April 17, 2017
This past week we had some ideas for spring break adventures with the grandkids. The week began with a two-hour drive to Indianapolis. We only heard, “Are we there yet?” one time.
The Children’s Museum in Indianapolis
Anubis, the jackal-headed god statue, which was believed to be the guide and protector of the dead in Egypt, stands watch over the Children’s museum parking garage. The statue is 26-feet tall and weighs five tons. Parking is free!
Banners greet guests as they walk down the hallway to the entrance of the museum. The Chocolate Slide caught Sophie’s and Aidan’s attention right off the bat.
The 17-foot Bumblebee Transformer standing in the lobby was an impressive site. Even if you aren’t big into transformers, this definitely grabs your attention and is quite impressive. It slowly rotates, keeping vigil over the entire room. He was originally built as a prop for the 2007 Transformer movie.
We went through ‘Dinosphere’, where we were able to see, hear, and smell bits of the Cretaceous period.
And, of course, Aidan was the first to sit down at every interactive game at each display! He’s fascinated with technology, as all boys are now.
How interesting is this little dinosaur? He is a ‘Dracores Hogwartsia’. He looks like a dragon! Apparently, he is one of the new dinosaurs and is a member of the ‘Bone Head’ family. But, seriously, doesn’t he look like a dragon?
Remember when we stayed at the Union Station Crowne Plaza in Indianapolis for Mother’s Day in 2015? The same style of statues was all over that hotel. I love these, don’t you?
This conductor statue is a part of the train display. Of course, Dave, being a retired railroader, had to check this display out thoroughly.
This actual 1890’s train engine from Madison, Indiana was a ‘pushing engine’ not the normal ‘pulling engine’. Apparently, Madison had the steepest grade in the United States and this train was used to push cars up that steep grade. At that time the ‘Reuben Wells’ was the most powerful locomotive in the world. It is on permanent display in the museum.
Walking back into the passenger car, the train whistles and sounds of a train surround you. It’s easy to imagine being there back in the day.
We got to see the Terra Cotta Warriors and Aidan and Sophie reconstructed a warrior, which they found a bit challenging.
Then it was on to space travel. Familiar costumes from Star Trek and props from movies were displayed.
The kids enjoyed seeing the toys from the past but they seemed to really enjoy pushing buttons…
and pulling knobs in this section of the museum.
One of my favorite displays was the floating ceiling blown glass display. There was actually a rotating round sofa to sit back on and view the lovely glass above.
On the ramp to the next floor, the view of the blown glass tower stunned us. Seattle artists blew these glass pieces and shipped them to Indianapolis. It is 43 feet tall and weighs 18,000 pounds. Dale Chihuly created the tower with over 3000 pieces of blown glass.
Then, we entered the ‘Circus’! Sophie and Aidan weren’t sure where to go first.
Sophie crawled inside the cannon. I think she crawled and climbed on just about everything. It’s a good thing this is a ‘hands on’ place for kids.
Sophie tried out the spinning hoops. She even turned upside down at one point!
Aidan seemed to enjoy trying out the Indy 500 car, probably imagining himself in that famous Indianapolis race.
The carousel was on the fourth floor and the calliope music filled the air. Young or old, who could resist riding the carousel for just one dollar?
There is so much to see here at the Children’s Museum and almost everything is included in the admission price. There were life-sized playhouses, biotechnology areas, doll houses, and much more. The kids had a great time and four hours went by in no time.
Yes, we had a great “Indianapolis Children’s Museum Kid’s Spring Break Adventure. You might consider taking your young children or your grandchildren to this wonderful place if you are in the Indianapolis area. You’ll be glad you did!
