum is massive. Outside, life-sized dinosaur statues peer into the building, immediately sparking excitement. Upon entering, you're greeted by the Bumblebee movie prop in the lobby. At first, I assumed it was a replica, but it turns out to be the real deal!The museum spans four floors, each packed with amazing exhibits and fully accessible via ramps and elevators. Here's a breakdown of our experience from top to bottom:4th Floor:This floor features Tiny Town and the carousel. My daughter, who is obsessed with carousels, was thrilled! The carousel, which is 100 years old, costs $2 for non-members. If you have a tap-to-pay card, you can pay at the carousel entrance; otherwise, pre-buy tickets at the main entrance.Tiny Town is an adorable play area with miniature houses and shops. My daughter loved pretending to serve me ice cream and even made a little friend. The ScienceWorks area allows kids to pretend to be geologists or farmers, make balanced meals, dig through pretend rocks, and explore a water table.There's also a display of miniature houses, which I found intricate and fascinating--perfect for anyone who enjoys dollhouse-sized designs.3rd Floor:This floor is home to PlayScape, designed specifically for kids under 5. The sand and water exhibits are perfect for younger children, and my daughter had a blast. There's also a music room, but we couldn't try it because a class was in session.There's a climbing structure for kids and their adults, though it seemed a bit tight, so we skipped it. There are also building areas and other interactive activities.The Power of Children exhibit offers meaningful historical content. While my daughter is too young to appreciate it, I found it interesting and think it would be impactful for older children.2nd Floor:Here, you'll find the entrance to the museum's iconic spiral slide, which takes you down to the main floor--such a fun feature!The American Pop! exhibit showcases nostalgic toys like Beanie Babies and poppers, plus a fashion area for creating outfits and plenty of movie memorabilia. My daughter loved playing with the toys while I browsed the displays.The Winterscape area includes interactive slides, pretend ice skating with socks, and skee ball. I think this exhibit is temporary though.1st Floor:The dino exhibit was a hit! With towering dinosaur displays and fossil excavation activities, it's a perfect mix of education and fun. By this point, after four hours of exploring, my daughter was starting to tire, so we only scratched the surface of this floor.By this point my daughter was getting sleepy and we had already been there 4 hours. I think was just scratched 75% of the museum. There was definitely still more since we didn't see Treasures of the Earth and the Spaceship areas. This wasn't even including all the outdoor exhibits that weren't open since we went in Winter. Overall:This museum is fantastic and worth every penny. It's packed with activities for all ages, and there's more than enough to fill an entire day. Luckily, Indianapolis is a manageable day trip for us, so we can't wait to come back and explore even more. Highly recommend it to anyone with kids!

This is by far the best Children's museum I've ever been to and I would debate anyone if there is another better. I read a few years ago that it is ranked in at least the top 5 in the US. It is absolutely well deserved that it has earned that accolade, if not more. I visited it on occasion for years in the past, especially when my kids were younger. Now that I have grandchildren, I am reliving, enjoying and experiencing it all over again. Much of it is still the same as I remembered. There are so many wonderfully solid and timeless exhibits. The Chihuly exhibit and massive blown glass sculpture in the center of the building is beautiful and stunning. They also add and change things depending on the seasons and incorporate special exhibits like Lego or whatever else is super fascinating and cool. They have added and built onto the museum quite a bit over the years. It's all been for the better by improving upon what was already exemplary. I will admit that I miss the big movie theater where the Dinosphere exhibit is now, but it's still all good in the neighborhood. The interactive outdoor sports addition is awesome. It's such a fun and magical place. There's nothing better than reliving the warm fuzzy feeling of wonderment when one was a child. This museum accomplishes just that. It is highly innovative, educational and hits all of the marks for children and adult all the same. It seems to accommodate everyone. Bravo to Indy for this special and precious gem of a museum. It's undoubtedly a huge part of Hoosier history and pride. I am so grateful and blessed to have been able to experience it.

