Very nice museum to spend a couple hours. The exhibits were fun and engaging for all ages! The museum explores the history of Indiana, starting even before the first ice age going all the way to today! The exhibits were detailed and full of information! They also offer an IMAX movie and have a gift shop, convenient parking, and an outdoor area by the canal. We had an amazing time there!

This is a really big museum. Lots of cool displays. All well presented. You need 4-5 hours to see it all. Very educational

I have never been to the Indiana State Museum before today and I am glad I finally went, it was fun for the whole family there is something for all ages. I really liked the prehistoric history of Indiana and my kids enjoyed learning about the important things that Hoosiers had done through the years. There was a food court that was nice and a cool gift shop. We took the train ride on the third floor for the Christmas special and my kids thought that was fun. If you use the parking garage ask about a discount from the ticket desk.

This place has something that every age group can see. I really liked the clock outside the museum.

I loved it! All the knowledge and exhibits were so exhilarating! I wish I could have stayed longer but, it will take all day just to read and look at all of the exhibits. But it was worth it! If you want to get to know Indiana, this is the place to start.

The museum isn’t very big but it’s good for couple hours visit. The nature section and the vintage car section have good collections. There is an origami section where they have many tools to make your own paper craft. That was pretty fun!

Indiana State Museum Indianapolis, Indiana Diverse and deeply informative museum focusing on Geology and Habitat ...Expansion and Statehood ...Industrialization and Technology. The Indiana State Museum is well designed ...on three main floors... And showcased beautifully. The Museum is a 'Teaching and Learning' Museum with a plot and storyline... to follow. The descriptions are 'smart' ...and well thought out... Overall very insightful ...'focused on the true identity of Indiana... 'Touches a lot of bases all equally important to the State. Parking is available at the White River State Parking Garage ...enter on W. Washington Street... A very nice museum and well worth your visit. Allow at least 3 hrs to cover all aspects and signboards. You'll learn something new.

The museum is full of hands-on and interactive exhibits, and the lady that we talked to in the microscopes lab on the first floor was very nice and willing to tell us all about the exhibits. We ate at the farmers market cafe, and it was great as well. The prices for the grilled cheese of the day included hand cut chips and a free cup of water. Overall had a good time and we would come visit again.

I had the pleasure of photographing a wedding at the Indiana State Museum on Leap Day 2020. I had been looking forward to photographing the wedding since my couple booked, with such a unique location choice for their reception. Indiana State Museum certainly did not disappoint. They did an incredible job with ensuring everything was well taken care of for my clients, including security to ensure nothing went awry during their reception. We were able to go behind the museum along the canal during sunset and capture some gorgeous portraits just the two of them. This was the perfect breather for my couple between traveling from the ceremony and starting their reception. The food was divine, and the night was magical. If you are a couple looking for a venue in Indianapolis for your wedding reception, I can't recommend Indiana State Museum highly enough!

Lotta people but the exhibits were awesome esp the mammoth and fossils! The people working those exhibits were super friendly and informative and made us excited to hear about it all. Thank you 😊

You can spend a whole day here and not run out of things to do! Plenty of family friendly exhibits. Great for kids. A variety of exhibits from mastodons to motor cars, historical figures, Indiana celebrities, native Americans, Black history and more. We enjoyed our lunch in the cafe. The prices are a little higher, so you may want to eat before you come if you are feeding a family. I highly recommend this museum.

All new experience for our family! We usually got to the Children's Museum but my oldest Granddaughter is now 12 and wanted to show her some more Adult Art! Very enjoyable and they had experiences for all ages! We will be back!

This museum is rarely busy and that’s a shame. It’s incredibly fun, interesting, and cool. They have a ton of interactive activities for kiddos. It’s substantially less overwhelming and stimulating compared to the children’s museum.

