50 Cheap Things to Do in Indianapolis with Kids

These cheap things to do in Indianapolis with kids cost $5 or less a child: museum tickets for kids, $1 open gyms, $4 swim sessions, $5 movie Tuesdays, $2 indoor playgrounds, store workshops and holiday crafts. Prices are per person unless noted, and each entry says when the adult ticket or a rental costs more. The last section covers outings that run a little over $5.

Outings that cost nothing at all have their own list: our free things to do in Indianapolis with kids guide has nature centers, indoor playgrounds, libraries and this winter’s free holiday events. To keep dinner cheap too, check the week’s kids eat free nights.

Related: 101 Things to Do in Indianapolis with Kids

Jump to:

• Museums, Tours and Shows for $5 or Less
• Cheap Indoor Play, Open Gyms and Swim Times
• $5 Movies, Bowling and Arcade Deals
• Holiday Crafts and Nature Programs for $5 or Less
• Free Kids Workshops at Stores
• Back in Spring and Summer
• Worth It, But More Than $5

Museums, Tours and Shows for $5 or Less

Several downtown museums charge adults $10 to $15 but let kids in for $5 or less, and a few smaller museums and shows cost even less. Under-5s are free at most of them.

1. Visit the Indiana Historical Society at the Indiana History Center, 450 W. Ohio St. Youth ages 5 to 17 pay $5, kids under 5 are free and adults pay $15 ($2 less online). It’s open Tuesday to Saturday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., and parking in the History Center lot is free with validation at the Welcome desk. The Festival of Trees fills the building Nov. 13, 2026, to Jan. 2, 2027, at the same prices, with Sunday afternoon hours and evenings until 8 p.m. on Dec. 1, 3, 8, 10, 15, 17 and 22.
2. Tour the Indiana War Memorial Museum, 55 E. Michigan St. Ages 5 to 18 pay $5, adults pay $10, and kids under 5, military members and veterans are free. The three floors of exhibits include an AH-1 Cobra helicopter, a Desert Storm Humvee and the battle control center from the nuclear submarine USS Indianapolis. It’s open Wednesday to Sunday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., and the ticket covers the Soldiers and Sailors Monument the same day.
3. Ride up the Soldiers and Sailors Monument on Monument Circle to the glass-enclosed observation level, open Fridays only, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Prices match the War Memorial: $5 for ages 5 to 18, $10 for adults, free under 5. It’s 330 steps or the elevator, then 49 more steps to the top either way, and anyone under 18 goes up with an adult.
4. See the NCAA Hall of Champions in White River State Park, 700 W. Washington St. Youth ages 6 to 17 pay $5, kids 5 and under are free and adults pay $10. It’s open Wednesday to Saturday 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Sunday noon to 5 p.m., and it’s cashless.
5. Book a tour of the James Whitcomb Riley Museum Home in Lockerbie Square, 528 Lockerbie St. Students ages 7 to 17 pay $2, kids 6 and under are free and adults pay $12. Guided tours run by reservation only, Thursday to Saturday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., and the house closes from Dec. 24 through the first week of January.
6. Take the guided tour at the Indiana Medical History Museum on the old Central State Hospital grounds, entered from Kirkbride Way. Kids under 18 pay $5 and adults pay $10. Tours are by appointment, about an hour long with eight people at most, Wednesday to Saturday on the hour from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., and they cover two floors with stairs. The museum says the hour-long tour may not suit young children.
7. See tiny rooms and houses at the Museum of Miniature Houses, 111 E. Main St., Carmel. Children 3 to 9 pay $5, adults pay $10, seniors and military members pay $8 and Indiana Access Pass holders pay $5. It’s open Wednesday to Saturday 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. and Sunday 1 to 4 p.m., and kids under 15 come with an adult.
8. Play in the children’s area at the Carmel Clay History Museum, 211 1st St. SW, for $1 a child, ages 1 and up. The museum and its exhibits are free through 2026, so the grown-ups pay nothing, and an adult stays with the kids in the play area. It’s open Wednesday to Saturday 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Sunday noon to 5 p.m.
9. Walk through the tropical plants at the Garfield Park Conservatory, 2505 Conservatory Drive, for $5 a person, with kids 2 and under free. Pay at the door with cash or a card. It’s open Tuesday to Saturday 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Sunday 1 to 5 p.m., closed Mondays and government holidays. The holiday show, Conservatory Crossing, costs more (see the last section).
10. Hike the self-guided tour at Traders Point Creamery in Zionsville, a 1.5-mile trail through the pastures and along Eagle Creek. It’s $5 a person, kids 2 and under are free and there’s no reservation: check in at the Farm Store, Tuesday to Saturday 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. or Sunday 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. The farm moves its herd between pastures, so seeing the cows up close isn’t guaranteed.
11. Watch a public show at the Carmel Planetarium at Carmel High School, 520 E. Main St. Tickets are $3 for children, students and seniors and $5 for adults, the dome seats 68 and kids 12 and under come with an adult. The school posts public shows on its planetarium page, and none were listed as of Oct. 28, 2026.
12. Catch a weekend public show at Holcomb Observatory and Planetarium at Butler University. Kids under 18 pay $5 and adults pay $8; doors open at 7 p.m., with shows at 7:30 and 8:30 p.m., then telescope viewing when the sky cooperates. It has 66 steps and no elevator, and Butler event parking can cost $15 on busy nights.
13. Check whether your family qualifies for the Indiana Access Pass. Indiana families enrolled in SNAP, TANF, Medicaid, the Healthy Indiana Plan, WIC and other listed programs pay $5 per family member at 21 partners, including The Children’s Museum, Conner Prairie, Newfields and the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Museum. Applying is free; show the digital card and an Indiana photo ID at the door.
14. See a high school play or musical for $5. High school theater departments stage fall plays and spring musicals every school year, and several schools price tickets at $5 for students or for everyone; our roundup lists each season’s shows. In November 2026, Franklin Central’s Alicia is $5 for adults and free for students on Nov. 6, and Lawrence North’s We the People is $5 general admission (plus a fee) on Nov. 20 and 21.

