12 Fun Family-Friendly Things to Do in Indiana with Kids
Families who can’t get enough of the outdoors should visit Indiana.
The state is ideal for discovering the environment, appreciating landscapes, and using what nature offers because it is dotted with parks, farms, and zoos.
We’ve put up a list of entertaining things to do with kids in Indiana if you need help figuring out where to start.
In addition to many other unique locations with surprising activities, we made care to include a scavenger hunt, interactive museums, a water park, and other exciting places.
- Amazing Indianapolis Scavenger Hunt Adventure — Indianapolis
What You’ll Experience
Discover the state’s capital by taking an interactive tour.
You spend three hours on a city tour using your smartphone as the guide, exploring outdoor artwork, historical buildings, and memorials as you follow clues and accomplish tasks.
The hunt starts in the American Legion Mall and includes stops at war memorials, a tour of the Capitol grounds, the Indianapolis Canal Walk, and many other locations.
Don’t worry about the three-hour time limit; because your phones are the guide, you may take breaks, take pictures, or grab food whenever you want.
For this enjoyable activity, ensure your phone’s battery is fully charged.
The most outstanding family hotels in Indiana are all close by, and since Indianapolis is the state capital, you can be sure that family resorts there as well.
Recommended Ages
Families with kids of all ages can participate in this scavenger hunt, which transforms Indianapolis into a gigantic game board.
- Conner Prairie Interactive History Park — Fishers
What You’ll Experience
Conner Prairie offers guests of all ages an exciting, engaging journey through Indiana’s past.
The museum employees dress in period attire and perform various traditional tasks or arts while explaining them to visitors on the museum grounds, which display and reproduce several eras.
You would be welcome to prepare meals, cut wood, manufacture pottery, or take care of animals the old-fashioned way.
The museum also provides workshops if you or your children want to learn more about these customs.
Learn ancient cooking techniques and blacksmithing, leatherworking, theater, and music.
Recommended Ages
All ages are welcome to visit Conner Prairie to learn about Indiana’s past.
Depending on the activity, different age groups are permitted for the workshops and events.
- Fort Wayne Children’s Zoo — Fort Wayne
What You’ll Experience
Visit one of America’s top ten zoos with 1,000 animals with kids.
The Fort Wayne Children’s Zoo, divided into four distinct biomes, also offers thrilling rides and animal-interactive activities, guaranteeing one of the best family vacations in Indiana.
The biomes include the Central Zoo, the Indonesian Rainforest, the Australian Adventure, and the African Journey.
Children can interact with animals in these many locations, including giraffes, goats, sea lions, horses, and stingrays.
Recommended Ages
The Fort Wayne Zoo excursion is a memorable and instructive activity for older kids, adults, and younger kids.
- New Harmony Labyrinth — New Harmony
What You’ll Experience
Run through this ancient maze of shrubs like Alice to reach the temple that has been there for millennia.
The labyrinth you can see now is a reproduction of an 1814 design created as a place for meditation by the German founders of New Harmony.
Take the gates for a quick cut to the temple in the middle if you believe the maze needs to be more challenging to navigate.
If you want to see what an early American community was like, try taking a tour through New Harmony, which is full of other historic structures constructed by the town’s founders.
Recommended Ages
For young children, the New Harmony Labyrinth could be difficult to navigate.
Up to seven-year-old children may be brought, if necessary.
- Indiana Dunes National Park — Chesterton
What You’ll Experience
You may find the best family beaches in Indiana at Indiana Dunes National Park, which has 15 miles of shoreline and 15,000 acres of a landscape filled with kid-friendly attractions.
With the family, go bicycling, bird watching, fishing, boating, hiking, camping, or even geocaching in the park. Sit peacefully and watch the sun go down.
In addition, there are some other unusual sites to explore, including a 1950s drive-in cinema, an amusement park, a bison farm, and more.
Recommended Ages
Your group can enjoy an affordable yet memorable beach vacation in Indiana Dunes.
Children under the age of 15 are admitted free of charge to this park, so check it out if you’re looking for free kid activities.
- Children’s Museum of Indianapolis — Indianapolis
What You’ll Experience
Looking for kid-friendly indoor activities while it’s raining?
The Children’s Museum of Indianapolis is one of the top family-friendly destinations nearby if you’re staying in Indiana’s state capital.
