A free family outing doesn’t have to mean another lap around the neighborhood playground. Around Indianapolis, families can make art, visit farm animals, tour the Statehouse, climb through indoor playgrounds, wander nature centers and spend an afternoon at parks that feel like full attractions, without buying a ticket.
Most of these free things to do in Indianapolis with kids cost nothing year-round. Some need a free pass, a waiver or a little planning around short public hours, and a few sit next to paid programs, so each entry says what’s free and what isn’t. A winter section right after our top picks covers free holiday events, sledding hills, the Veal’s Ice Tree and indoor markets from Thanksgiving weekend through February.
The list covers Indianapolis plus Carmel, Fishers, Westfield, Zionsville, Plainfield, Brownsburg, Danville and other Central Indiana towns. When the plan has room for a few dollars, our list of cheap things to do in Indianapolis with kids covers outings for $5 or less, and we track kids eat free deals and discount movie days around town.
Related: 101 Things to Do in Indianapolis with Kids
Jump to:
- Best Free Things to Do in Indianapolis and Central Indiana
- Free Things to Do in Indianapolis This Winter
- More Free Indoor Things to Do Around Indianapolis
- More Free Outdoor Places to Explore
- Free Libraries and Learning Spaces Around Indianapolis
- Free Kids Programs at Nature Centers, Parks and Shops
- Best Free Playgrounds Around Indianapolis
- Free Museum Days in Indianapolis
- Free Events in Indianapolis
Best Free Things to Do in Indianapolis and Central Indiana
These are the free outings substantial enough to be the main event. Some can fill a couple of hours, and others pair well with a nearby stop.
Holliday Park Nature Center, The Ruins and Playground
Location: 6363 Spring Mill Road, Indianapolis (Northside)
Hours: Park dawn to dusk; Nature Center Monday to Saturday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Holliday Park is three free outings in one park. Start inside the Nature Center, where Habitat Hall has hands-on exhibits and live animals, walk over to The Ruins, then let the kids loose on the nature-inspired playground, with its timber tower and ravine slides. Wooded trails take care of whatever energy is left. The park is spread out over hills and paths, so it can feel like three separate stops when one child wants the playground and another has already started down a trail. In winter, the Nature Center and one restroom in the Pavilion are the only restrooms open.
Contemporary Art Museum of Indianapolis
Location: 1125 Cruft St., Indianapolis (Southside)
Hours: Wednesday to Friday 11 a.m. to 7 p.m.; Saturday and Sunday 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.
General admission to the Contemporary Art Museum of Indianapolis, or CAMi, is free. The south-side campus has several galleries, artist spaces and outdoor areas, and the exhibitions change through the year, which makes it a museum families can come back to. Some special programs cost extra.
Indiana Statehouse Tours
Location: 200 W. Washington St., Indianapolis (Downtown)
Hours: Guided tours Monday to Friday, on the hour from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Free guided tours of the Indiana Statehouse take 30 to 45 minutes and cover the building’s history, architecture and all three branches of state government, chambers and offices included. A self-guided brochure works for families who’d rather set their own pace, with no registration. Tours don’t run on weekends or state holidays. Save this one for kids old enough to care about the chambers they’ve heard about in school.
The Virginia B. Fairbanks Art & Nature Park at Newfields
Location: 1850 W. 38th St., Indianapolis
Hours: Dawn to dusk daily
The Fairbanks Art & Nature Park is a good answer when the adults want something more interesting than another playground and the kids still need room to move. Its 100 acres of trails, woodlands, wetlands and a 35-acre lake have large-scale artworks along the way, and it’s always free. The park has its own free lot at the address above, reached only from westbound 38th Street. Admission doesn’t include the Newfields museum, gardens or ticketed exhibitions, and the restrooms in the Ruth Lilly Visitors Pavilion close from Nov. 1 to April 1.
Indy Art Center and ARTSPARK
Location: 820 E. 67th St., Indianapolis (Broad Ripple)
Hours: Monday to Friday 9 a.m. to 10 p.m.; Saturday 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.; Sunday noon to 6 p.m.
