Noblesville’s train and its railbikes share a track. The Nickel Plate Express runs themed rides from a depot in Forest Park, and on days the train isn’t running, you can pedal a four-seat railbike down the same line. The other 14 picks include Hamilton County’s last covered bridge, a county park with a mock archaeology dig, a snow tubing hill north of town and several indoor stops for cold or rainy days. A calendar of what’s coming up in town follows the list.
Jump to upcoming events in Noblesville
1) Forest Park
Forest Park dates to 1925 and covers 150 acres along State Road 19, just north of downtown. It has three playgrounds, a skate park, tennis, pickleball and basketball courts, a nine-hole golf course and paved trails that connect to the White River Greenway. Hobbs Station, where the train boards, is inside the park, so a train ride and a playground can share one parking spot.
Mini golf ($3 a round in 2026) runs from May to mid-October. The Forest Park Aquatic Center, with a 50-meter pool, a diving well, a zero-entry family pool, slides and a splash area, is open Memorial Day through Labor Day for a daily fee or membership. The carousel is closed for the 2026 season, and the city hasn’t posted a reopening date. From Nov. 27 to Dec. 31, 2026, the free Gaylor Electric Forest of Lights turns a walking trail in the park into a holiday light display, open 5 to 9 p.m. daily.
- Address: 701 Cicero Road, Noblesville
- Hours: Sunrise to sunset daily
- Cost: Free; the pool and mini golf charge in season
2) Nickel Plate Express
Rides on the Nickel Plate Express leave from Hobbs Station and run north through Cicero and Arcadia toward Atlanta before heading back. The ride changes with the season. The 65-minute Fall Foliage Express, in a 1956 car with apple cider and a sweet treat, runs through Sunday, Nov. 1, 2026, and Trick or Treat on the Rails is a costume ride on Halloween. Then the 75-minute Reindeer Express takes over on select dates in November and December, with Santa, holiday music, a cookie and a letter-to-Santa activity. Its standard seats sell as a group of two (ages 3 and up) for $95 in November or $115 in December, or a group of four for $180 or $230.
All seats are on the second floor, up a narrow staircase, so the cars aren’t wheelchair accessible. Outside food and drinks aren’t allowed on board, and on evening holiday rides it’s dark outside the windows.
- Address: Hobbs Station, 825 Forest Park Drive, Noblesville
- Cost: Fall Foliage Express $28 for ages 13 and up and $26 for ages 3 to 12; lap children under 3 ride free
Related Article: 10 Best Holiday Train Rides in Indiana
3) Nickel Plate Railbikes
Nickel Plate Express railbikes are four-seat pedal bikes built to ride the rails out of Hobbs Station. The White River Family Cruise is the short one: 10 to 15 minutes of pedaling each way, over the White River into downtown, with an hour to walk around before the ride back. In our review, two moms with a 3-year-old and a 5-year-old along found the pedaling easy, even with only the two adults working the pedals. The Forest Park Rail Adventure covers 7 miles in about two hours, and the Twilight Rail Ride goes out in the evening.
During the holidays, the Holiday Lights Railbike Adventure leaves from Santa’s House in Forest Park for a one-hour ride toward downtown through a 60-foot light tunnel, with hot chocolate and a cookie at the turnaround. It’s $24.95 a seat or $89.95 for a four-person bike.
Groups with kids under 16 need a parent or guardian along. Toddlers ride in harnesses, and babies under 2 ride strapped to an adult in a carrier you bring. Single-seat tickets can put you on a bike with other riders, so buy the whole bike to keep it to your family. Railbikes run rain or shine, and walk-ups aren’t guaranteed.
- Location: Departs from Hobbs Station, 825 Forest Park Drive, Noblesville
- Cost: From $40 for the Forest Park Rail Adventure, $30 for the White River Family Cruise and $60 for the Twilight Rail Ride; weekday rides cost less
4) Federal Hill Commons
Federal Hill Commons is a 6.5-acre park at State Roads 19 and 32, across the White River from the courthouse square. On an ordinary day it’s a playground, a big lawn, an amphitheater and public restrooms. It’s also home to the free Concerts at the Commons on summer Saturday nights, the Noblesville Main Street farmers market on Saturday mornings from May into October and Movies in the Park in the fall.
- Address: 175 Logan St., Noblesville
- Hours: Sunrise to sunset daily
- Parking: FHC Apartments garage and nearby downtown lots
5) Downtown Noblesville and Seminary Park
The courthouse square is a walkable loop of shops and restaurants, with two small city parks close by. Riverwalk Depot Pocket Park, at 181 N. Eighth St., has a train sculpture 9 feet tall and 12 feet long that doubles as a bike rack, plus a bike repair station on the trail. A few blocks south, Seminary Park, at 350 S. 10th St., has a small playground, a gazebo and the site of the city’s first schoolhouse, and in December the city’s Lights Over Seminary turns it into a free walk-through holiday light display. It has no restrooms, so stop at Federal Hill Commons or a downtown restaurant first.
