The Children's Museum of Indianapolis calls itself the world's biggest children's museum and publishes no adult price and no child price anywhere on its own site. Its only wording is that tickets are date specific and admission prices vary based on season and day of the week, and the only age rules it prints are free under 2 and a senior discount at 60. The Indianapolis Zoo goes further and publishes no price and no age band at all, and its ticketing subdomain returns a 403 to any request. Against that, the NCAA Hall of Champions prints 10 dollars for an adult, 5 dollars for ages 6 to 17 and free under 6; the Indiana Historical Society prints 15, 5 and free under 5; the Eiteljorg prints 20, 12 and free under 5. The pattern is consistent and it is the opposite of what you would expect: the more famous the attraction, the less it will tell you.
In Brief
What does a day out in Indianapolis with children actually cost?
It depends less on the attraction than on your child's exact age and on where you park. A three-year-old is free at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Museum, the NCAA Hall of Champions, Newfields, the Eiteljorg and the Indiana Historical Society, pays 17 dollars at the Indiana State Museum, and pays the full 7 dollar adult rate at Garfield Park Conservatory, which has no child price at all. Then there is the White River State Park underground garage, which four separate operators price four different ways: the park's own card starts at 10 dollars for two hours, the Eiteljorg validates it to free, the Indiana State Museum to 4 dollars and the NCAA Hall of Champions to 5.
Key takeaways
- The Children's Museum and the Zoo publish no admission price on their own sites
- A child starts paying at 2, 3, 5 or 6 depending on the attraction
- The Children's Museum is fully closed 14 to 25 September 2026
- Free parking at the Children's Museum, Conner Prairie and the Indiana Historical Society
The 17 things worth doing, easiest first
Indianapolis is flat and the downtown attractions cluster inside White River State Park, so a day there is walkable with a pushchair. The heat is the real constraint in summer: the National Weather Service normal high at Indianapolis is 85.2F in July on the 1991-2020 baseline, and the Canal Walk is a three-mile paved loop that is unshaded in stretches. In winter the opposite applies, and the outdoor half of the Children's Museum shuts from November to mid-March.
3000 North Illinois Street, Mid-North
The Children's Museum of Indianapolis
The operator's own claim is that this is the world's biggest children's museum, with five floors and 7.5 acres of outdoor experiences. General admission includes the outdoor Riley Children's Health Sports Legends Experience, though the outdoor areas are seasonal.
A solid half day- Time needed
- Half a day at minimum, a full day if the outdoor sports are open
- Ages
- Free under 2. Under-16s must be accompanied by an adult
- Cost
- Not published. The operator states only that tickets are date specific and prices vary by season and day of the week
- Booking ahead
- Not mandatory. The operator says advance reservations are highly recommended to save time on arrival, and publishes no capacity cap
- If it rains
- If it rains: It is the indoor fallback for the whole city
4750 West 16th Street, Speedway
Indianapolis Motor Speedway Museum
The museum on the Speedway grounds, reopened after renovation. On a non-event day entrance to the grounds is free and the museum ticket is the paid part. The operator states that museum admission is required to take a track tour.
Easy on everyone- Time needed
- Two to three hours with a track tour
- Ages
- Free under 5, 18 dollars for youth 6 to 16, adult from 17
- Cost
- 25 dollars adult, 18 dollars youth 6 to 16, 18 dollars military, 23 dollars senior 55 plus, free under 5
- Booking ahead
- Recommended rather than required, up to 60 days ahead. Track tours run subject to weather and track activity, so a tour is never guaranteed
- If it rains
- If it rains: The museum itself is indoors; the track tour is not
Fishers, north of the city
Conner Prairie
An outdoor living-history museum with a tethered helium balloon sold separately from general admission. The balloon flies only when conditions allow and was showing as not flying when the operator's site was checked.