The Indy Art Center keeps its eight galleries free and open to the public, with rotating exhibitions. Outside, ARTSPARK spreads interactive sculptures across 9.5 acres along the Monon Trail and the White River, open dawn to dusk with no gate and no admission charge. Inside, families can also look around the Michael Graves-designed building and the Ruth Lilly Library. It’s a quieter outing than an indoor playground, better suited to school-age kids and teens who like art.
White River State Park and the Downtown Canal Walk
Location: 801 W. Washington St., Indianapolis (Downtown)
Hours: Park open daily, 5 a.m. to 11 p.m.
Downtown has plenty of ticketed attractions, but walking the Canal Walk costs nothing. The 3-mile loop follows the Central Canal from White River State Park up to 11th Street, and the park adds lawns, public spaces and views of the city’s biggest attractions. Walk, bike, look for public art or just see how far the kids make it before somebody asks for a snack. Nobody has to finish the loop for it to count, and depending on where you start, parking isn’t free.
Indiana State Police Museum
Location: 8660 E. 21st St., Indianapolis (Eastside)
Hours: Tuesday to Thursday, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.
The Indiana State Police Museum is free, with donations welcome. Kids can see uniforms, historic equipment, a 1938 Chevrolet police car and John Dillinger’s death mask while learning how the department has changed since its founding in 1933. It’s a focused specialty museum rather than a big interactive attraction, so it pairs well with another east-side stop.
Ignite Studio at the Fishers Library
Location: 5 Municipal Drive, Fishers
Hours: Monday to Thursday 9 a.m. to 8 p.m.; Friday and Saturday 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.; Sunday noon to 6 p.m.
Ignite Studio is what happens when a library gives its craft table an entire floor and a much better supply closet. The free makerspace on the lower level of the Hamilton East Public Library in Fishers has self-use project kits for clay hand building, crafts, relief printmaking and watercolor, plus a Fab Lab, an A.V. studio and digital media labs that visitors reserve. Younger kids can settle in with a grown-up and work through the current kit. The certification-based Maker Lab for ages 13 and up is at the Noblesville Library, not in Fishers.
Fishers Community Center Indoor Playground
Location: 11400 Johnson Farm Way, Fishers
The Fishers Community Center has plenty of paid amenities, but its 5,000-square-foot indoor playground is free. The two-story structure with tunnel slides is for ages 5 to 12, and lower climbing features and a toddler zone cover the little ones. Every adult and child needs a membership or a free Community Pass, good for a year, and a parent or guardian registers the kids. Reservations aren’t required, but they open two days ahead in 30- or 60-minute blocks, two a day per person; walk-ins get in as space allows. Socks are required. The pool and other membership amenities are separate, so set expectations before your child spots the pool.
Fishers AgriPark
Location: 11171 Florida Road, Fishers
Fishers AgriPark is a 33-acre urban farm that stays open year-round, with hours that shift by season. Families can see the horse, cattle, sheep, chickens, goats and a pig named Otis, walk the grounds and let kids loose in the nature play area and mud kitchen. When crops are ready, u-pick produce is free: check in at the red shed and fill one AgriPark container per household per day, first come, first served. Dogs aren’t allowed. A child who finds the mud kitchen will need a change of clothes, so throw an old towel in the car.
The Park at Traders Point Christian Church
Location: 6590 S. Indianapolis Road, Whitestown
The Park at Traders Point is one of the bigger free indoor play spaces on the northwest side, with one area for kids 3 and under and a larger one for older kids. Adults get picnic tables and Wi-Fi while they supervise. Kids wear socks, every adult brings a government-issued ID and an adult stays with each child. Hours change month to month on The Park’s page, and the space often reaches capacity; registering ahead saves time at the desk but doesn’t hold a spot.
Cool Creek Park and Nature Center
Location: 2000 E. 151st St., Carmel
Hours: Park dawn to dusk; Nature Center Monday to Saturday 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., Sunday 1 to 5 p.m.
Cool Creek packs several outings into one 90-acre county park. The Nature Center covers Indiana’s woodlands and has a wildlife viewing area, and outside there’s a playground, a nature play area and 4 miles of wooded trails. The county’s free Holly Jolly Jamboree is Saturday, Dec. 12, 2026, from 2 to 4 p.m. at the Nature Center, with Santa photos, a live reindeer, crafts and cookies; registration through Hamilton County Parks is required.
