A Grand Weekend in Indianapolis

Indianapolis has a lot more to offer grandparents than just the Indy 500. Check out these ideas for a weekend of fun.

Sharks swim around and above my 2-year-old grandson, JJ. He stands mesmerized in the zoo’s water tunnel. So is his 4-year old sister, Annie, as she sits quietly watching a film on glass artist Dale Chihuly at the children’s museum.

The weekend is filled with dolphins, dinosaurs, and carousels. Add a horse carriage ride and an indoor swimming pool and it’s the perfect grandkids’ weekend getaway. Yep, there’s more to Indianapolis then car racing and cornfields. It’s a year-round destination for the little ones because of the indoor attractions at The Children’s Museum of Indianapolis and the Indianapolis Zoo.

Day One: Oceans inland

When you enter the dimly lit Oceans section of the zoo, it is sort of mysterious, kind of like the ocean itself. Little eyes grow big as they look into the tanks. The pulsating jellyfish look like ghosts, so translucent you can see the shrimp they have just eaten. The sea horses bring giggles. It is more fun watching the kids than the sea life.

From the tanks, it’s on to a touchy-feely place. Would you believe that would be a shark pool? Not the big creatures, but harmless little dog sharks. JJ can hardly wait to get his fingers in the water and touch them. Annie is not so brave. She watches her brother from afar. The zoo staff doesn’t take chances here. “People watchers” stick around the area to make sure nobody gets overzealous and literally ends up swimming with the sharks. It is an awesome experience for the little ones.

“Most kids who touch the sharks will never look at a shark the same way again,” says Sarah Burnette, the zoo’s communications coordinator.

The adults can not only get up close and personal with sharks, but with dolphins. The experience is not only fun, but I come away with a better knowledge of these bright, friendly creatures. First things first. There is a short film on dolphin behavior. Then I squeeze myself into a wet suit and am good to go. Nova, the docile, female alpha dolphin, lets me pet her. She even gives me a wet, sloppy kiss. Humans have kissed me that way, too. The trainer, Jennifer Yackey, shows me different commands. I soon learn that if I move my arm or finger in a certain way, the creatures dive, roll and do flips. The reward for these behaviors is a yucky, dead fish. They eat right out of my hand. There is no accounting for a dolphin’s gourmet preferences.

Outside, weather permitting, the little ones can ride real ponies or mount carved seahorses, penguins, gorillas, elephants, lions, and polar bears to twirl around the carousel. We see plenty of more familiar farm animals in the barn at the Encounters Biome. Annie can’t believe how big the pigs are. JJ just stares.

Day Two: Passport to wonder

The next day we spent at the museum. It is worth the trip to Indy just to visit the world’s largest children’s museum. When we drive up and see dinosaurs “breaking out” of the building walls, my grandchildren are cheering.

The museum has something for kids of all ages. No matter where you are, you will see a toddler tugging on his mom say, “Mommy, look at this,” or an older kid saying, “Wow! This is neat!”

When you enter, there is an enormous water clock. Any kid who can read numbers can read the time on it. Once past the entrance and the dinosaur fossils, a 43-foot tower of multi-colored, glass squiggles grows out of the ground in the five-story atrium. This Dale Chihuly work can awe anyone. Chihuly’s World of Glass shows a movie that takes viewers through the whole glassblowing process. Annie loves it. JJ just wants to play with the glass-like shapes and do his own thing. It is hard to drag the kids to the next exhibit.

But the Passport to the World Exhibit proves to be as much fun. Annie, JJ and mom, Jamie, “ride” a rickshaw. Annie is very interested in seeing the folk art and toy collection and putting her face through the boards that make her look like a Japanese or a Dutch girl. There is a section on how different occasions are celebrated around the world — funerals, birthdays, and weddings. The whole exhibit helps kids to better understand cultural diversity.

Always a winner is the indoor carousel. My grandchildren want to go again until they spot the play house and soda shop. Annie keeps collecting plates, putting them away, taking them out again and serving ice cream. JJ opts for the pre-school center where he can put his hands in the water with the duckies and play in the sandbox. He keeps pouring sand from one cup to another. I think he is training to become a bartender.

Both kids find the ScienceWorks fascinating, especially the Rube Goldberg-type maze. If you push a button, balls roll up, down and through mazes. And would a visit to Indy be complete without seeing a race car? Kids line up to climb in and see how it feels. And all the while, their parents are snapping away.

You’d think everyone should be exhausted by now. Not the kids. It is only me that is ready to go into cardiac arrest.

After dinner in the downtown area, we spot the carriage rides. Annie likes the one horse with the sparkly red, manicured hooves. Then it is back to the hotel. Everyone scampers around looking for their bathing suits. It is time to wildly throw yourself into the pool. The kids have a blast and can hardly wait to return to Indy. We will certainly come back — after a rest.

Getting there: Visitors can fly into Indianapolis International Airport minutes from downtown, or drive into the city on Interstate highways 65, 69, 70, and 74.

Where to stay: CitySearch users voted the pool at the Holiday Inn North at The Pyramids the best in the city. It’s home to the Caribbean Cove Indoor Water Park. Kids 12 and under eat free.

Getting around: City buses run on ultra low sulfur bio-diesel with ten percent soybean ester (oil).

Places to eat: Desserts are free every Friday night at the Paragon Family Restaurant. The Appletree Restaurant slashes 20 percent off all family tabs Wednesday nights.

Find more places to stay, places to eat, and things to do at Indianapolis, the official Web site of the Convention & Vistors Association.