The Indianapolis Children's Museum Where Barbie and the Dinosaurs Play!

  The dinosaurs are coming!!!! Ok so YES! That is just a gigantic dinosaur sculpture busting out of the building into the street; but how cool is that???? Kids totally love this place even from the sidewalk! My toddlers were enchanted, and a little taken aback at the size and the lifelike details of all of the Jurassic Era creatures protruding from the building.  My teenagers of course hung back as to not seem overly ambitious about going to a "Children's" Museum.  All of this excitement and energy, and we had not even gone in yet!!!  As you walk in to this place you can feel the enchantment.  You can hear the laughter from the many kids passing by.  You just know you are in for a treat!  First we went into the dinosphere exhibit.  You go back in time 65 million years to the Cretaceous Period.  As you walk through the towering fossils you can hear the dinosaurs, and watch as the day turns to night.  Even storms are present.  With all the sights and sounds it is a great sensory experience.  A must see!  We then traveled to the pyramid, and learned about life for the ancient Egyptians.  The teenagers of course were becoming interested at this point:)  We then traveled around the ramp (which is great because it allows for the museum to be accessible to EVERYONE young and old as well as those in wheelchairs, and toddlers in strollers or wagons).  We found the carousel.  The carousel is beautiful, and bubbles add to the already nostalgic ride.  Then it was off to the playscape to wear the toddlers out a little.  Even my teenage daughter got into it a little after realizing that they had a soda fountain cottage, a can telephone to whisper secrets, and several nooks, crannies, and slides to explore.  Some other highlights were a submarine that the kids can go into, and pretend to be under the ocean, a steam engine, the Barbie exhibit, the around the world hall, and the Power of Children Exhibit.  The museum is free the first Thursday of each month from 4-8 p.m., and also hosts these free days.... 
Dec. 24, 2010—Christmas Eve (10 a.m.–2 p.m.)
Jan. 17, 2011—MLK Day
Feb. 21, 2011—Presidents Day
Apr. 2011—El Dia de Los Niños
Coupons are also available here http://www.childrensmuseum.org/special_events/promo/index.htm.  To learn more about the museum and all it has to offer please visit  http://www.childrensmuseum.org/.