Indianapolis' Top 4 Kid-Friendly Attractions

I've visited Indianapolis, the "Crossroads of America", at least a dozen times with children in tow. Whether you're stopping in Indy for just a night or two or spending several days, you'll be pleased with the city's family attractions. Here are my top four picks:

The Children's Museum of Indianapolis

Consistently ranked as one of the top children's attractions in the United States, this huge museum has exhibits and activities for kids of all ages. You'll never run out of things to do and see. My kids love digging for fossils in the Dinosphere area, where you can also find out about dinosaurs and meet real paleontologists.

Smaller visitors will be enchanted with Playscape. Children can dig in the sand, create artistic wonders and construct a fantastic block tower. It's almost impossible to drag preschoolers away from the best water table I've ever seen - they'll be too busy building dams and floating toy boats to want to see anything else.

There's more to the Children's Museum, of course - everything from a huge glass sculpture to an Indy race car you can sit inside. This is one children's museum you won't want to miss.

The Indianapolis Zoo

The Indianapolis Zoo makes the best possible use of every square foot of space. It has many unique features, including the world's largest shark touch tank and the only underwater dolphin viewing dome in the United States. The Dolphin Adventure is just part of the Zoo's dolphin experience; you can also watch a dolphin show.

Not into dolphins? Check out the Deserts Biome, which features a group of perky meerkats. Perhaps you'd rather see some of the Zoo's newest residents. The Zoo has an active breeding program, which means you may have the chance to see baby elephants, giraffes or blue iguanas.

The Indiana State Museum

This museum covers All Things Indiana, beginning with prehistory. You can find out about Indiana's pioneer days or learn about common Indiana plants and animals. The museum's pop culture gallery is full of interesting objects from the recent past - parents, be prepared to see some of your childhood toys preserved in this collection, which will definitely make you feel, well, old.

If you're in town during the holidays, don't miss the museum's annual Celebration Crossing area, complete with a miniature train that children can ride. Holiday magic from days past sparkles in display windows, re-created from those at Indy's famous L. S. Ayres department store.

At any time of year, changing exhibits, permanent galleries and IMAX theater events guarantee that there's always something new at Indiana's own museum.

Peewinkle's Puppet Studio

For some old-fashioned fun, why not attend a puppet show? Peewinkle's Puppet Studio takes you back to the magical days of marionettes and offers family-friendly puppet shows. Tickets for the shows usually cost $8; for a few dollars extra, you can stick around for a behind-the-scenes puppet workshop. Family-run Peewinkle's Puppet Studio combines modern puppetry with the proud history of puppet performance.

If you're visiting during the summer months, you can catch puppet shows in Nashville, Ind., home of Peewinkle's Puppet Studio's sister theater, Melchior Marionette Theater.