Children’s Museum of Indianapolis in Indiana, USA

The Children’s Museum of Indianapolis combines five floors of indoor exhibits with the 7.5-acre Riley Children’s Health Sports Legends Experience. Founded in 1925, the nonprofit institution has grown to 485,000 square feet of public space and identifies itself as the world’s largest children’s museum. Its exhibits connect hands-on activities with subjects including dinosaurs, space exploration, science, world cultures, art, history, and sports.

Dinosaurs, Fossils, and Paleontology

Dinosphere: Now You’re in Their World is one of the museum’s permanent exhibits. Visitors encounter dinosaur fossils and reconstructed prehistoric environments while learning how paleontologists find, study, prepare, and interpret fossil material. The museum’s approach allows children to see dinosaurs as subjects of active scientific research rather than only as mounted skeletons.

The experience includes opportunities to examine real fossil material and learn about the evidence scientists use to understand extinct animals. Paleontology also appears in the museum’s educational programs and classroom resources, reflecting the institution’s own fossil collections and research activity.

Space Exploration and the International Space Station

Beyond Spaceship Earth focuses on human spaceflight and the work performed by astronauts. A replica International Space Station environment lets visitors explore how people live and work in orbit. Interactive activities include simulated astronaut tasks and a digital spacewalk experience.

The exhibit connects spacecraft technology with the daily routines, problem-solving, and teamwork involved in space missions. Objects and archival material used in the gallery also help place interactive elements within the documented history of space exploration.

Culture, History, and Archaeology

The museum’s cultural galleries extend well beyond science. Take Me There: Peru, which opened in June 2026, introduces contemporary Peruvian life through interactive settings and activities rather than treating the country solely as a historical subject.

National Geographic Treasures of the Earth examines archaeology through reconstructed research environments. The emphasis is on how archaeologists investigate sites and use physical evidence to understand people who lived in the past.

In The Power of Children: Making a Difference, personal histories are used to examine how young people have faced prejudice, discrimination, illness, and restrictions on education and civil rights. The stories presented include Anne Frank, Ruby Bridges, Ryan White, and Malala Yousafzai. The material is presented for families while retaining the historical context needed to understand each person’s experience.

Experiences for Younger Children

Playscape is designed specifically for infants and children through age five with their families. Its activities support exploration through movement, sensory play, natural objects, and age-appropriate discovery. This dedicated space can be useful for families whose younger children may not yet engage with galleries designed around longer narratives or more advanced concepts.

The Carousel and Fireworks of Glass

A historic carousel forms part of the museum’s Carousel Wishes and Dreams experience. The carousel originally opened in 1917 and was later moved from Broad Ripple Park. It reopened at The Children’s Museum of Indianapolis in 1976.

The museum also houses Dale Chihuly’s Fireworks of Glass, which the museum describes as the artist’s largest permanently installed glass sculpture. The tall installation is composed of blown-glass forms and is accompanied by opportunities to examine the work from different levels of the building.

Riley Children’s Health Sports Legends Experience

The museum’s outdoor component covers 7.5 acres and uses scaled, hands-on sports environments for visitors of different ages and abilities. Rather than functioning as a separate conventional sports museum, the area combines physical participation with exhibits about athletes and sports culture.

The outdoor experiences operate seasonally, so their availability should be checked when planning a visit outside the warmer months. Admission to the museum normally includes access to the outdoor sports area when it is operating.

Temporary Exhibitions in 2026

The museum supplements its permanent galleries with changing exhibitions. In 2026, Tiana’s Joyful Celebration opened on March 7 and is scheduled to remain on view through January 3, 2027. Temporary exhibitions have limited runs, so visitors interested in a particular current experience should check the museum’s exhibit calendar before traveling.

Planning a Visit in 2026

General admission uses date-specific pricing, with ticket prices changing according to the season and day. The museum therefore recommends selecting a visit date through its ticket system rather than relying on a single fixed admission price.

For the 2026 summer period from May 23 through September 6, the museum and Sports Legends Experience are scheduled to operate daily from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. The museum has also announced a planned full closure from September 14 through September 25, 2026 for annual infrastructure work. Seasonal schedules apply at other times of year.

Parking in the museum garage and designated lots is free. The main museum address is 3000 North Meridian Street, while the parking garage is accessed from North Illinois Street. The museum states that its facilities are accessible and provides additional accessibility information for visitors who need mobility, sensory, or other accommodations. Strollers are also available for rent at the Welcome Center.