Great 1-Night Trips: Indianapolis

 
Indianapolis is such a great city! The destinations in this 1-night stay work really well together because both are incredibly kid-friendly and one is mainly an outside attraction while the other is strictly inside so you can plan according to the weather.

The Indianapolis Children’s Museum is one of the nation’s top tourist draws and the world’s largest children’s museum. For those of you that have never been, it is huge and the kids will LOVE it! We spent at least 4 hours there and could have spent more time. From the fantastic dinosaur exhibit to the train exhibit, indoor carousel, toddler/preschooler play area and special touring exhibits, there is definitely something for everyone. They also have a cafeteria on the premises so you don’t have to leave for lunch. If you have kids, make sure you visit this great museum.
www.childrensmuseum.org

Conner Prairie is such a terrific place to visit and learn about early American history in a fun and interactive way. It is one of the nation’s largest outdoor living history museums and really brings history to life with costumed historical interpreters playing the part of their time periods. From the Indian encampment to the Prairetown,animal encounters, working farm and dedicated kids’ discovery areas, Conner Prairie will provide the whole family with hours of activities. My kids loved the old-fashioned dress-up play area and the Indian encampment the most, but my daughter was also enthralled with all of the baby animals in the farm area (we were last there in the spring and the baby animals were plentiful).
www.connerprairie.org

Indianapolis has a lot to offer in the way of hotel accommodations. I would recommend checking out the Caribean Cove Hotel and Waterpark. While we have not stayed there, I know that they offer special deals for some of the Indianapolis attractions.

Off the Beaten Path Travel:Fair Oaks Dairy Farm

If you are ever visiting Indianapolis or Chicago, make a special trip to see the Fair Oaks Farms Dairy, which is located between the two cities right off the interstate. It is a one-of-a-kind experience that is both educational and fun.

Fair Oaks is the country's largest dairy farm, but has also been transformed into a unique tourist attraction. They have 40-minute tours of one of ten dairy farms, which includes a trip to see the baby cows and cow milking carousel. I have never seen a milking carousel in person and it was really interesting. Back at your starting base, The Dairy Adventure Barn, they have a 4-D movie about the milking process and educational exhibit halls to explore. There is also an interactive area for kids. In the warmer months, a special kids' outdoor play area is open. Not to be missed is the birthing barn. At Fair Oaks, we were told that there are 80-100 births a day so the chances are good that you will be able to see a calf being born. We entered the birthing barn right after a calf had been born and were able to see her take her first steps, which was such a neat experience for the kids. The birthing barn also has a nursery where the baby calves are placed a few hours after being born. They were very cute!!

Fair Oaks also has a cheese factory on the premises, which you can watch from an observation area as well as a gift shop area and ice cream parlor. The ice cream was really fantastic.

This attraction is truly worth the stop and is very convenient if you are in the area or passing through.  http://www.fofarms.com/en/home

Magnificent Museums: The Indianapolis Children's Museum

The Indianapolis Children's Museum is the world's largest museum of its kind and a definite must-see attraction if you have kids. My kids loved everything about it and would like to go back as often as possible. Between the excellent dinosaur exhibit, train displays, indoor carousel and playhouse, dedicated toddler/preschooler area, and Egypt station, the kids will enjoy hours of educational entertainment. There are always several rotating special exhibits as well. An on-site cafeteria makes eating easy as you won't have to leave the premises for lunch.
www.childrensmuseum.org