I love a museum! I was lucky to receive a family four pass so I was able to take the whole family…read moreto check it out. I use to come here a lot more as a kid so I haven't been in years. It was cool to see what has changed. My favorite area was the Natural History. Some of the other areas are not for me but very guided to kids such as Cats and Dogs. My son enjoyed the interactive areas. They do validate your parking in the garage. The staff were nice and helpful.

I enjoyed this museum but I have a couple bones to pick…read more 1. It's a confusing setup and no one hands you a map or says start here. 2. There's an imax theater and it smells like popcorn. 3. The bone collection is legitimately world class and that environment cave thing is super cool. 4. There's two types of museums honest ones like the Underground Railroad in cinncinati and then dishonest ones like the Indiana state one. 400k klan members is mentioned but not the overall population and they gloss over post civil war stuff pretty egregiously. 5. The old cars are pretty awesome. They have some really cherry old cars and tractors super cool. So idk it's a mixed bag but those bones and recreations are worth seeing

This is a place that I have only seen on the outside during the Irvington ghost tour. I recently…read morehad the chance to actually visit the inside. What a beautiful building! Located in beautiful historic Irvington you can find the Irvington historical society, located in the Bona Thompson center. The building was actually a part of the original Butler University. It's large and historic, and I think they have kept a lot of the original building in tact. On the inside there are a lot of interesting exhibits, one is on military tattoos which show a lot of pictures of different people with tattoos and the meanings behind them. As well as a lot of older camera parts. There's also some vintage Butler items on display as well. In the basement holds some other displays as well, one on tractors and engines and then one on the angels of west baden springs. All very interesting things! It's worth a visit to check out and lean different things about local and state history!

After hearing from a couple people that I should check out Irvington's Historical Society, I…read morefinally aligned my schedule to be on the east side on a Wednesday afternoon (weekends seem too busy). After parking in the small lot on the north side of the building, I climbed the steps to the entrance and entered the museum. In the central lobby, there are some permanently displayed items including a recreation of the Butler College campus while it was in Irvington circa 1914 and a portrait of one of the area's most influential residents, Bona Thompson. There are exhibit rooms on the left and right and a stairway that leads to more permanent displays which are in various stages of development. The display on the south end was a mixture of photography (antique cameras) and photos of Military tattoos that current college students volunteered to share. The display on the north end was a timeline of the more notable houses in the neighborhood. They were arranged in chronological order of being built with photos, paintings, and sometimes, schematics of the houses. There were narratives about who the people were that built and/or lived in the houses. To make it more interesting, the running timeline shows events outside of Irvington to use as a point of reference to the dates of the homes. Upstairs was an assortment of local artists' work on the stairwell walls, an "Abe Martin" collection of art/stories by Kin Hubbard who lived in Irvington, some military items, memorabilia from Butler College, and a depot/telegraph office room circa 1898. The admission is free, but donations are accepted in the lobby. Exhibits in the wings change out after a couple months and I was invited to come to the Ice Cream Social Aug 4th (one of the Society's most popular events.) This is a nice example of a neighborhood maintaining its history in spite of all the changes that occur. If you have an interest in anything related to the east side, this should be your first stop! Review #2685

I enjoyed my first visit to White River Gardens! Even though I'd been to the zoo many times, I…read morehadn't made my way into White River Gardens yet. With the butterflies being there (April 2021), I decided to go check it out with my niece. There was a wait to get into the butterfly room, but it moved fairly quickly. You were required to wear a mask inside. The rules for the butterfly room are pretty basic: stay on the paths, don't touch the plants, don't touch the butterflies, and don't freak out if a butterfly lands on you--let it do it's thing. The butterflies were fun to watch flutter around. There were an assortment of types. I liked the ones with blue wings best. I think my niece and I spent about 10 minutes in the butterfly room. It was a little crowded and we didn't go to the upstairs portion. Next we went outside to the outdoor gardens. It was still early Spring, so I imagine they're even more impressive when the leaves are back on the trees and things start growing more. Still, it was really lovely to walk the paths a bit. White River Gardens was a nice slice of nature in a city setting. I'll be back to explore more later!