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Cheap Indoor Play, Open Gyms and Swim Times

Indy Parks family centers and a few suburban rec centers charge $1 to $5 for kids’ drop-in play.

15. Play at Kid’s Corner at Broad Ripple Park Family Center, 1426 Broad Ripple Ave. The indoor playground is $2, youth open gym is free under 12 and $1 for ages 13 to 17, and the indoor track is free. The center is open Monday to Friday 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. and Saturday 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.; call (317) 327-7161 for the day’s Kid’s Corner and gym times.
16. Drop in for Pre-K Open Play at Ellenberger Park, 5301 E. St. Clair St., for $3 a child. Kids 1 to 6 ride floor scooters and play giant bowling and giant Connect Four on Tuesdays and Thursdays, 11 a.m. to 2 p.m., with breaks around holidays; the fall session runs through Dec. 29, 2026. The building has no heat or air conditioning, so dress for the weather, and an adult stays within arm’s reach.
17. Shoot hoops at an Indy Parks youth open gym for $1 or less. At Krannert Park Family Center, 605 S. High School Road, family and youth open gym is free for kids 12 and under and $1 for ages 13 to 17, Monday to Thursday 3 to 5 p.m., Friday 3 to 7:30 p.m. and Saturday noon to 3:30 p.m. At Thatcher Park Family Center, 4649 W. Vermont St., it’s $1 for ages 3 to 17, Mondays, Tuesdays and Thursdays 3 to 5 p.m. and Fridays 3 to 4:30 p.m. Gym times shift around rentals and classes.
18. Climb and play at Kid City at the Greenwood Community Center, 100 Surina Way. A day pass for ages 1 to 15 is $5 for Greenwood residents and $7 for nonresidents, babies under 1 are free and the adult who comes along is free. Everyone shows a photo ID. It’s open Monday to Thursday 9 a.m. to 6 p.m., Friday 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. and weekends 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
19. Bring the under-5 crowd to Tots on the Turf at the Greenwood Fieldhouse, 411 S. Madison Ave., for $5 a child with caregivers free. Tot-sized basketball, soccer, golf and baseball fill the main turf field Tuesday to Thursday, 9 a.m. to noon. Older kids, ages 3 to 17, can use the open turf, open gym and walking track on a $5 day pass if they live in Greenwood ($7 for nonresidents).
20. Book an hour of Preschool Open Gym at the Hamilton County Sports Complex, 9625 E. 150th St., Noblesville, for $5 a child. Sessions run Fridays from 10 to 11 a.m. and 11 a.m. to noon in the upper gym for kids 5 and under with an adult, and every participant signs a waiver. It follows Noblesville Schools’ weather cancellations.
21. Swim at the Krannert Park indoor pool, 605 S. High School Road. Open swim is $4 for kids under 18 and seniors, $5 for adults and free for kids 2 and under, Monday to Friday 4:15 to 6:15 p.m. and Saturday noon to 3:30 p.m. An adult in the water stays within arm’s reach of swimmers under 9.
22. Head to Indy Island Family Aquatic Center, 8300 E. Raymond St., where kids under 18 and seniors pay $5, adults pay $6 and kids 2 and under are free. Indoor open swim during the school year is Wednesday and Friday 5 to 8 p.m., Saturday noon to 5 p.m. and Sunday 1 to 5 p.m.