Noblesville Main Street holds Deck the Downtown in early December, the same weekend as the city’s Holiday in Lights Parade and the Lights Over Seminary kickoff.
- Hours: Both parks are open sunrise to sunset daily
6) Hamilton County Sheriff’s Residence and Jail Museum
The Hamilton County Historical Society runs its museum in the old sheriff’s residence and jail downtown. Visitors see the sheriff family’s parlor, kitchen and bedroom, then the jail cells. The society also runs the Santa House on the courthouse square during the holidays. Admission isn’t posted online, so call 317-770-0775 to ask.
- Address: 810 Conner St., Noblesville
- Hours: Fridays and Saturdays 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.; group tours on other days by arrangement
7) Noblesville Creates
The arts nonprofit Noblesville Creates has its campus at Eighth and Maple, just south of the square. Its main gallery, in the Judge Stone House, gets a new exhibit each month, and visitors can stop into the resident artists’ studios. Creative Cubs craft workshops, for ages 1 to 10 with an adult, are $15 each. Its free Day of the Dead celebration is Saturday, Oct. 31, 2026, from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m., with mariachi music, face painting, crafts (some cost extra) and food vendors selling tamales.
- Address: 107 S. Eighth St., Noblesville
- Hours: Wednesdays through Fridays, noon to 5 p.m.; Saturdays 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
- Parking: Street parking out front, or the Levinson Parking Garage across Eighth Street, free for the first four hours
8) Noblesville Library
The Noblesville branch of Hamilton East Public Library is open every day, with evening hours Mondays through Thursdays. Upstairs, the Crossroads Discovery Center makes county history hands-on, with a records puzzle, an interactive county timeline and a booth where kids record an answer for the community oral history project.
The main floor is under renovation, but the collection is open for browsing and the library is keeping its regular hours. Holiday closings are Nov. 26 and 27 and Dec. 24 and 25, 2026, plus a staff day on Nov. 6.
- Address: One Library Plaza, Noblesville
- Hours: Mondays through Thursdays 9 a.m. to 8 p.m.; Fridays and Saturdays 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.; Sundays noon to 6 p.m.
9) Finch Creek Park
Finch Creek Park opened in 2020 on 200 acres off Boden Road, on the east side of town. Both of its playgrounds have inclusive equipment. The tall main structure has two obstacle courses strung above the playground with a net below, so kids can see straight down as they cross, and the play area is covered in soft, padded turf.
The free splash pad runs Memorial Day through Labor Day, 10 a.m. to 7 p.m., and the reservable shelter beside the restroom building faces it. Four lighted pickleball courts are open for drop-in play, and there’s a lighted basketball court. The Fieldhouse at Finch Creek next door is a 65,000-square-foot indoor sports building for leagues and rentals, not drop-in play.
- Address: 16233 Boden Road, Noblesville
- Hours: Sunrise to sunset daily
- Cost: Free
10) Dillon Park
Dr. James A. Dillon Park covers 77.5 acres on the west side, with a playground, a disc golf course, trails and a skate park with bowls, ramps, rails and ledges that the city calls one of Hamilton County’s most popular. The skate park is free and open daily, and helmets and pads are recommended. The splash pad is closed for upgrades, and the city hasn’t posted a reopening date.
- Address: 6001 Edenshall Lane, Noblesville
- Hours: Sunrise to sunset daily
11) Potter’s Bridge Park
Potter’s Bridge, built in 1870 and 1871 and restored in 1999, is the only covered bridge still standing in Hamilton County. It’s the centerpiece of a 126-acre county park on the White River with a playground, a nature trail, a canoe launch, fishing and picnic tables. The White River Greenway runs south from the park through Forest Park to downtown, so older kids can bike between the two parks.
- Address: 19401 N. Allisonville Road, Noblesville
- Hours: Dawn to dusk daily
12) Strawtown Koteewi Park and the Taylor Center of Natural History
Strawtown Koteewi Park is Hamilton County’s largest park, nearly 800 acres along 3 miles of the White River north of town. Researchers date a village on the site to 1200 to 1400 A.D., and the Taylor Center displays artifacts found in the park. A short walk outside, Koteewi Trace has life-size replica structures kids can go inside and a mock dig site where they can try archaeology. More than 9 miles of trails cross the park, and the 20-acre Koteewi Lake allows fishing with a license and canoeing or kayaking, but no swimming.
Horses and archery are run by outside operators. Koteewi Stables and Trails takes riders 7 and older on a 90-minute trail ride after a demonstration, with a helmet and a horse matched to each rider; younger kids can take parent-led pony rides (317-770-8835). Koteewi Range has five archery ranges, rentals and lessons, Wednesdays through Sundays 10 a.m. to 8 p.m., and a first visit starts with a free introduction (317-776-8472). The stables cut back hours in winter, so book a ride before driving out. Koteewi Aerial Adventures, the treetop course, is closed while it changes operators.
- Address: 12308 Strawtown Ave., Noblesville
- Taylor Center hours: Mondays through Saturdays 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Sundays 1 to 5 p.m.
