Things to Do with Kids in Indianapolis

Whether you're visiting or new to the area, check out our favorite Indianapolis family-friendly activities that will keep kids of all ages entertained, active, cultured, and happy!

How We Landed in Indianapolis

I have no idea where I’m from because I’ve moved around so much. I grew up in rural North Carolina, hightailed it to historic Washington, D.C. after college (read my DC blog post), then moved to Bloomington, Indiana for grad school with a pit stop in Pittsburgh for work – until finally landing in the big city of Chicago for 16 years where I thought I would stay. After growing up in a small town, I fully intended to stay in or near a big city for the rest of my life, and Chicago fit the bill. When my husband had a career opportunity in Indianapolis, I fought it like a petulant toddler. But life can throw you curveballs, and mine decided I wasn’t finished with Indiana. We packed up and moved three hours south of Chicago to a charming town called Zionsville in the cornfields of Indiana. And thank goodness we did, because life is much sweeter and easier here in Indiana.

Children's Museum of Indianapolis

The Children's Museum of Indianapolis is the largest children’s museum in the world. There are five floors of fun indoors, including exhibits like Dinosphere, Chihuly’s Fireworks of Glass, Scienceworks, Beyond Spaceship Earth, and Playscape, as well as ever-changing exhibits. After you're done indoors, head outside and play 12 sports at the Riley Children’s Health Sports Legends Experience. When we first moved here, the indoor Children’s Museum was one of my kids’ favorite things to do in Indy. Then they opened the Sports Experience, and it’s one of their favorite things to do anywhere! Soccer, baseball, basketball, football, tennis, hockey, golf, drag racing, Indy 500, and a treehouse to play in! This museum is a full day’s worth of fun. If it’s nice outside, you can spend two days here – one indoors and one out! Buy tickets online to save. Parking is free.

Indianapolis Zoo

My daughter is an animal lover, so she never passes up a zoo opportunity. The Indy Zoo is big enough to enthrall kids of all ages, but small enough to walk the whole zoo in part of a day and see tons of animals without being totally exhausted. Our favorite exhibits are the shark touch pool, the dolphin show, Flights of Fancy (amazing bird houses you walk through that will delight even non-bird lovers like me), and the huge elephant habitats that seem to be spread out through a wide swatch of the zoo. You also can’t miss the Orangutan Center with gigantic platforms that the orangutans climb and hang above you.

Indianapolis Zoo

Indianapolis Canal - Colts Playspace, Paddle Boats, and Eiteljorg Museum

While there’s plenty of other great attractions, my kids’ second favorite Indy activity is smaller in scale and cost – the Colts Canal Playspace and paddle-boating on the canal. The Colts Canal Playspace is an urban playspace with a playground that blurs the lines between a traditional playground and public art. After the playground, you can walk along the canal to the boathouse and rent a paddleboat. The first time we visited, we came twice in one week because we loved it all so much! After boating, visit the nearby Eiteljorg Museum, which has one of the best Native American and Western art collections in the world. The building is beautiful and worth a stop if you have time.

Colts Canal Playspace and paddle boats

Must-Visit Indianapolis Museums

If culture is your thing, check out some of Indy’s best museums: the Indiana State Museum, Newfields, and the Eiteljorg Museum (mentioned previously). The Indiana State Museum, located on the canal in White River State Park, offers different experiences every time you visit, so it’s worth checking the website for current exhibits. Permanent exhibits cover the Ice Age to the 21st century and beyond, offering an adventure into the past, present, and future of Indiana. One of our favorites is the Ancient Seas exhibit that imagines what Indiana was like millions of years ago when it was underwater. Each time we visit the museum, we stay for an IMAX movie. Admission to the museum does not include IMAX Theater admission.

