Children’s Museum of Indianapolis Insider’s Guide 2026: Tickets, Exhibits and Free Days

Last Updated On: October 28, 2026

The Children's Museum of Indianapolis lit up at dusk, with a long-necked dinosaur sculpture leaning out of the glass front of the building on North Meridian Street — The Children’s Museum of Indianapolis on North Meridian Street.

The Children’s Museum of Indianapolis bills itself as the world’s largest children’s museum: five floors and 485,000 square feet indoors, plus 7.5 acres of outdoor sports fields. Kids can touch real dinosaur fossils, board a pretend flight to Peru, walk through a replica of the International Space Station and ride a 1917 carousel. Opening next are WinterFaire on Nov. 21, 2026, the Barbie exhibit on Jan. 30, 2027 and Building Black, a gallery of LEGO sculptures, on March 20, 2027.

Our guide to Indianapolis museums for kids covers the city’s other museums and the ages each one suits.

Hours, tickets and parking
Floor-by-floor guide
Best exhibits by age
Special exhibits now and coming up
The holiday season
Annual events and free days
Ways to save
Parent tips
Upcoming events

The Children’s Museum 2026: Hours, Tickets and Parking

Address: 3000 N. Meridian St., Indianapolis, IN 46208
Hours: Tuesday-Sunday, 10 a.m.-5 p.m., plus some holiday and spring break Mondays; open daily in summer
Tickets: $29-$37 adults and $25-$33 youth through Dec. 31, 2026, depending on the date; Indiana residents save $3 a ticket; free under 2
Parking: free in the museum garage, connected by a skywalk
Phone: 317-334-4000

Prices change by season and day of the week, so buy on the museum’s ticket calendar for the date you plan to go. Tuesday through Thursday is usually the cheapest ($29 for adults and $25 for youth), Fridays and weekends run $33 to $35 for adults, and the weeks around Thanksgiving and Christmas cost the most, up to $37. The museum may ask Indiana residents for proof of residency at the gate. Tickets are nonrefundable, but you can exchange them once if you ask by 5 p.m. on the ticket date. You can leave and come back the same day; keep your ticket to rescan. Kids younger than 16 need an adult with them.

A ticket covers every exhibit, the planetarium, Lilly Theater shows, the daily activities (some need a free ticket picked up on site that day) and, in season, the outdoor sports area. The only add-ons are the carousel ($2 per ride for each child), the Guild’s Haunted House in October and the ticketed special programs.

Holiday hours and closures: The museum is closed Thanksgiving and Christmas Day and closes at 2 p.m. on Christmas Eve. It opens on two Mondays, Dec. 21 and 28, 2026. The whole museum, including the garage and food court, closes Jan. 11 to 15, 2027.

Parking: The garage is at 3000 N. Illinois St., entered from the west side of Illinois Street just north of 30th Street, and the skywalk crosses Illinois Street into the museum. When the garage fills, use the surface lots north of it rather than neighborhood streets. IndyGo’s Route 30, Red Line and Purple Line stop at the museum.

Floor-by-Floor Guide

For a first visit, the museum’s own advice is to start at the bottom, work your way up and finish on Level 4 at 4:45 p.m., when Rex the mascot leads the End of the Day Parade to the exit.

Rex, the Children's Museum mascot in a green dinosaur costume with a striped belly, waves beside a man holding a baby in the museum atrium — Rex, who leads the End of the Day Parade. Photo by Wendy Hasser

Lower Level: Trains, Space, Treasures and the Lilly Theater

All Aboard! is built around the 55-ton Reuben Wells steam engine and is recommended for ages 3 to 5. Kids drive a pretend train, ride a passenger car with dress-up suitcases and fix trains in the Tool Car with gears and railroad spikes. A sound-and-light show plays every half hour, and from 4 to 5 p.m. each day the exhibit switches to a sensory mode with lower volume and no bell.

Beyond Spaceship Earth has a replica International Space Station, a digital spacewalk and the Indiana Astronaut Wall of Fame. The Schaefer Planetarium and Space Object Theater is inside, showing CAPCOM Go! The Apollo Story for ages 6 and up. Some shows rumble and gently move the seats.

