winter fun

Indoor Activities Find fun this winter – no coat required. Stay warm, cozy and busy with these 10 indoor activities for families in Hamilton County. Take a train ride. During the month of December, the Indiana Transportation Museum operates the Polar Bear Express train out of the Fishers train station. Guests will meet Snowflake the polar bear and Santa on their journey to the “North Pole.” Check the Indiana Transportation Museum’s website for exact times, dates and pricing information. See tiny treasures at the Museum of Miniature Houses. Nowhere else in Indiana can you visit so many houses at once! The Museum of Miniature Houses in Carmel displays more than 600 miniatures in the form of dollhouses and scenes. Bring your own magnifying glass! Lace up and light up your ice skates. The Carmel Ice Skadium hosts “cosmic skate” nights on Fridays and Saturdays at 7:30 pm with lights, music and more! Skate rental costs $9. Paint a piece of pottery. Visit Kiln Creations in Noblesville or Color Me Mine in Carmel to pick and paint your own pottery. Don’t forget to smock up! Attend a traditional tea party. Several tea rooms in Hamilton County including Tilly’s Tea Room in Fishers and Tina’s Traditional English Tea Kitchen in Carmel offer lunch daily as well as special tea events – many of which are perfect for kids. Invent something new. At Conner Prairie’s Create.Connect exhibit inside the Welcome Center, kids become inventors with pieces and parts available for tinkering. After putting finishing touches on their invention, kids can visit the patent agency, circa 1950! Watch a stage production. Experience the excitement of performance art at one of several family-oriented shows like Mary Poppins and A Year with Frog and Toad at Carmel’s Center for the Performing Arts in December and January. Explore Mr. Muffin’s Trains. Visit Mr. Muffin’s 5,400-square-foot emporium of model train collections and layouts in Carmel for a crash course on the history of rail travel - in miniature form! Jump off any cabin fever at SkyZone. Kids can bounce out their energy at the Fishers trampoline park. Activities include dodgeball, basketball and giant jumps into the Foam Zone! Try a new restaurant. Hamilton County is full of delectable dining options, so take the kids somewhere new. Many local restaurants like Big Hoffa’s in Westfield, Pure Eatery in Fishers, Alexander’s on the Square in Noblesville and Woody’s Library Restaurant in Carmel offer delicious, kid-approved options. Outdoor Activities Don’t let cooler temperatures keep you cooped up all season long! Bundle up and head out for 10 activities perfect for Indiana’s winter temperatures. Just don’t forget the hot chocolate afterward! Hit the ice. Take a lap around Hamilton Town Center’s new outdoor skating rink! Go “light peeping.” Take a tour of your neighborhood to see the holiday lights or drive through the Reynolds Farm Equipment’s annual Christmas light display featuring a 50-foot Abominable Snowman in Fishers off State Road 37. Cross-country ski across Strawtown Koteewi Park. Older children and adults can take a guided tour through Hamilton County’s largest park via skis or snowshoes on select Saturdays in January. Call (317) 774-2574 to register. Equipment will not be provided, but hot chocolate will! Make snow art in your own backyard. Add some food coloring to a 12 ounce bottle of water, poke a hole in the cap and send the kids off to paint a larger than life canvas – your snow-covered yard! Take to the hills. Grab your sled, saucer or tube and head to one of several sledding hills throughout Hamilton County. Check out Cool Creek Park and West Park in Carmel, Heritage Park in Fishers and Centennial Hill in Westfield for kid and parent-approved slopes. Begin a birding hobby. The still quiet of the woods in the wintertime is perfect for budding birdwatchers! Take a birding hike at Cool Creek Park on select Sunday and Wednesday mornings from 9-10 am to learn birding secrets from Hamilton County Parks and Recreation naturalists and staff. Learn about chocolate and wintertime baking in Prairietown. During “Holiday Adventures” throughout the month of December at Conner Prairie, kids can explore and learn about what keeps Prairietown running smoothly in the winter. Conduct “ice-periments.” The upside to temperatures below 32 degrees is having a giant freezer at your fingertips! Have your kids pick out a favorite juice drink and fill an ice tray to create flavored ice cubes. Time how long it takes for water to freeze in different plastic containers. Learn to make maple syrup. Show your preschoolers how their favorite pancake topping is made at Cool Creek Nature Center February 10 and 11 from 10:30 – 11:30 am. Call (317) 774-2500 to register. Build a miniature igloo with ice cubes. See who can create the tallest, largest and most creative igloo.

winter fun

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