Children’s Museum of Indianapolis, Indiana
Everything the RV Renter Needs to Know
Everything the RV Renter Needs to Know
Located just north of downtown, the Children’s Museum of Indianapolis is a wonderland of learning and play for all ages. As the largest children’s museum in the world, it offers an unparalleled amount of hands-on learning and fun designed for children of all ages, but also sure to delight parents and grandparents as well. The Indianapolis Children’s Museum is a fantastic starting point for a family vacation to Indianapolis, where a bustling food scene and plenty of great RV camping nearby promise an affordable and memorable getaway. As you prepare to rent an RV for your next family vacation, here’s everything you need to know about the Indy Children’s Museum.
As soon as you walk through the ticketing area into the museum, the first sign you’ll see is for the Dinosphere. As you walk down a long walkway, you’ll pass under swooping pterosaur fossils and past a massive, prehistoric alligator hiding down below. Then, you enter the Dinosphere itself and are transported millions of years into the past. The Children’s Museum’s dinosaur exhibit is a vibrant diorama under an ominous glowing sky, with exciting light shows in the sky to bring to life the dinosaurs below.
What dinosaurs, exactly? There’s a tyrannosaurus rex fighting a triceratops. Several small raptors hide under the brush, and a few maiasaura fossils stand peacefully among the ancient trees. One of the most unique members of the Dinosphere, however, has to be Leonardo—the world’s first mummified dinosaur! Get up close and personal with the brachylophosaurus fossil, which features bones but also skin, scales, foot pads, and stomach contents.
One of the Children’s Museum of Indianapolis’ flagship offerings is their intricate series of Take Me There® exhibits designed to transport visitors to another country to experience their history, culture, and unique way of life. It all began with an exhibit focused on China, and today the museum promises to fly families 5,500 miles to Greece, the land of myth and beautiful, sunny islands.
The experience begins with an intake video aboard an airplane, which simulates a landing in Greece. Then, kids are free to explore the small Greek village recreated to showcase everything from an olive oil factory to a classic baklava bakery and a family courtyard where interpreters put on shows and presentations. You can visit houses in Athens and Corinth, explore examples of Ancient Greek art and mythology and learn about Greek’s important fishing business.
The museum’s biggest addition in its history came when the Riley Children’s Health Sports Legends Experience nearly doubled the size of the museum with a combined indoor/outdoor space dedicated to the wide world of sports. It all starts inside with the National Art Museum of Sport and an educational exhibit exploring the role of physical exercise and good teamwork in team sports and in life.
Then, outside, the fun really begins. The Avenue of Champions leads guests past bronze statues of 12 sports legends, along the way offering opportunities to break off and shoot some hoops at the basketball court, practice puck handling at the street hockey station, practice field goals on the football field, and work on your pitching and hitting on the baseball diamond. There’s a mini-golf area with four courses, a tennis court, soccer field, racetrack (a must for Indianapolis), and a massive tree to climb and explore.
In addition to the highlights above, there are several other permanent exhibits that make the Children’s Museum a veritable vacation destination, one that’s perfect for repeat visits. Parents will love American POP—a look at the toys, media, and fashion of American culture through the decades—as much as kids. Wild Weather and Science Works give kids a hands-on experience learning about geology, meteorology, chemistry, physics, and more. Stories from Our Community and Power of Children teach children the power of storytelling and their potential to change the world.
History buffs will love Treasures of the Earth, train enthusiasts will enjoy All Aboard!, and everyone will love to take a ride on the Carousel. Playscape is a great playground area for kids ages 5 and under, which also features nursing rooms for families with babies who need a break away from the activity. The centerpiece of the whole museum is the Fireworks of Glass display, a five-story masterpiece of colorful blown glass. At the bottom, take a seat on a rotating bench to look up into the sculpture before heading into Beyond Spaceship Earth to explore a space station and catch a Planetarium show.
The Children’s Museum of Indianapolis always has special rotating exhibits and seasonal events that bring a whole new character to the museum for every visit. Traveling exhibits like Barbie: You Can Be Anything celebrate the history of toys and play in America. An exhibit celebrating Ancient Greece serves as a compelling counterpart to the Take Me There®: Greece exhibit and features real ancient artifacts.
Seasonally, there are several fan favorite events like Jolly Days, a Christmas wonderland where kids can explore Santa’s workshop and get their photo taken with the big man himself. Around Halloween, there’s a haunted house experience that’s not too spooky, but offers the right level of scary fun for kids of all ages. For a full list of events at the museum, visit their calendar of events.
Just south of I-465 in Indianapolis, Lake Haven Retreat is a true getaway from the hustle and bustle of the city… while still in the city! This 22-acre campground has 110 full hook-up, pull-through RV sites in a lakeside setting. The lake is stocked, so there’s some great catch-and-release fishing to be had, plus paddleboat rentals right from park management.
Another great option on Indy’s south side is Indy Lakes RV Campground, a comfortable, full-service RV park in an angler’s paradise. The sites have full hookups with 30 or 50-amp electric, and some lots accommodate dogs. This is the place if you’re a fan of fishing, as the park’s pond and lake make for some amazing pay fishing. There’s a fully stocked bait shop on premises, and options for both catch-and-release and catch-and-keep fishing.
One of the most popular camping destinations for Indy locals is Brown County, which is home to a sprawling state forest and the quaint town of Nashville, Indiana. That’s where you’ll find Bill Monroe Memorial Music Park & Campground, which offers both full hookup and water/electric RV sites, and boasts on-site fishing and a Country Star Museum.
Just down I-65 on the way to Nashville is Columbus, Indiana, a beautiful city that’s home to memorable architecture, big industry, and Ceraland Park & Campground, a 345-acre park with more than 300 RV campsites and much more. The amenities at this family playland include 18-hole mini-golf, an aquatic center and boat dock, sports center, and driving range.
Also in Columbus is Columbus Woods-N-Waters, a lakeside retreat offering shady RV campsites in a peaceful setting. There are nearly 140 sites, 109 of them are in range of the park’s free Wi-Fi. The vast majority of the sites have water and electric hookups, with 24 of them also offering sewer. The on-site camp store has a staffed RV wash and also sells fishing supplies so you can make the most of your time on the lake.
There are two main dining areas at the Children’s Museum, plus food carts outside that expand your food options. The Museum Food Court is standard food court fare with a pizza station, grill for burgers, prepared sandwiches, a spot for soup and salad, and a dessert area featuring a full coffee bar for grownups. Outside in the Sports Legends Experience, there’s a Grab & Go food vendor where you can snag a meal to enjoy at one of the park’s picnic tables. Or, if the sports atmosphere has you in the mood for a hot dog or some ice cream, look for one of the many food carts.
The best part about dining at the Children’s Museum of Indianapolis is they welcome you to bring your own food if you prefer. If you’d rather pack your lunch and snacks, you’re allowed to eat food you carry in either outside in the picnic areas or inside the cafeteria dining room, no questions asked!
The Children’s Museum’s location puts you about halfway between the popular Indianapolis neighborhoods of Broad Ripple and the Mile Square, which is the city’s main downtown area. In both neighborhoods, there are a wide variety of family-friendly restaurants. Downtown, visitors love to check out Buca di Beppo for family-style Italian and Condado Tacos on Mass Ave for build-your-own-taco fun. In Broad Ripple, don’t miss local favorite Public Greens, which serves up healthy, locally grown food, and be sure to grab a premium popsicle from Nicey Treat.
For a more complete listing of great restaurants in the Circle City, visit the Visit Indy website.