A whole day, and they will be finished- Time needed
- Most of a day
- Ages
- Free under 2, youth rate 2 to 13, adult from 13. Under-16s must be accompanied at all times
- Cost
- 26 dollars adult at the gate or 24 online, 20 dollars youth 2 to 13 at the gate or 18 online, free under 2. Season published as 3 April to 1 November 2026
- Booking ahead
- Buying online saves 2 dollars on every band, which is the operator's own incentive
- If it rains
- If it rains: Limited. This is an outdoor site and a wet day guts it
1200 West Washington Street, White River State Park
Indianapolis Zoo, with White River Gardens
The Zoo states in its own footer that it is accredited as a zoo, aquarium and botanical garden. Its ocean facilities are the Oceans exhibit with the Firestone Gallery shark touch pool, which the Zoo calls the nation's largest, and the Ascension St. Vincent Dolphin Pavilion.
A solid half day- Time needed
- Half a day
- Ages
- Not published. The Zoo prints no child, youth, senior or under-X-free band anywhere on its own site
- Height limits
- The Dolphin Meet and Greet requires participants to be at least 6 years old and 42 inches tall, and under-14s must be accompanied by a paid adult participant
- Cost
- Not published on indianapoliszoo.com, and tickets.indyzoo.com returns 403. The two dolphin add-ons are priced at 20 dollars and 190 dollars and neither includes Zoo admission
- Booking ahead
- The Zoo states reservations are not required, but the dolphin add-ons have fixed daily times and must be booked
- If it rains
- If it rains: Partial. The Oceans exhibit and Orangutan Center are indoors, most of it is not
801 West Washington Street, downtown
White River State Park and the Downtown Canal Walk
The park calls itself Indy's Backyard and reports over four million visitors a year across seven attractions, miles of trails and open greenspace. The Canal Walk is a three-mile paved loop running through it.
A solid half day- Time needed
- One to three hours
- Ages
- No age rule published
- Cost
- Free to enter and walk. Free stops at the garage: the park's own card is 10 dollars for 2 hours, 15 for 2 to 3, 20 for 3 to 6, 25 for 6 to 10, 30 for 10 to 24 and 40 for a lost ticket
- If it rains
- If it rains: None. The museums inside the park are the fallback
700 West Washington Street, White River State Park
NCAA Hall of Champions
Two floors of interactive exhibits covering all 24 NCAA sports, with simulators, a 1930s retro gymnasium and trivia. The operator suggests planning about 90 minutes.
Easy on everyone- Time needed
- About 90 minutes, per the operator
- Ages
- Free under 6, 5 dollars for youth 6 to 17, adult band explicitly 18 to 59
- Cost
- 10 dollars adult, 5 dollars youth 6 to 17, 7.50 dollars senior 60 plus, free under 6. Free admission on Martin Luther King Jr. Day, Presidents Day and Juneteenth
- Booking ahead
- Not published as a requirement. Closed Monday and Tuesday
- If it rains
- If it rains: Yes, entirely indoors
White River State Park, downtown
Indiana State Museum and IMAX
The state museum inside White River State Park, with an IMAX theatre attached.
Easy on everyone- Time needed
- Two to three hours
- Ages
- The lowest starting age on the roster. A child pays from 3, where the same child is free at the Speedway museum, Newfields and the NCAA Hall
- Cost
- 23 dollars adult 18 to 59, 21 dollars senior 60 plus, 17 dollars youth 3 to 17
- Booking ahead
- Not published as a requirement. Closed Monday and Tuesday
- If it rains
- If it rains: Yes
500 West Washington Street, White River State Park
Eiteljorg Museum of American Indians and Western Art
A museum whose Nina Mason Pulliam Education Center on the canal level is the family area, with hands-on activities also in the Western and Native galleries.
