Amazing Indianapolis

Indianapolis or Indy is the capital of the U.S. state of Indiana and the state’s most populous city.

The Children’s Museum of Indianapolis is an interactive children’s museum and the biggest in the world, The five-level playground has a 43 ft. brightly colored Dale Chihuly “Fireworks of Glass” sculpture that hangs in the middle of the atrium, On the top floor there is an antique carousel, There is a lot for both children and adults to enjoy like the 18-foot tall movie prop Bumblebee, from the first Transformers movie. Visitors also enjoy seeing North America’s largest water clock.

The Indianapolis Motorway is home to the well-known Indy 500. Here you can take a shuttle excursion, a pace car, or an Indy Car to tour around the motorway. Every year more than 300,000 people come to see the Indy 500. You’ll enjoy the Hall of Fame Museum with trophies, memorabilia, and winning cars from the past century.

The Dallara Indy Car Factory offers interactive hands-on exhibits. You can get behind the wheel of a racing simulator giving you the experience of riding in an Indy Car two-seater with a professional diver. Take a factory tour and watch technicians handicraft the Dallara Indy Car chassis.

Conner Prairie Interactive History Park is located a 25-minute drive from the city in Fishers. This is a wooded property with various indoor, outdoor, and historically themed ways for visitors to experience living in a real prairie town. The interactive theater will put you in the Civil War and resident actors will show you how they do daily chores. It is a great way to learn history.

The Indianapolis Museum of Art has a permanent collection of more than 54,000 artworks including American, Asian, and European art. It is the eighth-largest encyclopedia art museum in the country. One of the highlights is the Indianapolis Star Family Studio which is an interactive space for visitors to explore, create, and share, using art in new ways. Take the time to see the Oldsfields Lilly House and Gardens that are home to this museum.

Oldsfields-Lilly House and Gardens is a National Historic Landmark with manicured gardens and the Lilly House that was the former home of late Indianapolis philanthropist and collector, J.K. Lilly Jr. Visitors can see the authentic furnishings. On the grounds are beautiful trails to walk.

The Soldier’s and Sailor’s Memorial made of limestone commemorates the lives lost in the Civil War.

The Indiana War Memorial is a 210-foot tall mausoleum honoring veterans from Indiana the Hoosier state who served in WW I. On the third floor, you’ll find the Shrine Room symbolizing peace and unity and was constructed with building materials from all over the globe. Inside you’ll see sixteen blood-red marble columns flanking a gigantic Garrison flag and the Altar of Consecration illuminated by blue stained glass. There is also a museum that is dedicated to the soldiers of Indiana and exhibits include an AH-1 Cobra Attack helicopter, military uniforms and weapons, and other military-related artifacts and information.

Eagle Creek Park is the largest park in Indianapolis. It includes Eagle Creek reservoir and covers nearly 1,400 acres of water and 3,900 acres of land. There are plenty of trails for hiking, running, and biking. You can go fishing on the big lake or the small pond. You can enjoy a picnic at the picnic tables and perhaps catch a glimpse of the deer that roam here.

Holiday Park is a popular park with residents. There are many trails, a playground for children, and a nature center offering programs for all ages. You can enjoy a picnic here or just relax on the grounds. The Ruins are fascinating stone features that are all that remains of a New York skyscraper that was once the St. Paul Building and have now been preserved as artworks.

There are also impressive statues known as The Races of Man which also come from NYC.

Kurt Vonnegut Museum & Library

Author Kurt Vonnegut was born and raised in Indy. This museum is a tribute to him with displays that include his Pall Mall cigarettes, droll drawings, and letters of rejection from publishers. The museum has replicated his office complete with a blue Coronamatic typewriter. Visitors can sit at the desk and type Kurt a note that the museum tweets. After renovations, a new space opened and included an interactive Slaughterhouse Five exhibition and café by Indy’s renowned Bluebeard restaurant.

The Idle is a kind of hidden space off of the Cultural Trail it is landlocked between lanes of I-85/70 and features an accessible limestone trail that takes you to a viewing platform where you can sit and watch the Crossroads of America go by along the interstate.

The Canal Walk is a three-mile waterfront pedestrian area running along the central canal for strolling, biking, or a gondola ride. The area also includes public art, cafes, and places to sit and watch the ducks. There are amazing views of the skyline. It offers access to many city attractions, shops, and restaurants.

White River State Park is an expansive green space that includes some of the city’s top attractions. Here you’ll find:

The Indiana State Museum offers a lot of exhibits that explore the natural and cultural history of Indiana. On the first floor, you can learn about the state’s natural history and walk through an “ice” tunnel that reproduces the experience of being inside a glacier and you can get a look at an ancient mastodon. On the second floor, you can learn about the region’s cultural past as well as more recent Hoosier history. The museum also has a hands-on naturalist’s lab and regular puppet shows.

Eiteljorg Museum of American Indians and Western Art will give you and your family a hands-on experience of being in the West. Children can dress in authentic costumes, get on a stagecoach, and play in the General Store. The museum has a great collection of Native American art and history. At the gift shop, you can find attractive handcrafted tools, purses, and clothing.

Next up in White River State Park is the Indianapolis Zoo which plays a major role in worldwide conservation and research. The zoo has about 250 species of 2,000 animals and 2,000 plant varieties. There are also an aquarium and botanical garden. The botanical garden has both permanent and changing gardens representing flora from all over the world. The Oceans Aquarium has multiple tanks, including a coral reef ecosystem, The animals are divided among natural habitats. Among the most popular are the Plains animals like giraffes, elephants, rhinos, and zebras. The Forest Habitat lets visitors walk beneath soaring birds and see animals like red pandas watching from trees. At the Arctic, you can see polar bears and penguins.

Benjamin Harrison Presidential Site

Benjamin Harrison was elected as the 23rd President of the U.S. in 1888 and died in Indianapolis in 1901. You can see his house with its original Victorian furniture. It is a sixteen-room Italianate Victorian house. Here visitors can learn about his work as a lawyer, his reputation as a military leader, his conservatory efforts, his expertise in foreign affairs, and his expansion of the U.S. The house also has his personal belongings. There are special events all year long including a President’s Day celebration.