Looking for the best things to do in Indianapolis with a baby or toddler? Whether you’re a new parent or just looking for fresh ideas, the Indy area is full of baby-friendly spots. From interactive museums and indoor play cafes to outdoor playgrounds and storytime classes, Indianapolis has plenty of places where you and your child, ages 0–2, can relax, play, and bond. This guide rounds up our top 22 baby and toddler-friendly activities around Indianapolis, organized by category to help you plan your next outing.
Jump to upcoming events for babies and toddlers around Indianapolis
Places Around Indianapolis to Take Your Baby or Toddler:
Museums
The Children’s Museum of Indianapolis
3000 N. Meridian St., Indianapolis
The Children’s Museum of Indianapolis is a strong pick for babies and toddlers, with free admission for children under 2. The museum is family-friendly throughout, with stroller access, changing tables on every floor, and nursing rooms. It also offers sensory-friendly features, including borrowable headphones, quiet spaces, and sensory maps.
Playscape, located on Level 3, is the dedicated exhibit for children five and under. Inside Playscape is Babyscape, designed for infants and toddlers under 2, with The Nest for pre-mobile babies and soft areas for crawling and climbing. Toddlers and preschoolers can dig in sand, splash in water, build, climb, and explore art and music. Family restrooms and nursing rooms are inside Playscape.
Eiteljorg R.B. Annis Western Family Experience
500 W. Washington St., Indianapolis
The R.B. Annis Western Family Experience at the Eiteljorg Museum has hands-on play areas built around Western themes, plus horse statues kids can ride for a Wild West photo op, a quiet reading area, and a nursing room for caregivers.
Firefly Landing at the Indiana State Museum
650 W. Washington St., Indianapolis
The Indiana State Museum has Firefly Landing, an early childhood learning space for visitors six and younger. The space hosts story time, sensory tables, and hands-on activities led by early childhood specialists. Firefly Landing is not a drop-in space; it is used for preregistered programs and select events.
Toddler Time, designed for ages 18 to 36 months, runs Wednesdays and Thursdays from 10 to 11 a.m. and Saturdays from 9 to 10 a.m. The class includes circle time, stories, station explorations, and movement. Cost is $13 per child, with a 25% discount for members.
Indoor Activities
Holliday Park Nature Center
6363 Spring Mill Rd., Indianapolis
Hiking gets a lot of attention at Holliday Park, but the year-round fun inside the Holliday Park Nature Center is worth a visit too. The space has live animals, a working beehive, baby-friendly toys and books, a loft to explore, and a stream to splash in. It’s also free.
Dig Dig for Kids
12800 Ford Drive, Fishers
Dig Dig for Kids is Indiana’s largest indoor sandbox, designed for kids 10 and under, and toddlers love it. The 1,100-square-foot space has scoops, dump trucks, and a conveyor system for moving sand around. Older kids are welcome too, as long as they’re careful around the smaller diggers.
Kid’s Planet
499 Southpoint Circle, Suite 101-102, Brownsburg
Kid’s Planet has a four-story indoor playground for new walkers up through teens, which makes it a good fit for multi-age families. There’s a padded toddler area for the smallest visitors, plus a foam pit, ball shooters, and a trampoline area for older kids.
Kid City at the Greenwood Community Center
100 Surina Way, Greenwood
Kid City at the Greenwood Community Center is a two-story indoor playground built around STEAM activity stations. Babies and toddlers will gravitate toward the small climbing structures and the outdoor Musical Garden. Day passes are $5 for Greenwood residents and $7 for non-residents. Kids under 3 are free.
Indy Stars Gymnastics Preschool Open Play
8070 Georgetown Road, Indianapolis
POP, as it’s affectionately called, is open to children 0 to 6, with the entire gymnastics floor open for exploration. Babies can bounce on a trampoline, dig into a foam block pit, or just move around the padded gym floors. POP runs Wednesdays and Thursdays from 10 to 11:30 a.m. Cost is $5 per child for ages 1 to 6, plus $2 for each additional sibling.
Carter’s Play Place
1021 Kendall Ct., Westfield
Carter’s Play Place in Westfield is an inclusive children’s play space designed for kids of all abilities. Toddlers love the foam pit, trampoline, and swings. There’s a dedicated baby area and a Calm Cave Sensory Room for breaks. On Tuesdays and Thursdays, 9 a.m. to noon is reserved for ages 4 and under during Kiddie Carter’s hours.