What an amazing museum! It is geared towards children, so I brought my niece. I think we both loved it equally! So many hands-on activities and immersion is encouraged. I was floored by the paleontologists working on dinosaur bones! Speaking with them and learning/watching them work was so special. Getting to touch real dinosaur bones was SO COOL! The museum is set up well and you can easily spent half a day there. Parking is free! That makes the price even more well worth it. The museum is well organized and clean, too. Sometimes areas feel more busy when larger school groups arrive but it's easy enough to navigate to a less crowded space. Loved the insect area and learning with the staff about bees and pollinators!The cafe is pricey but pretty good. It feels a little like you don't have a choice but to pay the high prices if you're hungry and don't want to leave the museum -- that's my only complaint.Worth the drive to Indianapolis to visit the museum! I hope we can visit again because it's really a great experience!

I am obsessed with the children's museum and my kids love it too! We have the membership and have for about 3 years. If you plan on going more than a few times with a few people (kids) then this is the best bang for your buck. You could easily go every single time and see something different. They also change exhibits pretty frequently. Going during breaks is tough because everyone is there but if you stay at home or can go during the week (not during a fall, winter or spring break) that is the best time! Pictures are from the seasonal haunted house. 10/10 recommend. Parking is free in the garage or they have outside parking

Took my kids to The Children's Museum for my daughter's birthday! We definitely would have stayed all day if it wasn't nap time. We went to guest services to get a print out of the activities of the day and I loved how the age range was included. The activities were age appropriate given the range and my kids who are 5 & 3 enjoyed their activities. There is so much learning and so many different exhibits to choose from. My kid's favorite activity was coloring the dinosaur and seeing it "come to life" on the projector. I can't wait to visit during the summer to go outdoors in the sports area.

This museum is huge! There is no way you will have enough time to do everything in one day. I wish we knew this so I could pick where to go ahead of time, but we still had a great time and my daughter loved it. There's even a whole outside part that is included in admission we didn't make it to. I loved how interactive it was and how many activities there was, along with a lot of presentations and scheduled events. They also have rooms for breastfeeding moms in the Playscape area. Food at the cafe is decent for a museum and huge portions. We loved coming here and are thinking we may get a membership and come quarterly. Definitely spread the trip out over a few days if you can.

Wow! What a better place in Indianapolis to take your kids and or/ grandkids! The entrance alone will wow your kids! Who wouldn't love to see a dinosaur sticking his head through the window of the entrance. The staff is extremely helpful, friendly and talented! They have such patience interacting and sharing their knowledge of their exhibit with the public. Every time I go there is something new I learned. The exhibits start at 6 months. That's where you will find all the kids 5 and younger!! They have everything in there for the curious little minds, anywhere from stem activities to tactile activities. There is a safe area for you 6 month old to do tummy time and explore. There is so much to do and say about this amazing place that you have to go and see it for yourself!!

If I could give this place more stars I would! Simply LOVED this place! I've been several times and still amazes me every time I go! This was my first time going to the outdoor experience and spent literally hours out there and it was everything! The different spots you get to experience but all tailored to the Indianapolis teams, which was so lovely! The different sports areas accommodated over and under 6 years old which was nice for the toddlers! The kids loved it and we can't wait to go back! The inside is a whole adventure on its own! So many levels of epic exhibits for all ages, the information the endless toys and imagination! I've been to different children's museums this one if definitely top 5 for me for sure!

It's definitely a big museum. They are listed on the reciprocity for children's museums, but beware that they don't actually honor it. It's full price, no discounts for being a member elsewhere. 2 adults and one child will set you back at least 105$. If you think you'll go at least twice, consider a membership. It's steep. One of the priciest children's museums we've been to in the country and not sure it's really worth it. While by square footage it is very big, we got through it pretty quickly; we expected to take all day going through it but less to do than at the Cincinnati one. The dinosaur exhibit is by far the most well-funded as is the outdoor sports arena. Otherwise exhibits are ok. Like most children's museums, there is a play area for kids under 5 with a small water station. There are stem areas for older kids to learn about farming, weather, and water systems. They have a random exhibit to go to Greece and a throwback to the 70s,80s, and 90s with classic board games and video games from the respective eras. The outdoor area has a lot of different sports for kids to try out and practice. It's interactive and fun. Everything is miniaturized for kids. Probably only good when the weather is nice. Good news is parking was free. Not sure it's quite worth a travel to, but if you're in the area and have kids, worth going to. Otherwise I think there are other museums in the Midwest worth traveling to.

We always have a great time here. Lots of new adventures every time we come - we rarely see everything in 1 day so we have a pass to take advantage of all the stuff to learn So excited that the ninja turtles are coming back her March 9- Sept 2!