The Children’s Museum of Indianapolis is the biggest of its kind in the world, with five levels of interactive entertainment.
While your little ones are having fun on this big playground, you can be sure you won’t run out of things to do in Indiana.
The youngsters can’t get enough of the activities, challenges, exhibitions, and stories they may find here, ranging from a Sinosphere and a spaceship to a science lab and ancient tombs.
There are several outdoor sports grounds where youngsters can play if it is not raining.
Recommended Ages
Children of all ages are welcome to have a blast here because this is a children’s museum.
- Brown County State Park — Brown County
What You’ll Experience
In Indiana’s largest state park, take a deep breath of the healing fresh air of nature.
The picturesque 15,000 acres of the park offer opportunities for swimming, fishing, hiking, biking, horseback riding, camping, picnicking, and all of these activities.
There is also a nature center nearby with various informative and engaging displays about the environment.
The center is open all year long and frequently provides family-friendly programmed events and an optional driving tour of the neighborhood.
This outdoor family vacation will undoubtedly give youngsters valuable life lessons at a young age.
Recommended Ages
Of course, nature accepts all her offspring, young and old.
- Holiday World & Splashin’ Safari — Santa Claus
What You’ll Experience
Are you a daredevil family?
A theme park and water park combined, Holiday World & Splashin’ Safari is one of the most well-known Indiana tourist destinations for families, especially those seeking thrills.
Four distinct regions, inspired by a different holiday—Christmas, Halloween, Thanksgiving, or the Fourth of July—make up Holiday World.
In addition to the 51 attractions in the park, Holiday World offers live entertainment, family-friendly games, and events.
Recommended Ages
Family-friendly attractions are spread across this 125-acre theme park, keeping everyone entertained for the day.
There are activities for children, adults, and teenagers of all ages.
- Farm LIFE — Lanesville
What You’ll Experience
Imagining a farm day would be dull?
With only one entry, visitors to Farm LIFE can participate in hayrides, pig races, a pumpkin patch, Kiddyville, Bunnyville, a corn maze, an enclosed downhill slide, duck races, a straw bale maze, and a variety of other activities.
Along with these entertaining events, shows, and attractions, Farm LIFE also offers hilarious contests, games, and special rides with a farm theme.
Recommended Ages
Children of all ages can participate in the unique and fun activities that Farm LIFE offers.
- Indiana Caverns
What You’ll Experience
Explore this mysterious underground world in the footsteps of Ice Age creatures.
Discover Indiana’s longest cave as you ride along the underground river and pass past unexpected waterfalls, rock formations, and tiny creatures.
You can then fly through the cave at the adventure park after diving deep inside the ground.
Teenage escape room challenges and kid-friendly gemstone mining activities are available for those who are less daring.
Recommended Ages
The ancient world that the caverns conceal can be explored by toddlers, older children, teens, and adults.
Every age group can also participate in the adventure park’s outdoor activities.
- WonderLab Museum of Science, Health and Technology — Bloomington
What You’ll Experience
Are you looking for a play area that emphasizes science more?
WonderLab demonstrates to your youngster how they can grasp the scientific world via simple play.
Your child may create their volcanoes in an augmented reality sandbox and watch them erupt.
In addition, bubble exhibits can keep youngsters occupied as they learn about the matter.
On the second floor, you may find a hall for the natural sciences, physical sciences, and biology.
These attractions demonstrate that science need not be as complex as people think.
Recommended Ages
At WonderLab, many displays have varying age requirements, although some are undoubtedly appropriate for kids of all ages.
- The South Bend Chocolate Company — South Bend
What You’ll Experience
Would the children want to visit a real-life chocolate factory even without a valuable golden ticket?
This is a fantastic choice for family-friendly activities in Indiana, especially if your children enjoy “Charlie and the Chocolate Factory” if your family has a sweet tooth.
Discover the history of chocolate, from the seed to the wrapper, on a tour of South Bend’s renowned chocolate factory.
A 10% discount is offered at the Chocolate Museum, which you can visit as part of the tour.
You can find a thousand-year-old chocolate pot and many more delectable items in this museum. Remember to eat something!
Recommended Ages
Willy Wonka fans who are toddlers, older kids, or teenagers will adore this chocolaty, instructive excursion.
