Discovery Station at Conner Prairie

On this frigid and gloomy January day in Indiana I was faced with some options. Taking my son outside to play was not one of those options (unless there is snow waiting to be turned into forts and snowmen, I see no need to go outside when it’s cold.)

That left us with two possibilities. Option one – play in our house again (snorefest) or Option 2 –  find an indoor play place where my son could run wild (ding! ding! ding!).

You can probably tell which was the winner.

My friend (who has a son my son’s age) and I agreed that getting out of the house was a must – so off we headed to Discovery Station at Conner Prairie.

When we arrived, I quickly realized we weren’t the only ones with the get-out-of-the-house plan. The Discovery Station at Conner Prairie was filled with mommas, babies, toddlers, preschoolers – and strollers.

Here is the great thing – it was packed, but it didn’t feel packed. Some places that are packed leave me feeling somewhat overwhelmed and claustrophobic. Not here. Even with all of those people (and strollers), my friend and I quickly found a place to sit and the boys had no problem jumping right into some imaginary play.

Discovery Station at Conner Prairie is a place where imaginations are encouraged to run wild. It seems they have thought of everything a little person may enjoy. There is a craft station, a super cool place where kids can read books, a train table, things to build, lots of places for pretend play, a structure to climb, a special area for infants and my personal favorite – an entire section dedicated to fort building. Yep. Fort building. So. Much. Fun.
Discovery Station is just one small portion of this expansive Interactive History Park. The outside was closed – for good reason. As I mentioned earlier, there is no need for anyone to be outside playing today. But at Conner Prairie, there is always plenty to do indoors.

After the boys were finished in the Discovery Station at Conner Prairie, we made our way to the Create. Connect area where the boys enjoyed making paper bats and joyfully watching them soar through the air. In this area, innovation in Indiana is celebrated with hands-on, engaging activities that teach kids about science, electricity and more.

A day at Conner Prairie never disappoints. If you haven’t been there yet, I highly recommend taking your family for a day. And if you have been there before, then you know exactly what I am talking about.

Conner Prairie Interactive History Park is located at 13400 Allisonville Road, Fishers.

Conner Prairie’s winter schedule runs from January 1 through March 27, during this time the indoor area is open Thursday through Sunday from 10:00 am-5:00 pm. The outdoor area is closed for the season. Store hours are 10:00 am-5:30 pm on the same days Conner Prairie is open. Conner Prairie offers special programs at different times throughout the year such as Hearthside Suppers and programs that run year-round such as Prairie Tykes. For more information on upcoming events, pricing and membership options – visit their website or call 317-776-6000.

Jennifer Thompson is a stay-at-home mom of four spunky, sweet, kind and sometimes a bit wild children. She has a passion for the written word and thinks that libraries and bookstores are the coolest places ever. When not hanging out with family or writing, she can be found enjoying a good cup of coffee, running, spending quality time with friends, working on some type of project around the house, planning the family’s next trip to her favorite destination – Walloon Lake, Michigan, or very possibly – reading a book.

Jennifer enjoys writing about her parenting experience and outings with her children for Indy’s Child as a freelance writer and blogger and also keeps a personal blog, www.trulyyoursjen.com, that she has fun writing when time allows.