A toddler presses glowing buttons on a wall panel inside the International Space Station replica in Beyond Spaceship Earth — Inside the space station in Beyond Spaceship Earth. Photo by Wendy Hasser

National Geographic Treasures of the Earth lets kids decode hieroglyphics in Seti I’s tomb, explore Captain Kidd’s shipwreck and dig for Terra Cotta Warriors. The “Treasures Transport” elevator down from Level 1 is dark and shakes on purpose. The Lilly Theater shows are included with admission, with seats first come, first served, so arrive 15 minutes before showtime.

Level 1: Dinosphere and the Chihuly Tower

A girl touches a real dinosaur fossil beside museum staff at a Dinosphere paleo lab table at The Children's Museum of Indianapolis — Touching a real fossil in Dinosphere. Photo courtesy The Children’s Museum of Indianapolis

Dinosphere has two giant sauropods, dug up by the museum’s own paleontologists, in a dome with a T. rex and a Triceratops. Kids touch real fossils, dig in a play site, design a dinosaur hatchling that comes to life on a big screen in the Dinosphere Art Lab, and watch scientists prepare bones from a Wyoming dig through the paleo labs’ big window. Free 10- to 30-minute programs run through the day, from Dino Tales for all ages to the Mesozoic Marine Deep Dive for ages 6 and up. A thunderstorm effect with thunder and lightning rolls through the dome at times.

Fireworks of Glass is a 43-foot Dale Chihuly tower with more than 3,200 pieces of blown glass and a glass ceiling with 1,600 more. Kids build sculptures from replica glass pieces, try virtual glassblowing and sit on a revolving seat to look up at the ceiling. The Water Clock, which the museum calls North America’s largest, and a Rube Goldberg ball machine are on this level too.

Level 2: Take Me There: Peru and American POP

Take Me There: Peru is recommended for ages 6 to 10. Kids board Take Me There Airways, feed and brush pretend llamas and alpacas, step into a family’s home in Arequipa, run a market stall and a juice stand, climb a rainforest lookout and practice Spanish and Quechua. American POP is full of toys, games and TV and movie props, with a big Batman collection, dress-up and a comic book cover you can put your family’s photo on.

Level 3: Playscape and The Power of Children

Toddlers climb the netted climber under giant leaf shapes in Playscape at The Children's Museum of Indianapolis — The climber in Playscape, for ages 5 and under. Photo by Wendy Hasser

Playscape is only for kids 5 and under, though older kids who come with them can act as helpers. It has an art studio, a music studio, a creek-style water table, a sandbox, a netted climber, Blockopolis, the Reaction Contraption and the Whirly Twirly Tower. Babyscape is a separate area for ages 2 and under, with a nest for babies who aren’t moving on their own yet. Playscape also has a quiet nursing area, private feeding spaces and family restrooms. Strollers park outside, and only milk, water and formula are allowed inside.

The Power of Children: Making a Difference is recommended for ages 8 and up. Visitors walk through re-created spaces from the lives of Anne Frank, Ruby Bridges, Ryan White and Malala Yousafzai, and actors perform the 15-minute Voices of Hope. Three of its theaters are closed Nov. 9 to 20, 2026; the rest of the gallery stays open.

Level 4: The Carousel and ScienceWorks

A toddler leans over the river water table with toy boats and locks in ScienceWorks at The Children's Museum of Indianapolis — The water table in ScienceWorks. Photo by Greer Bowker

The Dentzel carousel, which opened at Broad Ripple Park in 1917 and has been at the museum since 1976, is a National Historic Landmark. Rides are $2 per ride for each child; adults, kids under 2 and member children ride free, and only riders 17 and under sit on the animals. The same floor has a treehouse, a mirror maze and vintage games.

ScienceWorks has a water table with locks and dams, a weather station, a climbing wall, a live pond, a cave and a farm with a John Deere combine cab. Its Discovery Lab is designed for ages 5 and under and is open 10:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. and 2 to 4 p.m.

