You know what both makes me laugh and annoys the HECK out of me?? People who give zoos low ratings…read morebecause they didn't see a BUNCH of animals during their visit to the zoo!! Too hot, too cold, too busy... It's NOT the animal's "responsibility" to make an appearance or keep us entertained. C'mon now!! We went for a quick-ish visit Memorial Day weekend. Beautiful weather, surprisingly light attendance, and we honestly saw less than half of the animals we were "supposed" to see. What we did see was beautiful gardens, well-marked paths, and lots of OPPORTUNITIES to see animals!! Beautiful place, TONS to do AND see... Truly something for everyone, young and old!! Easy parking, reasonable prices, GREAT info... What's not to love?!?

The Indy zoo is great place to go on any sunny day! It's fun for the whole family or just with your…read morefriends and significant others. The zoo is a very wide variety of animals from elephants to penguins to lions as well as a cheetah and warthog! They also have a rhino, monkeys and all types of birds. Each exhibit has plenty of viewing area and description placards. My favorite the ocean and plains area. The penguins and rhinos were so awesome to see close up. Overall I'd recommend the zoo to any Indian resident or visitor . They also have plenty of food and drink options including wine and beer.

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!

It's been a while since I've been to the Canal, but when I saw they were having a Full Moon Yoga…read moreParty, I knew I wanted to check it out and I'm so glad I did! The yoga was provided by The Hot Room Yoga, and I believe the event was in partnership with Indy Cultural Trail. There was also a local artist, Lily Groot, who was there creating free prints for at least 450 attendees. I got print 13. Honestly, it was such a great event! You could purchase items from Black vegan cafe food truck, while we hung out and watched the sunset. Then around 8:30 PM, we turned on the glow lights they provided and got ready to do yoga under the full moon. The yoga session was about an hour. It was definitely challenging as you really just had to listen on what to do, but it felt so good for my body, mind, and soul. There was something really special about doing yoga outside, surrounded by the Canal, with the sunset fading and the full moon coming out. It was a vibe. I'm really glad I got to experience this! There's another one coming up in September, so if you've never been, you should definitely give it a try, it was free! Such a fun and unique Indy experience!

Goodness, have I walked the canal about 50 times now?!…read more It's such a unique experience for Indy to have some water space in the middle of the city. This 3 mile loop will take you from 11th Street down to White River State Park to access the green space and extra trails down there. The canal water itself is not super cute, where there can be litter, and the water is rather opaque. They do drain the canal every so often to keep it from getting too uncute. The sidewalks are kept nicer, though a few spots in front of apartment buildings could use some TLC. There are also a few spots where the sidewalk is not level, so take caution if that is an issue. It's mostly stair access to the canal, but I *think* I've seen an elevator around the Ohio street basin. The canal has a few businesses along it for your merriment. Notably, there is Fresco on the Canal (I have a separate review for this) which is open March-October. Eiteljorg museum cafe is open daily around the lunch hours (11-3) and can be accessed through their patio gate. Entertainment wise, there is more going on. I've done the swan boat rentals, where you can pedal around on the canal. This is quite a workout! Rental of swan boats and kayaks is near the Ohio Street basin. There is also the gondolas, where your gondolier can sing, and they've always sounded marvelous. There's also a few stations for the Pacers Bikeshare around the canal, which is free for Marion County residents. Any time the weather is right, you can find me getting my steps in!

Beautiful greenspace on the outskirts of downtown all along the White River, as the name implies,…read moreand the canal. Lots to see and do, or just relax, enjoy a little nature, walk or run along the water, enjoy all sorts of trails, enjoy some of the public art hidden here and there, have a little picnic, whatever you feel like. There is an outdoors concert venue, a souvenir shop, the zoo, various museums, such as the Eiteljorg, the Indiana State Museum and such. You can rent multi-seat bikes or a segway and cover more ground. Go and discover.

White River State Park is one of the most popular parks in the city, and for good reason! The…read morenickname for it is Indy's backyard. With riverfront and canal-front trails, a pedestrian bridge to the zoo, proximity to the city, and the amphitheater, so much goes on down here. Over the years, my favorite special events have been the food truck festival and the solar eclipse festival. The area is kept to be pedestrian friendly, with parking being underground to the park and wide walking and biking lanes. During warmer weather, I often see a hotdog vendor for a nice and easy lunch. There's lots of sculptures around the park too, which helps to keep things scenic. There's also a huge lawn space for running around.

This is easily the best children's museum in the country. We live in Georgia and have annual passes…read moreto the Indianapolis Children's Museum just because it is so incredible that it's worth the flight. Inside has intricate, rotating exhibits that are hands-on and informational at a level that all ages can appreciate. Outdoors is a huge sports complex featuring a track, a racecourse, realistic mini fields and courts as well as several putt putt courses for all skill levels. It's a little more weather dependent but truly amazing. The whole museum is so well maintained and staffed by thoughtful, caring people who really seem to enjoy their jobs and are always willing and able to help. Food is relatively affordable but the best food is bar far the tacos outside. My only complaint is that lately the bees (or wasps or whatever) have been really bad near the restaurant, and will literally try to eat anything, even cheese or chicken. They are ruthless. If they're bad when you come, grab food outside and take it indoors to the bee-free cafeteria.