Midtown Plaza
Location: 365 Monon Blvd., Carmel (Midtown)
Midtown Plaza sits right on the Monon Trail, with green space, community tables, shade structures, ping-pong, bocce, cornhole, public art and a big screen. The spray plaza runs from Memorial Day to Sept. 30 only. Carmel’s newer music-themed Monon Boulevard Playground, in the playground list below, is a separate stop near the Allied Solutions Center.
Coxhall Gardens and the Children’s Garden
Location: 11677 Towne Road, Carmel
Hours: Dawn to dusk
Coxhall Gardens doesn’t feel like a kid-only park, and that’s part of the appeal. Start in the Children’s Garden, with its village storefronts, echo walls, peek-a-boo hills and Tiki huts, then move on to the paved trails, the lake and the twin 90-foot bell towers across 125 acres. It isn’t a traditional playground: kids who come for imaginative play get far more out of it than older kids hunting for giant slides.
Treehouses at Flat Fork Creek Park
Location: 16141 E. 101st St., Fishers
Flat Fork Creek Park isn’t a playground stop. The kid appeal is its treehouses in the woods, including an ADA-accessible one overlooking Flat Fork Creek, plus an accessible paved trail and boardwalk, a fishing pond (no license needed for kids 17 and under) and the 60-foot sledding hill. The treehouses are lookouts rather than play structures, so plan on a mix of treehouses, trails and views.
Free Things to Do in Indianapolis This Winter (2026-27)
From Thanksgiving weekend through February, the free calendar fills up with tree lightings, holiday markets and Santa visits, then turns to sledding hills and an ice tree once the cold sets in. Food, skating and Santa photos sometimes cost extra, and each entry says so. For drive-through and walk-through displays, our list of free places to see Christmas lights near Indianapolis covers the rest of the metro, and the free holiday festivals guide covers the tree lightings, parades and holiday festivals in the other suburbs.
Circle of Lights on Monument Circle
Location: Monument Circle, Indianapolis (Downtown)
When: Friday, Nov. 27, 2026, 5 to 9 p.m.
The Circle of Lights is free and in its 64th year. Downtown Indy Alliance switches on the holiday lights on the Soldiers and Sailors Monument, with Santa, local artists and food trucks around the Circle. On Saturdays and Sundays in December, SPARK Holidays on the Circle sets up in the north quadrant with hot cocoa, live performances and a chance to see Santa.
The monument’s observation deck isn’t part of the free evening. It’s open Fridays from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. and costs $10 for adults and $5 for ages 5 to 18, stairs or elevator, with kids under 5 and military members and veterans free.
Fishers Tree Lighting, Jingle Bell Junction and Santa’s Mailbox
Location: 6 Municipal Drive, Fishers (Nickel Plate District)
When: Tree lighting Friday, Nov. 27, 2026, 5 to 7 p.m.; Jingle Bell Junction Dec. 8 to 13, 2026
Fishers lights its city tree at 6:30 p.m. on Nov. 27 at the Nickel Plate District Amphitheater, with Santa, live music, fire pits, ice carving, reindeer and Fishers AgriPark animals. It’s free, with no registration. Jingle Bell Junction follows with a free drop-in event every day from Dec. 8 to 13 at 10 Municipal Drive, including Santa’s Workshop on Dec. 8 from 4 to 8 p.m., kids bingo and holiday movie trivia on Dec. 10 and a winter market on Dec. 12. Cookies With Characters on Dec. 12 costs $10 a person ($15 for nonresidents) and takes registration.
Kids can mail a letter to Santa in Santa’s Mailbox, Nov. 25 to Dec. 11, 2026, in the breezeway at the Fishers Municipal Center or at Fishers Parks headquarters, and get a letter back.
Carmel Christkindlmarkt, Holiday Trolley and Santa Saturdays
Location: 10 Carter Green, Carmel (City Center)
Hours: Nov. 21 to Dec. 24, 2026. Wednesday and Thursday 4 to 9 p.m., Friday and Saturday noon to 9 p.m., Sunday noon to 8 p.m.