Outside: Riley Children’s Health Sports Legends Experience

Toddlers walk across the turf putting greens, one carrying a club, at the Riley Children's Health Sports Legends Experience golf courses — The golf greens at the Sports Legends Experience. Photo by Wendy Hasser

The Sports Legends Experience covers 7.5 acres with 12 outdoor areas: a 25-foot tree house with a slide, an IMS pedal car racetrack, basketball, hockey, tennis, soccer, baseball, football, a running track and four nine-hole golf courses, one of them for toddlers. Every sport has adaptive equipment. It runs from about mid-March to early November and is included with admission. Wear closed-toe shoes for the pedal cars, which stop at 4:45 p.m.; golf closes at 4:30 p.m. The outdoor area is closed for the season after Nov. 1, 2026.

Best Exhibits by Age

These are the museum’s own age recommendations, plus the free daily programs that list an age.

Babies, toddlers and preschoolers: Babyscape (2 and under), Playscape (5 and under), the ScienceWorks Discovery Lab (5 and under) and All Aboard! (3 to 5). Paid early-learning programs for ages 3 to 5, such as Create-A-Saurus in Dinosphere, cost $27.25 per child and $5.50 per adult.

Ages 6 to 10: Take Me There: Peru and Tiana’s Joyful Celebration are both recommended for ages 6 to 10. Add the planetarium show CAPCOM Go! The Apollo Story, the Secrets of the Tomb program in Treasures of the Earth and the Mesozoic Marine Deep Dive in Dinosphere, all for ages 6 and up.

Ages 8 and up: The Power of Children, then Building Black when it opens March 20, 2027; it is designed for ages 8 to 12.

Special Exhibits Now and Coming Up

Tiana’s Joyful Celebration: through Jan. 3, 2027; ages 6-10. Kids decorate Mardi Gras floats, play in a critter band, learn second line dances and cook pretend gumbo.
WinterFaire: Nov. 21, 2026-Feb. 15, 2027; included with admission. Carnival games, sock skating in an Ice Cave and an Artisans Corner with Diwali, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa and Las Posadas art.
WinterSlide: Nov. 21, 2026-Jan. 10, 2027, in the Sunburst Atrium. Riders must be 37 inches tall to go alone; younger kids ride on an adult’s lap.
Barbie You Can Be Anything: The Experience: Jan. 30-July 2027; included with admission. Kids try out 11 careers and see Barbie dolls through the decades.
Building Black: March 20, 2027, to late spring 2028. Ekow Nimako’s LEGO sculptures, with build stations stocked with black LEGO bricks.

Costumed Faire Players pose in the colorful WinterFaire exhibit at The Children's Museum of Indianapolis — WinterFaire. Photo courtesy The Children’s Museum of Indianapolis

The Holiday Season at the Children’s Museum

WinterFaire opens Saturday, Nov. 21, 2026, with Santa’s BIG Snowball Fight at 9:30 a.m. in the Sunburst Atrium. Visits with Santa run on select days through Dec. 24, 2026, and they’re included with admission. Santa is at the North Pole, with no visits, on Dec. 1, 2, 9, 15 and 16, 2026, and his hours vary by day. Photo packages cost $30 to $70, and one photo on your own phone per family is free.

A Princess Adventure (Lilly Theater): select dates Nov. 27, 2026-Jan. 3, 2027, at 1 and 3 p.m.; about 45 minutes; ages 4 and up; ASL and sensory-inclusive shows Dec. 6, 2026
Museum My Way: Tuesday, Dec. 8, 2026, a limited-capacity evening for visitors with disabilities or sensory sensitivities; tickets go on sale Nov. 9
Whimsical Winter Play: Wednesday, Dec. 9, 2026, 8:30-9:30 a.m., for ages 5 and under; $27.25 per child, $5.50 per adult
Santa’s Magical Morning: Dec. 12, 13 and 19, 2026, 8-10 a.m., with early access to WinterFaire and WinterSlide and a timed Santa photo; $30 youth, $15 adults, museum admission not included
Free Christmas Eve admission: Thursday, Dec. 24, 2026, 10 a.m.-2 p.m.; free advance tickets open Dec. 14
Countdown to Noon: Thursday, Dec. 31, 2026, 10 a.m.-1:30 p.m., with countdowns at noon and 1 p.m. and music by Zak Morgan; included with admission

Two young boys hold the bar at the top of the snowy WinterSlide at The Children's Museum of Indianapolis — WinterSlide in the Sunburst Atrium. Photo by Greer Bowker

Our guide to holiday fun in Indianapolis has the rest of the season’s Santa visits, lights and shows.

