Make the Most of Your Visit to the World’s Largest Children’s Museum

The Children’s Museum of Indianapolis

is the largest children’s museum in the world, with a nearly 500,000-square-foot facility of 11 major galleries and 7.5 acres of newly added outdoor space. Visiting with your family can be a lot of fun, but it can also be a challenge if you’re only in Indianapolis for a short time — how can you make the most of your visit to this one-of-a-kind, best-in-the-world attraction?

Firstly, give yourself enough time. This is not a few hours to visit. A family could easily spend several days exploring, playing and fully experiencing the Children’s Museum of Indianapolis to its fullest. There’s a ton of space, a ton to see, a ton to do and they’re adding more all the time.

Speaking of, if you can, coordinate your visit with what matters most to your family. For example, families with kids who adore Paw Patrol

will definitely want to visit before July 28, when the limited exhibition leaves, taking with it an interactive, adventure play experience that’s been a big hit with fans of the Nickelodeon series.

Dinosaur exhibit at the Children’s Museum of Indianapolis. Photo: R. Gino Santa Maria / Shutterfree, Llc | Dreamstime.com

For families who are globetrotting travelers that put a big emphasis on exploring other cultures, visiting now will give you an opportunity to see an awesome cultural exhibit called “Take Me There: Greece.” This immersive exhibit transports families to today’s Greece, complete with streets lined with cafés, pharmacies, fish markets and a sea turtle habitat, among others. All offer opportunities to learn and imagine, as kids see how their counterparts on the other side of the world live and play. This exhibit will be at the museum for the next four years, so you have plenty of time to check it out.

For sports-loving families that can’t get enough of the great outdoors, there’s truly nothing better than the Riley Children’s Health Sports Legends Experience, with its 12 different outdoor experiences. Whatever your sport of choice, kids of all ages, and adults too, will love getting a little competitive and showing off their skills, whether it be in racing, soccer, tennis, hockey, golf, baseball, basketball, football or a number of other activities. Just remember the outdoor experiences are weather dependent and open March through November.

When planning your trip to the Children’s Museum of Indianapolis, keep in mind this is not simply a children’s museum. There’s plenty for adults to enjoy, too. Reminisce about your favorite defining pop culture experiences from your own childhood at the “American POP” permanent exhibit; catch a moving history lesson at the “Power of Children” exhibit; and marvel at the largest Dale Chihuly sculpture in the world, at four stories tall and made from more than 3,200 pieces of blown glass.

The entire family will be blown away as well by the expanding Dinosphere. The Children’s Museum of Indianapolis recently announced a $27.5 million project supporting a paleontological dig in Wyoming. The newly discovered “Jurassic Mile” there will provide specimens for the museum, as it further expands this popular exhibit, while they work alongside experts from The National History Museum in London, the Naturalis Biodiversity Center in the Netherlands and the University of Manchester in the United Kingdom. While all this promises even more excitement to come, Dinosphere already provides plenty of fun, giving families the opportunity to get up close and personal with real dinosaur fossils (including some pretty rare finds) and talk to on-staff paleontologists.

Need any help during your visit? A concierge is located on the first floor to help you with an array of visitor needs, whether you need advice on getting to the next stop on your itinerary, recommendations for a hotel in town or just a Band-Aid. For kids with certain sensitivities, the concierge can also provide a sensory map of the museum so you can avoid areas that might expose your child to triggering bright lights or disturbing noises. For families with allergies, an allergy-free space in the café assures a safe space to enjoy your lunch, whether you’re purchasing one of the many options from the museum’s menu or bringing your own.

However you experience the Children’s Museum of Indianapolis, by the time you leave, you’ll already be asking when you can come back.