Easy on everyone- Time needed
- Two hours
- Ages
- Free under 5, 12 dollars for youth 5 to 17, adult from 18
- Cost
- 20 dollars adult, 12 dollars youth 5 to 17, 16 dollars senior, free under 5. First Friday free admission 3pm to 7pm
- Booking ahead
- Not required. Guided tours are free but need a guide reserved three weeks ahead. The operator posted that its passenger elevator is out of service, which limits access to the upstairs galleries
- If it rains
- If it rains: Yes
North side, Michigan Road
Newfields, home of the Indianapolis Museum of Art
A campus combining the IMA Galleries, The Garden, Lilly House, the Greenhouse and the Virginia B. Fairbanks Art and Nature Park.
A solid half day- Time needed
- Half a day if you walk the grounds
- Ages
- Free under 6, 15 dollars for youth 6 to 17, adult from 18
- Cost
- 23 dollars adult, 20 dollars senior 65 plus, 15 dollars youth 6 to 17, free under 6
- Booking ahead
- Not published as a requirement. Opening hours and parking rates are not published on the operator's visit page at all
- If it rains
- If it rains: The galleries are indoors, the Garden and Nature Park are not
Downtown, off New York Street
Indiana Historical Society, the Indiana Experience
A downtown museum built on interactive, staff-played historical scenes rather than glass cases.
Easy on everyone- Time needed
- Two hours
- Ages
- Free under 5, 5 dollars for youth 5 to 17, adult from 18
- Cost
- 15 dollars adult, 5 dollars youth 5 to 17, 14 dollars senior 60 plus, free under 5. Free parking with admission
- Booking ahead
- Not required. Buying online saves 2 dollars. Closed Sunday and Monday
- If it rains
- If it rains: Yes
The outdoor half of the Children's Museum
Riley Children's Health Sports Legends Experience
7.5 acres of sports in the operator's words, covering a Tree House of Sports, racing, basketball, hockey, tennis, soccer, golf, football, track and field and baseball. It is included with museum admission at no extra charge.
A whole day, and they will be finished- Time needed
- Two hours on top of the museum
- Ages
- Follows the museum: free under 2
- Cost
- Included with admission
- Booking ahead
- None beyond the museum ticket. Closed-toe shoes are required for the racing experience
- If it rains
- If it rains: None, and that is the point. The outdoor experiences run roughly mid-March to early November, so a winter museum ticket buys a fraction of what a summer one does
Garfield Park, south side
Garfield Park Conservatory and Sunken Garden
A conservatory with an adjacent formal sunken garden whose fountains run from 15 April onward.
Easy on everyone- Time needed
- An hour
- Ages
- Free under 3, and then a flat price with no child band at all. A three-year-old pays the same 7 dollars as an adult
- Cost
- 7 dollars per person, 2 and under free
- Booking ahead
- Not required. Cash or physical card only, which catches out a family carrying a phone wallet after the cashless venues downtown
- If it rains
- If it rains: The conservatory is indoors, the sunken garden is not
330 West Walnut Street, on the Canal Walk
Colts Canal Playspace
A downtown playground on the Canal Walk with slides, a sky walkway and swings, opened in 2018 with support from the Indianapolis Colts Foundation.
Easy on everyone- Time needed
- Under an hour
- Ages
- None published. The operator states no age range for the equipment
- Cost
- Free. Nothing is charged at the playspace itself; the cost is downtown parking, which is not published for this site
- If it rains
- If it rains: None. The equipment is uncovered
6363 Spring Mill Road, north side
Holliday Park and Nature Center
95 acres of woodland and trails on the White River in one of the city's oldest parks, with gardens, an arboretum, native prairie, playground and a Nature Center. A 3 million dollar grant rebuilt the playground and walkways in autumn 2025.
A solid half day- Time needed
- Two hours
- Ages
- None published
- Cost
- Not published either way. Indy Parks states no entrance fee and no parking charge on the park page
- If it rains
- If it rains: The Nature Center, open Monday to Saturday 9am to 5pm and closed Sunday
Across the city, including Arsenal Park, Christian Park and Bertha Ross Park
Indy Parks splash pads
A network of municipal splash pads run by Indy Parks and Recreation, alongside outdoor pools and three year-round indoor pools.