Newfields is a beautiful campus that includes the Indianapolis Museum of Art, Lilly House and Garden, Miller House and Garden, the Beer Garden, and the Virginia B. Fairbanks Art & Nature Park. THE LUME, a permanent, immersive digital art experience, is not to be missed. Digital animations of famous artworks are projected onto walls and floors, accompanied by music and, in some cases, scents. General admission tickets to Newfields do not include The Lume. During the holidays, Newfields offers Winterlights, a winter wonderland with millions of lights throughout the gardens and campus. In the fall, the gardens are transformed into a glowing, magical experience called Harvest Nights, for spooky but not scary Halloween fun. Both Winterlights and Harvest Lights should be on your annual must-dos!

Winterlights at Newfields

Another must-see at Newfields is The Virginia B. Fairbanks Art & Nature Park, a 100-acre rural oasis situated in the heart of Indianapolis. This park is a favorite warm-weather destination for our kids and dogs! The park surrounds a lake and is adjacent to the White River, so there’s water all around for rock-skipping and getting toes and paws wet, plus woodlands, wetlands, climbable sculptures, and the largest native pollinator meadow in Indianapolis. No tickets are needed to visit the nature park, and it’s open daily from dawn until dusk. The parking lot entry is located about one-half block west of the main Newfields entrance.

Just outside of Indy in the suburb of Fishers, Conner Prairie is one of the most visited outdoor museums in the country. This Smithsonian outdoor museum allows you to immerse yourself in life in the 1800s, including Prairie Town, Civil War Journey, Indian camp, a 4-story treehouse, animal encounters, and more. One of the most fun activities is the 1859 Balloon Voyage Ride, which offers a beautiful 360-degree view, especially during the autumn season. You will need to purchase an additional ticket to ride in the balloon. Don't miss annual events like Headless Horseman and A Merry Prairie Holiday. If you love outdoor concerts, check out the schedule for Symphony on the Prairie.

State Parks and Nature Near Indianapolis

Besides The Virginia B. Fairbanks Art & Nature Park, Indianapolis and the surrounding towns are a nature lovers’ dream! In Indianapolis, White River State Park and the canal as well as Holliday Park and Marott Woods Nature Park near downtown provide ample room to roam, hike, creek stomp, and play on the playgrounds.

About 10 miles outside of downtown, Eagle Creek State Park is the largest park in Indy with 1,400 acres of water and 3,900 acres of land for hiking, biking, swimming, kayaking, sailing, and even ziplining.

In Noblesville, Strawtown Koteewi Park offers an 800-acre park of features including hiking trails, equestrian trails, a natural history center and an archaeological exhibit. At Koteewi Aaerial Adventure, you can challenge yourself on ziplines and treetop trails or hit a bulls-eye at Koteewi Range, a target and 3D shooting range. In the winter, visit Koteewi Run Seasonal Slopes for snow tubing adventures.

If you are up for a drive, Turkey Run State Park is our favorite summer spot for tubing and is only an hour away. They also have hiking, cool suspension bridges, horseback riding, camping, fishing, and playgrounds. Brown County State Park is a 1.5-hour drive in the charming town of Nashville. As the largest state park in Indiana, it has it all! Check out Lake Monroe and Lake Lemon nearby, too. Plan ahead and rent a pontoon boat and spend the day tubing and floating. Fourwinds Lakeside Inn has boat rentals and a hotel right on the water if you're too tired to drive back after a day of boating. Not much in the way of food or nightlife in the immediate area, but Bloomington (the home of Indiana University) is about a 20-minute drive from Fourwinds.

Eagle Creek & Brown County State Parks, Turkey Run, Lake Monroe

Indianapolis Holiday Events

Besides Winterlights at Newfields mentioned previously, our other holiday traditions include:

• Carmel Christkindlmarket for ice-skating and treats (end of November through December)

• Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra Yuletide Celebration (month of December)

• Snowtubing at Kotweei Run 

• Cutting Christmas trees at Dull’s Tree Farm

Carmel Christkindl Market and ISO Yuletide (top), snowtubing, and Dulls Tree Farm (bottom)