- Park hours: Dawn to dusk daily
13) Urban Air Adventure Park
Urban Air is Noblesville’s indoor jump-and-climb park, with trampolines and other attractions that each have their own height requirement. Jumperoo hours for little kids are Wednesdays and Fridays, 10 a.m. to noon. Sensory-friendly play runs the first and third Sundays of the month from 9 to 11 a.m., and Homeschool Adventures is Fridays from noon to 3 p.m. at $17.50 a player. A signed waiver is required, and so are Urban Air socks. It opens earlier on school breaks.
- Address: 14450 Mundy Drive, Noblesville
- Hours: Mondays through Thursdays 3 to 8 p.m.; Fridays noon to 9 p.m.; Saturdays 10 a.m. to 9 p.m.; Sundays 11 a.m. to 8 p.m.
- Cost: Unlimited Play tickets are $34.99 online, parents who want to jump pay $17.49 and socks are $4.49
14) Cabela’s
It’s a store, but walking through Cabela’s costs nothing, and the Noblesville location has an aquarium built into a conservation mountain, wildlife displays and pieces of Indiana history. During most of November and December, Santa’s Wonderland in the store has free photos with Santa, and reservations open in early November.
- Address: 13725 Cabela Parkway, Noblesville
- Hours: Mondays through Saturdays 9 a.m. to 9 p.m.; Sundays 10 a.m. to 7 p.m.
15) Bier Brewery
Bier Brewery‘s Noblesville taproom has a 2-acre biergarten, which Bier calls Central Indiana’s biggest, with mature trees, fire pits, bocce, cornhole and a kids playground. Our reviewer’s kids liked the wooded section at the back of the property best.
Outside food and coolers aren’t allowed, and the kitchen closes an hour before the taproom does. Dogs are welcome in the biergarten and on the patio, though the fenced dog park takes a membership.
- Address: 1618 S. 10th St., Noblesville
- Hours: Tuesdays through Thursdays 11 a.m. to 9 p.m.; Fridays and Saturdays 11 a.m. to 10 p.m.; Sundays 11 a.m. to 9 p.m.; closed Mondays
16) Koteewi Run
Koteewi Run, inside Strawtown Koteewi Park, bills itself as Central Indiana’s only specialized snow tubing hill. Riders slide 700 feet down groomed lanes of man-made snow to a soft landing, and a tow line pulls them back to the top in their tubes. Tickets for the 2026-27 season are on sale.
Every tube is single-rider, so parents can’t ride with a child. Kids who can’t manage their own tube through the whole run, from the tow line to the bottom, use the separate child slopes, and any child in the slope area, even just to watch, has to be able to walk unassisted. Weekend and holiday sessions typically book full at least a week ahead, and walk-up waits can run several hours. Extra time on the hill is $10 an hour. A small heated warming area has restrooms and sells hot chocolate, coffee and hot dogs.
- Address: 11800 Koteewi Drive, Noblesville (inside Strawtown Koteewi Park)
- Season: December through March, as conditions allow
- Tickets: From $30 for a two-hour weekend or holiday session (Fridays through Sundays) or a four-hour weekday session; season passes from $75
Here’s what’s on in Noblesville over the next few weeks, from our events calendar.
Coming Up in Noblesville
Family events in and near Noblesville, updated daily
A few dates come around every year. The city’s free Halloween night at Forest Park is in late October, and when Noblesville sets its official trick-or-treat hours each fall, they land in our roundup of Indianapolis-area trick-or-treat times. The holiday season brings the Holiday in Lights Parade through downtown in early December and the Santa House on the courthouse square. In spring there’s the Easter egg hunt at Forest Park, then the Indiana Peony Festival downtown in May. On the Fourth of July a parade goes through the downtown square before the Fireworks Festival at Forest Park, and summer swimming is at Morse Beach on Morse Reservoir, a county beach that is closed for the season.
Putting a Noblesville Day Together
A train morning starts at Hobbs Station with the Nickel Plate Express or the White River Family Cruise railbike, and you don’t have to leave Forest Park to reach a playground afterward.
Downtown lines up best on a Friday or Saturday, the only days the jail museum opens to drop-in visitors. Start at the Federal Hill Commons playground, walk across the river to the square and the museum, then end at Noblesville Creates, open until 5 p.m.
On a rainy weekday, the library and Cabela’s both open at 9 a.m., but Urban Air doesn’t open until 3 p.m. Mondays through Thursdays, so save it for last.
For a nature day, the Taylor Center opens at 10 a.m. (1 p.m. on Sundays). See the artifacts, walk out to Koteewi Trace and the mock dig, then stop at the covered bridge at Potter’s Bridge Park on the way back.
Once Koteewi Run opens in December, pair a weekend tubing session with the Forest of Lights at Forest Park after dark.
Two neighbors have guides of their own: things to do in Fishers with kids, just south, and things to do in Westfield with kids, just west. For everywhere else around Indianapolis, there’s our list of 101 things to do in Indianapolis with kids.
