Kids Korner

Visit Indianapolis and Indiana!

Indianapolis 500

Indiana Museum

Conner Prairie

Take your pick…There are butterflies and racecars, museums, caves and giant sand dunes. You can cheer on football and basketball teams, time-travel back to pioneer days and see what the future might be like—all in one place. Welcome to Indiana! No matter what you like to do, you’re guaranteed to have plenty to keep you busy. Visit www.visitindiana.com to find out all that you can do here.

Did You Know?

Santa Claus, Indiana receives more than one-half million letters and requests at Christmas time. Check out the holiday-themed rides at Holiday World and Splashin’ Safari. Visit www.holidayworld.com.

The Indianapolis 500 is 200 laps of 2.5 miles each. The youngest winner was just 22 years old—Troy Ruttman in 1952. Three women are scheduled to race this year—Danica Patrick, Sarah Fisher, and Milka Duno. It’s one of the world’s biggest one-day sporting events in the world. The Indianapolis Motor Speedway is nicknamed “The Brickyard” because its track was paved with bricks in the early days. It is also home to the United States Grand Prix, the only Formula One race held in the United States. Check out www.indianapolismotorspeedway.com.

Indianapolis has the biggest children’s museum in the world and with five levels, but it’s not just for little kids. Check out the 43-foot tall tower of glass! Take a virtual tour at www.childrensmuseum.org.

People in Indiana are known as Hoosiers (hoo-zhurs). No one knows exactly where the word came from but there are at least 30 different theories. Here’s one: Folks here are known for asking lots of questions and couldn’t pass a house without yelling, “Who’s yere (here)???”

You can time-travel back to the 1800s and be part of life in a pioneer village for a day (or a weekend) at Conner Prairie outside of Indianapolis. Ready to pitch in with farm chores? See what kids did for fun before TV and video games! Visit www.connerprairie.org.

Archeologists and paleontologists are working right in Indiana. Paleontologists unearthed five mastodon skeletons near Hebron. Check out the upcoming Exhibit Elephant Graveyard at the Indiana State Museum. Visit www.indianamuseum.org.

You can shop till you drop for everything from fresh produce to fresh-baked cookies to new earrings at The Indianapolis City Market. It’s been around for more than 110 years! Come Wednesdays in the summer for concerts by local musicians. Visit www.indianapoliscitymarket.com.

Abraham Lincoln actually grew up in Southern Indiana. And he didn’t write the famous Gettysburg Address on the back of an envelope either. The Lincoln Museum in Fort Wayne actually houses one of the world’s biggest collections about his life and his family. Visit www.lincolnmuseum.org.

You can watch baseball in Indianapolis even though there’s no major league team. Indianapolis is home to the AAA Indians, a farm team for the Pittsburgh Pirates, and Victory Field is considered one of the best minor league ballparks in America. Check out www.indyindians.com.

Thousands of exotic butterflies are waiting to welcome you this summer at the Conservatory at the Indianapolis Zoo. The zoo gets as many as 1,500 butterfly pupae (Chrysalids) from around the world. Check out the new big Oceans exhibit that opens Memorial Day Weekend. Don’t forget to check out the Shark Touch Tank! Visit www.indyzoo.com.

What Other Kids Say You Should Do While In Indianapolis . . .

Meet: Brian (age 8) who lives in Indianapolis. He is the son of Southwest Airlines Indianapolis Customer Service Agent, Allison.

He says: “Indianapolis is a wonderful place to learn and have lots of fun!”

Don’t Miss: Olympic size Ice Skating Rink, the Zoo, and the Museum of American Indians and Western Art.

Don’t go home without visiting the Children’s Museum.

The best places to eat are Monica’s Pizza and Bonefish Grill.

The best place to visit outside Indianapolis is Conner Prairie.

Feeling a little adventurous? Go on a Scavenger Hunt!

Kids, Tell Your Parents . . .

Let you help plan the trip to Indiana by surfing the official websites for Indianapolis (www.indy.org) and Indiana (www.visitindiana.org). The Holiday Inn Select North now has a year-round indoor water park. Caribbean Cove has huge water slides, tube slides, a leisure river, jet sprays, and spas (www.holidayinn.com).

Visit a genuine old fashioned soda fountain restaurant at Fountain Square. You can slurp up a hand dipped malt and then go upstairs to enjoy duckpin bowling. Visit www.fountainsquareindy.com.

GameWorks Studio (located on the top floor of the Circle Center mall downtown) has top-notch video game technology and attractions including full-size Indy cars and Maxflight (a simulated roller coaster). Check out www.gameworks.com!

Jillian's is a three-floor entertainment megaplex across the street from Circle Centre mall featuring the Video Café with over 20 giant screen TVs and a great menu. On Family Fun Days (Wednesday 11am-9pm and Saturdays and Sundays from 11am-4pm), just $5 gets a child under the age of 12 a kids meal plus their choice of a $10 game card or a game of bowling including the shoes and a $5 game card.

There’s as much to do outdoors in Indiana as there is to do inside, especially at Indiana’s state parks with hiking, lakes, and more. You can camp, water ski, canoe, or go caving. Even go to the zoo! White River State Park in Indianapolis is home to the Indianapolis Zoo, the Indiana State Museum, the Eiteljorg Museum of American Indians and Western Art, Victory Field, White River Gardens, and an Imax theatre. No worries if you don’t want to camp - seven of the parks have inns. Make sure to check out the family programs! Visit www.in.gov/dnr/parklake/.

There’s also plenty of sports action here all year long, whether a minor league baseball game at Victory Field in summer, the NFL champion Indianapolis Colts (www.colts.com) and the NBA Indianapolis Pacers (http://www.nba.com/pacers/), the WNBA team Indiana Fever (www.wnba.com/fever/ ), and the USHL Indiana Ice hockey team (www.indianaice.com).

Here are some other options for guaranteed-to-please places in and around Indiana:

Indiana Dunes State Park, with three miles of Lake Michigan Shore Line and giant sand dunes. www.in.gov/dnr/parklake/properties/park_dunes.html

The Eiteljorg Museum of American Indians and Western Art, which explores both Native American and Western art. Check out the new Warhol exhibit. www.eiteljorg.org/

The Indianapolis Museum of Art, which has begun to offer free admission. www.ima-art.org/

Auburn Cord Dusenberg Museum (www.acdmuseum.org) in Auburn, IN with more than 100 classic cars and, next door, the National Automotive and Truck Museum (www.natmus.com), with everything from motorcycles, racing memorabilia and trucks.

Amishville USA in Geneva, IN an original Amish farm that now teaches visitors about the Amish way of life (www.amishville.com).

The National Model Aviation Museum in Muncie, IN with exhibits and hands-on activities resenting more than two centuries of aero modeling history (www.modelaircraft.org).

Abbott’s Candy Shop in Hagerstown where the same family have been making caramels, chocolates, butterscotch and more for more than 100 years (www.abbottscandy.com).

Fastimes Indoor Karting on a two-level track in Indianapolis. Visit www.fastimesindoorkarting.com/.

NCAA Hall of Champions Museum about college athletics. Check out www.ncaa.org/hall_of_champions/global/home.html

See Past Editions of Kids Korner.

By: Eileen Ogintz, Author of Taking the Kids™