What a great place to learn, listen touch, and feel Indiana. I enjoyed interacting with displays instead of just reading something on a sign. Thank you for an enjoyable afternoon. Pro Tip: make sure you try the food at the Cafe, the food is amazing

My friends and i took a trip out to indianapolis to see the Oppenheimer 70 MM film print in the imax theater. We drove all the way from the quad cities iowa, illinois area to watch it in the indianapolis state museum and we were not disappointed by the quality and sheer scale of the screen. The sound system was superb and it sounded like everything was happening all around you all at once. So crisp and the voices seemed to be coming straight from the screen itself. The snacks were tasty and good popcorn. The seats weren’t terrible but not the best seats i’ve ever sat in. Can’t complain about the seats at all. The screen itself was so wide that if you look over the railing the drop in front of the screen is about 15-20 feet. And the movie fills most of that screen for a good majority of Nolans masterpiece. Can’t recommend it enough. Unfortunately we didn’t get to check out the museum beforehand but they had some really cool old memorabilia on the way to the imax theater. I’m sure they have really really cool things to show around there. All in all, 100% worth the 5 hour trip and would do it again just to visit the museum itself and look at indianapolis.

Beautiful museum campus. There is lots to read and learn. Entertaining and enlightening for both kids and adults.

We only saw the outside. Excited to go in next time. Loved the spot for dogs

We went to the Children's program today and it was first class all the way. The stem style activities and story book were a perfect learning experience for my 4yo. There aren't a lot of places that provide quality learning experiences since the pandemic, but this is one of them! Hand and Mask Hygiene observed which was very welcomed! Thanks for a great experience.

Had a great time. Not to strenuous to walk around. Kids had fun with all the hands on things to do. Pendulum "clock" is awesome

Spent a fun afternoon in the Indiana History Museum before watching a movie at the IMAX. The bottom floor had a number of interesting fossil and animal exhibits while higher floors contained more recent human history. I particularly liked learning about the stone carvers in Bedford and all the geological dig sites in the state. Fun place to explore for a couple of hours. Would recommend for kids and history enthusiasts.

This is a great and expensive museum centering around all things Indiana. From geology to recent celebrities hailing from the state, you get a great all around experience here. They also do a great job of setting up the exhibits so that both children and adults can appreciate the information. Plan for about two hours to go through everything. There is a relatively cheap underground parking garage right next door.

The people working the mammoth and fossil exhibits were awesome and very informative! These r the types of people u want working at the museum. Thank you 😊

Great place to visit. Wasn't a lot of people. Can walk around at your own pace. Took about 1.5Hrs to walk through.

Wonderful experience. Plenty for the whole family to look at and learn. I even got to see the pendulum knock over a peg and i learned which tv my 72 year old father first had. Definitely would recommend.

We had a great time and staff very friendly. Worth the time. We went for a walk on the white river state park after that and it was gorgeous.

Really cool Museum surrounded by a beautiful river walk. There is a water fall and a walk by the river that covers most of Indianapolis. It's a great place to exercise, running, biking, etc. There are multiple statues by local artists. Definitely one of the better maintained parks and very safe

Great place to spend a day. It has three levels. Lots of vintage cars. So if you love cars and history of cars you would definitely love it. Before visiting this I didn’t know Indiana had so many car companies. The natural history part is not rich enough but worth visiting. The museum also has a IMAX theater inside it. A small beautiful lake surrounds the museum and you can walk around it.

I mean it’s small and I would have loved to explore one of the exhibits however there were at least six different narratives from various voice overs that just scrambled my brain. Loved the old cars and the “did you survive the journey” and some of the Lincoln furniture. Look for the dire wolf! Also… exactly how big is the mastodon problem in Indiana?? There is an imax theater which impresses me, and the interactive hands on for the littlest visitors makes this a great place for children. Currently, the biggest box office hits are Oppenheimer and Barbie. They’re showing the Oppenheimer movie.

Went as a chaperone for my daughter's 3rd and 4th grade split class field trip in March 2023. It was great. Our group had a blast! It was a lot of exhibits and activities to do! We were able to do an 🏞️ outdoor activity drawing right by the river that flows through. We got to see geese floating around! I posted a pic of the "friendly goose" nosying around checking us out! The only thing that I didn't really care for was that a lot of the activities and exhibits or shut down while we were there. Also a negative was there was a man who was running and activity / exhibit. He had these really big telescopes and you were able to look through them and see what it was like to look through them. One of the children didn't completely follow his instructions of what to do and he snapped at her. So I voiced my opinion and let it be known that I didn't appreciate him speaking to her that way. Thank you for a wonderful time from Miss Berry's 3rd and 4th grade split class 2022/2023 from L.C. Schmitt Elementary School in Columbus Indiana!

