Katie Hatfield Knight

While I love exploring my home state and region with Leo sometimes it’s nice to get away! After researching places that are close we decided Indianapolis would make a perfect overnight adventure. We linked up with our good friends Alaka, Matt and Minor and made our way up for the night. Here are the top three things to do with toddlers!

1. The Indianapolis Children Museum : This was the main reason we chose Indianapolis and it did NOT disappoint. There were so many interactive exhibits that were fun for both the toddlers and the adults! However, there is an area specifically designed for friends who are under 5 called the Playscapes and we could have made a day just in there! I was afraid that the boys may have been too young to really enjoy it, but they had a BLAST! Leo fell asleep before we had time to go to the outdoor exhibits, but we are happy to have a reason to go back!

2. Smiley’s Indoor Playground and Arcades – I have to give full credit where credits is due and Alaka was the one who found this place! Talk about sensory overload in the best way. There is a MASSIVE ball pit with a variety of slides and toys for all ages. While that was fun, we spent the majority of our time there in a rice pit. It was exactly how it sounds. It was just a rice filled pit that included a variety of shovels, buckets and construction truck toys. The lights were dimmed, there was a projector with ocean friends going, and very calming music playing in this area. Beside of it was another ball pit that was smaller and easier for the boys to wade through. We were able to score a Groupon and just had to purchase the grippy socks (mandatory for you to enter for sanitary reasons). To be honest, I think this was just as fun as the museum. If you are going to be in the area, I highly recommend checking it out. It’s an easy place to burn some energy!

3. The Downtown Canal Walk – We stayed at The Marriott Courtyard downtown that was within walking distance to The Canal Walk. We loaded up the wagon and walked down the canal. This was a great way to get outside and look around at what all lined the canal! This was a great way to stretch our legs after the car ride up. I will say there was a lot of bicycles/motorized scooters so you have to be mindful about where you are walking!

Overall, we had a great trip! It was so fun to get out of town with our friends and see what a city so close to us has to offer. We will FOR SURE be going back to explore even more and return to our favorite places!