Easy on everyone- Time needed
- An hour or two
- Ages
- None published
- Cost
- Not published. Indy Parks does not state on its own pools and splash pads page whether splash pads carry a charge, and publishes no outdoor pool price either
- Booking ahead
- Splash pads are published as open only through Labor Day weekend, so they are shut for most of the school year
- If it rains
- If it rains: Three indoor pools stay open year round, including Indy Island. The outdoor pools were already closed for the season when the city's page was checked
North-east of the city
Fort Harrison State Park
A 1,700-acre state park inside the city, which Indiana DNR calls an oasis of green in an urban landscape, with trails, fishing, the Museum of 20th Century Warfare, a dog park and one of the biggest sledding hills in the area.
A whole day, and they will be finished- Time needed
- Half a day
- Ages
- None published. The gate fee is per vehicle rather than per person
- Cost
- 7 dollars per in-state vehicle daily, 15 dollars per out-of-state vehicle daily, every day including holidays. A visiting family pays 15 dollars however many children are in the car
- If it rains
- If it rains: The Museum of 20th Century Warfare only
Downtown, entrance garage on Pennsylvania Street
Central Library, Indianapolis Public Library
The Central Library houses Kid Central and Teen Central, spaces the library describes as designed for kids, teens and their families, with story times and art programmes.
Easy on everyone- Time needed
- An hour
- Ages
- None. There is no admission at all
- Cost
- Free. Free stops at the garage, which is free for the first 30 minutes and then runs 1 dollar to 5 dollars on a sliding card
- Booking ahead
- None for general entry. Babies and toddlers programming is scheduled through the library's events calendar
- If it rains
- If it rains: Yes, and it is the best free wet-weather option downtown
What parents ask about Indianapolis
Why will the two biggest attractions not publish a price?
Both use date-based pricing and neither prints a figure. The Children's Museum states that tickets are date specific and admission prices vary based on season and day of the week, and the only age rules on its own site are free under 2 and a senior discount from 60. The Indianapolis Zoo is worse: it publishes no price and no age band at all on its own pages, and its ticketing subdomain returns a 403 to any request, so the number cannot be read even indirectly. We do not print a figure for either, because the only figures available come from third parties and this site does not use them. What the Children's Museum does publish is a discount ladder: 6 dollars per person on the first Thursday of every month from 4pm to 8pm, 5 dollars per person on an Access Pass, 3 dollars off for Indiana residents, and 11 dollars for central Indiana college students.
At what age does a child start paying in Indianapolis?
There is no city answer, only an attraction-by-attraction one, and the spread is four years wide. A child starts paying at 2 at the Children's Museum and Conner Prairie. At 3 at the Indiana State Museum and at Garfield Park Conservatory, where a three-year-old pays the full 7 dollar adult rate because there is no child band at all. At 5 at the Eiteljorg and the Indiana Historical Society. At 6 at the Speedway museum, Newfields and the NCAA Hall of Champions. So a family with a three-year-old and a five-year-old pays nothing for either at three attractions on this list and pays for both at another.
Is parking really free downtown?
It depends entirely on which door you walk through, and the same garage has four published prices. The White River State Park underground garage publishes its own card at 10 dollars for two hours rising to 30 for a full day. The Eiteljorg validates that ticket to free while spaces last. The Indiana State Museum validates it to 4 dollars with an admission purchase. The NCAA Hall of Champions validates it to 5 dollars. All four are the operators' own published figures on the same garage, recorded separately rather than averaged. Away from that garage, parking is genuinely free at the Children's Museum, at Conner Prairie and at the Indiana Historical Society with admission.
What is shut in September 2026?
The Children's Museum closes entirely from 14 to 25 September 2026 for infrastructure work, which is the single most important thing on this page for anyone travelling that fortnight. Separately, its Playscape gallery, the one aimed at babies and toddlers, is closed from 8 September to 6 November 2026. Rhythm! Discovery Center, the drum museum that appears on most Indianapolis family lists, prints Temporarily Closed on its own homepage after a flood. Indy Parks had already closed the outdoor pools for the season when its page was checked, and splash pads run only through Labor Day weekend.
