GRISWOLDDAD
Parenting, Entertainment, and Travel Tips
Things to Do in Indiana
* For Indiana's top yearly events, click here.
Indianapolis
Whether you're a fan or racing or not, a visit to the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, complete with the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Hall of Fame and Museum, is a lot of fun. Plus the sheer amount of history included in the museum is very interesting. You can take a lap on the famous racetrack, see the years and models of cars, and for luck, you can "kiss the bricks" of the finish line!
Indianapolis also has the WORLD'S LARGEST CHILDREN'S MUSEUM, The Children's Museum of Indianapolis. Lots of fun things to see and do, like typical children's museums, but this one is HUGE and has dinosaurs climbing INTO it from the outside!
Looking for somewhere to stay in Indianapolis? There's the old Union Station, which was the first union station railroad station in the world, which has been turned into a hotel, The Crowne Plaza Indianapolis Downtown Union Station. There's even still trains in the heart of the hotel that have been converted into hotel rooms!
Santa Claus
This entire town is Christmas themed. Santa post office, Santa hotels, Santa museums. Santa everywhere. There's even a really cool Santa themed amusement park called Holiday World and Splashin' Safari! Apparently, the town was once named Santa Fe and had to change their name because there was already a Santa Fe, Indiana. Wanting to keep at least the name "Santa", Santa Claus, Indiana was born.
Amazingly friendly staff and just as amazingly fun rides fill the park, which has sections themed after different holidays throughout the year, Christmas, Halloween, Thanksgiving, and 4th of July. Spashin' Safari isn't exactly holiday themed, but it's so much fun and has so many water slides, you'll forgive the park for losing the theme on this one section.
The wooden roller coasters are thrilling and match (if not beat) any of their newer, metal counterparts. Each coaster beats the last...that is...until you get to the Voyager. Nothing is beating that one!
Fun note - The park gives away sunscreen and soda. Yes, you read that correctly. Free soda. Whereas other parks charge 5 to 10 bucks per drink, these guys are giving them away. If they can do it, why can't all the rest?
Shipshewana
You like flea markets? Do you also like Amish? If your answer to both questions was "yes", then this place is for you. Indiana has an Amish Country similar to Pennsylvania, complete with Amish tours, horses, buggies, and all the fun no electricity can bring. Shipshewana is the heart of Indiana's Amish Country.
Plus, in Shipshewana, there's a HUGE famous flea market which is the biggest in the Midwest and is filled with hundreds of vendors, many selling Amish crafts and foods.
