First timer’s guide: The Children’s Museum of Indianapolis
Editor’s Note: CityMom Kira was a recent first-timer with her toddler at The Children’s Museum of Indianapolis. With the help from theCityMoms and the wonderful museum staff, she’s assembled this guide to share what works (and didn’t) for their first visit. Enjoy!
My daughter was 18 months old when the world shut down and had never been to a museum before that. Finally, two years later, we were able to remedy that with a membership to The Children’s Museum of Indianapolis! I’ve never been more thrilled to take our child to a place where dinosaurs still walk and an antique carousel spins.
CityMom Rachel with one of her triplets ready for a day at The Children’s Museum of Indianapolis!
Since it was our first time, I asked theCityMoms members for their tried and true tips to ensure our visit was a success. We gave them a try and will share our favorites here - in addition to a few other things we learned that day!
1. Membership vs. regular admission
There are several options when buying tickets to The Children’s Museum. They offer membership packages, discounts for groups, and children under two are free! If your kiddo (like mine) is too old to take advantage of free admission, there are still plenty of ways to save! For instance, the museum has “Plan-Ahead-Pricing.” I’m a person that plans so taking advantage of online discounts is important to me.
Speaking of discounts, membership will provide your family with the best value. It’s a simple process with various tiers to include grandparents and additional guests, like upgrading to the Discovery Builder donor membership. This option allows you to add a caregiver to your account - so a grandparent or nanny could take the kids without the primary cardholder present! Membership includes unlimited admission access, provides discounts in the museum store and on family programs, as well as our favorite - free unlimited carousel rides!
2. Some days (and times) are busier than others
The museum is open year-round and during warmer months there is an advantage of an extra day open! From March–September the museum is open daily at 10 am. Keep in mind that it’s busier around certain holidays when seasonal exhibits are available. Going to see the sports experience? It’s also open daily, weather pending. The outdoor exhibits close for the winter in November and reopen in March (no one wants to play basketball in the snow anyways).
Check the calendar when planning your visit as their hours fluctuate seasonally.
My family and I went on a Friday as it opened and thought it was fairly busy. I noticed that around 2 pm the traffic slowed, so if you want to avoid crowds, coming later in the day might be better for you. As it nears closing time, Rex (the museum mascot) leads visitors in the iconic “End of Day Parade” to the exit. The event is a terrific way to guide little ones out the door after a fun day. It’s also worth mentioning that planning your visit earlier in the week (when parents and caregivers are less likely to be off work) will usually be less busy. Parking is a breeze (and free!) in the attached garage and additional lot.
The sports experience is an opportunity for kids of all ages to try a variety of athletic activities!
3. What to pack - and how - to make the day a success
This is where the tips from our CityMoms were crucial because I honestly had no idea what to pack. Based on their suggestions, I opted to use a large backpack with a built-in cooler to bring a variety of snacks and water (they also have lockers to rent in case you don’t want to lug your lunch around). I was encouraged to be prepared, and suggest you do the same. The museum is BIG and you never know when the little ones will need a pick-me-up!
Moms also suggested I pack wipes because even though my kiddo is potty trained, they clean literally everything. The following were also in my bag:
Bandages - but there is a spot to find first aid if you need it!
Hand sanitizer - there are tons of touch points in the museum (they do provide sanitizing stations, but sometimes it’s easier to have on hand).
Refillable water bottles - there are fountains and filling stations throughout.
A change of clothes for your kiddo - with a few water play areas they could get soaked (that’s the point right?).
Sunscreen - The Riley Children’s Health Sports Legends Experience is outdoors, and honestly, you could spend the whole day there!
Forget something? There is a Concierge located on Level 1 who can help with pretty much anything you forget from diapers to clean clothes (in case of an accident) and even a bottle warmer.
Also - the entire museum is stroller (or wagon) friendly. We opted not to bring one, but we wished we had by the end of the visit. It’s something to consider, especially when the kiddos get tired later in the day. (You can rent one too!)
Members of The Children’s Museum of Indianapolis enjoy free unlimited rides on the iconic carousel.
4. Let’s talk about lunch
We decided to eat lunch in the cafeteria and were pleasantly surprised at the selection! We had pizza (phenomenal by the way) but saw everything from grab-and-go salads and sandwiches to pasta and chicken nuggets! For mamas looking to take the kids (especially younger ones) solo - if I didn’t have my husband to entertain our daughter while I carried and purchased the food, it would have been nearly impossible. So I suggest either packing your lunch (which you can eat at the cafeteria tables, no purchase necessary!) or securing them in the stroller or wagon before ordering.
5. Prioritize what exhibits to visit
CityMoms recommended that we plan where to go and consider where we might spend the most time. Our daughter is obsessed with dinosaurs right now, so it was a no-brainer that our first stop would be Dinosphere! She loved interacting with the paleontologists and watching as they worked in the lab areas. The hands-on fossil dig was also a huge hit, without being messy, which this mama appreciates.
Special exhibits, like the newly opened Scooby-Doo!™ Mansion Mayhem, are generally busier so we bypassed those on our first trip. We’ll be going back for them - especially Barbie™ You Can Be Anything™: The Experience which runs through July 2022. If one of these rotating exhibits is a must for your family, head there first so you have plenty of time to enjoy them.
Check out current special exhibits here. Pro-Tip: Members receive exclusive preview days!
So where else did we go on our first visit? We blasted into outer space, pretended to be train conductors, and inspected ancient artifacts from Egypt, China, and the Caribbean. Though each of these was spectacular in its own right, I particularly loved the International Space Station exhibit.
For little ones 5 and under, you won’t want to miss Playscape. Our daughter loved experimenting with the percussion instruments and climbing to the top of the pond! We wrapped up our trip with a stop at the Carousel Wishes and Dreams (free for members and kids under two, $1 per ride for all others) and enjoyed multiple rides on this timeless installation.
CityMoms Kira says, “Our daughter loved the hands-on fossil dig in Dinosphere!”
6. Know that your kiddo is safe to explore, play, and even meltdown
Though I planned which exhibits to visit, we let our daughter guide us through them. It’s a children’s museum after all and we wanted her to have autonomy in deciding how long to explore each area. It was a wonderful experience, but she’s still a toddler and after a few hours, we also ended up being the parents who carried our child out screaming and crying. I was embarrassed at first but the parents we passed didn’t judge. I could almost feel an invisible fist bump in solidarity. So let them explore and wander, and know that we’ve all had to carry a kid in meltdown mode over the sky bridge.
The Children’s Museum of Indianapolis is better than ever and ready for your visit! We plan to go back soon and make the most of our membership by dedicating each visit to a different exhibit (and hopefully curb any future meltdowns). I hope to see you and your family there enjoying unforgettable moments! When you go - DM us and share: What is your favorite exhibit?
