When you think of a city like Indianapolis, you think of certain recreational draws. The Indie 500 is of course the most well known attraction in the city, featuring the very latest in car engineering whether it is a drive pulley or torque management. There are also major sporting attractions, including the recent Super Bowl contenders the Indianapolis Colts. However, the city's cultural features are largely unheralded, particularly when one thinks about the attention received by museums and theaters in other large American cities.

And when it comes to attractions specifically marketed towards children, well they tend to be right off the radar for most people. However, there are many reasons for a family to be interested in exactly what there is for children to do in a place such as Indianapolis. Attractions geared towards younger generations are great places to go in winter, when mom is at work with an architect in Canada and dad is looking for somewhere to go. A place such as the Children's Museum in Indianapolis offers a great opportunity for parents to further the education of their children while entertaining them as well.

Maybe you have never heard of a children's museum. In concept, they are quite simple. In a traditional museum, there are displays protected by glass, ropes, or other methods which prevent the public from coming into contact with displays. You may see an exhibit of the first oil rig to use Allis Chalmers pump parts, but if you want to actually see how it works, forget about it.

Needless to say, this hands off approach is not exactly child friendly, as anyone who has taken a kid to a traditional museum knows well. It's almost more fun to sit pretending to be a bond tester, judging whether glue or gum is more effective. However, a children's museum offers something totally different. Instead of a design keeping hands off, the displays at these museums are designed to encourage interaction with the exhibit. Through the hands on approach, they help children learn as well as entertaining them.

And when it comes to sheer size, there is no bigger children's museum in the world than the one in Indianapolis. Built in 1952, this museum is also one of the oldest of its kind in the world. With bold primary colors and child focused safety features, the museum contains six different levels which all focus on different areas of interest to children.

Those areas include all major areas of science, from biology to anthropology and technology. The incredibly popular Dinosphere features interactive exhibits, including fossils, based on prehistoric fauna. There are also displays wherein children can discover how hydrovac systems greatly assist archaeologists in their work unearthing fossils.

Some of the exhibits in the museum are more entertainment focused than others, such as indoor carousel on the fourth level. However, children of all ages, as well as their parents, will find that the experience here is unlike that of any other museum, and is learning fun for everyone.