Is The Children’s Museum Fun for Adults? Of Course It Is!

“Can adults come to The Children’s Museum without children?”

“Will adults have fun at The Children’s Museum?”

“Is there anything adults would like at The Children’s Museum?”

Adults ask these questions a lot. It’s understandable. We are a children’s museum, after all. But when people ask the age-old question about whether a grown-up would have fun at The Children’s Museum, we have one answer for them…

ABSOLUTELY!

Our five floors of fun and 7.5 acres of indoor/outdoor fun, there’s plenty of fun for kids of all ages—including kids-at-heart. Of course, it’s always fun to experience the joy and wonder of the world’s biggest and best children’s museum through the eyes of a child. But grown-ups can have fun at The Children’s Museum with and without kids. So, if you’re a grown-up looking for fun things to do at The Children’s Museum, we’re here for you.

Two people posing for a selfie in front of Stan the T. rex in Dinosphere

We’ve created an adults-friendly itinerary just for you!

This itinerary begins outside, then leads you on an indoor journey to fill out the rest of your day. Of course, you’re welcome to stop at other exhibits along the way.

Stop 1
Play a round

Whether you’ve never held a club in your hands or you’re a mini golf pro, the Golf Experience is the perfect place for you! Step outside in the Riley Children’s Health Sports Legends ExperienceⓇ for a round of 9-hole mini golf on holes inspired by the designs of world-renown Pete and Alice Dye. These replica holes include:

Hole 17 at the TPC Sawgrass course in Ponte Verdra Beach, Florida
Hole 10 at Brickyard Crossing in Indianapolis, Indiana
Hole 11 at the Pete Dye Course in French Lick, Indiana
Hole 16 at Crooked Stick in Carmel, Indiana

It doesn’t matter if you sink a hole-in-one or shoot a double bogey. We keep score in smiles!

Location: Riley Children’s Health Sports Legends Experience® (Outside)

Stop 2
Talk to a paleontologist

Dr. Jenn Anne is holding a fossil and wearing a mask. Two adults are looking at the fossil she is holding. The person on the right is touching the fossil

Our scientists have been busy in the R.B. Annis Mission Jurassic Paleo Lab and the Polly H. Hix Paleo Prep Lab cleaning, preparing, studying, and researching the real fossils they dug up from the Jurassic Mile™ dig site in Wyoming. They’re excited to share their discoveries with you!

Location: Dinosphere® (Lower Level)

Stop 3
Design your own dinosaur

A grown-up and a young man sitting at a table coloring dinosaur pictures. In the background is a projection screen with other visitors' dinosaur designs on display.

In the Dinosphere Art Lab, you can pair science with your creativity and imagine what prehistoric creatures might have looked like. Scan your creation and then watch it come to life on a giant screen.

Location: Dinosphere® (Level 2)

Stop 4
Discover Greek nightlife

Three grown-ups standing in front of the Bakery inside Take Me There: Greece.

Travel to modern-day Greece without leaving Indiana. Explore the lifestyles of modern-day Greek families—including their vibrant nightlife..

Location: Take Me There®: Greece (Level 2)

Stop 5
Explore the power of art

Grown-up looking at and pointing at one of the letters in the #BLACKLIVESMATTER display

Hear the stories of the artists who created the #BLACKLIVESMATTER street mural on Indiana Avenue in Indianapolis. Discover how art can bring a community together to support a common cause.

Location: Stories from Our Community: The Art of Protest (Level 2)

Stop 6
Talk to an archaeologist

Two grown-ups and a child looking at an archaeological artifact from a shipwreck.

While you’re on Level 2, board the Treasures Transport elevator and ride it down to Level 1. There, near Captain Kidd’s shipwreck, you’ll find a working archaeology lab. You can talk to real archaeologists working on real shipwreck artifacts.

Location: National Geographic Treasures of the Earth (Lower Level)

Stop 7
Climb aboard a train car

Two grown-ups and a child standing on a platform at the end of a train's tool car. They are waving at the camera.

See the impressive Reuben Wells—a 35-foot-long, 55-ton steam engine—and explore our collection of vintage toy electric trains.

Location: All Aboard! (Lower Level)

Stop 8
Be inspired to make WAVEs

Grown-ups looking at signs with photos of Anne Frank, Ruby Bridges, Ryan White, and Malala Yousafzai outside the entrance to The Power of Children exhibit.

Ignite a passion for changing the world through the powerful stories of four extraordinary children: Anne Frank, Ruby Bridges, Ryan White, and Malala Yousafzai. They used their words, action, voice, and education to make WAVEs that changed the world.

Location: The Power of Children® (Level 3)

More fun for adults

Ready for even more adults-oriented fun at The Children’s Museum? Check out these events that are for adults 21+:

After Dark events are the best happy hour(s) Indy has to offer. Grab a beer. Explore select exhibits. We host them several times throughout the year.
Museum by Moonlight is the museum’s biggest single-night fundraiser of the year. We open up the entire museum—including our outdoor sports wonderland—for adults 21+. There’s live entertainment, silent disco, food, drinks, and five floors of kidless fun! You don’t want to miss it.

A group of adults posing with Ghostbusters in the Sunburst Atrium during Museum by Moonlight

As you can see, adults can have a great time at The Children’s Museum—with and without kids! So buy your tickets today and start planning your adults-only expedition through the world’s biggest and best children’s museum.