Indianapolis With Kids

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Are you planning a trip to Indianapolis with kids and wondering what to do in Indianapolis with kids? Well we’ve got you covered! After hearing about the Children’s Museum in Indianapolis, I knew I had to take Milana before she was too old to enjoy it. In fact, she loved it so much that we went back 3 years later when she was 10 and she still loved it. If you only visit one children’s museum in the US, make it this one.  Indianapolis was definitely not something on our radar and the only reason we did go was to visit the children’s museum but we found some other things to do in Indianapolis as well. Read on for some fun things to do with kids in Indianapolis.

Where to stay in Indianapolis with Kids

On our first trip, we split our stay between two Marriott properties, the Courtyard Indianapolis at the Capitol and Indianapolis Marriott East. We got upgraded to bigger suites at both (after booking the smallest, cheapest room with points)  which was a nice surprise!

On our second trip, we stayed at TownePlace Suites Indianapolis Keystone and TownePlace Suites Indianapolis Park 100. We had things we wanted to do in both of these areas which is why we chose two different locations. 

What to do in Indianapolis with Kids

Wondering what to do in Indianapolis with kids? There’s quite a bit! Our visit was mainly for the children’s museum, which in our opinion (and we have been to a ton!) is the best in the country so we will start with that. 

The museum definitely lived up to the hype.  There are 5 levels of interactive exhibits and a new outdoor sports area, which Milana loved! I just wish the museum had longer hours, they close at 5pm so get there at opening to take advantage of all they have to offer.  The outdoor area remained open for a few more hours, but it would be nice if their weekend hours were longer inside as well.

Our first trip was in October, so we looked for some farm activities. We went to Lark Ranch outside of the city for some farm fun.  This was awesome and Milana had a blast playing with other kids, however it was 90 degrees and humid so not as fun as a fall day would have been.  There are enough activities to keep the kids occupied for the entire day here. If you like fall activities and farms, be sure to check this out if you are visiting in the fall.

Another super fun place is Connor Prairie.  This is best for school-age kids and a really fun learning experience.  Milana got to experience what life was like in the 1800s.  The employees here really get into character and involve the kids in tasks.  Milana loved this place and said she would love to come back when it’s cooler!

Best Playgrounds in Indianapolis

Looking for the best playgrounds in Indianapolis? We’ve got you covered! We love visiting playgrounds when we travel and I found Tarkington Park on Yelp.  The play structure was awesome and great for bigger kids, something not often seen. After doing some more research, I have found that Indianapolis and the surrounding areas have some of the best playgrounds in the world so we ended up visiting a few more!

Another thing to do with kids in Indianapolis is walk around Mass Ave and Broad Ripple. You’ll find shops and restaurants here so stop in and support some local businesses. 

Where to Eat in Indianapolis with Kids

Looking for kid friendly restaurants in Indianapolis? There are a lot! One of the first places we went to after we landed was Goodfellas pizza on Mass Ave.  Milana asked for pizza and I quickly found it on Yelp, so off we went!  It was actually decent and similar to true NYC pizza we love.

After pizza, we walked around a little bit on Mass Ave.  We did find a cute cupcake store that had cupcakes that didn’t look like anything special, however, they were amazing! Super moist and really good, definitely give them a try if you are in the area. Sometimes the simple things are the best!

For breakfast one morning, we went to Yolk. We loved it and shortly after paying, I had a cash back notification from Dosh which was a nice surprise! If you’re not familiar, Dosh is a cash back app that automatically gives you cash back without having to do anything. Download the app, add your credit cards and if you dine or shop at a participating retailer and use that card, you automatically get cash back added to your account.  Back to Yolk, they had lots of different pancake flavors and the best part was you can order one of each to try them all! If you are a pancake fan, this is a must try!

Another breakfast place we tried was Wild Eggs. We weren’t really fans of this one, we should have stuck to Yolk two days in a row!

Since we were up late at night, I found an ice cream place called Wyliepalooza that had board games and a small play area for kids.  Come have some dessert and play some board games if you’re looking for something to do at night.

We had dinner at Brugge Brasserie one day, in the Broad Ripple area.  Milana loves mussels and they have several different sauce flavors to choose from.  Milana also loved the cheese plate she ordered!

Around the corner from the mussels place was a cupcake shop called Smallcakes.  This one wasn’t as good as the one on Mass Ave, but still delicious.  They also had ice cream here as well.

One night, we also tried BurgerFuel in Broad Ripple. The fries were good but the burgers weren’t really our style but if you like burgers, give them a try and decide for yourself. 

On our last night we went to a chain restaurant.  We don’t have Texas Roadhouse near us and it’s one of our favorite chains so if we see one on our travels, we go to it.  This was very close to our hotel, which didn’t have many other options. Milana loves their bread and sweet butter and the bucket of nuts each table is given! The waiter also brought out free cheese fries, so Milana enjoyed those as well.

Overall, we had a fun quick trip to Indianapolis.  Milana loved the museum, the farm and Connor Prairie. We combined our trip with a visit to Indiana Dunes National Park, which I highly recommend you do as well! Have you been to Indianapolis with kids? I’d love to hear your opinions!