This is a great spot for locals and visitors alike! We stopped by from out of town thinking it…read morewould be a good winter activity for our little one while it's too cold to walk much outside. The conservatory exceeded our expectations! Admissions is affordable at $5 per person, but it was free the day we visited because of a reptile show! We got to see tortoises, skinks, salamanders, tarantulas, snakes, and more! Inside the conservatory, there are fish and a couple other critters permanently on display. The signage around the gardens is informative and interesting- and the plants are simply beautiful! So well cared for and healthy. I could have walked around the loop 5 times and noticed new things each time. There are several places to sit and relax throughout the gardens (we fed our baby on one of the benches). There is a restroom and coat racks- which you'll need because the gardens are quite warm! What a great find for the afternoon! Bonus that it's located right in a park, by a library, several cute places to stop and eat, and public art. The only downside I can think of is that there wasn't a ton of parking- probably more accessible when there isn't a special event going on!

The conservatory offers a variety of plants, flowers, and serene views of the waterfall. The…read morewaterfall and fish pond was definitely my favorite view out of everything offered at the conservatory with their scenic views and decor. The sunken garden was an okay view, the fountains were beautiful but there wasn't any other foliage, flowers, or scenery out there to enhance the view. The garden definitely has potential to be better than it is.

This is such a beautiful museum, I always learn something new each time I visit…read more The staff are always open to questions and are always excited to talk about their favorite pieces. The community events they offer are such a treasure, and the rotating exhibits make every visit feel like the first time. I feel so lucky to live close by to have access to this amazing place. Don't forget to check out the staff's exhibit on the first level, everyone who works there is insanely talented!

Newfields is pretty neat. There's a nice little nature trail outside where you can take a brief…read morewalk and there's a small beer garden along the trail. The space is really nice. The staff is very friendly. Admission is $25. Some of the art I dug and some I didn't, but there was a dark room with a video board ceiling that showed a video of the moon and stars on the ceiling that is captivating. I could have sat there for 15 minutes and just gazed at the ceiling. It was beautiful and peaceful.

This was the perfect rainy day activity for a Tuesday afternoon while exploring the city of…read moreIndianapolis. Our tour guide Danielle was very knowledgeable and personable and made the tour interesting and a great learning experience. He is a wealth of knowledge and knows an incredible detail about the home and the life of Benjamin Harrison and his family. The home itself is in beautiful condition and is really quite interesting set apart from other historic homes where you were actually able to walk through the majority of the rooms. They are doing a new exhibit coming up on the third floor, which is the ballroom floor I think in the spring of 2026. If you're not looking to do a tour (although I highly recommend it) the welcome center and gift shop has a decent amount of information as well if you're just looking to collect some fun facts or great little souvenirs.

My visit to the home of President Benjamin Harrison has been an unexpected highlight of my Indiana…read moreventures. We visited on a recent Saturday morning without reservations. Tickets can be purchased on line and receive a $2 discount (of $16 admission). Full price tickets can be purchased in the Welcome Center behind the Harrison home. Discounts are available for seniors and military. There is a brief film and a few artifacts in the Welcome Center along with a gift shop. We were able to join the first tour of the day, which only had three people including us. The docent-led tours start at 10:00 and run throughout the day. Gary, started our tour with a brief introduction and handed us off to docent Don S. at the front door of the Italianate Victorian home built in 1875. The beautifully restored home holds much of the original Harrison furniture. Don described the Harrison family dynamics, the history of the furniture and aspects of presidential life. We walked through rooms on three floors filled with artifacts and some of Mrs. Harrison's personal artwork. I could easily imagine the family at home during the tour. The third floor former ballroom, contains the Presidential Library (opened by appointment only, but visible to visitors). Other artifacts are also on display there. The 75 minute tour seemed to fly by as Don relayed interesting stories and anecdotes about the home and family. There is a dedicated free parking lot on the northside of the house or street parking is available. Elevators in the home are available for those who cannot climb the narrow stairs. The tour is not suitable for young children or strollers. Totally a must see for history, government and architecture buffs. The Harrison home is an Indiana treasure.

Great option for those who are of Hispanic and Latino descent. Several options are available from…read morethe local community for everybody, from job opportunities, medical help, individual Consulate services and great food. Highly recommended and will go back again.

Had the opportunity to come and support our Latinx community! This event was held for two days at…read morethe Indiana State Fair Blue Ribbon pavilion. It's a great way for community organizations, businesses, and schools come together to offer admissions support, free health screenings, food, and cultural dance celebrations. IU, Purdue, IUPUI, and other institutions were involved in helping prospective students receive accurate information about their services, 21st Century Scholars program, and other important information for students to know. The restaurants that I tried their food was from Pollo Michioacano. Their food was delicious! I bought champurrado and pork tamales with red salsa. It made my morning. Highly recommend supporting this event and the busineses associated with the event. They all are doing their best to support our local Latinx businesses, families, and students.

The live performance of Come From Away was absolutely…read moreincredibly fantastic. The best event I have been to in years. The cast and the band were amazing. A must see.

We recently visited the IRT for the first time and had a lovely experience. The production we…read moreattended was excellent, and the building is beautiful. There was also an option to buy parking in advance that was quite reasonable. I'll definitely be watching their schedule to find a reason to return.

