Think of Indy and you think cars and the Colts, probably in that order. What you probably don’t connect the city with is kids. You should. Because some of the attractions here are decidedly kid-friendly.
Start with Children’s Museum of Indianapolis. It’s the largest kid’s museum on the planet, and – in the estimation of many – the very best. The place is really a five-level playground, where a million kids, and their equally-awed parents, congregate each year to kick back, learn and open up avenues they never knew existed.
At ScienceWorks, kids can get a real insight into Mother Nature’s inner workings, the structure of human creations and the forces that knit all of this together.
As with any good children’s museum, interactivity is the watchword. Explore the hands-on National Geographic of the Earth area and “see” some of the earth’s most extraordinary archeological sites. Take a trip to the Dinosphere and get up close and personal with life-size dinosaur skeletons.
Looking for something more sedate? Save this for last, as the experience just might be soporific for the ride back to the hotel. There’s a turn of the century carousel that once graced Indianapolis’ Broad Ripple Park.
It pays to make a day of it at the museum if you want to really take advantage of all it’s got to offer. Same holds true for the Indianapolis Zoo, site of the world’s largest shark touch tank and the planet’s first totally submerged dolphin viewing experience. Hint: register in advance and you can climb into the tank with the dolphins.
That’s the aquatic view of things. Terrestrially, the place more than measures up. In all, some 350 species are arrayed across 70 acres, some of them avian. Matter of fact, one of the Indy zoo’s most engaging exhibits is Flights of Fancy: A Brilliance of Birds. Enter one of the aviaries and you’re surrounded by hundreds of friendly, familiar budgies. Take along a seed stick, give it a shake and the birds just might land on your hand, arm or shoulder for a nibble. This exhibit is nothing like the Alfred Hitchcock movie folks. Nor is the Lorikeet area, where these Aussie avians will nuzzle up to you and drink nectar right out of your hand.
The museum and the zoo. Both are in Indianapolis, and both are interactive in a way video games never can be.
(Image: sarahstierch)
