We’d just parked Hot Wheels (my minivan) at the Children’s Museum and were headed in to see Santa at Jolly Days at the Children’s Museum.
I knew we were cutting it close to his arrival via Indy Car, but when you have guests over for the holidays, and are trying to get three kids out of the house, it takes a little longer than usual to get out the door. I was afraid we’d missed Santa’s arrival, and my fears were confirmed when I saw the race car speeding off down the road, away from the Museum, sans Santa.
Even though we missed Indy Car driver Ed Carpenter drop off Santa, we were lucky enough to meet the him once inside. He was really nice to my kids, he signed autographs and took pictures with them. He made a comment about the general spunkiness of the Blonde Bomber, and how it must have something to do with being the youngest of three. As it turned out, he has three kids almost identical ages to mine, and also deals with a strong-willed youngest child that’s learned all the tricks of the trade from her older siblings.
Finally, we made it to the Jolly Days at the Children’s Museum exhibit, and once again, it didn’t disappoint. We were greeted at the door with our Elf in Training scavenger hunt and managed to complete everything on our list, including: ice fishing, ice skating in our sock feet, and serving food in the Tradition Kitchen (I was lucky enough my kids made me cheese pizza topped with a strawberry and shrimp.)
We spent all of our time on the scavenger hunt, and definitely will to return another day to check off the next things on our Jolly Days list {sit on Santa’s lap, play in the snow castle and so on.}
When it was time to go home, we exited the Museum in the best way possible during Christmas = The Yule Slide.
Blonde Bomber and I raced first, followed by First Born and Middle Man, who had a photo finish ending.
This year the Children’s Museum’s goal is to have 90,000 people go down the Yule Slide. If this goal is met, $90,000 in donations will be made to Museum programs that allow for certain family free nights and select discount tickets.
There’s still plenty of time to make it to Jolly Days at the Children’s Museum, the exhibit doesn’t end until January 3rd. And when you make your trip to Jolly Days this winter, make sure you do your part to help the Museum reach its goal, and help spread the word about the Yule Slide using the hashtag #myslidecounts.
See you at the Museum!
-Pete
MORE INFO: Jolly Days Winter Wonderland runs thru January 3, 2016. The Children’s Museum Of Indianapolis is located at 3000 N. Meridian Street, just north of downtown Indianapolis. Hours are Tuesdays-Sundays from 10am-5pm. The Museum is closed on Mondays {although they will be open Monday, 12/21!}. Admission costs vary. Call {317} 334-3000 or visit childrensmuseum.org for more details.
Are you loving the holidays in Indy? Let us know in the comments or tweet us at @indyschild. And don’t forget to bookmark the Indy’s Child 2015 Holiday Fun section for all the scoop you’ll need on holiday events and happenings around Indianapolis this season!