Classes and Storytime
Gymboree
12524 N. Gray Road, Carmel
Gymboree offers classes from newborn to age 5, including Infant, for ages 0 to 8 months; Crawlers, for ages 6 to 14 months; and Walkers, for ages 10 to 18 months. Family, music, and art classes are also available. Sessions are multi-sensory play and learning experiences that engage reflexes and build cognitive and motor skills.
Related Article: Mommy and Me Classes near Indianapolis
Library Story Times
Various locations
Even though your tot won’t be reading their first novel anytime soon, the library is still the place to spark a love of reading from the start. Baby story times help build early literacy skills using songs, stories, rhymes, puppets, and instruments. Visit each library’s website for current schedules.
A few of our favorite libraries for babies and toddlers:
- Central Library – 40 East Saint Clair Street, Indianapolis
- Hancock County Library – 900 W McKenzie Rd, Greenfield
- Fort Ben – 9330 East 56th Street, Indianapolis
- Michigan Road Branch Library – 6201 Michigan Road, Indianapolis
- Carmel Clay Public Library – 425 E. Main Street, Carmel
Aqua-Tots Swim School
4825 E. 96th St., Indianapolis
The Parent & Tot class at Aqua-Tots is designed for babies 4 to 12 months. A caregiver gets in the 90-degree indoor pool alongside the baby, focused on helping them adapt to the water in a supportive, low-pressure setting.
Goldfish Swim School
Various locations
Mini Swim Lessons at Goldfish are 30-minute classes for ages 4 to 35 months, capped at six children per class with parent participation in the water. Goldfish has locations in Carmel and Fishers serving the Indianapolis area.
Cafes
The Busy Bee Play Cafe
5635 W. 96th St., Suite 200, Indianapolis
The Busy Bee Play Cafe blends a coffee shop with a toddler indoor play space. You can sip coffee while your child plays in a well-designed space built for the under-five crowd.
Related Article: Best Kid-Friendly Coffee Shops in Indy
Schoolhouse 7 Cafe
12125 Cyntheanne Rd., Fishers
A converted 1900s one-room schoolhouse, Schoolhouse 7 serves family-style meals, locally roasted coffee, and homemade recipes. There’s a kids’ play area with toys and books, a treehouse deck, and regular storytime events upstairs in the loft.
Rose & Lois
7249 E. 146th St., Suite 110, Carmel
If you’re looking for a quiet spot to settle in while your little one plays for a few minutes, Rose and Lois has a small kids’ corner stocked with building blocks, doll houses, and kitchen toys. The play area is right next to the dining space, so kids can keep an eye on their grown-ups while they snack and play. The coffee is good too.
Best Indianapolis Playgrounds for Babies and Toddlers
Related Page: The Ultimate Guide To Indianapolis-Area Playgrounds
Founders Park, Carmel
We have one word for you: sandbox. Bring scoops and buckets and let your kid dig in. Founders Park in Carmel also has swings, a toddler play area, climbing structures, walking trails, and a water station for rinsing off sandy hands.
Holliday Park, Indianapolis
Holliday Park’s playground is a fenced-in, nature-inspired space with dedicated age-appropriate play areas. The fence makes it a solid pick if you want to let a toddler run around without losing them.
Independence Park, Greenwood
When Independence Park was renovated, the goal was a space where kids of all ages and abilities could play together. It works. The playground is built for ages 2 to 12, with rubberized surfacing throughout and accessible features like the SONA Arch interactive panel and a ground-level whirl carousel that fits two wheelchairs. It’s a strong pick for families with kids at different stages.
Tarkington Park, Indianapolis
Tarkington Park’s rubberized turf and gently sloping hills make it a good play space for little explorers, and the splash pad is a bonus on hot days.
River Heritage Park
River Heritage Park, on Carmel’s east side, has a modern inclusive playground designed for younger kids, with wheelchair-accessible features like a swing and merry-go-round. The soft rubberized path through the park is ideal for stroller pushing or for toddlers learning to walk it themselves, which makes this one of the better spots for hiking with babies or toddlers.
Quick Picks for Babies and Toddlers in Indianapolis
- Best for babies: Babyscape at The Children’s Museum of Indianapolis
- Best free option: Holliday Park Nature Center
- Best indoor play spot: Carter’s Play Place
- Best for storytime: Local library baby and toddler programs
- Best outdoor playground: Holliday Park or River Heritage Park
- Best for coffee and play: The Busy Bee Play Cafe
