shawthorne44 Posted June 22, 2018 Share Posted June 22, 2018 We will be going to Indianapolis soon for a convention as a family. We get there early in order to do local tourist stuff as a family. Problem is, we dislike cars, and all the tourist stuff seems to be related to the Speedway. There doesn't even seem to be any interesting historical sites. I figure that the interesting places are there, it is just that the internet searches are just showing me the speedway stuff. It occurred to me that I had access to a fount of knowledge, and those with kids! I've never seen a Great Lake, despite growing up in Minnesota. So, we are going to the coast for a day. The water is so cold, I expect we'll just give it a Chevy Chase Grand Canyon Nod. Indianapolis seems to have a nice indoor pool/playplace. So, we'll spend a day there, even though we have one at home. What else do you guys recommend? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lucy the Valiant Posted June 22, 2018 Share Posted June 22, 2018 The downtown library. Seriously. It's amazing. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hellen Posted June 22, 2018 Share Posted June 22, 2018 Conner Prairie is what you're looking for. It's like colonial Williamsburg, but westward expansion themed. http://www.connerprairie.org/ 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AngieC Posted June 22, 2018 Share Posted June 22, 2018 If the weather is nice, you could walk the canal (about 3 miles). There are no stores on the canal, so take water if it's warm, but it's a very pleasant walk. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joker Posted June 22, 2018 Share Posted June 22, 2018 There's actually a few food places off the canal and one of them often has a beverage cart set up nearby when it's warm. You can also rent paddle boats and do the canal that way. A few museums (the science museum also has an IMAX) and the zoo are very walkable from downtown. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rjand6more Posted June 22, 2018 Share Posted June 22, 2018 50 minutes ago, hellen said: Conner Prairie is what you're looking for. It's like colonial Williamsburg, but westward expansion themed. http://www.connerprairie.org/ This is what I was going to add. Fun, relaxed place! Less than 30 min north of the city.(traffic depending) 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rjand6more Posted June 22, 2018 Share Posted June 22, 2018 If you mean Lake Michigan, the Dunes Lakeshore is awesome. Very beachy. Can get very crowded on weekends. Show up early. I am NOT a beach person, but I love the Dunes Lakeshore . 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cintinative Posted June 22, 2018 Share Posted June 22, 2018 The Children's Museum is really great. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rachel Posted June 22, 2018 Share Posted June 22, 2018 The Children’s Museum is one of the better ones in the country. I’ve always wanted to stay in one of the train car rooms at the Crowne Hotel but we haven’t done it:https://www.tripadvisor.com/LocationPhotoDirectLink-g37209-d88164-i74419558-Crowne_Plaza_Indianapolis_Downtown_Union_Station-Indianapolis_Indiana.html I also haven’t been to this dairy but my FIL said he would love to take the grandkids sometime:https://www.tripadvisor.com/Attraction_Review-g37094-d649695-Reviews-Fair_Oaks_Farms-Fair_Oaks_Indiana.html 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shawthorne44 Posted June 22, 2018 Author Share Posted June 22, 2018 We are staying downtown at the JW I think it is called. We are driving in, so we can go anywhere. What is cool about the library? I large building of books I can't take even for a little bit seems painful. We are staying a night near a state park (but not in) on the coast of Saint Michigan. That part I'm not so concerned about. Those museums mentioned might be nice. Particularly the Children's Museum. DD goes to a nice one several times a year, but a different one will offer completely different experience. That Conner Prairie Place sounds totally awesome! A mix of history and running around! It doesn't get any better than that! I wonder if that would be a more than one day experience? I would totally be willing to skip the indoor pool place. Canal sounds fun. We recently went on a paddle boat on what was really a small pond. We had a horrible time. But that was because something was wrong with the rudder and we couldn't steer. Maybe being on a good paddle boat would be nice. A dairy farm? That would be pretty cool. If we had more land, I would be totally wanting a dairy cow. I crave raw milk. We live in a rural area and I've hinted to several friends that I'd like to buy a share in a dairy cow. We have some childless friends that love Indy. But, when I asked them, they told me restaurants. I asked for non-restaurant ideas and I got a blank look. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joker Posted June 22, 2018 Share Posted June 22, 2018 If you're staying at the JW, the Eiteljorg, the Science Museum, the zoo, and the canal are right there. No need to drive anywhere to visit those. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AngieC Posted June 22, 2018 Share Posted June 22, 2018 Sounds like you are at the JW Marriott - that's really close to the canal (and the convention center). Connor Prairie is cool, but going to be a bit of a drive from downtown. There is also the NCAA museum if you have any sports fans. I've never been, but Rhythm! Discovery Center sounds interesting. Both are walking distance from your hotel. Also, if you are going to the Indiana Dunes the water will be cold, but as long as it's a warm sunny day, there will be plenty of people swimming 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joker Posted June 22, 2018 Share Posted June 22, 2018 Also, if your dc like soccer the Indy Eleven now play at Lucas Oil Stadium and tickets are cheap. You could check their schedule. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joker Posted June 22, 2018 Share Posted June 22, 2018 7 minutes ago, happysmileylady said: It took me a while to figure out what the previous poster meant by the Science museum. https://www.indianamuseum.org/ And yes, it's right there in White River State Park with all that other stuff. I have no idea why I kept calling it the science museum. ? I guess I meant State museum. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rjand6more Posted June 22, 2018 Share Posted June 22, 2018 55 minutes ago, shawthorne44 said: That Conner Prairie Place sounds totally awesome! A mix of history and running around! It doesn't get any better than that! I wonder if that would be a more than one day experience? I would totally be willing to skip the indoor pool place. A dairy farm? That would be pretty cool. If we had more land, I would be totally wanting a dairy cow. I crave raw milk. We live in a rural area and I've hinted to several friends that I'd like to buy a share in a dairy cow. Conner Prairie is a one day trip really. Very fun. Far Oaks Dairy Farms is much more than just cows. It's a tour, 3D movie, interactive "museum", Pig Adventure. It's very kid friendly. It's right off I-65. Very easy to get to. Maybe a little pricey. ETA: Fair Oaks is about 2 hours north of Indy 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cintinative Posted June 22, 2018 Share Posted June 22, 2018 2 hours ago, happysmileylady said: Oh, also, it's summer time, it's fair season. Looks like the Marion County fair is over, but the Johnson County (county just to the south of Indianapolis) is July 15th to the 21st, and the Indiana State Fair is the first half of August. You might want to look up the county fairs for the doinut counties and see whats running during the dates you are there. Yes, and right now the blackberries are ripening. YUM. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shawthorne44 Posted June 24, 2018 Author Share Posted June 24, 2018 On 6/22/2018 at 9:52 AM, rjand6more said: If you mean Lake Michigan, the Dunes Lakeshore is awesome. Very beachy. Can get very crowded on weekends. Show up early. I am NOT a beach person, but I love the Dunes Lakeshore . I am writing up our itinerary and this is where we are going. We arrive Sunday and are staying Sunday night. So the crowds shouldn't be too bad. I imagine that most locals will be leaving as we arrive. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lexi Posted June 24, 2018 Share Posted June 24, 2018 This site lists a lot of fun places and has a calendar of events. https://indywithkids.com/ You’ve been given a lot of great suggestions. The zoo is nice and the museums in the downtown area are too. The Children’s Museum is our favorite. They just opened a new outdoor sports complex and my kids really enjoy that. Conner Prairie is a bit north but it’s worth the drive. We love going there. There’s also an Amish community called Shipshewana. I haven’t been there but our friends enjoyed touring it. https://visitshipshewana.org/ There are a lot of things to do here that don’t involve the speedway. We’re not racing fans so I avoid all things related to the speedway. Lol! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shawthorne44 Posted June 24, 2018 Author Share Posted June 24, 2018 So far our plan is that we drive overnight and arrive sometimes Saturday morning. Saturday, we will go to Conner Prairie. If it is available we'll go up in the balloon. I've never been in a hot air balloon and a tethered one sounds just my speed (and price). Saturday, we'll stay in Noblesville, which is North of Indianapolis and near Conner Prairie. Sunday morning we'll drive to the coast to that Dunes area mentioned earlier. We will spend the Sunday on the coast. Monday night our reservation at the JW start. Monday we'll either spend more time on the coast, or start driving South and stop at the farm mentioned and do the Dairy Adventure. I've been really pleased to see that the hotel is the middle of stuff. These conventions are in giant hotels/convention centers, and normally there isn't anything nearby. It seems that most of the tourist stuff is an easy walk from the hotel. I'm making a list of things that would interest us in downtown. DH wants to do Duckpin bowling. I've found a place for that. I want to go to the Indiana Museum. On vacations, DH and I each get to name one place/activity and that museum will be mine. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lexi Posted June 24, 2018 Share Posted June 24, 2018 26 minutes ago, shawthorne44 said: So far our plan is that we drive overnight and arrive sometimes Saturday morning. Saturday, we will go to Conner Prairie. If it is available we'll go up in the balloon. I've never been in a hot air balloon and a tethered one sounds just my speed (and price). Saturday, we'll stay in Noblesville, which is North of Indianapolis and near Conner Prairie. Sunday morning we'll drive to the coast to that Dunes area mentioned earlier. We will spend the Sunday on the coast. Monday night our reservation at the JW start. Monday we'll either spend more time on the coast, or start driving South and stop at the farm mentioned and do the Dairy Adventure. I've been really pleased to see that the hotel is the middle of stuff. These conventions are in giant hotels/convention centers, and normally there isn't anything nearby. It seems that most of the tourist stuff is an easy walk from the hotel. I'm making a list of things that would interest us in downtown. DH wants to do Duckpin bowling. I've found a place for that. I want to go to the Indiana Museum. On vacations, DH and I each get to name one place/activity and that museum will be mine. It sounds like you’ll be right by me! I live north of Indy. Where will you stay in Noblesville? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shawthorne44 Posted June 24, 2018 Author Share Posted June 24, 2018 1 hour ago, lexi said: It sounds like you’ll be right by me! I live north of Indy. Where will you stay in Noblesville? Holiday Inn Express. I used Priceline. Since our next stop is the coast, I like that it is north so that we won't get stuck in city traffic. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lexi Posted June 24, 2018 Share Posted June 24, 2018 I think that’s the hotel near Hamilton Town Center which is a cute outdoor mall with lots of restaurants. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shawthorne44 Posted July 3, 2018 Author Share Posted July 3, 2018 We have had a lot of fun so far. We loved Conner Prairie! DD and I would have loved it more if it weren't for the heat wave going on. DH said, "This place is neat. Great find, Honey!" He's not stingy with praise, but I still think that will be the highlight of my trip. Sunday we went swimming in Lake Michigan. There the heat wave was helpful. Instead of the cold water being, "Eeek, it is cold" then suffering while the body adjusted. It was, "Ahhhh, it is cold/refreshing" Monday we stopped at the Tippecanoe Museum off 65 on the drive to Indianapolis. DH LOVES battlegrounds. He especially likes the ones which truly weren't where the markers are. Not true of this place, just to show you how into them he his. The bookstore was a homeschoolers delight. Someone could make an American History course for up to 1850 just from what was there. I guess they figure that you are a history buff if you are there. We hadn't planned on going there, but on the way up, we saw a sign for it. DH and DD are at the Speedway now. Unfortunately, they aren't doing the VIP tours today or tomorrow. So, they are just doing the normal tour. Then we will go to the Indiana Museum. That is what I am really looking forward to, so DH and I agreed that if they get bored, they will leave me there. We can see it from our hotel room. We have food in our room but sometime soon I want to go to the Showfly Public House to get some Walleye. It wasn't until we were keeping an eye out for restaurants and I saw one with 'fish' in its name that it hit me that they likely have Walleye here. My early childhood was in Minnesota and there isn't a better fish than Beer-Battered Walleye. I miss it. Tomorrow will likely be the canal area. We are staying for a couple of days after the convention, so whatever we don't do before, we can do after. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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