If your kids love puzzles, obstacle courses, or that satisfying “how did that work?” moment, the new Mazes & Brain Games exhibit at the Indiana State Museum is a fun winter outing.
The exhibit opens January 23 and runs through April 5, 2026. It fills the museum with more than 60 hands-on activities designed to challenge how kids think, move, and solve problems. This is not a look-and-read exhibit. Kids touch it, try it, and test it.
What families can expect
Every section feels different. Some areas focus on big physical challenges. Others offer quiet, tabletop brain teasers. Families can move at their own pace, and there’s no single path to follow.
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Kids can work through 3-D puzzles and logic games, navigate giant walk-through mazes, experiment with optical illusions, test hand-eye coordination challenges, and even build their own maze designs.
A few standout spots worth knowing about before you go: The Maze of Illusions plays with visual tricks and perspective. The Music Maze lets kids create rhythms as they move through the space. The Web Maze turns problem-solving into a full-body activity as children maneuver through an intricate rope structure. In the Tilt-a-Maze, kids work together to guide a moving object using coordination and patience.
If your child prefers something calmer, the Labyrinth Lounge offers classic brain teasers like Rubik’s Cubes and marble mazes. The Make-a-Maze area lets kids design their own paths and test them out.
Why kids tend to love it
This kind of exhibit meets kids where they are. They get to experiment, try again, and figure things out without being given the answer. When kids succeed here, it comes from their own thinking and persistence, which builds real confidence.
It also works well for mixed ages. Younger kids can focus on sensory exploration and simple puzzles, while older kids dig into more complex logic challenges. Adults often end up just as engaged.
Planning your visit
The Indiana State Museum is open Wednesday–Sunday, 10 a.m.–5 p.m. (closed Monday–Tuesday).
Mazes & Brain Games is included with regular museum admission and is free for members. Admission is $23 for adults, $17 for youth (ages 3–17), $21 for seniors, and free for children under 3. Indiana college students and Indiana Access Pass holders receive $5 admission.
For current details, visit the museum’s Hours and Admission page.
If you need a reliable indoor option during cold or unpredictable weather, this exhibit has enough variety to keep kids moving, thinking, and engaged for a solid stretch of time.