Such an awesome museum! Lots to see, and very welcoming. So many things for kids and adults alike to explore. Plenty of interactive exhibits. I'd love to go back soon!

Layout and look of the mueseum was very nice. A lot of exhibits were interactive which was fun. Beautiful decorations for Christmas.

Loved the Santa's workshop "Celebration Crossing" and the ride-on train "Snowfall Express" through a magical forest of animals and moving winter scenes! I would highly recommend going next year. It was not too busy when we went on Christmas eve. We rode the train 4 times!!

I had so much fun with my 3yr old niece! She loved the animal and the prehistoric exhibit. In case your little one is distracted or not interested in an exhibit, they have plenty of children's activity tables throughout the museum. Great time for the whole family!

We held our math competition at the state museum. The team was phenomenal. They really aided us in creating a first class event.

Underground parking helped avoid the effects of winter weather. The central corridors had a number of seasonal (Christmas) displays and activities. The exhibit areas had detailed displays covering regions of the state along with the peoples, animals and geology in it. If you are interested in details, you can spend plenty of time satisfying your curiosity here.

Grand scale of exhibits for all ages is very impressive. I particularly liked the Hoosier Salon Art exhibit on the third floor. Indiana has a lot of talented artists.

Beautiful museum easy access to the park, the Canal Walk and Eiteljorg Museum. It has so many activities for all ages including IMAX Theater. I'm very impress of my state to have such a world class museum to offer.

Didn’t think that my friends and I, would spend at amazing time at a museum. But we did. The museum had a lot of interactive games that you could play with friends, which made it very interesting. I’ll definitely start bringing my friends here .

The museum is very interesting as it has something for everyone. At this moment they are getting ready for Santa to visit 🎅! The historic children's trai ride will be going as well, and not to mention the tea room with their wonderful food offerings and the breakfasts with Santa. There will also be a Daniel Tiger exhibit and breakfast. For even more fun enjoy a walk down the canal. There's underground parking that leads directly to the museum, a great gift shop filled with both Indiana themed merchandise, to cute gifts and stocking stuffers. And don't forget to get your picture taken with Santa or the giant Indiana obelisk.

This is a must see for everyone. Great entertainment, price is ok. So many things to do. I highly recommend that you go.

The Indiana State Museum is a family favorite. There is plenty to see for every age and interest. I feel like the staff is doing a phenomenal job of keeping the museum as safe and and as disinfected as possible during Covid (while also being very welcoming and helpful to visitors). We appreciate that.

Very nice aesthetic. Well organized exhibits.

Favorite movie theater. They could have butter for the popcorn, but other than that it's great.

We took our 3 yr old Granddaughter to see Daniel Tiger exhibit. Really cute. She enjoyed it alot. Went through some of the other exhibits while we were there. Enjoyed our Saturday afternoon.

A WONDERFUL experience! I enjoyed the Polar Express and the nostalgia of viewing the holiday window scenes that were the norm for now defunct L.S.Ayres. Every floor is an adventure. Very low crowds!

I love museums! My kid loved the building blocks in the entrance and of course the train had her captivated!

Indiana State Museum certainly did not disappoint. They did an incredible job with ensuring everything was well taken care of for my clients, including security to ensure nothing went awry during their reception.

It is ok actually just went to the IMAX to watch wonder woman 1984,.

Great exhibits, the cafe uses recyclable materials, excellent covid precautions. Takes a whole day to see everything! Lived it!

Really nice decorations. Nice and helpful people. Missed getting normal Christmas pics like we did before corona but couldn't help it.

Very interesting and interactive for kids

Awesome place to go..Celebration station awesome!

Amazing as always. The state Museum has the best Santa even with covid 19 he was still great with the kids! The museum itself has done a great job with the pandemic.