Entrance, activities and entertainment at the Carmel Christkindlmarkt are free. Kids can make crafts at the Kinderecke any time the market is open, and Santa visits on Sundays from noon to 6 p.m. (Nov. 22 and 29 and Dec. 6, 13 and 20, 2026) with a free photo. The market is closed Mondays and Tuesdays except Dec. 21 and 22, and on Thanksgiving and Christmas Day. It opens at noon instead of 4 p.m. on Nov. 25 and Dec. 23, and Christmas Eve hours are noon to 4 p.m. Skating at The Ice at Carter Green costs extra.
The free Carmel Holiday Trolley links the Arts & Design District, City Center, the Indiana Design Center, Civic Square and the market on Fridays from 5 to 9 p.m. and Saturdays from 2 to 9 p.m., Nov. 21 to Dec. 19, 2026. Carmel’s Santa Saturdays are Dec. 5 and 12, 2026, from 2 to 5 p.m. at Santa’s House, 200 S. Range Line Road, and they’re free too.
Free Holiday Movies at Butler Arts
Location: 610 W. 46th St., Indianapolis (Butler University)
When: Tuesdays at 7 p.m.: Dec. 1, 8 and 15, 2026
The Butler Arts free community movie series screens films at the Schrott Center for the Arts, with doors at 6 p.m. and no tickets needed. The Muppet Christmas Carol on Dec. 1 and It’s a Wonderful Life on Dec. 15 both start with a Santa meet and greet, glitter tattoos and a Christmas craft. Star Wars: The Mandalorian and Grogu on Dec. 8 brings character meet-and-greets, airbrush tattoos and balloon twisting. Concessions are for sale. The Sunset Avenue garage is free for the first hour, and event rates can apply on busy nights.
Sledding Hills Around Indianapolis
Sledding is free wherever there’s snow. Indy Parks names seven city sledding hills: Brookside, Christian, Garfield, Paul Ruster, Rhodius, Southeastway and Ellenberger parks, with Christian Park’s smaller hills suited to little kids and first-timers. In Hamilton County, the 60-foot hill at Flat Fork Creek Park in Fishers is the county’s highest point, with paved ramps to the top, and our Hamilton County sledding hills list adds Carmel’s West Park, which has a two-story hill with a gradual walkway. Westfield’s Simon Moon Park has a sledding hill with a warming shelter. Indy Parks asks sledders to wear helmets, stay in designated areas, quit by dark and keep away from frozen water.
Veal’s Ice Tree
Location: 6445 Mimosa Lane, Indianapolis (Southeast side)
The Veal’s Ice Tree is a frozen tower the Veal family builds in their yard once there have been a week or more of days and nights in the 20s, which in most winters means January. It averages 35 to 40 feet and usually melts in the first weeks of April. Visiting is free, from 8 a.m. to 10 p.m. daily, from the driveway or the loop; everyone stays on the pavement. The family doesn’t accept money and asks visitors to give to Wheeler Mission instead, and its Facebook page posts when the tree is up.
Winter Farmers Markets
Both of the area’s big indoor winter farmers markets are free to walk into; you pay only for what you buy.
- Indy Winter Farmers Market: The AMP, 1220 Waterway Blvd., Indianapolis. Saturdays 9 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., Nov. 14, 2026, to April 24, 2027 (closed Dec. 26). Free parking and a triple SNAP match.
- Carmel Winter Market: the Six Eleven building, 611 3rd Ave. SW, Carmel. Saturdays 9 a.m. to noon through March 27, 2027 (closed Dec. 26), with 60 vendors selling produce, milk, meat and breakfast.
On Martin Luther King Jr. Day, Monday, Jan. 18, 2027, several Indianapolis museums have offered free admission in past years, and our MLK Day free admission guide adds each one as it’s announced. Our list of things to do this winter in Indianapolis adds ice skating, light shows and other paid outings.
More Free Indoor Things to Do Around Indianapolis
Indiana weather makes a list of free indoor places a parenting necessity. Beyond the larger attractions above, Central Indiana has church playgrounds, community centers and other indoor spaces where families can get out of the house without paying admission. Most ask for socks and a waiver.
