Visit Indiana: Indiana State Museum and Historic Sites

While in Indianapolis, we visited the Indiana State Museum and Historic Sites, where a variety of exhibits showcased the people, places, and events that are integral to Indiana's history.  

The building itself, made completely from Indiana-sourced materials (limestone, brick, and sandstone, to name a few), houses several different types of cultural, scientific, and art exhibits.

The Natural History galleries included exhibit focusing on the Birth of the Earth, Ancient Seas, and Natural Regions.  

The Cultural History galleries included some of my kids' favorite interactive exhibits, where they tried their hands at churning butter and splitting wood.

The exhibits in these galleries were very intriguing, as they depicted the evolution of Indiana's history, and also included a lot of pop culture information that I personally thought was interesting.

My oldest son is into airlines and airplanes, so he was fascinated with the small ATA exhibit (ATA Airlines was based in Indianapolis).

Another fave for the kids at the Indiana State Museum was Science at Play, where kids could create all sorts of fun items.

I really liked the displays which featured a lot of retro toys and games - it was like a walk down memory lane!

Although my kids were more interested in the interactive exhibits than the historical ones, the Indiana State Museum and Historic Sites was still a neat place to visit, and there was something for everyone to enjoy!

Indiana State Museum
650 W Washington St

Indianapolis, IN 46204
(317) 232-1637

We received admission for four to the Indiana State Museum.  Remaining admission was paid on our own.