Katiebug_1976 Posted January 18, 2012 Share Posted January 18, 2012 Dh might be going on a business trip to Indianapolis the end of Feb/first of Mar. and the kids & I want to tag along. So, I need some help from anyone who live near Indianapolis to help me plan our trip. What is there to do there that is cheap or free? I know homeschoolers are notorious for finding inexpensive/free activities so I thought I'd ask here. I've looked a little at White River State Park and it looks really neat, but I can't find anywhere that says if it costs to get in, or is it a free park? I would really appreciate any ideas you can share...:001_smile: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moxie Posted January 18, 2012 Share Posted January 18, 2012 Not cheap but they do have a WONDERFUL children's museum. http://www.childrensmuseum.org/ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Katiebug_1976 Posted January 18, 2012 Author Share Posted January 18, 2012 Not cheap but they do have a WONDERFUL children's museum. http://www.childrensmuseum.org/ Thanks, I just went to their website and admission is free the 1st Thursday of every month from 4pm-8pm! Woo Hoo! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mommymilkies Posted January 18, 2012 Share Posted January 18, 2012 We just went there and it was SO incredibly crowded that you just can not enjoy yourself. Plus during the free hours it will be ridiculously crowded. So keep that in mind, plus cranky hungry kids during dinner. We spent about $100 just to get in the door and we did not feel we got our money's worth. We are members of several science & childrens' museums and this is the only one we've been disappointed in. It is REALLY boring for older kids and the only real fun things for older kids to do, like rock climbing, requires you to be there at opening and get in line for tickets. You have a very small window of time to get one and very few do. Wish I had more to offer. We usually just end up at Riley's the whole time and never get to do anything fun! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mcconnellboys Posted January 18, 2012 Share Posted January 18, 2012 Great children's museum, as others have already said, and Conner's Prairie is also near there and a very good experience.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moxie Posted January 18, 2012 Share Posted January 18, 2012 Thanks, I just went to their website and admission is free the 1st Thursday of every month from 4pm-8pm! Woo Hoo! I will warn you, it is CRAZY crowded that evening. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
acurtis75 Posted January 18, 2012 Share Posted January 18, 2012 I don't know if this is your cup of tea but the creation museum in KY is only about an hour and 45 minutes from there. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
5kidsforME Posted January 18, 2012 Share Posted January 18, 2012 We just went there and it was SO incredibly crowded that you just can not enjoy yourself. Plus during the free hours it will be ridiculously crowded. So keep that in mind, plus cranky hungry kids during dinner. We spent about $100 just to get in the door and we did not feel we got our money's worth. We are members of several science & childrens' museums and this is the only one we've been disappointed in. It is REALLY boring for older kids and the only real fun things for older kids to do, like rock climbing, requires you to be there at opening and get in line for tickets. You have a very small window of time to get one and very few do. Wish I had more to offer. We usually just end up at Riley's the whole time and never get to do anything fun! :confused: I am sure it is not fun during crowded times but it is no way boring. Your oldest is 10 and they were bored there? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Katiebug_1976 Posted January 18, 2012 Author Share Posted January 18, 2012 I don't know if this is your cup of tea but the creation museum in KY is only about an hour and 45 minutes from there. This is one of the reasons we were excited about the possibility of going to Indianapolis because it is so close to the Creation Museum. If we get to go, we plan to go home by way of The Creation Museum (this will be our big $$ splurge). We have wanted to go for quite some time now. I hadn't thought about the Childrens Museum being so crowded on free night (my small town living is showing it's true colors :D). We may have to rethink that one. Thanks for the heads up guys. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moxie Posted January 19, 2012 Share Posted January 19, 2012 This is one of the reasons we were excited about the possibility of going to Indianapolis because it is so close to the Creation Museum. If we get to go, we plan to go home by way of The Creation Museum (this will be our big $$ splurge). We have wanted to go for quite some time now. I hadn't thought about the Childrens Museum being so crowded on free night (my small town living is showing it's true colors :D). We may have to rethink that one. Thanks for the heads up guys. We were there all day. We had no idea that that night was going to be free. Suddenly, there were all kinds of teenagers wandering without their families, kids misbehaving, just crazy stuff. DH and I were in seperate sections and when we met we both wondered why the behavior suddenly got so bad. Then there was an announcement that it was free night and they would be open late. We were very happy to leave. FYI to anyone who wants to go, we called the ticket office and explained that we were going to be there with a large family and was there any way to save some money. They offered us $20 off a family membership. We were going to be there for 2 days anyway (and my kids did not get bored, even on the second day--they can't wait to go back!) so it worked out great. Call and see if they will make you a deal! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
