KidsOutAndAbout.com's Family Travel Guide to Indianapolis

See inspiring works of art in the Indianapolis Museum of Art, stroll through lush gardens with a drink, and discover a 100-acre nature park. Their campus features art galleries, gardens, a historic home, and so much more. Newfields is home to the Indianapolis Museum of Art, among the 10 largest and oldest general art museums in the nation. Experience exhibitions from the IMA Galleries, concerts in The Tobias Theater, or stroll through the Garden or Lilly House. Alongside these exhibits, step into the highly celebrated The LUME experience, featuring several artists reimagined in a multi-sensory activation.

Spanning more than 1,000 wooded acres in central Indiana, Conner Prairie welcomes nearly 400,000 visitors of all ages annually. As Indiana’s first Smithsonian Institute affiliate, Conner Prairie offers various outdoor, historically themed destinations and indoor experiential learning spaces that combine history and art with science, technology, engineering and math to offer an authentic look into history that shapes society today.

Located in Fishers, Ind., Conner Prairie is a nationally acclaimed history destination. The outdoor museum’s mission is to inspire curiosity and foster learning about Indiana by providing engaging, individualized, and unique experiences. Recently named a Site of Conscience, it is lauded for connecting past struggles to today's human rights movements.

Conner Prairie provides multi-generational activities to inspire curiosity and meaningful interaction with exclusive experiences. Voyage on a hot air balloon, encounter animals, experience the Nature Walk, or visit the William Conner House for year-round fun.

The Plaza, adjacent to Gainbridge Fieldhouse to the north, showcases must-see features enhanced through the generous support of the Lilly Endowment. These include interactive sculptures and large-scale public art, a basketball court that converts to an ice-skating rink, and other spaces that will be programmed for community events and activities throughout the year.

In addition to the public art elements, Bicentennial Unity Plaza features a covered basketball court, which can be transformed into an ice-skating rink during winter months, and open spaces designed to be programmed for community and private events throughout the year. Moreover, PS&E and the Indy Arts Council will later this year unveil the completion of a mural of 43 of the most prominent individuals who helped shape Indianapolis, artwork that will adorn the east wall of the Steak n’ Shake Building overlooking the Plaza.