This place is a hidden gym. It is tucked away in the heart of downtown Indy. With being downtown,…read moreit adopts all of the parking woes that comes with a downtown business. There are parking garages and metered parking available, if you can find it . If you have your choice of the 2, you will come out a lot cheaper. The place is located downstairs in the Panera Bread building. If you are not paying attention, you will miss it. Masks are required by all visitors, even kids. But don't worry, if you forgot or don't have one, they have some available for you. The staff here is very friendly and helpful. So after you get there and pay your admission they give you a bag with a couple of pair of drum sticks and mallets to play the instruments in the place. The bag also contains some very valuable items, ear plugs. They are worth the price of admission alone. Just kidding the place really did not get that loud while I was there. The place has many percussion instruments that can be played by visitors including a traditional drum set, an electric drum set, congos, xylophones, chimes, timpanis, tamborines, cow bells, wood blocks, marimba, and a gong. The self guided tour starts with a huge wall mounted bass drum. If you hit it and stand near it you can feel the waves go through your body. In addition to all of the interactive instruments, they have displays, videos and information boards throughout the place. They also have two sound rooms with drum sets and other instruments that you can experiment with sound in different type of venues. This place is really a fun place to learn. This fully interactive place teaches children about percussion instruments and gives them the opportunity to try them out. It also turns a grown up to a kid wanting to jam out. The museum is kind of small and we were able to thoroughly go through the place in about an hour. The tour ends, where most do....in the gift shop. My little had such a good time that we could not leave there empty handed. So I got a kazoo (what was I thinking) and a shape drum ( again, what was I thinking). Anyway, this a great fun and either an introduction to percussion instruments or just plain fun for percussion enthusiasts. It is definitely worth a visit and is a must see.

I took my toddlers here to give them an opportunity to play some music. There were lots of drums…read moreand different musical instruments. We came on a great day because there was hardly anyone there. I like how you can even practice inside your own private room while there. There was lots of signage to keep you informed on what kind of musical instruments you were playing and it was kind of like a museum of musical instruments. It was a great time although my toddlers lasted all of about an hour here smh. Older kids would probably play the instruments for much longer than mine did. I would definitely come back but maybe next time with my niece and nephew who are older.

I knew very little about James Whitcomb Riley until my elementary-school-aged child began learning…read moreabout this Hoosier poet in school. Then I learned that Riley had a house in Indy that was also a museum. Then I learned that Riley was also considered a (I mean, THE) "children's poet" because he wrote poems for kids. Then I learned that Riley was also "that" Riley, of Riley Children's Hospital. Basically, James Whitcomb Riley is an established pillar of Indianapolis. He also has a museum that you can tour! I visited the James Whitcomb Riley Museum Home as a chaperone on a school field trip. If you're not a part of a school field trip, though, I believe you need to make an appointment to visit the museum. I don't think it has regular hours. There are tour guides who lead you through the home and talk all about it. The walk-through of the house took us a little over 30 minutes. The museum home is beautiful. If you like old artifacts (like me), then you'll have lots of things to gaze upon and take photos of. You really get a feel for who Riley was, and his impact on society. It's kind of crazy to me that that the home of this renowned poet is located right in Indianapolis' Lockerbie Square, on a street with houses full of families and individuals, so nondescript and unassuming. But that's also what makes it cool. It's accessible to the people, which is probably just what Riley would have wanted.

Finally got around to check this out during a free open house in the fall…read more The interior has mostly beautiful features and decor. The workers are usually all volunteers, so while they might know every question you ask, they're still very helpful and passionate about JWR's work. They have random events in the lawn during warmer months and host special private events, if I'm not mistaken.

What an amazing venue for a private event! I attended a…read morefundraiser for Storytelling Arts of Indiana on April 11, 2026. The Basile Theatre has wonderful sound and acoustics. The entry area had plenty of room for the crowd of 100+ plus food tables, a bar with drinks, and a merchandise table. The private parking lot is also a plus. The entry to many events, like the fundraiser includes parking.

My wife and I visited here on January 3rd. We didn't know it was the last day of the Festival of…read moreTrees, but that made for a pleasant surprise as we toured the building and saw all the different trees. Along the way, we also learned about the Interurban train line, Hoosiers in the Vietnam War, and Hoosiers who resisted the Klan through the exhibits on display. We had a lovely time touring the museum and enjoying both the architecture and the history. Unfortunately, we encountered a great deal of trouble when we went to leave. The person leaving who was two cars ahead of us got their credit card jammed in the gate. It appears that their card paid for the next person in line, but then the reader stopped accepting tickets. The mechanism rejected my parking ticket and required me to pay $25 for a "lost ticket" fee in order to leave. There was already a line of cars trying to get out and the woman whose credit card was jammed was standing in the way of the machine. I walked back into the museum and spoke to someone at the ticket booth who took down my information as well as the ticket and receipt, but this all runs contrary to the museum's promise on their website that they offer free parking. I've tried numerous times to contact the museum for a refund. I was even assured on January 6th that one was forthcoming, but the museum never processed it and will no longer respond to me. I am an ardent supporter of museums and of studying history, but the Indiana Historical Society's unwillingness to correct the errors of their own infrastructure - errors that line their pockets - do a disservice to the passionate work of the docents who presented the history within the building itself.