This museum is very well done! I came to Indiana for a conference for Venue managers and this was…read morethe location for the closing reception - and I can see why they wanted to showcase it. The dinosaur exhibit is really nice. The pop culture section was cool too, but my absolute favorite was the Princess Tiana section with a tutorial on some the traditional New Orleans second line dance moves. We were a group of adults and enjoyed the museum, so I definitely recommend it for families!

Little Green Thumb at Garfield Conservatory…read more We tried a new-to-us program today and it was honestly SO cute! This peaceful, hands-on story time was such a sweet way to spend the morning with the kids. The kids got to: Feed & pet the chickens Read stories about the sun Use the sunshine to melt crayons into cute animal shapes Pick peppers Check out dried sunflowers & their seeds Have a little dance party Plant beets Explore the garden It was such a calm, down-to-earth experience that combined story time, gardening, animals, crafts + outdoor exploring--perfect for little ones! Garfield Park Conservatory -- Indianapolis Ages: 2-5 $6 per child Registration required Next Little Green Thumb: September 16 | 10-11 AM Join them in Blake's Garden to learn about gardening and help plant, grow & harvest in the vegetable garden. There will also be a story, craft + time to explore! Definitely adding this one to our list of sweet Indy activities for little kids!

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.

My family had no idea this is you existed. What a wonderful gem the city has. The fact that they…read morehave horse riding and several other animals to explore was simply amazing. If you're not familiar with this place please stop by and check it out. The staff is super friendly and helpful and educational. they inspire younger people to get involved.

We had my daughter's 6th birthday party here and it was such a great experience. The package…read moreincluded two hours with the horses, where the kids got to pet and ride them, plus time in the petting zoo. They even provided a cake, which made things so much easier. The venue itself was really nice, and everything felt well organized. The staff was kind, helpful, and made the whole process smooth from start to finish. Overall, it was a fun and memorable day for the kids. We'll definitely be back!

We decided to go horseback riding to celebrate my birthday. My children (10 & 12) have never been…read morehorseback riding before and, though nervous, were excited to experience it. I rode quite a bit many years ago. I had a service expectation in my mind for how things would go and unfortunately the team at this ranch did not deliver. On arrival, parking was not clearly marked (broken signs and no arrows to direct you). Once out of the car, there was no one to greet us or give next steps. We were told by visitors already waiting to step inside the barn to sign a waiver. Once inside, the staff member who wondered out of the dark handed the waiver to me and explained it. Yet she never said hello or introduced herself. It all felt very transactional or as if we weren't welcomed. I can only assume how many trail rides are provided in a day or week but the experience is still special to visitors. I would like to think they still remember this. My children were assigned horses (Cherokee and Widow) and given basic riding instructions from other staff members (they stated afterward the women providing them were not very warm). I was given a horse named Stitch that I did not enjoy or recommend to anyone who has never ridden before. He was headstrong and unfriendly. I can say: The 60 minute ride through the wooded trails was beautiful and very quiet. Our group totaled six so I guess I assumed there would be conversation from the trail lead but there was none. No water was provided or information about the land we were on. I was grateful for the instructor stopping before bigger hills to describe what was ahead and how to best handle it, it helped my kiddos, but I can't say as I would come to this place again. The horses looked thin and tired. Not to mention the barn bathroom was exactly what you'd expect: dusty dirty and rusty. Perhaps our expectations were too high? One big plus: the friendliness of my children's horses and the barn cats.

Great people that answered all my questions because I know nothing about hedgehogs. They were very…read moreinformative and a great family business to deal with. Their customer service doesn't stop at the sale either. If I have any questions I feel like I can call and get answers and their pet care packages and prices are well worth it. I drove 3 hours to get there and I would do it again. They definitely didn't strike me as puppy mill people either. I could tell they really care for their pets they are selling. They even asked how we thought we would take care of a hedgehog and corrected us on what not to do. I'm very happy to have done business with them and for their lessons on how to take care of our hedgehog.

Went to look at adopting a hedgehog and they really know there stuff, before even seeing the…read morehedgehogs they asked me all that I know about them and gave me great information. They were very well informed and the hedgehogs looked to be very healthy and happy as I played with them. Great place! I highly recommend it to any future hedgehog owners.

We loved Lark Ranch, I had no clue it even existed until last season! I cannot wait to visit again…read morein the Fall. They have all the fair food you could want and a lot of attractions for kids and families. We went two days in a row and still found stuff to do! My kids loved it and we will definitely be back!

Went to Lark After Dark this year and loved it. This ranch is so so big and has so much to offer…read more We did the corn maze, the train around the property, the slide, and the yard games. I loved the live music and it truly is a one of kind experience around Indy! Love it and can't wait to go back