The World’s Largest Children’s Museum Is Right Here in Indianapolis

The Children’s Museum of Indianapolis was first conceived in 1925 by Mary Stewart Carey, who wished to create something similar to the Brooklyn Children’s Museum. In 1973, the museum expanded, moving into a newly constructed building complete with a theater, classrooms, and five floors of exhibit areas. The museum continued to grow in the 1990s, adding the CineDome (which is now the Dinosphere) and expanding the Welcome Center.

The museum currently resides on 29 acres of land and contains 472,900 square feet of educational fun. The Children’s Museum hosts more than 1.2 million visitors annually, from all across the world. It also won a spot on The New York Times for Kids’ 10 Coolest Museums in the World list.

This whimsical museum hosts a variety of educational exhibitions throughout the year, some permanent and some rotating. Year-round, guests can experience adventure at the Dinosphere, travel into space at Beyond Spaceship Earth, and uncover curious mysteries at ScienceWorks.

Rotating exhibits include a delicious ride on the Chocolate Slide, an exploration of moves at Dance!, and an interactive experience inside the big top at Circus – Starring You! These are just a few of the creative and entertaining exhibits guests can expect to experience at this delightful museum.

Just this year, in March of 2018, the museum added an outdoor park called the Riley Children’s Health Sports Legends Experience. It features 12 outdoor and three indoor exhibits designed to get children moving and active.

Indoor sports experience exhibits include The World of Sport—a lesson on balance, agility, and communication—National Art Museum of Sport, which is a unique look at sports-related artwork, and History of Hoops, featuring artifacts of the history of basketball.

Outdoor game experiences include soccer, tennis, baseball, basketball, racing, football, golf, hockey, and a fitness path. There’s also the Avenue of Champions featuring famous sports legends and The Tree of Sports—an incredible tree house that allows children to survey the brand-new sports experience.

This interactive and playful children’s museum is perfect for kids of all ages—from toddlers to adults. Kids under five can enjoy a fun and immersive experience in Playscape, learn about trains in All Aboard!, or ride the magical indoor carousel.

There’s also an imaginative theater (The Lilly Theater) where kids and adults can enjoy a variety of plays and performances, year-round. The museum also has a variety of daily events and attractions in which guests can participate.