Indy’s Children’s Museum: Top Pick for Locals & Out of Towners

rebeca  Tuesday, June 21, 2011

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Oh, how I love The Children’s Museum of Indianapolis! I bought my family’s membership through a daily deal site about 6 months ago and can guarantee that they have a customer for life…well at least as long as my kids are young.

If you’re from Indy, you know that the Children’s Museum is one of the best destinations around. But the out of towners might be interested to know that it is nationally recognized for its size and variety of activities for children of all ages. After all, with 472,900-square feet on five floors and more than 100,000 artifacts, there really is so much to do and see while you’re there. I’d be hard pressed to pick a favorite because there’s just so much that I love….but I’ll give it a shot.

What we love:

• The Playscape gives children 5 and under an opportunity to learn through hands-on play. You’ll find a water and sand area, a construction zone, play forest, arts garden, family room with books, and a baby play zone. It’s perfect for breaking up those long winter months, or taking a break from the summer heat.

• Show me a little boy who isn’t fascinated by trains. Heck, show me a 32-year-old mom who isn’t wowed by the real life 1880’s era Reuben Wells steam powered locomotive that’s located in the Museum’s basement. At the All Aboard exhibit, kids can crawl inside a tunnel for a close-up view of moving train toys, operate some of the control lights, switches, and signals on the track, sell tickets and send a Morse code message from the train station.

• Dora and Diego is probably my son’s favorite destination….and we’ll be sad when it moves out at the end of the summer. At this exhibit, kids get to join the world of their favorite explorer and her animal rescuing cousin while gathering nuts for Tico, helping animals and riding off into outer space.

Honestly, I could go on and on detailing the rest of my top picks. The Barbie exhibit is spectacular and brings back so many memories, while the Dinosphere feels like we’ve stepped right into Jurassic Park. There’s more for the older kids too. We haven’t even made our way to the ScienceWorks, Biotech Learning Center or the new Treasures of the Earth. But once my kids get a little older, it’s on my agenda, for sure!

So, have I sold you on the Museum yet? I bet your dying to go, so let me share some specifics and offer you a chance to win some tickets.

What you need to know before you go:

Adult admission is $16.50 and children over 2 are $11.50. But, there are a variety of ways to save at the Children’s Museum. Keep an eye on their website, facbook and twitter pages for periodic coupons. They also offer group rates, discounts for AAA members and periodically issue coupons in Reach. Parking is free and you can bring your own snacks, lunch and drinks to save even more. You can also pick up FREE tickets to Lilly Theater and/or SpaceQuest Planetarium when you get there, and check out the many free programs they offer such as story time, parades and more.

Indy Residents: A membership is the way to go. It’s especially nice if you have young children because you don’t feel like you have to stay all day to get your money’s worth. For $125, you can go all year long, as many times as you want. You can stay as long as you like, get free rides on the carousel and a discount in the gift shop.

Out of Towners: Save up to $75 by booking an overnight package with one of The Children’s Museum of Indianapolis’ select hotel partners. The Fuel Your Summer Fun package is a pretty good value, giving families the choice between four different hotels. It is affordably priced from $149 to $229 depending on the hotel and date of reservation. Here’s what you’ll get:

• Four tickets to The Children’s Museum of Indianapolis (which always includes free Planetarium shows and free theater for young audiences with professional actors along with free parking)

• An overnight stay at your choice of one of four hotels: Crowne Plaza Indianapolis Union Station, Caribbean Cove Hotel & Water Park, Holiday Inn Express South or Crowne Plaza Indianapolis Airport

• $20 gas card

• Hot breakfast

For more information on this deal, or to reserve your package, visit http://www.genhotels.com/fuel-your-summer.html.