After too many days inside this long, cold winter, it’s time to get out and enjoy some new activities! With so much to do so close to home, every member of your family will find something they’ll love from this list of ideas.
CAMPING
Just two hours north of Indianapolis, Camp Timber Lake in Huntington offers great camping, fishing, swimming and hiking. Try renting a boat to make the most of your day. You’ll also want to check out one (or more) of the eight zip line courses!
Yogi Bear’s Jellystone Park Camp-Resort is a network of campgrounds focused on providing a fun outdoor vacation for the entire family. There are seven Jellystone Parks in Indiana: Bloomington-Lake Monroe, Fremont, Knightstown, Pierceton, Plymouth, Portage and Scottsburg. Little ones will enjoy watching for appearances from Yogi and his friends.
The geological wonders of this beautiful park will amaze you! Located southwest of Crawfordsville, this state park offers a campground, cabins and the Turkey Run Inn for lodging. Be sure to grab a canoe and float down beautiful Sugar Creek.
CAVES
The Indiana Cave Trail includes Marengo Cave, Indiana Caverns, Squire Boone Caverns and Blue Spring Caverns – all with their own unique features.
How does panning for treasure sound? At Marengo Cave, you can sift through dirt and rock, just like the early miners did. Wind through a maze or tour the captivating Crystal Palace! Marengo Cave also has a great modern campground offering nice flat sites, many with gazebos and fire pits. A true family friendly experience – and one of Indiana’s top natural attractions. Just two and a half hours south of Indianapolis, a drive to Marengo is worth the trip.
Located outside Corydon, Indiana caverns is Indiana’s longest cave. Be sure to check out the amazing waterfall and Ice Age bones found here! Great local attractions including historic sites, wineries and state parks are also close by.
This cave offers something most caves don’t – rushing streams and underground waterfalls! The Rock Shop, Grist Mill and Village offer visitors plenty of other activities too.
An hour-long boat tour through Bluespring Caverns in Bedford brings your family up close to the majesty of the underground. View one of Indiana’s largest sinkholes, which covers more than ten acres! The kids will also enjoy prospecting for their own semi-precious gems at the Myst’ry River Gemstone Mine.
The world’s longest cave is less than four hours away from Indianapolis. Mammoth Cave, Kentucky is an easy drive for families who wish to explore the vast system of amazing caves in the area. Along with caving, a wide variety of attractions like zip lines, horseback riding, balloon rides and water activities are all offered in close proximity as well.
CULTURE
Eleven days with over fifty events in one extraordinary festival. Music, art, dance, movies…so much to see. Kids can enjoy the Butler Ballet’s production of Sleeping Beauty and see a string orchestra performance by local talented young musicians.
WonderLab Museum of Science, Health and Technology
Do your kids ever wonder what it’s like to be scientist? WonderLab Museum of Science, Health and Technology is an award-winning science museum in downtown Bloomington. You and your kids will love playing and learning together at fun exhibits like the Bubble-Airium and the WonderGarden. All you need is a sense of curiosity to experience the wonder and excitement of science!
Kidscommons at the Columbus’ Community Children’s Museum
City by Design, the newest exhibit at Kidscommons, lets visitors design and create their ideal city as a builder, architect and urban planner. Kids can even use computer aided design software (CAD) to get their ideas going. Other interactive features give children plenty of opportunities to imagine how their city might look.
Find something that interests you? Pick a few ideas for your family and enjoy all that our area has to offer!