Can a family get around without a car?
Downtown, yes. White River State Park holds the Zoo, the Eiteljorg, the Indiana State Museum, the NCAA Hall of Champions and the Canal Walk within one walk, and the Canal Walk itself is a paved three-mile loop. Beyond that you need IndyGo or a car: Conner Prairie is in Fishers, the Speedway museum is in Speedway, Fort Harrison is north-east and Newfields is on the north side. IndyGo publishes a two-hour unlimited fare at 2.75 dollars and daily fare capping at 6 dollars, and here is the trap: a visiting child aged 6 to 18 pays the full adult fare. IndyGo's only free band is children aged 5 and under riding with a fare-paying rider, and its half fare requires a valid K to 12 student ID or an IndyGo Half Fare ID Card, which is applied for in person at the Julia M. Carson Transit Center. A visiting family holds neither. Note too that the fare structure is mid-transition: the base fare changed on 1 January 2026, Access fares changed on 1 July 2026, the board approved a further update in June 2026, and passes are being phased out through 2027.
Getting around with children
Indianapolis is flat, which makes the downtown core genuinely pushchair-friendly, and the Canal Walk is paved the whole way. IndyGo publishes a two-hour unlimited fare of 2.75 dollars, with daily capping at 6 dollars and weekly at 24.75. The half fare of 1.35 dollars exists but a visitor cannot buy it: it requires a K to 12 student ID or an IndyGo Half Fare ID Card obtained in person, so a visiting child of 6 or over pays the adult fare. Only children aged 5 and under ride free. One more thing worth knowing before you board: the Red and Purple lines collect fares off-board, and proof of payment is required on the platform as well as on the bus. The fare structure is in transition through 2027 and every figure here carries its September 2026 date. For anything outside the centre a car is the practical answer, and the good news is that the three attractions furthest out, Conner Prairie, the Speedway museum and Fort Harrison, all park you free or fold parking into a flat vehicle gate fee.
Where to base yourself in Indianapolis
The downtown cluster inside White River State Park is the obvious base, because five of the attractions on this page sit inside one park and the Canal Walk links them. The trade is that the Children's Museum, which is the reason most families come, is two miles north of it at 3000 North Illinois Street and has its own free garage, so a downtown base means paying for parking on the day you visit the one attraction that would have parked you for nothing.
- Free cancellation on most rooms
- No booking fee
- Prices on Trip.com
What to skip
Four things. The first is the September 2026 closure: the Children's Museum shuts entirely from 14 to 25 September and its Playscape toddler gallery from 8 September to 6 November, so a family arriving in that window for the world's biggest children's museum arrives at a locked door. The second is the assumption that the outdoor Sports Legends Experience comes with every ticket. It does, but it runs roughly mid-March to early November, so a January ticket buys the five indoor floors and none of the 7.5 outdoor acres. The third is payment: the Eiteljorg, Conner Prairie and the NCAA Hall of Champions are all cashless, while Garfield Park Conservatory takes cash or a physical card only and will not take a phone wallet. The fourth is the dolphin experience, which several older lists still describe as an in-water swim. The Zoo states the Dolphin-in-Water Adventure is now retired and has replaced it with a dry poolside programme at 190 dollars per person for non-members, alongside a 20 dollar Meet and Greet that requires a child to be at least 6 years old and 42 inches tall.
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Photo credits (3)
Photos via Wikimedia Commons, used under their respective licences.
- The curved glass frontage of the Children's Museum of Indianapolis with its outdoor dinosaur sculpture: anjanettew - CC BY-SA 2.0 · source
- The tiered Pagoda tower and empty grandstands at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway on a non-race day: rbnlsn - CC BY 2.0 · source
- King and gentoo penguins standing on rocks above the water in the Indianapolis Zoo penguin enclosure: Jeremy Thompson - CC BY 2.0 · source