Best Places to Eat and Stay in Indianapolis

Indy is an easy city for tourists – friendly, safe, clean, and no major traffic worries. Stay downtown and you have lots of places of interest within walking distance. My top hotels are The Alexander, an artsy boutique hotel in the heart of downtown, and the JW Marriott, located adjacent to the Indiana Indians minor league baseball stadium and near all the White River State Park museums and attractions. Bonus: it has a skywalk to the Indiana Convention Center and Lucas Oil Stadium for easy access to events and Colts games. If you want to be closer to the shops and restaurants on Mass Ave, the Bottleworks Hotel is a boutique hotel with glamorous Art Deco style in the historic century-old Coca-Cola bottling plant. The Bottleworks development’s dining and drinking options are many, from the hip Blue Collar Coffee Co. to the multitude of local food vendors in the nearby Garage Food Hall to duckpin bowling to a movie theater.

Bottlworks Hotel (left) and The Alexander (right)

I wouldn’t call Indianapolis an epicurean’s city, but I also wouldn’t call my kids culinary connoisseurs, so I’ll give you the rundown of some of our family favorites. If you’re up for exploring, Mass Ave is Indy’s version of restaurant row.

Indianapolis

• Garage Food Hall – located on Mass Ave in downtown Indianapolis; with cuisine options from around the world, this food hall is great for the pickiest of eaters

• Rick’s Café Boatyard – located on Eagle Creek; a favorite for dining al fresco

Northside suburbs

• Harmony Steakhouse – located in the northside suburb of Whitestown; because hibachi is always fun!

• Sun King Brewery – located in Carmel; don’t let the craft brewery vibe fool you—this spot is family-friendly, with an open concept food court, kid-friendly menu options, and lawn games right outside.

• The Salty Cowboy – located in my hometown and the northside suburb of Zionsville; delicious guacamole and Margaritas, great atmosphere with outdoor seating

• Traders Point Creamery – located in Zionsville; a farm-to-table restaurant that combines delicious organic meals with a creamery and visits with farm animals 

Various locations

• Bazbeaux Pizza – locations in Broadripple, Carmel, and Mass Ave in downtown Indianapolis; an Indy staple

• Bru Burger Bar – locations in Carmel, Keystone Mall, Mass Ave in downtown Indianapolis, and several suburbs including Brownsburg; casual atmosphere with an extensive menu for burger and non-burger eaters alike

• Cake Bake Shop – locations in Broadripple and Carmel. My kids carbo-load on the baguette bread, noodles and desserts. I love the soups, salads, and bread! 

• Napolese Pizzeria – locations near Butler University and Keystone Mall; traditional Neapolitan pizza 

• Old Spaghetti Factory – locations in Carmel and downtown Indianapolis; ask to sit in the trolley car

Cake Bake Shop

If you have extra time while you’re visiting, stop by our charming little town of Zionsville, about 20 miles from Indy. The historic Brick Street of our village are the home of many local restaurants, charming boutiques, art galleries, and a bustling Zionsville Farmers Market on Saturdays in the warmer months. When you’re tired of strolling, pop into The Scoop for ice cream and walk down the hill to Lions Park, the heart of our town, for hours of play on multiple playgrounds, tennis and pickleball courts, basketball courts, and baseball fields, plus a paved walking path along Eagle Creek.

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Heather Vergara is a former PepsiCo marketing executive who left the corporate world to be a Mom and never found her way back. Instead, she focused on her passion for travel and adventure and created Show Them the World, a travel concierge service for busy families longing to reconnect and see the world together. She's now a Million Dollar Advisor with Gifted Travel Network, a Virtuoso agency. Heather has helped hundreds of families experience Hawaii, Alaska, Costa Rica, the Caribbean, Italy, France, Greece, England, Croatia, Spain, Portugal, Ireland, Africa, Iceland, National Parks, and more to come!

Heather has an MBA in marketing from Indiana University, a Digital Marketing Executive Education certificate from Columbia University, and a BA in Journalism from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. She lives with her husband, two kids, and two furry dogs in Zionsville, Indiana.