Annual Events and Free Days

The museum’s free days fall on Martin Luther King Jr. Day, Presidents Day, the Juneteenth Jamboree, Fiesta de la Familia and Christmas Eve, and each needs a free advance ticket. The only one left in 2026 is Christmas Eve. The 2027 dates aren’t posted yet.

Every month: First Thursday, $6 a person from 4 to 8 p.m. (next on Nov. 5 and Dec. 3, 2026); Member Mornings, when members get in at 9 a.m. on the first full weekend
January: free admission on Martin Luther King Jr. Day
February: free admission on Presidents Day; Beyond the Paleo Lab Window, an evening in the Dinosphere labs for ages 6 and up, Feb. 12 and April 9, 2027
March and April: the outdoor sports area opens in mid-March; STEM Exploration Day; the Bunnysaurus Rex Egg Hunt; the Earth Day Celebration
June: the Juneteenth Jamboree free day and the Summer Sports Kickoff
Fall: the Fiesta de la Familia free day
October: the Children’s Museum Guild’s Haunted House, with Friendly Hours for kids who scare easily ($9, $5 with an Access Pass)
November: Chemistry Day, Saturday, Nov. 14, 2026; WinterFaire opens

Our free museum days in Indianapolis list adds each new free date as the museums post them.

Ways to Save

Indiana Access Pass: $5 a person for families in SNAP, TANF, Hoosier Healthwise and other qualifying programs (how the Access Pass works)
Indiana residents: $3 off each ticket
First Thursday: $6 a person, 4-8 p.m.; regular prices apply before 4 p.m.
College students: $11 tickets for undergraduates at listed Indiana colleges, bought day-of at the box office with a student ID
Groups of 20 or more: 20% off when booked ahead

Seniors 60 and older get a discount at the box office, and Indiana teachers and school staff get one free adult ticket with a school ID badge on select Free Days for Teachers. A licensed care provider who comes with a visitor needing medical assistance gets in free with an employee badge and photo ID.

Indiana foster families and residents of six nearby neighborhoods qualify for free memberships. A family (Wonder) membership is $225 a year, includes free carousel rides and Member Mornings, and you can put that day’s ticket price toward one within two weeks of your visit. The Children’s Museum is not part of Bank of America’s Museums on Us program.

Parent Tips: Crowds, Food, Strollers and Sensory Needs

Pick a Tuesday or Wednesday. Those are the days the museum points to for avoiding crowds, and midweek tickets are the cheapest. The museum says a visit can take a full day or more, and the box office sells discounted second-day tickets.
Bring lunch if you like. You can eat a packed lunch at the food court tables. The food court’s hot stations serve 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. and its Grab & Go station runs all day, and its menu calls it a nut-free facility. No eating in the exhibits.
Strollers and lockers. The Welcome Center rents single strollers ($4), doubles ($6) and wagons ($7), and lockers cost $5 or $7, credit card only.
Baby gear in a pinch. Every level has diaper-changing stations, and the Level 1 Concierge Desk keeps emergency baby supplies.
Sensory support. Borrow fidgets and noise-reducing headphones at the Concierge Desk, and use the Take a Break Space on Level 3. Lilly Theater keeps fidgets, headphones and small weighted blankets at the back. Free wheelchairs are at the Welcome Center. Our story on accessibility at the Children’s Museum includes comments from museum staff.

The museum also has free Wi-Fi and its own public library branch, infoZone, run by the Indianapolis Public Library. Planning a longer weekend? Our list of things to do in Indianapolis with kids has ideas across the whole metro. Conner Prairie in Fishers and the Indiana State Museum downtown have their own guides.