The Children's Museum of Indianapolis
Founded in 1925 by Mary Stewart Carey, a rich early Indianapolis resident, the Children's Museum of Indianapolis was based on the Brooklyn Children's Museum. Originally it was located in a carriage house, but as with many successful museums, they outgrew this and kept moving until 1926 when it moved into Carey's mansion (Not bad for one year eh?).In 1942, they moved to another mansion, but this time it was owned by the museum itself. In 1976, construction was completed on the current location, and they began the process of moving everything with storage, conservation, and many areas of focus separated physically.
Of course, they kept growing, and in 2009 moved to the current size of 472,900 square feet. That's more than 9 football fields (American football). This makes it the largest children's museum in the world.
The Arrival
My daughter was super keen on visiting to see the museum's interactive Minecraft exhibit, and she just wanted to travel someplace.We were staying in the downtown area, and I had not rented a car, so we took an Uber up to the museum (it's not a walkable distance). We were dropped off right at the front where you can meander through models of the wonders of the world before you go inside to the ticketing area. The astounding custom-made "Glass Fireworks" in the center access column of the museum. A fairly unique piece of art.
Summary
Vast, multifaceted museum geared toward children and their way of seeing the world. Many amazing displays to help open minds to the greater world and possibilities. Inspiration is oozing from this place, and it also had even my oldness supremely interested.And if you thought you'd get away with no pictures of museum gift shops? Sorry, but not sorry.