Real nice

Very interesting

I love it is so much fun I love the history and It is good for you and your family AND kids and your teenagers

Interesting museum. Well kept.

They have fone a great job capturing our history!

(Translated by Google) A very nice interactive museum. The children were delighted. (Original) Очень приятный, интерактивный музей. Дети были в восторге.

That was the first time my wife and I visited the museum and we had a great time and want to take our kids so they can enjoy our history of Indiana

Extremely helpful staff and wonderful exhibits

Very nice and interesting

Had a very poor experience with the Daniel Tiger exhibit and staff. Attempted to speak with the front ticket counter and was basically shrugged away. We were having a great visit until then, which kind of ruined the day for us. Not sure who else to reach out to about the issue as it didn’t seem of importance to any staff present this afternoon.

Clean

Nice, clean, interesting and uncrowded.

Very educational good experience great exercise

My wife and I stopped by here when we were visiting Indy for the weekend and staying at a nearby hotel. I can only speak for the IMAX theatre and the staff there. Everything other than the theatre seemed closed since it was 7 pm and during COVID season. The theatre was nice and a step above the standard IMAX at a typical theatre like Regal. The staff at the ticketing and concessions stand were very friendly and helpful.

Interesting collection.

Great for all ages. Those exhibits are amazing and insane.

I really enjoyed it! Nice exhibits and sanitizing stations all around!

Very interactive and informative.

its another world.......

Always a delight to go to the Indiana State Museum. My family loves to visit the new parts of the museum and the IMAX.

Very clean, very educational. Also loved the IMAX theater.

Best imax in IN

Great place to learn about Indiana history.

Everything was closed

(Translated by Google) Cool, even on the outside (Original) Chido, aunque sea por fuera

I took my three kids and they had a blast.it has a lot so it is worth the membership bc you have to go more than once. Plus you get so much extra with the membership that it pays for itself if you are a road trip family!!! Me and my wife also had a great time. My kids are 2,7,9 for the record too!!!

Lots of fun exhibits to visit about different time periods in Indiana. Good activity for during COVID as items are cleaned regularly with many sanitizing stations. A little pricier than I thought it was going to be to walk through but can provide entertainment for hours.

Lots of information to learn and interesting exhibits for all age groups. Very clean and covid friendly

Great homeschool STEM classes.

Pleasant and helpful staff. Be sure to get your parking ticket validated

Great focus on Indiana history and natural history. I enjoyed it but I am not buying a membership.

Very informative! Always great to see Indiana history.

It wasn't crowded, and the employees were following CDC guidelines.

Amazing place to get lost in! They also hold amazing exhibit shows!

First time being there. It was great,awesome experience. And admission was free with a canned food item on MLK DAY.

A real fun a unique way to look into the past

Great experience could have used more exhibits.

Wasn't greeted by the lady at desk. When my husband went in before me, from a distance she ask my husband can she help him while he was headed to the movies. When he told her she told him where to go even tho it was right exactly where he was headed which is next to her desk. I and others who walked past her she did not say one word to us at all. I don't know maybe it was me. Other than that the movies was real clean. Was real quiet no noisy people which made the movie enjoyable. The guy at the movie desk was real helpful and kind very social which was a plus.

Use to come here before covid for lunch since they had a good rotation of menu. But with covid, it looks like the kitchen it's fully open back up to their full menu which is sad to see. Food is still good quality. Always nice to eat outside in good weather and view and the downtown skyline.

The museum has a paid parking garage - they validate parking for $5 when you buy the ticket. I like the way the museum is set up, the transition between different periods in Indiana's history is smooth and engaging. A part of the exhibit is currently closed for restoration. They have a cafeteria on campus and restrooms on each floor.

Very nice state museum. Plenty of local history that you can learn about Indiana. As well as some other cool artifacts from other areas around the world. Worth stopping if you like museums

Great museum of Indiana culture and history. It also has a really nice IMAX theater with showings of all the new and exciting movies. The exhibits are really nice, and change enough so there’s always something new to see. The parking is also very convenient. Great place to spend the day with family, and especially with kids! The only downside is the price. It can get expensive with multiple adults and kids, but the price is comparable to museums of similar size and collections.

