The Dot Experience opened Oct. 30, 2026, on the campus of the American Printing House for the Blind in Louisville, and the house rule is the opposite of the one parents repeat at most museums: touch is encouraged. The 28,000-square-foot museum tells the story of blindness, braille and the people who shaped both, and its ticket page promises “no off-limits objects.” Louisville is about two hours down I-65 from Indianapolis and on the same clock. Two adults and two kids ages 6 to 17 pay $64, children 5 and under are free, and parking costs nothing.
What Kids Can Touch at The Dot Experience
The museum calls itself “the first inclusive attraction in the world to make every exhibit, image, and artifact accessible to everyone,” and it was designed alongside people who are blind, low vision, DeafBlind, neurodiverse and wheelchair users. When an artifact has to stay behind glass, a detailed tactile copy sits with it.
The Helen Keller galleries draw on her papers and artifacts, on loan from the American Foundation for the Blind. Her desk is here, along with a life-size figure of Keller seated at one that visitors can put their hands on and a replica of the water pump that sparked her discovery of language.
In other galleries, kids can write in braille, build with LEGO Braille Bricks, try a white cane and decode braille from Louis Braille’s six raised dots. A piano Stevie Wonder once played is here too. Throughout the building, the stories come from people who are blind or low vision, among them artists, adventurers, parents, students and teachers.
The Braille Factory Tour Next Door
The American Printing House for the Blind has been on this campus for nearly 170 years, and it still produces braille books and learning tools here. For $7 more, a guided tour goes onto the factory floor to see braille and tactile graphics embossed and audiobooks being recorded. Tours leave at 11 a.m., 1 p.m., 2 p.m. and 3 p.m. daily. A family leaving Indianapolis in the morning can see the galleries first and make the 1 p.m. tour.
The Dot Experience: Tickets, Hours and Parking
- Where: 1839 Frankfort Ave., Louisville, KY 40206
- Hours: 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily
- Museum tickets: $18 adults, $16 seniors 60 and older, $14 ages 6 to 17, free ages 5 and under; $12 for teachers and military members with ID
- Museum and factory tour: $25 adults, $23 seniors, $21 children, free ages 5 and under, on the museum’s ticket page
- Parking: free in the museum’s lot on State Street, with accessible spaces near the entrance
The museum closes on New Year’s Day, Easter, Derby Day, July 4, Thanksgiving, Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. Exhibit text comes in print and braille, with audio descriptions and American Sign Language interpretation, and the free GoodMaps app gives indoor directions by audio. Families who need a break will find a quiet reset room, along with a parent and nursing room and changing tables for children and adults. Social stories are available for kids who like to know what’s coming.
Making a Louisville Day of It
Our guide to family fun in Louisville covers what to see and where to eat in the rest of the city. In the holiday season, Lights Under Louisville adds an underground light show you drive through. Staying closer to home? Our list of 24 Indianapolis museums for kids has ages and prices for each one.
