Conner Prairie
This is one of those interactive historical villages where employees dress up in period costumes and act as though they actually live at the park during that time period (In this case the mid-1800s). The park is set up to be an all day affair for your family but due to travel time constraints and short attention spans we spent about 2.5 hours there so of course we didn't see and experience everything the park has to offer. Really my girls are probably a couple of years too young to get the full enjoyment from the activities but they still were able to have a really good time (also it was really hot the day that we went). It is $14/ adult, $9 for kids 12 and under and kids 2 and under are free.
The outdoor portion of Conner Prairie is divided into four different areas - 1863 Civil War Journey, 1836 Prairietown, Conner Homestead, and Lenape Indian Camp. They also have a hot air balloon that you can ride in but it was not in operation the day we were there. There is a schedule of activities throughout the day that include story times, arts and crafts, a period appropriate party, and even a Tomahawk throwing contest. When you look at the map it looks like you're going to have to do a lot of walking but everything is actually not that far away. That being said, bring a stroller for the little ones. We didn't make it over to the Civil War area but the highlights for my kids were as follows:
- In the Indian Camp there is a fake full size horse whose saddle you can pack up with supplies from the Trading Post. My older daughter packed and unpacked the horse at least five times. I didn't really get why she was so into it but she really was.
- At the Conner Homestead there is a barn full of baby farm animals. The calves, lambs, goats, and roosters roam completely free for you to pet or brush as you wish. Every once in a while an animal would wander out of the barn and eventually someone would go out after it. Very rare for our City girls to get such an up close experience with farm animals. My two year old threw an all out temper tantrum when we left after being in there for at least a half hour and for the rest of the day kept asking what we did with her brush that she was using on the animals.
- Prarietown is set up like an 1830's village with lots of costumed interpreters and the girls especially loved the school house and villagers' homes where interpreters were baking, weaving, and doing other period appropriate things. They were also allowed to play with the old fashioned toys and practice walking around on stilts.
- In the main building, where you pay for admission, is the Discovery Station, which is a cute little room with theme appropriate toys for kids to play with. I thought the stuff outside was much more interesting and that this room would be something to skip because of our time constraints but we had to drag the girls out when it was time to go.
I've always thought these kind of historical villages are neat (love Greenfield Village in Detroit) and I thought Conner Prairie was a lot of fun. As I mentioned above, it would probably be better for a slightly older family but there is lots to enjoy for a younger group as well. I wouldn't drive all the way to Indianapolis just to go to this park but if you're there or passing through I definitely recommend it. There is a Cafe inside the park where you can buy basic food and drinks and you are also allowed to bring a picnic lunch and eat in the designated areas. Also there is a large, free parking lot. The Park was pretty busy on the day we were there (it was a Saturday) but we didn't really feel it and didn't have to stand in line or felt crowded at any of the locations in the Park. I think because the size of the Park a lot of people can be there and it still is comfortable.
The Children's Museum of Indianapolis
One the way back from Louisville we hit this ENORMOUS children's museum (www.childrensmuseum.org). It claims to be the largest children's museum in the world and I would totally believe it. There is a parking garage located across the street with free parking and a bridge over the road to the museum entrance. The outside of the museum is very cool. It looks like there are giant dinosaurs crawling in and out of the building. In the main room where you buy your tickets there is an enormous transformer that talks. I don't know if we even saw half of the exhibits here because not only is it very big but everyone was a bit tired from our vacation and eager to get home. This place is not cheap. It's $16.50/adult and $11.50/child two and older.
On the day we visited the museum there were three featured attractions. We enjoyed all three of them. I particularly liked the Treasures of the Earth exhibit. The exhibit was about the work done to uncover a shipwreck, an Egyptian tomb, and the Terra Cotta Warriors in China. What I liked about the way this exhibit was presented was that nothing was actually real so the kids could touch and interact with everything. I though it was a great way to present the material to small kids. Older kids (and adults) want to see real artifacts but kids just want to play and touch - that's how they learn. There was also a Dora and Diego exhibit, which was mostly just a fun play area for the kids. The third temporary exhibit was all about Barbie. This area seemed to appeal to girls as well as their moms with lots of retro babies on display. In addition there was a huge dress up area, which was very popular, wigs you could style, and Barbies to play with. My girls each only own one Barbie (old ones that used to be mine) but they both really enjoyed the activities included in this exhibit.
By far, for us, the biggest attraction was the carousel on the fourth floor. For some reason you have to pay to ride including adults (only $1 but come on - wasn't admission enough?). The girls both rode twice and the carousel is big enough that they didn't have to stand in line. Adjacent to the carousel were three play houses - one was a tree house, one a cottage, and the other an ice cream store. The girls played here forever. I was trying to encourage them to move onto the more unique exhibits since any basic play area in Chicago has playhouses like these but they like what they like I guess. Ultimately I think we saw enough to get our money's worth.
The museum map has a suggested age for each exhibit so mostly what we saw was targeted at kids 5 and under. That's not to say that this museum is only for little kids. The big dinosaur exhibit that we just didn't have the energy to see is for ages 5+ and there are several exhibits that are for ages 8+ and ages 6-12. This museum really has a good mix of stuff for all age groups, which is unusual. Museums are usually more for little kids like Kohls or big kids like the Museum of Science and Industry and don't appeal to kids of all ages.
There is a food court located on the first level of the museum. We didn't eat there but it looked big and seemed to offer some decent choices. This museum gets crazy busy even during the week so if you go I would suggest getting there right when it opens. It is open from 10 AM - 5 PM. Also bring a stroller if you've got a small child. As with Conner Prairie, I don't know if I would suggest driving three hours one way to see anything with your child, but if you're in the area it is a very cool thing to do with your children. I think it would be hard for them not to love it.
No comments:
Post a Comment