The Treehouse at Plainfield Christian Church
Location: 800 Dan Jones Road, Plainfield
Hours: Tuesday and Thursday, 9 to 11 a.m. and 1 to 3 p.m.; Wednesday, 5 to 7 p.m.
The Treehouse is a bright, tree-themed indoor play structure that’s free, with free coffee for the grown-ups. It’s built for kids from birth to age 8: the lower level is for ages 2 and up and the top level for ages 5 and up. The short public windows are the biggest catch. Everyone fills out a release form, online or on arrival, families enter at Door 5 and kids wear athletic shoes.
Cornerstone Lutheran Church Play Areas
Hours: Fishers Monday to Friday 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. and 3:30 to 6:30 p.m.; Indianapolis Tuesday and Thursday 9 a.m. to noon
Cornerstone Lutheran runs two free multilevel indoor playgrounds for kids 12 and under, each with a separate space for kids 3 and under: one at 13450 E. 116th St. in Fishers and one at 2837 E. New York St. in Indianapolis. Nobody needs to belong to the church. Kids and adults wear socks, an adult 18 or older stays with the kids, and when there’s a wait, play is limited to about 30 minutes.
The Hideout in Brownsburg
Location: 554 Pit Road, Door 2, Brownsburg
Hours: Free open play Monday to Wednesday, 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.
The Hideout is a free indoor community play space in Hendricks County built around climbing, pretend play and sensory activities, designed for kids up to age 10. Donations and sponsors pay for the free open play; Thursdays through Sundays are for private bookings. A parent or caregiver stays with the kids, everyone wears socks and the waiver is signed before the first visit.
Playzone at The Community Center at AFC
Location: 2301 Meridian St., Anderson
Hours: Tuesday and Thursday, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Playzone is free for kids 2 to 12, with a five-level play structure and slides, a Creative Zone with Lego and art, a Preschool Zone and a rock-climbing wall. Adults bring a government-issued ID. Parties and field trips book the space at other times, so the center posts its open-play days on its calendar.
The Center at Northview Church
Location: 623 N. State Road 39, Danville
Hours: Monday to Thursday 8 a.m. to 8 p.m.; Friday to Sunday 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.
The Center in Danville has a free playscape, an indoor turf field and a walking track, which makes it more than a quick playground stop. There’s no check-in, socks are required and an adult supervises; groups of more than 10 reserve a room first, and turf hours are posted on The Center’s social pages. The Monday through Thursday hours run until 8 p.m., which helps when everyone needs to get out of the house after dinner.
The Commons Indoor Playground in Columbus
Location: 300 Washington St., Columbus
Hours: Daily, 9 a.m. to 8 p.m.
The James A. Henderson Playground at The Commons is free and open to the public whenever the building is. It has a toddler area for 6 months to 2 years, a preschool area for ages 2 to 5, a school-age area and a two-story Luckey Climber for ages 5 to 12. Shoes stay on, food and drinks stay out and an adult supervises at all times.
The Slide at Benge’s Hardware
Location: 3902 N. Illinois St., Indianapolis (Butler-Tarkington)
Hours: Daily, 8 a.m. to 8 p.m.
On our June visit to Benge’s Hardware, formerly Benge’s Ace, a real spiral slide near the entrance was free for customers’ kids, along with free popcorn. It’s a working hardware store, not an attraction, so plan to buy something while you’re there.
Our guide to 25 free indoor places to play in Indianapolis adds more church playgrounds, libraries, nature centers and community spaces.
More Free Outdoor Places to Explore
When everyone would rather be outside, there are plenty more parks, trails, gardens and public spaces around Indianapolis that don’t charge admission. Parks are open dawn to dusk unless noted.
Indianapolis Cultural Trail
Location: Downtown Indianapolis, multiple access points
Walk or bike sections of the 10-mile Indianapolis Cultural Trail, which connects the six downtown cultural districts, their public art and local landmarks. There’s no need to tackle the whole route. Pick a stretch and turn it into your own family scavenger hunt.
Kawachinagano Japanese Garden
Location: 1 Civic Square, Carmel
Hours: Sunrise to sunset
The Kawachinagano Japanese Garden, on the south side of Carmel City Hall, is a small, quiet garden with a pond, winding paths, a Sukiya gate, lantern and crane sculptures and benches. It won’t fill an afternoon, but it makes a good picnic stop or add-on to a walk along the nearby Monon Trail.
