Just Press Go Travel

Nice weather and spring break were the perfect combination to convince us a last-minute road trip to Indianapolis was a good idea.

Here’s how our family spent the long weekend and what I would do differently if/when we go back!

As always, none of these links are commission – just information and vibes.

Where We Stayed

We stayed at the Residence Inn by Marriott Indianapolis Keystone. Our last several trips we’ve been preferring hotels that offer full kitchens for the ability to store milk in proper fridges, and they come with cleaning soap and a drying rack so that’s two less things for us to pack traveling with bottles.

Pros:

• Full kitchen with refrigerator, freezer, larger sink, dish soap
• Rooms are typically a bit larger and have sofa beds which my toddler has started using
• Free Parking
• Near restaurants and shopping
• 10-20 minutes to soooo many things

Cons

• More like 30 minutes to many of the things that were on my to do list
• Our room was missing a few basics of extended stay hotels including towel hooks and a drying rack (Yes above I mentioned this was a reason we wanted this type of hotel and we were sad it was missing but made due)

We’d stay here again but would also be open to trying a new area. All the activities we did were a bit of a drive, but all our dinners were close by.

Things to Do

Attractions

• The Children’s Museum of Indianapolis | Incredible. 15/10. Only complaint was that it didn’t open until 10 am which is so annoying. Great for kids of all ages, but I do think that for the indoor areas ages 3-10 is probably the sweet spot. My dino loving kid was obsessed with the Dinosphere. The 3^rd floor kids playscape for babies – 5 years old was chef’s kiss. We could have spent a whole day in that area alone for both my 10-month-old and 3-year-old. Another day could have been spent at the outdoor sports experience. We had the best time and highly recommend planning your trip around a day here. If possible, go on the best weather day as the sports experience is completely outdoors.

• Indianapolis Zoo | This was a great zoo! I would say for the time of year we went, this is a solid half day activity. We were there about 2 hours. They seem to have a lot of opportunities to learn about the animals from the Zookeepers, but there were no chats the day we were there. Make sure to keep an eye on the sky when passing the orangutans – they have access to a high rope course that is unexpected!

• Depending on your game plan, Indianapolis offers a multi-day city pass for purchase that offers admission to 8 popular attractions.

Parks

• Founders Park | Great park for kids under 10. There were multiple climbing structures that were good for toddlers and up, a sand box, and a waterscape area running through that I’m sure if fun in the warmer months.
• Holliday Park | Combination of traditional playground and naturescape. Some of the play structure was too big for my 3-year-old, think lots of rope climbing, but there is plenty other areas to make up for it. The star for my son were the slides on the hill. There is also an indoor Nature Center with play area that has great reviews online, but we were short on time and missed out.
• Roy G. Holland Memorial Park | There is a pretty park in the middle of neighborhoods and suburbia…and it was PACKED. We were there around 7:30 pm on a Saturday night and my goodness. There were two play structures, one for older kids and one for younger, along with fields and sand volleyball courts. Would go back…but at like the crack of dawn before everyone else is awake.
• Hummel Park | This is more out on the outskirts of town, west of the airport. This playground was perfect for my kids. So many slides, ramps, and things to climb. There are two play structures, one for younger kids and one for older. My 3-year-old was able to do a good amount on the older kid structure, but there is plenty for older kids as well. 

Places to Eat

• Upland Brewing | Multiple locations around Indianapolis. Great beer, great food. We had terrible luck parking this trip – so I’m going to comment on the great parking situation.
• Flatwater | In a really cute shopping and restaurant area, but parking was rough. Food was good and unique.
• Metro Diner | Delicious diner! We had breakfast for dinner. Service was incredible. This is a chain – but we don’t have it in Missouri, and we were looking for something easy and it was the perfect option. In a shopping center – so zero issues parking.
• Guggman Haus Brewing Co. | We went to the 46^th Street Taproom location. Great service, delicious beer, and solid bar food. The main location is about 10 minutes away and had a more extensive food menu. Parking here is rough.
• The District Tap | Great food, great service, 60+ beers on tap. Shockingly family friendly. We went at 5:30 pm on a Saturday and most tables were families. Parking here sucked – it was packed.

Things We’d Do Different

• Conner Prairie is supposed to be a great activity, but it was operating on winter hours, 10 am – 2 pm. Would love to visit next time we’re in town.
• Hard with nap times, but we’d like to find more time to spend at the Children’s Museum. We had to rush the outdoor sports area to leave for lunch and naps.
• More time at Holliday Park to explore the Nature Center and trails. We did this the same morning as the Children’s Museum to kill time before the 10 am opening.
• Visit even more parks and gardens. There were many more activities I had as potentials – but we ran out of time.

Our Itinerary

Arrival Day

• Founders Park
• Dinner at Upland Brewing

Day One

• 9 am Indianapolis Zoo
• Lunch at Flatwater
• Shopping 
• Dinner at Metro Diner
• Swimming at hotel pool

Day Two

• Holliday Park
• 10 am Children’s Musuem of Indianapolis
• Lunch at Guggman Haus Brewing Co. 46^th Street Taproom
• Dinner at The Distrcit Tap
• Roy G. Holland Memorial Park

Departure Day

• Hummel Park

Questions? Interested in Booking?

Reach out to melanie@simplyperfectvacations.com with any questions, comments, or help booking your next vacation!