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$5 Movies, Bowling and Arcade Deals

23. See a movie for $5 at Emagine Noblesville, 13825 Norell Road, on $5 Ticket Tuesdays. The price is for Emagine Rewards members, and the basic membership is free. Premium formats and 3D cost extra, and the deal skips a few holiday weeks. Members also get a free 85-ounce popcorn on Tuesdays.
24. Stretch an arcade budget on Half Price Thursdays at Pinheads Fishers, when every arcade game costs half as much from open to close. Setting the spending limit before the first game is still the parent’s job.
25. Bowl free on Shorty Sundays at Pins Mechanical Co., 856 Carrollton Ave. in the Bottleworks District, where kids 12 and under bowl duckpins free all day Sunday. Each adult can bring up to three kids, every minor comes with an adult 18 or older and the grown-ups pay for their own games. Lanes are first come, first served, with an in-person waitlist, and Pins is 21 and over after 8 p.m. Monday through Saturday.
26. Bowl duckpins at Speedway Indoor Karting, 1067 N. Main St., Speedway, where the four mini duckpin lanes are $5 a person per game. It’s open Monday to Thursday 11 a.m. to 10 p.m., Friday and Saturday 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. and Sunday 11 a.m. to 10 p.m.; the karts cost more and take drivers 8 and up who are at least 48 inches tall.

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Holiday Crafts and Nature Programs for $5 or Less

Most of these are one-day programs that take registration, and Indy Parks says its gingerbread build fills up fast. Our roundup of Indy Parks holiday events has the free Santa visits and the rest of the parks department’s December calendar.

27. Build a graham-cracker cabin at the Jolly Gingerbread House Spectacular at Indianapolis World Sports Park, 1313 S. Post Road, on Saturday, Dec. 12, 2026. It’s $5 a person for all ages, Indy Parks supplies the sweets, kids 5 and under need an adult buddy and registration is required.
28. Make card collages, upcycled planters and handmade ornaments at Green Xmas: Craftstravaganza in the Garfield Park Conservatory meeting room, Saturday, Dec. 12, 2026, from 1 to 2:30 p.m. It’s $5 a participant, ages 8 and up, with a hot drink; register ahead.
29. Fill and decorate a hot cocoa jar at Jingle Jars at Ellenberger Park, Saturday, Dec. 12, 2026, from 2 to 4 p.m., for $5 a child, ages 5 and up. Cocoa and holiday music come with it, the rink is open while the crafts dry and registration is through Indy Parks.
30. Play Winter Bingo at Krannert Park, Wednesday, Dec. 9, 2026, from 5:30 to 7 p.m., for $3 a person, all ages, with light refreshments. Register ahead.
31. Sign up a 9- to 14-year-old for Krannert Park’s Youth Art 1-Day Workshop, Wednesday, Dec. 2, 2026, from 6 to 7 p.m., for $3. Beginners try drawing and mixed media and take the work home.
32. Try a Hendricks County Parks nature program at McCloud Nature Park in North Salem, $2 to $5 a person with registration at hcparks.recdesk.com. Kids 5 and up make paracord or beaded Keychain Critters for $2 at 4 p.m. on Thursdays, Nov. 12, Dec. 3 and Dec. 17, 2026; Campfire Cooking is $3 on Friday, Nov. 6, 2026, at 4 p.m.; and Tadpole Time for ages 2 to 5 is $5 on Tuesday, Nov. 10, 2026, at 10 a.m. For ages 7 to 12, Nature Discovery: Tracks and Trails is $5 on Tuesday, Nov. 17, 2026, at 3 p.m. at W.S. Gibbs Memorial Park in Danville.
33. Join a Zionsville nature program for $5 if you live in Zionsville ($7 if you don’t). Toddler Trek takes kids 4 and under and their grown-ups out at Starkey Nature Park on Friday, Nov. 13, 2026, at 10 a.m., and the After-School Nature Club for ages 6 to 12 meets at the Zionsville Nature Center on Wednesday, Nov. 18, 2026, from 3 to 4 p.m. The nature center’s number is (317) 873-8950.

