I Visited the Indiana State Museum For the First Time In 25 Years -- It Blew Me Away

Like most children growing up in Indiana, I visited the Indiana State Museum on a fourth-grade field trip.

In the ensuing 25 years, I’ve become an avid traveler, visiting museums around the United States and abroad. However, I had not returned to the Indiana State Museum until this month.

I am thrilled to share that the facility blew me away. In fact, if you live in the midwest, the museum is an option on par with Chicago’s acclaimed Field Museum. My daughters, ages 3 and 6, accompanied me on the excursion and they enjoyed every moment!

My oldest, Lilly, wants to return to visit her new famous friend, Fred the Mastodon — who has even been featured on NPR — very soon, in fact. She took quite a liking to him.

Prehistoric Creatures

Besides Fred and a couple of his friends, including another mastodon and a wooly mammoth, the museum is home to a ground sloth, a giant beaver, a giant short-faced bear [all below], and more. All of these prehistoric animals were once found in what is now the Hoosier State.

One of my girls’ favorite exhibits was an interactive station that allows kids (and adults!) to see exactly how wooly mammoth and mastodon jaws operated.

The prehistory section of the Indiana State Museum also features a replica of an ice-age cave that gets colder as you walk through it. The attention to detail makes you feel like you’ve actually stepped back to the age of the dinosaurs — or thereabouts, at least.

Interactive Exhibits at Gallery One

Gallery One, a permanent installation unique to the Indiana State Museum, features 5,000 square feet of fun engineered to help your entire family see the world in a brand new way.

The gallery features numerous installations, meant to spark conversations among museum-goers of all ages. Ella, my youngest, was fascinated by a historic engine attached to a sound mixing board. Kids can even put on headphones to create their own one-of-a-kind mixes!

We also greatly enjoyed a “scratch and sniff” style game featuring various Indiana scents, including the iconic shrimp cocktail sauce from St. Elmo Steak House and movie theater popcorn, maybe even produced by Hoosier brand Orville Redenbacher’s.

Each of the discs you see in the following photo contains a scent. The object of the game is to match each smell to its corresponding item in the glass case. This is an incredibly fun way for kids to learn about the state without getting the slightest bit bored.

There are also plenty of exhibits grown-ups will appreciate in Gallery One. I was astounded by a room filled with artwork that appears to change depending on the lighting.

If you sit on the bench in the center of the space throughout the entire light show, you’ll see that each piece tells an unexpected story. This immersive experience felt like it should be at MoMA, and I highly encourage you to visit the museum to experience it yourself!

The museum’s official webpage for the gallery shares:

Here, you’ll discover interesting and unexpected pairings of objects from our collection. Our goal is to have you, as our guest, complete the gallery experience—making it relevant and bringing it to life! Our big idea? We want you to interact with objects in provocative, playful, and unexpected ways. It’s about more than just the objects in our collection. It’s all about giving you the space to experience this unique collection in surprising, new ways.

L.S. Ayres Tea Room

As a lover of both the turn-of-the-century and shopping, the L.S. Ayres Tea Room is easily my favorite space in the entire Indiana State Museum.

According to the museum’s details about the elegant restaurant:

The original Tea Room opened in 1905 on the 5th floor of the L.S. Ayres department store at the corner of Washington and Meridian Streets. It was so popular that in 1929 it was moved to the 8th floor and was expanded in size. For 85 years, it was the place to take children (dressed in their best, including hats and gloves) to learn proper manners, for families to gather in celebration of special events, and for women to see the current fashions as shown in “That Ayres Look” style shows. It became very dear to the community, but at a low point in the vitality of downtown, the May Company closed it in 1990.

Today, the Indiana State Museum’s replica of the original Tea Room remains a spot to see and be seen in Indianapolis. Treat your family and friends to a nostalgic lunch buffet in this stunning space that will make you feel as though you’ve stepped back in time for an hour or two.

Upon exiting the Tea Room, your party will be greeted by another one of my favorite exhibits, the L.S. Ayres department store holiday window display from 1983.

Inspired by the Art Deco era, the installation features animatronic holiday shoppers dressed in their winter best.

My daughters and I all could have spent the entire day sipping hot chocolate by this gorgeous display (and very nearly did)!

Celebration Crossing

But if we hadn’t moved on from our department store windows, we wouldn’t be able to show you the adorable Celebration Crossing!

Although everything else in this guide is available to families year-round, this limited-time Christmas extravaganza began on November 25 and runs through January 1, 2023.

In addition to classic photos with Santa Claus and Mrs. Claus [above], Celebration Crossing offers a variety of wintery activities for children of all ages.

From roasting (pretend, of course) marshmallows…

to taking care of Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer and his pals…

to mailing letters to Santa…this is a well-planned area that keeps little ones occupied in a safe, contained area.

We also thoroughly enjoyed the magnetic snowman dress-up board.

Both girls have been asking for one at home all week!

The highlight of the entire visit, though, was the Snowfall Express. This train ride through an enchanted forest — complete with “snoap” just like Disney World’s Main Street, U.S.A.! — features whimsical artwork by Indiana artist Candice Hartsough.

We even brought Bapaw along for the ride.

Kids are given their very own souvenir tickets that get stamped when they board.

I couldn’t believe how adorable the moving woodland creatures were during our two trips on the Snowfall Express. Each time we noticed new scenes, including a mesmerizing depiction of the Northern Lights.

Ella was especially captivated.

We also discovered an elephant wearing glasses, which endlessly amused my girls.

The train engine itself is impressive, and both of my daughters briefly thought they were boarding a Disney World ride, which is a high compliment to the museum staff!

This is only the second year for the Snowfall Express ride, so I sincerely hope you take your family this holiday season if you haven’t visited the museum recently!

We had a truly memorable day at the museum, and I know we’ll be back soon.

This is only a glimpse of all the things there are to see and do at the facility. If you visit soon, don’t hesitate to reach out on Instagram to let me know what you like best!