[Ravishing]

DH's job has us travelling a lot. His next extended business trip is in Indianapolis. We will be packing up the RV and should be there from early July through October. We have a 1 year old DS.

Can anyone recommend some toddler friendly things to see and do while we are there? I'm not 100% sure of the exact area we will be staying in but I will post when I find out.

Thanks!

 

[CharlieToaster]

You'll love being in Indy that time of year! There are plenty of splash grounds and public pools. The zoo (which has a splash ground) The Children's Museum. And honestly, You will probably do well to get one person memberships to both. You will probably want to spend a lot of time there in the air conditioning! Since your son is so young you would only have to pay for yourself. When we first moved here I was 9 months pregnant with a 3 yo. We went to the children's museum almost every day. It's something to do. There are wonderful outdoor gardens at the zoo too. I have NEVER had a hard time finding other friendly moms in Indy. You will LOVE it! In Indy Proper there are several shady parks. We live North in Fishers. Not a lot of shade here because Fishers and Carmel are rather new but they are VERY family friendly. Parks and walking trails that go through the entire city. You will be here for the State fair which is most of August this year. There are train rides, orchards and farms within a reasonable distance. The Art Museum is free except for the traveling exhibits and have great gardens to walk in (so I'm told, still haven't made it there yet.) October has many, many halloween things going on at the orchards etc.. Oh, and the farmers markets all summer too.

Just about anywhere you go here you will find friendly people and I'm sure one the time is closer we can make plans to get together etc... I have a soon to be 4 yo son and a 1.5 yo son. We have a sand box some come right over! We'll put on the sprinklers and squeeze some fresh lemons for lemonade!

 

[Ravishing]

I found out that we will be in Lawrence, IN. DH will be working in the new Monarch building on the site of the old drive in.

Anything anyone can share about things to see or do in that area would be appreciated.

Thanks!

 

[CharlieToaster]

Lawrence is on the East side on Indy, it's still Indianapolis, just a outlying part really. Is Monarch the management company for the building?

 

[AutumnW]

there's a great park in oaklandon, which is in lawrence. If you see the oaklandon water tower that's painted like a hot air balloon you'll find the park right under it. There is an ap parenting group in indy that meets on the east side once a month and we have a message board of our own. there is also fort ben in lawrence which used to be a military fort but now there are parks and stuff and they have a fourth of july festival there every year. pm me if you want more info about this side of town

 

[Geigerin]

The above suggestions are all great. My favorites include repeats of the above.

Local Sites that charge a fee:

*The Children's Museum is amazing. One of the best in the U.S. IMO, so it's definitely worth the trip, even with a little one. My best friend has a 15 month old, and he loves it there.

*Conner Prairie is great. A living museum with lots of farm animals and activities for young kids. Symphony on the Prairie makes for a good date night for you and DH, too.

Road Trips:
*It's a couple of hours south of Indy, but Holiday World is great fun. They have a water park that's nice for young kids. Very clean and safe.

*Lafayette is about an hour northwest of Indy, but they have a number of spots for kids, including a Wolf sanctuary that I love and a hands-on play station. Sorry, I can't remember names, but I'm sure there's info available on the parks and recreation site.

Local Free Stuff:
*The IndyParks website has the local parks to visit. My favorites are Holiday Park and Eagle Creek. The city parks do not charge admission, unlike Fort Harrison which is a state park.

http://www.indy.gov/eGov/City/DPR/Pa...ParksHome.aspx

*There are a number of greenways in Indy. I'm sure there's one in Lawrence. We live near the Monon trail which is a great place to walk on the weekends. You can meet all kinds of people. Broad Ripple and Carmel both have spots to stop for a bite to eat or do a little shopping. There are links to trails on this site:

http://www.indygreenways.org/

It's hot and humid in Indiana in the summer, so I recommend a lot of morning or evening activities when the heat isn't so bad. There are a number of YMCAs in Indy. They have great kids activities if you have a membership.

I hope you enjoy your stay here. If you are looking for friends to hang out with, our door is always open. Send me a PM, and we can exchange info.