Love the gardens. We have been here a few times. In 2021 we came on Sept 6, the last day for the…read morebutterfly exhibit. We arrived at 2p. Parking at that time isn't great, but most people are at the adjacent Indianapolis Zoo. There used to be a separate admission for White River Gardens. Now it is included in the fee to get in the zoo. (We have a membership. Today I came to the garden and never was asked to show my card - maybe I did something abnormal??) I really enjoy the gardens - both inside and out. I will say though that the outside is getting a little tired looking. I also know I just visited after some really hot days and during COVID. Still, I find it peaceful. I like sitting I. The shade garden and looking through the park with the cityscape in the background.

The Teeny Statue of Liberty Museum is attached to Tim & Company's Another Fine Mess. I accessed it…read moreby visiting this shop and coming in through the back, but the museum also has its own entrance. The sign outside of the museum says that admission is 50 cents. As far as I know, if you try to enter through the front, the front door is locked, so you'll have to go through Tim & Company's Another Fine Mess anyway. Or you can try to call and arrange a tour. This truly is a teeny museum full of Statue of Liberty stuff! You'll see everything from snow globes to statues to posters to drinking glasses to salt shakers to stuffed animals to clothing all emblazoned with the Statue of Liberty. It's a lotta stuff crammed in a tiny room -- around 650 individual items in a 10' by 16' space. This isn't a "learnin'" museum, in that there isn't much information available about the Statue of Liberty or why all of these artifacts are together in this room. But it's a fascinating museum to visit anyway, because when are you literally surrounded by so many Statues of Liberty? And in such a small room? This is a unique museum in Indianapolis for sure, and quite a hidden gem.

Four stars for this postage stamp sized museum. This place is smaller than your bedroom. It's…read moreprobably the same size as the cubicle you work from in your office. But it's jam packed with more Statues of Liberty than you've seen in one place, with maybe the exception of the gift shop at the Statue of Liberty https://www.yelp.com/biz/statue-of-liberty-new-york-3?hrid=veIzZZ00bJOV6PjEGnFvOg. Not the first Statue of Liberty I've encountered in my travels. There's one in Tokyo https://www.yelp.com/biz/自由の女神像-港区?hrid=Vj_T_TPmTfDT50wMPBeapg and one in Austin https://www.yelp.com/biz/replica-statue-of-liberty-monument-austin?hrid=pKx0eQ3OKTCYvQNCrCAQnA and Las Vegas https://www.yelp.com/biz/paris-las-vegas-las-vegas-6?hrid=-ZgFf6RjqbEsWcaCFDnw0g. Because who doesn't love "Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to breathe free, the wretched refuse of your teeming shore." [Review 13509 overall, 828 of 2020.]

This was my first visit to the Veteran's Memorial Plaza. Indianapolis hosts numerous war related…read morememorials, probably more than any other city. The Obelisk is the focal point of the Plaza. The Plaza honors all Indiana veterans from the Revolutionary War to present. The Obelisk and surrounding fountain were designed by the renown artist, Henry Hering in the 1930's. The Obelisk honors Hoosiers who served on land sea and sky as well as family members who waited. The resemblance of the Obelisk to the Washington Monument symbolizes hope and inspiration according to the plaque. The bronze panels at the base of the Obelisk, sculpted by Hering, represent law, science, religion and education. State flags stand together on one side of the obelisk and other monuments for specific wars stand throughout the plaza. There are plaques on each side of the quadrant for a self guided tour, but they are faded and somewhat difficult to read. The Plaza is lovely on a clear day with wide sidewalks and lots of green space. There is metered street parking around the park. Restrooms are available in the nearby War Memorial. The plaza is opened from 7:00 am - 11:00 pm. And there is no fee to enter.

Well this plaza is not the best maintained. While I was there none of the flags were up and the…read morefountain was drained. This may have been in part due to me visiting in the winter. I look forward to checking back when it warms up. It is located between the American Legion Mall and The Indiana War Memorial. There is metered parking all along the street surrounding the plaza. The center piece of the plaza is a 100' tall Obelisk fountain in the center of the park. The Obelisk (tall pointy thing) represents the hopes and aspirations of the nation. The bronze tablets at its base represent the four fundamentals upon which our nation's hopes are founded: law, science, religion and education. There are benches and picnic tables that you can hang out at in the plaza. There is also shade and grassy areas. Special events are hosted here on occasion. Fun facts: It was completed in 1930. The Plaza was first known as Obelisk Square. Originally, the plaza was almost completely paved.