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Free Kids Workshops at Stores

These store workshops cost nothing, and the kids go home with what they built.

34. Build a project at a Home Depot Kids Workshop, held the first Saturday of the month from 9 a.m. to noon while supplies last, for ages 5 to 12. Register for your store at homedepot.com/workshops; every child gets a kit, an apron, a pin and a certificate.
35. Sign up for a Lowe’s Kids Workshop, a free monthly in-store build for ages 4 to 11 with a parent. Join MyLowe’s Rewards, add a Kids Profile and register at Lowes.com/KidsClub to see your store’s date; kids earn badges toward a free tool bag. The separate MrBeast workshops require a $14.98 kit.
36. Make a craft at the Lakeshore Learning store, 1300 E. 86th St., during its free kids events, held from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. on select Saturdays with a new craft each time.

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Back in Spring and Summer

These three are closed for the season or run only in summer, and they come back when the weather warms up.

37. Tour the James Whitcomb Riley Boyhood Home in Greenfield, 250 W. Main St. It opens each spring, from mid-March to the end of October, Tuesday to Saturday 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. with the last tour at 3 p.m.; 2026 tickets were $2 for students 6 to 17, $7 for adults and free for kids 5 and under.
38. Sign up for Kids Bowl Free, the summer program that gives registered kids free games at participating bowling centers. Our guide lists the Indianapolis-area lanes once registration opens.
39. Catch a summer kids’ movie series. In summer 2026, Regal’s Summer Movie Express was $1 a ticket, AMC’s Summer Movie Camp was $3 and Camp Flix at Flix Brewhouse Carmel was $5. Our summer movie deals guide covers the new schedules once the theaters post them.

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Worth It, But More Than $5

These outings cost a little more than $5 for at least some of the family. A few charge by the car, which keeps the per-person cost down.

40. Visit The Children’s Museum of Indianapolis on First Thursday Night, 4 to 8 p.m. on the first Thursday of the month, for $6 a person. Buy tickets online ahead of time; parking is free.
41. Start a Saturday with Cereal Cinema at Newfields: $7 for ages 6 and up, free for 5 and under, with a bowl of cereal from the buffet. Screenings are on select Saturday mornings, with doors at 9:30 a.m. and the film at 10, and advance tickets are required.
42. See Conservatory Crossing, the holiday show at the Garfield Park Conservatory, Nov. 27 to Dec. 27, 2026, for $7 a person or $15 a family (two adults at most); kids 2 and under are free.
43. Bowl on Sunday morning at Royal Pin Expo, 5261 Elmwood Ave., where every game is $3.75 from 10 a.m. to noon. Shoe rental is $4.25, so one game with rental shoes comes to $8.
44. Play laser tag at Bowl 32 in Noblesville, $5 a game per person plus a $1 game card the first time. Games last 7.5 minutes and start every 15 minutes.
45. See a 2D movie for $6 on Discount Day at Flix Brewhouse in Carmel, every Wednesday except holiday weeks, Wednesday premieres and Flix Pick shows.
46. Spend a day at Eagle Creek Park for $6 a car with a Marion County resident or $8 for out-of-county cars. Walking or biking in costs $1 a person, and the Ornithology Center is free once you’re inside.
47. Drive to Mounds State Park in Anderson for $7 a car with Indiana plates ($15 with out-of-state plates); walkers and bikers age 5 and up pay $2. The nature center is open daily.
48. Skate at Perry Park, 451 E. Stop 11 Road, the city’s only indoor ice rink. Public skating is $5 for ages 17 and under and $7 for adults, plus $3 skate rental, and the rink runs from September through April. Session times post on Perry Park’s Facebook page. Our ice skating guide has the outdoor holiday rinks.
49. Roller skate on Tuesday nights at United Skates of America Indianapolis, 175 Southern Plaza Drive, from 6 to 8:30 p.m. (Fun Factory’s old website now sends visitors here.) Admission is $6 online or $7 at the door and covers skating or the indoor playground, not both; rentals are $6 and tickets should be bought in advance.
50. Glow skate at Skateland, 3902 N. Glen Arm Road, on select Friday nights from 6 to 9 p.m.: admission is $5, and skate rental adds $6. Kids under 17 who rent skates need a parent or chaperone 25 or older for the whole session.

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