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3000 North Meridian Street, Indianapolis, IN, USA 46208-4716 | phone 317-334-4000
- The New Dinosphere
Dinosphere® is made possible through lead gift support from...
- Current Members
10% discount in The Museum Store (on-site and online) And...
- Calendar
Award-winning Museum > Make a Donation > Become a Member >...
- Become a Member
Choose a contributing membership that allows us to provide...
- Exhibits and Experiences
The Children’s Museum Guild’s 60th Annual Haunted House,...
- Buy Tickets
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- Hours & Admission
With Plan-Ahead Pricing, you can save up to 20% by buying...
- Indoor
The Children’s Museum Guild’s 60th Annual Haunted House,...
- The New Dinosphere
With five floors of fun and 7.5 acres of outdoor play, there's something for every kid—and grown-up—to discover. Allow this post to serve as your guide, complete with maps of each floor of The Children's Museum to help you plan your things to do with kids in Indianapolis! Let the adventure begin!
Coordinates: 39°48′39″N 86°9′27″W. The Children's Museum of Indianapolis is the world's largest children's museum. It is located at 3000 North Meridian Street, Indianapolis, Indiana in the United Northwest Area neighborhood of the city. The museum is accredited by the American Alliance of Museums.
Located just minutes from downtown, The Children’s Museum of Indianapolis features five floors of fun and interactive learning that have the power to transform the lives of children and families across the arts, world cultures, sciences, and humanities.
- Arriving at The Children’s Museum
- Admission to The Children’s Museum
- The Children’s Museum of Indianapolis
- What’s on Level Two of The Children’s Museum
- What’s on Level 3 of The Children’s Museum
- What’s on Level Four of The Indianapolis Children’s Museum
- What’s on The Lower Level of The Indianapolis Children’s Museum
- Riley Children’s Health Sports Legends Experienceⓡ
- Accessibility at The Children’s Museum
- Special Events at The Children’s Museum of Indianapolis
Before you even park your car at The Children’s Museum of Indianapolis, you’ll get a sneak peek of what’s inside—just set your GPS to reach the museum via southbound Meridian Street. On Meridian, you’ll pass the Schaefer Planetarium and Space Object Theater complete with astronauts peeking in the dome’s window. Hook a right onto 30th Street and see...
Once you are in the main building your kids will want to run down the wide ramp in anticipation of what’s to come. Before you head into the actual museum, there is a branch of the Indianapolis Public Librarycalled infoZone. Museum admission is not needed to enjoy this 3000-square-foot space. infoZone features early learning computers, interactive f...
Museum entry turnstiles are just past the exit of The Museum Store. Have your tickets scanned and enter the Sunburst Atrium where you can catch interactive shows from dinosaurs and superheroes to sports and music. Check the daily schedule to see what’s happening that day. Check the time on the two-story Water Clock—try to catch it when the hour cha...
The second level is home to the rotating exhibits and seasonal exhibits. In years past you could find themes like DC Superheroes, a circus big top, Scooby Doo, Dinosaur Train, a Weather-themed exhibit, and more. There is usually an exhibit for the toddler-preschool set like Dora the Explorer, author and artist Mo Williams, and Paw Patrol. In the fa...
PlayscapeⓇ
PlayscapeⓇis a special area reserved for kids 5 and under. Park your stroller outside the entrance and prepare for fun. As you enter, you will find restrooms, drinking fountains, and mother’s nursing rooms, complete with changing tables on the left. To the right, after you enter, is “Block-opolis.” Here they have some large Duplo-like blocks and soft blocks to build with. Practice counting with your little one and see how tall they can build a block tower. The pond is a multi-level water tabl...
ScienceWorks
Discover how rivers flow through Indiana when the kids play on the giant water table. Learn about levees and dams, and have children create their own waterway systems to transport boats. See how weather stations work and create a forecast using Doppler radar. You can even test the water quality in the pond. Can you find the fish, the frogs, and the turtles? You can “drive” a John Deere combine through a cornfield, check your seeds, and then see how your crops are growing. You can also check y...
Mini Masterpieces
Slow down and examine these intricate setups. There are many “hide-and-seek” clues in the Mini Masterpiece collection of miniature rooms. Design your own room when you get creative with the interactive computer. Use elements from different design eras. Email your masterpiece to yourself when you’re done.
Carousel Wishes and Dreams
Check yourself out in the wobbly, fun-house mirrors before you enter the Mirror Maze. The maze has several escape routes if it’s over-stimulating or the kids get scared. Take a break from the maze and sip tea with a family of bears. Don’t miss the huge kaleidoscope.
DinosphereⓇ
Step into Dinosphere and you’ll feel as though you’ve literally time traveled. Dino-loving kidswill be absolutely thrilled when they enter the realistic environment full of skeletal models, foliage, sound effects, and theatrical lighting. Read the signage along the perimeter of the Creatures of the Cretaceous experience and note which of the displayed dinosaur bones are real and which bones are replicas to complete the model. Immerse yourself in the exhibit as the incoming rainstorm lights up...
All Aboard!
For the train-loving kids of all ages, All Aboard! features big trains, small trains, real trains, and toy trains. Check out the most powerful locomotive in the world at the time, the Reuben Wells—straight from Madison, Indiana. Transport back to the 1890s when you buy a ticket and hop on the train for a quick ride through the countryside. Step inside a huge mini-model train set up, play with toy trains, operate control lights and signals on the tracks, and design your own railroad on a compu...
National Geographic Treasures of the Earth
Three different experiences await you in the National Geographic Treasures of the Earth exhibit. Don’t miss the lab where actual archeologists are working to uncover some of the Earth’s secrets. Hop on the elevator from level one and slowly descend into the Earth with a video guide.
From the first floor of the main entrance head to the North, away from the Box Office. The Sports Legends Experience has its own entry gate. There are two indoor exhibits and an entire day’s worth of outdoor fun ahead.
The Indianapolis Children’s Museum has gone to great lengths to account for accessibilitythroughout the facility. Restrooms can be found throughout the museum. They are complete with changing tables and many are “family” style. Water bottle fill stations are nearby. All levels of the museum are available by ramps or elevators. Most of the exhibits ...
The Haunted House
Throughout the month of October, guests of all ages can tour theIndianapolis Children’s Museum’s Haunted House. Round up the crew for a spooktacular fright. Little ones and those frightened easily may enjoy the “lights on” time slots. Do you dare to conquer the experience during “Frightening” hours in the dark? Check themuseum websitefor specific hours and ticket info.
WinterFaire
Celebrate winter traditions in a very special holiday exhibit. Upon its inaugural opening in November of 2023, WinterFaire replaced the longstanding Jolly Days exhibit. The fan-favorite Yule Slide becomes the WinterSlide and guests have plenty of chances to visit Santaat the Faire. The rest of this seasonal exhibit is filled with carnival-themed games and activities.
First Thursdays
The first Thursday night of each month guests can get in for only $6 a person. Check out the museum in the evening light and enjoy a potentially cooler visit to the Riley Children’s Health Sports Legend’s Experience (May-October).
Aug 15, 2024 · Map Out Your Must-Sees. Take a look at these Children’s Museum maps first, so you know the layout of the Museum before you go, can prioritize the exhibits you want to visit, and have an idea of the essential spots like restrooms. Hot tip: Certain areas inside the Museum can be tough for wi-fi access (and paper maps can go missing!).
Examine the lives of three 20th-century children (Anne Frank, Ruby Bridges, Ryan White, and Malala Yousafzai) who changed the world in The Power Of Children. Visit a gallery that pays tribute to the men and women who helped make space exploration possible in Beyond Spaceship Earth.
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