Grand Junction Plaza
Location: 225 S. Union St., Westfield
Grand Junction Plaza has 6.5 acres of green space, paved trails, a playground, a wetland amphitheater, jet fountains and restrooms in the middle of downtown Westfield, and it’s the first stop in our guide to things to do in Westfield with kids. It’s open from 5 a.m. daily, until 9 p.m. Sunday through Wednesday, 10 p.m. Thursday and 11:59 p.m. Friday and Saturday, and Westfield Parks holds programs there all year.
Simon Moon Park
Location: 3044 E. 171st St., Westfield
Simon Moon Park packs a lot into 29 acres: a playground with accessible turf, paved trails and boardwalks, a fishing pond and pier, a Little Free Library, restrooms and a sledding hill with a warming shelter. It’s open sunrise to sunset. Kayak rentals cost extra.
Prather Park
Location: 12575 River Road, Carmel
Prather Park, formerly River Road Park, is a 62-acre Hamilton County park on the White River with paved and nature trails, a river overlook, prairie and wetlands, a playground, restrooms, a canoe launch and a small interpretive building about Native American life in the area hundreds of years ago.
McCloud Nature Park
Location: 8518 Hughes Road, North Salem
Hours: Park dawn to dusk; nature center Tuesday to Saturday, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
McCloud Nature Park has 232 acres and more than 7 miles of marked trails along Big Walnut Creek, with a wetland boardwalk, a restored 100-year-old iron truss bridge and a swing set with accessible swings. The Ray & Mary Benson Nature Center is free, with live reptiles, amphibians and insects and a bird-viewing room. A GRIT Freedom Chair, an all-terrain wheelchair, can be borrowed for free in two-hour blocks.
The EcoLab at Marian University
Location: 3200 Cold Spring Road, Indianapolis (Northwest side)
The Nina Mason Pulliam EcoLab is 75 acres of wetland and lowland forest on Marian’s campus, with a beaver lodge on the Jens Jensen Pond, more than 170 bird species and about 3 miles of trails. It’s free and open every day from dawn to dusk. Park in the Velodrome lot and follow the orange path along Cold Spring Road to the EcoLab gate. Our writer found steep rock steps at the start of the trail, so leave the stroller in the car. Dogs must be leashed, and bikes aren’t allowed.
Colts Fitness Park
Location: Riverside Regional Park, Indianapolis (Near Westside)
The Colts Fitness Park, built by the Colts, the Indianapolis Parks Foundation and Indy Parks, has a PLAY 60 Challenge Course, a 40-yard dash lane and exercise equipment across more than 5,000 square feet. It’s free during park hours, dawn to dusk. It’s inside Riverside Regional Park, not at Riverside Adventure Park on White River Parkway.
The Portico at College Park Church
Location: 2606 W. 96th St., Indianapolis (Northwest side)
The Portico is a public space with a playground and walking path open dawn to dusk, plus a pavilion with picnic tables, rocking chairs, restrooms and water fountains, open 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. The playground, pavilion and restrooms are accessible, and leashed dogs are welcome. The pavilion closes at times for private events, which the church posts on its Portico page.
The Monon Trail
Location: 10th Street to 96th Street, Indianapolis, continuing into Hamilton County
The Monon Trail runs from 10th Street to 96th Street in Indianapolis and keeps going north through Carmel and Westfield. Along the way it passes Frederick Douglass Park, the State Fairgrounds, Broad Ripple Village and Marott Park, and it connects to the Fall Creek Greenway and the Central Canal Towpath. Bring your own bikes, scooters or skates to keep it free.
James Whitcomb Riley’s Tomb at Crown Hill Cemetery
Location: 700 W. 38th St., Indianapolis (North Gate)
Hours: North Gate 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. October to March, 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. April to September; South Gate, 3400 Boulevard Place, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.
The Hoosier poet James Whitcomb Riley is buried on “the Crown,” the highest hill in Marion County, at Crown Hill Cemetery. The gates are open every day, holidays included, and there’s no charge to drive or walk up to the tomb.
