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Indianapolis With the Kids
By Thomas CroneDrive four hours in any direction of St. Louis and you’re not likely to find a more visually pleasing journey than the trip to Indianapolis. Rolling farmlands, a distinct lack of roadside signage, charming small towns—all are your companions as you approach a city that’s one of the underrated gems of the region.
But after all that relaxing, pastoral scenery, families may want a bit of time with some more intense, vibrant visual stimulation.
St. Louisans, well familiar with their hometown’s famed City Museum and Saint Louis Science Center, will find a kindred soul in The Children’s Museum of Indianapolis, which fuses the two local landmarks, featuring exhibits that stimulate learning through bold exhibits and play areas, as well as a design that gives kids a desire to explore this expansive space on its own terms. Built in 1976 and added onto several times since, the CMI features everything from the nation’s largest set of Dale Chihuly glass to a 9-foot-tall polar bear to interactive exhibits that engage everyone from tiny tots to teens.
While there’s a definite educational component to much of the museum, some of the collections—like a stash of 5,000 Star Wars toys—are there for pure enjoyment. Korean quilts, dinosaur eggs and a skeleton of a 110-million-year-old “SuperCroc” can all be found here.
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For those thinking of heading to the CMI, it should be noted that the museum’s website (childrensmuseum.org) has a significant amount of the info on those collections and nearby lodgings, but also allows kids from preschool age on to enjoy a variety of games and even preview teasers of the exhibits. The museum itself is located in the heart of central Indy, just minutes from downtown Indianapolis and exactly 250 miles from downtown St. Louis, making it a four-hours-and-change drive from the Gateway City. And as we noted, these aren’t a bad four hours in the car. Enjoy the view.
