Here in Cincinnati, we’re lucky to be just a drive away from an impressive list of world-class museums. To our north, there’s the Boonshoft Museum of Discovery and COSI; to the south, the Behringer-Crawford Museum and Kentucky Horse Park; and to the west, the Children’s Museum of Indianapolis. (Of course, here in Cincinnati, we have our beloved Duke Energy Children’s Museum – which reopens May 4, by the way!)
The Children’s Museum of Indianapolis is incredible. It’s the largest children’s museum in the world – and it’s just 90 minutes away! Everything about this museum is larger-than-life, from the multi-story dinosaur at the entrance, to the iconic indoor carousel, to the Willy Wonka-esque Chocolate Slide inside the atrium, to the numerous permanent and rotating exhibits housed in the Museum’s five floors.
Just a few weeks ago, the Children’s Museum of Indianapolis opened its newest exhibit, the Riley Children’s Health Sports Legends Experience. This outdoor exhibit combines sports history, physical fitness and health education in a variety of family-fun, indoor and outdoor experiences. It’s an homage to Indianapolis’s rich contribution to sports, from the Indianapolis 500 to the Indianapolis Colts to the Indianapolis Pacers.
As with all of the Children’s Museum exhibits, the Riley Children’s Health Sports Legends Experience is immersive and interactive. Featuring 12 outside sports experiences and 3 indoor exhibits, there’s so much for kids (and adults!) to do! Golf, baseball, hockey, soccer — no matter where your kids’ interests lie, there is something fun for them in this new exhibit.
Each station is manned by knowledgeable, friendly and very helpful staff. The lines move quickly, and there are a variety of activities at each station to keep kids busy and moving!
We particularly enjoyed the pedal racing on the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Pedal Car Racetrack Experience and Church Brothers Collision Repair Drag Strip (because you can’t talk about Indianapolis without mentioning race cars!), shooting hoops in the Indiana Pacers and Fever Basketball Experience, hitting home runs at the Wiese Field Baseball Experience, sprinting on the Cory SerVaas Fitness Path and Jane and Steve Marmon Run-Walk Experience and family doubles at the The Seymour and Rheta Holt Tennis Center. (And that’s just the tip of the iceberg of what this new exhibit offers!)
Of course, while the Riley Children’s Health Sports Legends Experience is ostensibly about sports, it’s also promoting health and physical fitness in a fun and accessible way. Getting families active together is such an important thing, and this exhibit will have your kids thoroughly enjoying every active moment. And – you might even find some new favorite sports to try! (Tennis lessons, here we come!)
This outdoor exhibit is a permanent addition to the Children’s Museum of Indianapolis, and is a really fun way to spend a spring or summer day.
All of the experiences in the Riley Children’s Health Sports Legends Experience are included with Museum admission, making this an incredible value. As summer break approaches, plan on spending an entire day at this Indianapolis gem!
