Top 20 Places to Take Kids in and around Indianapolis - 2021

Connect with the wild world at the Indianapolis Zoo! Open year-round with 64 acres of indoor and outdoor habitats, the Zoo is home to more than 1,400 animals of about 230 different species as well as 47,000 plants. Triple accredited as a zoo, aquarium and botanical garden, visitors can enjoy all three attractions for one admission price. Hosting more than a million visitors annually, the Zoo is conveniently located in downtown Indianapolis along the scenic banks of the White River.

The Children’s Museum of Indianapolis is extraordinary—always! Through its world-class exhibits, the museum strives to excite and encourage family learning and curiosity by providing limitless opportunities to create memories and foster a sense of discovery.  The mission of The Children’s Museum of Indianapolis is to create extraordinary learning experiences across the arts, sciences, and humanities that have the power to transform the lives of children and families. The Riley Children’s Health Sports Legends Experience® is a 7.5-acre outdoor sports park with 12 sports for children and families to enjoy.

Spanning more than 1,000 wooded acres in Central Indiana, Conner Prairie welcomes more than 400,000 visitors of all ages annually. As Indiana’s first Smithsonian Institute affiliate, Conner Prairie offers various outdoor, historically-themed encounters 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. Conner Prairie is a 501(c)3, nonprofit organization – accredited by the American Alliance of Museums. Visit connerprairie.org or call (800) 966-1836 for admission dates, hours, ticket prices and opportunities to donate and volunteer.

At the Indianapolis Art Center, it’s always about Your Art, Your Way! In offering quality learning for everyone from curious beginners to seasoned professionals, our state-of-the-art studios provide artists and students alike with a transformative environment for learning new skills and crafting creative connections with others. Staying dedicated to building community through art, we strive to inspire creative expression in people of all ages through our Access Art tuition assistance opportunities, outreach programs to underserved audiences, and year-round classes and exhibitions.

One of Indianapolis’ oldest parks, Holliday Park is located just six miles north of downtown and encompasses 94-acres of beautiful green space.  Visitors can explore the nature center, play on one of the city’s best, hard-to-leave playgrounds, hike more than 3.5 miles of picturesque trails or take a stroll around the one-of-a-kind Holliday Park Ruins. 

Of course, the libraries in the Indianapolis area are not really ONE place, but MANY places... but it's important to emphasize how valuable libraries are for family learning and fun. The libraries in our area are wonderful about posting their events to the KidsOutAndAbout calendar so you always can get ideas for free things to do with your kids that celebrate education and imagination. KidsOutAndAbout.com takes this opportunity to salute the wonderful children's librarians who serve our community with such dedication. They're proud that locals voted them #3 in best places to take kids this year!

Located at the intersection of Virginia Avenue at Shelby and Prospect Streets, the Fountain Square Theatre Building opened in 1928 as a place for entertainment, shopping and professional offices. Today, after undergoing renovations started in 1993, the building once again houses events and entertainment such as Friday Night Swing Dance in the Fountain Square Theatre, duckpin bowling in two vintage alleys, a BBQ restaurant, seasonal Rooftop Garden Cocktail Lounge, Imbibe Lobby Bar and Game Room and overnight accommodations at the Fountainview Inn.

Located in White River State Park in downtown Indianapolis, the Indiana State Museum brings the best of the museum world to Indiana. Spanning three floors, the museum tells the story of the Hoosier state, and features a year-round calendar of exhibits that explore Indiana art, science and culture. Constructed completely from Indiana materials – including limestone, sandstone, steel, brick and glass – the building itself is a work of art, with icons representing each of Indiana’s 92 counties integrated into its exterior walls. Step inside, and you’ll be invited to experience Indiana’s past, present and future through scientific, cultural, history and art exhibits that help define our place in the world.

The Indianapolis Motor Speedway Museum’s mission is to preserve and share one of the world’s premier collections of automotive and motor racing vehicles and artifacts, with special emphasis on the Indianapolis 500-Mile Race. Opened in Located within the famed 2.5-mile Indianapolis Motor Speedway oval, the IMS Museum collection encompasses automobiles and artifacts representing more than a century of Indianapolis 500 culture, drama and competition, plus vehicles representing NASCAR, Formula One, American short-track racing, drag racing and motorcycles.

 The Indiana Medical History Museum is located on the grounds of the former Central State Hospital on the near west side of Indianapolis. The heart of the museum is the Old Pathology Building, the oldest surviving pathology facility in the nation. The Building is on the National Register of Historic Places.

Today, visitors can explore the teaching amphitheater; laboratories for bacteriology, clinical chemistry, histology, and photography; the library, reception room, and records room; as well as the autopsy room and anatomical museum which houses preserved specimens--mostly brains, organized by pathology.

Since 1997, Climb Time Indy is dedicated to to providing the best that rock climbing has to offer. We are focused on maintaining a safe environment where climbers of all ability levels and ages can get better, learn more and above all else, have fun climbing. Climb Time offers a wide range of difficulty levels from very easy to moderate to extremely difficult, brought to you by some of the best route setters this side of the Mississippi. Routes are changed weekly in order to ensure there is always some thing new to challenge yourself with. Whether you are looking for powerful bouldering, sustained routes, or just a day out with the family, Climb Time Indy has what you are looking for. Come on by; we’d love for you to come climbing with us.

Booth Tarkington Civic Theatre in Carmel, IN is one of the nation's longest continuously operating community theatres. Civic produces both large-scale musicals and popular plays while offering year-round education programming. Beyond the classes for kids, Civic also has a Jr. Civic musical for kids ages 8-14 in the summer as well as different summer camps. Learn more about Civic at civictheatre.org.

Girls STEM Institute (GSI) provides young ladies of color, traditionally marginalized in STEM fields, an opportunity to develop an understanding of mathematics and other STEM concepts in a meaningful and culturally grounded context. Within GSI’s rich, rigorous, relevant, and ​supportive​ context, young ladies have the freedom to grow ​interpersonally ​and ​intellectually. Through GSI, young women have access to powerful STEM learning experiences that challenge them to think deeply and critically. As STEM learners, they are empowered to use STEM as a tool for personal and social change.