Free Libraries and Learning Spaces Around Indianapolis
Libraries around Central Indiana have become family destinations of their own, with children’s play areas, interactive technology, makerspaces, sensory-friendly spaces and programs that make a visit feel like much more than checking out books.
Kid Central at Central Library
Location: 40 E. St. Clair St., Indianapolis (Downtown)
Hours: Kid Central Monday to Friday, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., November through February; Monday to Saturday, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., March through October
Kid Central fills the third floor of Central Library with the largest children’s collection in the Indianapolis Public Library system, early learning stations, family technology areas and drop-in programs such as Explore STEM + More, with robots, LEGO and crafts. The rest of Central Library keeps longer hours, including evenings Monday and Tuesday and Sunday afternoons. Teen Central is on the second floor, which helps when you’re visiting with kids at different stages. The parking garage on Pennsylvania Street charges a fee.
Indiana Young Readers Center
Location: 315 W. Ohio St., Indianapolis (Downtown)
Hours: Monday to Friday, 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
Inside the Indiana State Library, the Indiana Young Readers Center is devoted to Indiana authors, illustrators and children’s books. Kids can browse, try the activities and climb into the giant Clifford the Big Red Dog doghouse. It’s closed on weekends, so pair it with a weekday Statehouse tour or a walk along the Canal.
Carmel Clay Public Library Main Library
Location: 425 E. Main St., Carmel
The Main Library has a large children’s area, public computers and programs all week. Its Exploration Lab, inside the Kids Area, has STEAM kits and tinker activities for ages 7 and up on a school-year schedule: Monday to Thursday 2 to 6 p.m., Friday 2 to 5 p.m. and Saturday 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Younger kids, ages 3 to 6, can check out Exploration Jr. kits during the same hours.
Fort Ben Branch Library
Location: 9330 E. 56th St., Indianapolis (Lawrence)
Hours: Monday and Tuesday 10 a.m. to 8 p.m.; Wednesday to Friday 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.; Saturday 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Sunday 1 to 5 p.m.
Fort Ben is a standout for families who need a calm, inclusive indoor option. It was the first library in Indiana to become a Certified Autism Center, with sensory guides at the entrance, a quiet low-sensory Comfort Room and sensory kits of headphones and fidgets to borrow from the Ask Here desk.
Zionsville Nature Center
Location: 250 N. 5th St., Zionsville
Hours: Tuesday to Saturday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
The Zionsville Nature Center is inside the Youth Services Department at the Hussey-Mayfield Memorial Public Library, which makes it a two-for-one. Exhibits cover local Indiana habitats and wildlife, with educational animals including turtles, snakes and amphibians, and you can pair the animals with books or a library program without moving the car.
More Libraries Worth Visiting
- Michigan Road Branch: 6201 Michigan Road, Indianapolis. Children’s spaces, teen areas, computers and a large community room.
- Greenwood Public Library: 310 S. Meridian St., Greenwood. A first-floor Kids Department designed for children from birth through grade 5.
- Plainfield-Guilford Township Public Library: 1120 Stafford Road, Plainfield. Children’s programs, early literacy resources and family reading spaces.
- Hancock County Public Library: 900 W. McKenzie Road, Greenfield. A large Kids Space with books and resources for younger visitors.
Free Kids Programs at Nature Centers, Parks and Shops
These free programs repeat through the year on a set pattern, and each name links to our calendar listing with the next date. Only the Kids Club needs a sign-up.
Holliday Park Nature Center Programs
Location: 6363 Spring Mill Road, Indianapolis (Northside)
- Critter Tales: a free story time with songs and a live animal for toddlers and preschoolers, 10 to 11 a.m. on the first Thursday of the month in Habitat Hall.
- Playdate at the Park: unstructured, kid-led nature play for ages 2 to 6 with a grown-up, 10 to 11 a.m. on the third Tuesday of the month in the Nature Center lobby. Expect dirty hands, clothes and shoes.
- Beastly Brunch: an up-close look at the animal ambassadors and a live feeding for ages 2 and up with an adult, on select Wednesdays from 11:30 a.m. to noon.
Drop-In Discovery at Zionsville Nature Center
The naturalists at the Zionsville Nature Center pick a new nature topic each month for Drop-In Discovery, a free afternoon drop-in with crafts and activities for all ages, open to residents and nonresidents.