edithcrawley Posted January 19, 2012 Share Posted January 19, 2012 The Indiana Museum of Art is free, and pretty cool. I'm not sure if your two youngest would enjoy it, but the others probably would. There is a free Civil War museum in the basement of the Soldiers' and Sailors' monument on Monument Circle downtown. You can also climb to the top of the Monument to get a good view of downtown. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mommymilkies Posted January 19, 2012 Share Posted January 19, 2012 :confused: I am sure it is not fun during crowded times but it is no way boring. Your oldest is 10 and they were bored there? My older kids had very little to do. They thought most of it was "babyish" or not enough hands-on. But we are used to the Discovery Museum and Cincy museum, etc. Especially with the crowds and long lines there was NOTHING for my older kids to do that was age appropriate. It's really not geared for the older crowd, IMHO. And the "little kids" hands on area was so crowded that the strollers were lined out the hallway and you couldn't even move inside. I hope not every day was like that. My younger kids had fun and the dinosaur part was very nice. But the rest was MEH. Oh, and I need to update my siggy. She's 11. ;) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
littleWMN Posted January 19, 2012 Share Posted January 19, 2012 It's been years since I've been but the Indianapolis speedway is kind of neat to visit. They used to do (don't know if they do anymore) likke van tours around the speedway that was pretty cheap and there was information inside. I'm not into racing or anything but it was still pretty cool. I'm sure they have a website. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mom2att Posted January 19, 2012 Share Posted January 19, 2012 My older kids had very little to do. They thought most of it was "babyish" or not enough hands-on. But we are used to the Discovery Museum and Cincy museum, etc. Especially with the crowds and long lines there was NOTHING for my older kids to do that was age appropriate. It's really not geared for the older crowd, IMHO. And the "little kids" hands on area was so crowded that the strollers were lined out the hallway and you couldn't even move inside. I hope not every day was like that. My younger kids had fun and the dinosaur part was very nice. But the rest was MEH. Aw, that's too bad! My kids love the Children's Museum and have been multiple times. Even my teen has enjoyed it! We don't go when it's crowded, though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moxie Posted January 19, 2012 Share Posted January 19, 2012 Aw, that's too bad! My kids love the Children's Museum and have been multiple times. Even my teen has enjoyed it! We don't go when it's crowded, though. Yeah, we went on two weekdays so it wasn't too bad. The stroller parking was crazy though! I also really appreciate that they allow outside food into the cafeteria. We packed our lunch and saved a bunch of money. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
elegantlion Posted January 19, 2012 Share Posted January 19, 2012 You could go see the Landmark for Peace Memorial. Free. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joker Posted January 19, 2012 Share Posted January 19, 2012 It's been years since I've been but the Indianapolis speedway is kind of neat to visit. They used to do (don't know if they do anymore) likke van tours around the speedway that was pretty cheap and there was information inside. I'm not into racing or anything but it was still pretty cool. I'm sure they have a website. :iagree: My dds have never watched or been interested in racing but found the whole visit pretty neat. They each have a picture in front of their favorite car in the museum on their bulletin boards. We also really love the children's museum. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rwjx2khsmj Posted January 19, 2012 Share Posted January 19, 2012 I second the Children's Museum and the Art Museum. We really enjoy both of those. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hmvaughan4 Posted January 19, 2012 Share Posted January 19, 2012 We also love the Children's Museum. They have a Lego exhibit coming, it may be there during that time. We went to the Indiana State Museum and Eiteljorg (Native American museum) on Monday. They were both nice, but my boys were too young to appreciate it too much. White River State Park is free, but you do have to pay parking. There is the canal which has paddle boats, a gondola, and Segways that you can rent. I'm not sure if they will be open at that time, but it's still nice to walk along the canal. The Art Museum has a new outdoor area, but I haven't been, so I can't say how nice it is. Conner Prairie and the race track is nice as well. Will you be staying downtown? How far are you willing to drive for attractions? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Katiebug_1976 Posted January 19, 2012 Author Share Posted January 19, 2012 Thank you all for the great ideas. I've got quite a bit to look into. Keep 'em coming... We also love the Children's Museum. They have a Lego exhibit coming, it may be there during that time. We went to the Indiana State Museum and Eiteljorg (Native American museum) on Monday. They were both nice, but my boys were too young to appreciate it too much. White River State Park is free, but you do have to pay parking. There is the canal which has paddle boats, a gondola, and Segways that you can rent. I'm not sure if they will be open at that time, but it's still nice to walk along the canal. The Art Museum has a new outdoor area, but I haven't been, so I can't say how nice it is. Conner Prairie and the race track is nice as well. Will you be staying downtown? How far are you willing to drive for attractions? I'm not sure where we will be staying yet so I figure if I find things to do all over the city, once we know where we wil be then I can pick & choose from what is close. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hmvaughan4 Posted January 19, 2012 Share Posted January 19, 2012 There's also Trader's Point Creamery, which is in Zionsville, a suburb of Indy. Fair Oaks Farms is a few hours north of Indianapolis, I'm not sure if you'd want to drive that far. Rhythm Discovery Center is downtown. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Teachin'Mine Posted January 19, 2012 Share Posted January 19, 2012 Here's a site listing what's free: http://www.free-attractions.com/indianapolis.htm The art museum is worth visiting. :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Katiebug_1976 Posted January 20, 2012 Author Share Posted January 20, 2012 Thanks for all the ideas...:001_smile: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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