Last week, ARC of Greater Boone County celebrated the dedication of the Cross Haven Sensory Arts…read moreGarden at the intersection of Drake and Main Streets in Lebanon. This unique garden offers a blend of local art, sensory plants in neatly raised beds and a few musical interactive activities in a colorful space. A former piano, now painted purple, serves as a large fun planter. A crushed gravel walkway meanders through the little park. Several benches and a picnic table are available for visitors. I found the space peaceful and lovely. The garden is dedicated to the late Ken Cross, former President, Treasurer and board member of ARC. ARC is dedicated to assisting members of the community with disabilities obtain training and find jobs. There is parking in the adjacent ARC parking lot. There is no charge to enter the space. Bravo to ARC for sponsoring, building and maintaining this important space.

Came to see the solar eclipse and just happened to find out the observatory was hosting a viewing…read more We set up a little place on the lawn and the event was so fun with so many other people. Super informative and made me appreciate what was happening while it was happening. I didn't know what to expect, but there was someone to guide us through the entire experience--letting us know what we were seeing, what to notice, when to keep our glasses on and when it was safe to remove them. 10/10 experience. So cool. There were telescopes to look through and stations set up where kids could color. And assistants to answer questions or tell us more about eclipses. TL;DR i'm starstruck. Super cool stuff happening here & very informative in an accessible way.

This is an amazing place for children and adults alike. Now I still have not mastered parking here…read moreon the Butler campus, but a guess when I park in one of the permit areas, my prayers have been answered and I have not been ticketed or towed (knock on wood). I visited here on one of their open house nights as part of a girl scout troop trip. The staff was very friendly, energetic, enthusiastic and showed a real passion for astronomy. The open house is in 2 parts. The first part is the movie in the planetarium. The theater is very nice, but also very small and fills up quickly. The movie they showed was awesome and gave the background on the US versus Russia space race and some information on the moon landing and space station. It was well put together and very informational. My little and I really enjoyed it. They followed the up with a simulation of the Indiana night sky and an explanation of some constellations and the origins of the Orion constellation. The second part was actually going up to the observatory and look through the huge telescope. It was a line, but moves at a steady pace. I would say I waited about 30 minutes or so. It was nice to look through the telescope and see specific constellations. They moved the telescope to see different stars and planets throughout the moving of the line. Luckily, it was a clear night and we were able to see a lot That is not always the case so I would check it out before I go. Some people would double back in the line, cutting offf some people that have not viewed yet to see the telescope again after it had been moved and out on a new star or planet. I think once you viewed, you should have to go all the way to the back of teh line and get a second viewing after everyone has had attest one. But, that is just my opinion. I highly recommend getting here early because they sell out quick and you may be offered a later showing, at best. Part of my group was a little late and werer told that they could come back at 9PM. They decided to just go home as that was a bit late for them and their little. The inside of the observatory has a lot of symbolism and meaning which was explained during our tour. They had a small telescope set up outside on the front walkway that were are able to see a very clear image of the moon. It was amazing. The place is available to be rented out for groups, at a very reasonable price, but you will not get to see the telescope because available rental times are during the daylight hours. I recommend checking this place out. It is as fun as it is educational. I was like a big kid here.

This farm was awesome! The owner Kadeem is very personable, friendly, and loves interacting with…read morethe kids. The farm land is huge and the animals are all well behaved so even if you're scared, you won't be for long. We took the Girl Scout troop on an outing here and the girls loved it. Kadeem is really eager about introducing farm life to city kids and helping make the comfortable and knowledgeable. I loved the way he allowed them to interact with the animals in ways they would never be able to other places. He does not restrict the kids and uses everything as a learning opportunity. My daughter was upset we had to leave without the alpaca. We will definitely be returning again. They also do petting zoo and horse rides for parties. He was so nice to even walk with my daughter bc she was scared to ride. 10/10 I definitely recommend to anyone looking for an up close, personal. Memorable animal experience!

Omgggg I absolutely love this farm! It really brought out the kid in me and brought up so many…read morememories from childhood fieldtrips! Broganville is a family owned farm and the atmosphere gives just that! Kadeem Brogan (the owner) was so nice and welcoming. He gave us a full tour of the grounds as well as a horse and buggy ride. We got to meet all of the animals and we even got to feed some of them. This is definitely a great place for children and adults alike to really connect with nature and learn about the farm life!