Free Yoga Wednesdays in Fishers
Location: Billericay Park community building, 12690 Promise Road, Fishers
When: Wednesday mornings, year-round; a few weeks are skipped
Fishers Parks and Roots & Wings Yoga Wellness hold Free Yoga Wednesdays all year, for all skill levels, with no weekly commitment. In warm months the class meets at the top of the hill at Flat Fork Creek Park; from November it moves indoors at Billericay Park. Bring your own mat.
Indy Card Exchange Kids Club
Location: 7035 E. 96th St., Suite P, Indianapolis (Northeast side)
Hours: Tuesday to Thursday 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.; Friday 10 a.m. to 7 p.m.; Saturday 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Sunday noon to 5 p.m.
The Indy Card Exchange Kids Club is free for kids 13 and under, with one online sign-up per child. Members pick up a free gift in the store each month, plus a birthday-month gift and report-card rewards for all A’s and B’s in May and June and again in December and January.
Best Free Playgrounds Around Indianapolis
Central Indiana has gotten very good at building playgrounds worth driving across town for, with giant climbing towers, splash pads, nature play and enough space to turn a park trip into the main event. These are free.
A few of our favorites:
- Colts Canal Playspace, a free downtown Indianapolis play stop right along the Canal.
- Frederick Douglass Park, an east-side park with a playground beside the largest family center in the Indy Parks system.
- Washington Park Playground and Splash Pad, which combines a destination playground with free water play in the warmer months.
- Holliday Park Playground, a large Northside playground that pairs easily with The Ruins, the Nature Center and wooded trails.
- Monon Boulevard Playground, Carmel’s music-themed playground near the Allied Solutions Center, with two giant red towers joined by an enclosed bridge.
- Meadowlark Park, a 19-acre Carmel park with towering tree-themed climbers, a boardwalk through restored wetlands and year-round restrooms.
- West Park, Carmel’s big park with a nature playground in the woods behind the Jill Perelman Pavilion.
- Lawrence W. Inlow Park, where families can combine playground time with a splash pad in summer.
- Old City Park, Greenwood’s downtown playground built around a 20-foot cube tower with a tunnel slide.
- Blast Off Playground at Williams Park, Brownsburg’s wooden rocket-ship playground of towers, tunnels, ramps and slides, built by more than 400 volunteers in 2000.
- Kephart Park, Bargersville’s 19-acre park with a large playground, a seasonal splash pad and walking trails.
We’ve visited playgrounds all over Central Indiana, and our guide to the Best Playgrounds in Indianapolis and Central Indiana has dozens more.
Free Museum Days in Indianapolis
Many of Indianapolis’ biggest museums and attractions aren’t free every day, but they open their doors free on select dates through the year.
First Thursdays at Newfields
Location: 4000 Michigan Road, Indianapolis
When: First Thursday of the month, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
On First Thursdays at Newfields, general admission is pay what you wish, including $0. Advance tickets are recommended but not required, and children 5 and under are always free.
Museums and attractions that have offered free days include:
- Conner Prairie
- Eiteljorg Museum of American Indians and Western Art
- Indiana Historical Society
- Indiana State Museum
- NCAA Hall of Champions
- Indianapolis Zoo
- The Children’s Museum of Indianapolis
Free dates and reservation rules change through the year, so we keep them in one place: the Free Museum Days in Indianapolis calendar. Indiana families enrolled in SNAP, TANF, Medicaid, WIC and other qualifying programs can also get $5 admission per family member at more than 20 attractions through the Indiana Access Pass.
Free Events in Indianapolis
Some of the best free things to do around Indianapolis aren’t permanent attractions at all. Libraries, parks, cities and community groups hold free festivals, outdoor movies, concerts, story times and park programs all year. For the current month, our regularly updated list of free things to do in Indianapolis this month has the dates, and from June to August our free summer concerts guide covers the outdoor series in Indianapolis, Carmel, Fishers, Noblesville, Westfield and Greenwood.
For day trips, 11 Free Places Near Indianapolis That Feel Like Paid Attractions rounds up the bigger free outings within a short drive.