We have enjoyed each visit to the Indiana State Museum and the IMAX theater. There are many exhibits on science, art, and culture. I like the the history of Indiana as it is shown from prehistoric times up to the present. The museum is also the state's largest IMAX screen.

Very happy visit. Very clean. Sanitation stations well placed. Staff was super friendly. Exhibits were well taken care of. Can't say one thing or the other was preferred because the family had an overall great experience. Even got a parking voucher. Look forward to returning again in the near future. Great experience for all ages alike. Was very peaceful and not rushed at all even on a weekend day. Keep up the great work and the support to local artists was awesome. Will be visiting again soon. Loved the addictions exhibit.

Went here for the New Year's Eve family themed party. $16 per ticket plus parking. Nice atmosphere, good DJ and several activities for young kids like face painting and a small train ride. Several people in Star Wars authentic looking costumes mingled in the crowd adding a bit of magic to the evening. Balloon drop at 8 pm made it possible to get the kiddos home at a decent time. Only disappointment was the lack of food or drink for purchase. Yes, there was the concession outside the IMAX theater but it closed early. And there was a Powerade vending machine but I was left wanting more. But overall, a nice evening.

The museum is a great way to learn about the state, the land, the several tribes that lived here, and the history. It's a great way to spend several hours. Parking wasn't well marked, though you can park under the museum. I'd recommend walking or Lyft if you are relatively close as parking is pricey. The food was better than most restaurants and probably the best food for any museum, including the Smithsonian. My only issue is the utensils were wood. I get being cognizant about recycling, just use washable metal utensils or find something similar to plastic. Prices are airport level, though food is worth it. Great job with the layout, and my condolences to Fred, he was just trying to get lucky!

Its a great place for detailed experience about art, sculpture, science, history, wild life, kids fun and a complete full day experience. Tickets are a lil over priced but if you're visiting indianapolis via city pass, then you surely won't like to miss this place.

I absolutely love bringing my daughter here. The galleries feature displays that are eye-catching, educational, interactive, and fun all in one. I think the building itself is very attractive, too, with intriguing architectural features and art and lots of wide open spaces. I also enjoy the fact that I can make a day of it by walking and visiting other spots along the canal or having a picnic on the big grass lawn. My only wish is that there were one or two more permanent galleries so we could stay longer.

We were only able to spend an hour and a half here and didn't get through everything. Lots if good information on both the natural and cultural history of Indiana.

I loved this museum! The first-floor exhibits were a lot of fun and encouraged playing with your senses. The historical exhibits were interesting and laid out well. I also enjoyed the natural history section. You can play "spot the animal" as there's usually a sign with the animal nearby.

It is a cute place. Kids ages 6-11 would probably really love it. I liked the interactive displays but I'll be real, there is a LOT of reading involved, and if that's not really your thing, you'll wear out quick

Spacious, clean and full of interesting history nuggets. I went on President’s Day so it was free, and they gave a parking voucher so the garage parking was at a reduced rate. I saw a bunch of different exhibits and ended up walking the canal as it connects out back! This music is obviously specific to Indiana, so there’s history documented the growing pains this state has gone through over the years. Definitely recommend checking this out at least once if you’re based in Indy.

This museum is right on the canal. It's absolutely beautiful and close to Military Park! Don't forget to visit the IMAX theater as well

Very nice place for kids and family. Nice walk outside on canal. Only problem they close early

The museum was informative and interesting. We went for a class trip. We had trouble at times getting or finding some answers to questions.

We drove in from Cincinnati, to catch the 15/70mm film version of Oppenheimer. First time visiting the Museum, and it was impressive and efficient. Tickets and communication prior to the film was great, with helpful tips regarding parking locations, and the recommendation to arrive early due to no trailers. The screen is epic in size, and worth the trip.

More geared towards children and interactive exhibits. Multiple floors of an Indiana exhibit. It was pretty neat to see everything but it would have been nice to have more direction rather than just kind of flowing with the crowd