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.

Gymboree Play & Music classes are uniquely and intentionally designed for early childhood development. Our teachers support you and your child as you spend uninterrupted time together, creating a safe space to play, explore and learn. Play is a fundamental component of early childhood education, and is the cornerstone of every one of our programs. Through play-based learning, your child is challenged physically, cognitively and socially. Our custom curriculum is based on the most current early education ideology, and is designed to grow with your child, from newborn to age five. 

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.

Located in Santa Claus in southern Indiana, America’s First Theme Park and one of the USA Today’s Top-Ranked Water Parks in the nation offers families a great getaway with amazing freebies. They offer free soft drinks, free parking, AND free sunscreen! No wonder Consumers Digest Magazine has repeatedly named Holiday World & Splashin’ Safari one of the Nation’s Top Value Parks. With three of the top water coasters in the world, Splashin’ Safari has become the Water Coaster Capital of the World.

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!

Looking for the best year-round indoor fun? With new adventures behind every corner, Urban Air Adventure Park is the ultimate indoor playground for your entire family. Take birthdays to the next level or spend a day of fun with the family and you’ll see why we’re more than just a trampoline park. Urban Air is where fun takes flight. Where kids can make friends, make their mark, make their way. And you can make a day of it. At Urban Air, there’s a surprise inside every box. So, let ‘em try something new, something bold, something challenging. Let the kids fly through the park on our sky rider, take on our climbing walls, or reach new heights on all our trampolines. Urban Air. Let ‘em fly. Locations in Noblesville and Franklin.

Newfields offers dynamic experiences with art and nature for guests of all ages. The 152-acre cultural campus is home to the Indianapolis Museum of Art, which is among the ten largest and ten oldest general art museums in the nation; the Lilly House, The Garden, featuring 40 acres garden, a working greenhouse and an orchard; as well as The Virginia B. Fairbanks Art & Nature Park: 100 Acres, one of the largest art and nature parks in the country. Throughout campus, guests young and old are invited to interact with art and nature in exciting new ways. From discovering new ideas in the IMA Galleries to getting fresh air in the art and nature park, there is truly something for everyone at Newfields.

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. 

We’re a gym, but we’re not just a gym. We’re a charity, but we’re not just a charity. We’re about families, but we’re also about singles, college students, new couples and empty-nesters. Above all, we’re about community.

Rhythm! Discovery Center is the world's foremost interactive percussion museum, providing innovative programs; interactive, standards-based educational exhibits, and artist performances. Programs offered include community drum circles, educational lessons on percussion instruments from around the world, and live performances.

In the heart of Indianapolis is a home for passion, creativity, innovation, and the highest caliber of professional and student performances – the Butler Arts & Events Center. Consolidating four arts venues on the campus of Butler University under one umbrella organization, The Center is anchored by Clowes Memorial Hall, which seats 2,148 and after 53 years remains Indiana’s most versatile and professional venue, having welcomed the world’s greatest talent and personalities

Booth Tarkington Civic Theatre is the largest of more than 70 Indiana community theatres and one of the ten largest of over 7,000 active community theatres in the United States. Civic also is considered the nation’s longest continuously operating community theatre. Founded in 1915, Booth Tarkington Civic Theatre has been a vital part of the city’s cultural landscape for a century, providing superior live theatrical entertainment for a broad-based audience. Civic's mission is to foster a love of theatre through imagination, education, and participation.

The Indianapolis Children’s Choir has been named the Top Arts Education Organization by the readers of KidsOutAndAbout.com! The ICC has continued to nurture and inspire student achievement through quality music education in central Indiana for over 37 years. We invite you and your family to join us to experience choral excellence, which we believe should be accessible to all. We are now accepting singers aged 18 months – 18 years for the 2023-2024 season and our season concerts are all open to the public! Visit icchoir.org to learn more, join, and purchase tickets.

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.