A fun spot for a browse and lunch. We didn't get a chance to explore the museum but spent some time…read morein the gift shop and the cafe. Both have a lot of choices and are a relaxing environment. The meal was good and I thought cooked well for such a small cafe. I enjoyed the bookstore/gift shop offerings and was able to buy some things as gifts for others from Indiana. I'd go back for sure to enjoy the museum or just to meet someone for lunch!

What an amazing venue for a private event! I attended a…read morefundraiser for Storytelling Arts of Indiana on April 11, 2026. The Basile Theatre has wonderful sound and acoustics. The entry area had plenty of room for the crowd of 100+ plus food tables, a bar with drinks, and a merchandise table. The private parking lot is also a plus. The entry to many events, like the fundraiser includes parking.

Oldfields is one of my favorite spots to visit in Indianapolis. I visit a couple times each year,…read morebut my favorite time to visit is during the Christmas season when the mansion is decorated for the holidays. Oldfields was designed by noted architect, Lewis K. Davis, in 1910 for the family of Hugh Landon, an executive of Fletcher Trust. The Landon family lived in the house from 1913-1932, when the house was sold to J. Lilly, Jr. the Lillys donated the property to the Arts Association of Indianapolis in 1966, where it became part of the present day Newfields Art Museum. All this information is summarized in detail on placards in the basement of the home. The home is huge, of course, and has been restored and maintained to its 1913 glory. I like to imagine living in the home during the early days. There is a music room, library (built by Lilly), dining room, pantry, kitchen. The upstairs bedrooms are not opened to the public. Downstairs there is a billiards room and carriage house. Information about each room is described on small boards. Paintings of a young Ruth Lilly, adorn several walls. The back of the house overlooks the White River. Gardens surround the mansion and make a delightful springtime stroll. During Winterlights, the front grounds are filled with Christmas lights that dance to the music of the Indianapolis Symphony. In the basement, there is a small gift shop that sells the "shirt" and seasonal gifts. Admission to the museum (or Winterlights) includes a self guided walking tour of the mansion. The home is definitely worth a visit.

Oldfields - Lilly House & Gardens at Newfields. The gardens, 26-acre grounds, and the mansion are…read morebreathtaking! I recommend watching the history movie in the theater in the basement as it will take you through the history and then tour the house. Definitely a must see when in the area and at the Indianapolis Museum of Art. All the names are kind of confusing. Oldfields is the Lilly House and Gardens that is at Newfields which houses the estate, The Virginia B. Fairbanks Art & Nature Park, the Beer Garden, and the Indianapolis Museum of Art all worth checking out and make for such a wonderful experience.

It was very heartwarming to see my grandpa's WWII uniform on display for Veterans Day at the…read moremuseum. I really like the museum and appreciate what they do to honor and celebrate our veterans of the past.

Great hidden gem in Fort Harrison State Park. Although I'm not a huge history buff, I found the…read moremuseum very interesting. They have a large variety of different artifacts in the museum and all the artifacts had great descriptions. I especially loved all the clothing/uniforms from various wars. The staff was very friendly and knowledgeable. Also in the museum is a library which contains hundreds of history books. Whether you're a history buff or not, this museum is worth a visit!

We had a delightful tour with former Carmel Fire Chief Jim Martin and his trusty fire dog, Sparky…read more Jim opened the museum just for us and patiently explained the different engines, their eras, and various firefighting equipment on display. This display is certainly a labor of love for Jim and other fire fighters, especially Sparky! There is no charge, but on the front of one of the engines is a QR code for donating (be generous). And Sparky happily accepts treats!

The museum is by appointment only but I highly recommend calling Jim and setting a time to see the…read moreexhibit. There are several firetrucks on display and Jim let my 5yo and 2yo climb into the trucks, ring the bells, and sound the horns. Jim knew the history of the trucks and where they came from and had a phenomenal display. An enjoyable experience for all young and old.

So cool! Would recommend if you're into Police History or if you have older kids!…read more We stopped in here on a hot Thursday morning. The A/C felt great! It's free to enter but they do have a little area off to the side if you wanted to make a donation. Inside was full of old police cars, motorcycles, flags, uniforms, tons of pictures, and so much more. We brought 2 toddlers and I probably wouldn't recommend that unless they're strapped in a stroller or are very mindful. A lot of the displays have signs that state, "Do not touch." That was hard for them to understand when everything looked so cool. They're only open certain days so check online before you make the trip. I would recommend checking this place out!

The Indiana State Museum is a great place to bring the kids or visitors to see vintage police…read moreequipment and learn about how investigations have evolved over the last 90 years. There is no charge to visit the museum. I took my granddaughter today because she likes mechanical things. There is a scavenger hunt for the kids that helps them learn about different police history. The kids can even do their fingerprints. The museum has about nine iterations of immaculately maintained police cars including a double sided car that is mind boggling. I enjoyed reading about the history of famous resident, James Dillinger. Old polygraph machines, breathalyzers, cameras, and finger print technology are on display. A wall of photos of fallen officers is also a good reminder of how police put their lives on the line to keep us safe. The tour is self guided and takes about an hour to complete. Reservations are not required. Staff is available if you have questions. We picked up a coloring book and a state map. There is also other information available. There is a small gift shop if you want a shirt. Restroom facilities are also available. There is plenty of parking including close handicapped parking.

My husband and I went to the Indianapolis Museum of Art and had a wonderful experience. Taking up…read morethe second and third floors of the Newfields building, there is so much to see here. You could easily spend the entire day here and still have more to see. The museum features art from around the world as well as special temporary exhibits. While we were there, the museum featured an exhibit on furniture and design as art. I highly recommend the Indianapolis Museum of Art.

I've been to the museum probably approximately four times since '99…read more I was able to enjoy free entry at one time years ago unless there was a special exhibit in which there was a fee. Regardless, this is an exceptional museum, and it is worth the price to get in even to see the features and exhibits. I saw the Georgia O'Keefe exhibit years ago. It was stunning. Recently I went to see the Salvador Dali exhibit. Wow wow and wow. Did I mention wow?! I am a HUGE fan and have been for many years. I was fortunate to go the main museum in St. Pete Florida years ago. That was mind blowing and stunning, and the IMAs exhibit also did not disappoint. The movie feature that is illuminated on many walls in two connecting and flowing rooms in the first main area you walk into is magical and outstanding. It showcases and touches on Dali's life from childhood until his death. It discusses his art as it morphed and progressed into a deeper and more profound surrealism. I would go again just to try to watch the cinematic feature to absorb it more because it was immense and intense. I would also recommend the room on the second floor that is a meditative experience. There are abstract images that slowly move and change projected on the ceiling. They also play soothing dreamy music. You can sit and recline on chairs in the room to get a better and more relaxed view. I don't recall that exhibit being there since the last time I visited the museum. I am looking forward to seeing the winter/holiday lights at Newfields soon.

Five stars all the way for the Pendleton Historical Museum! The displays are wonderful to look at…read moreand the people who volunteer there go out of their way to help you if you ask about specific things you want to know about. I wasn't able to see this place the first time I came to Pendleton after it was built in 1997 because we only spent one day here and it was a weekday. The museum is only open on the weekends. The next time I came to town I made sure to be here by a Sunday just so that I could come to the museum and I was extremely disappointed when I found out they were only open through October so I wasn't able to see it in 2007 either. When I came back in 2008 it was August and I had more time to spend in town so I went to the museum two or three different times. One thing that makes it fun for me is that it is housed in the old Bathhouse where my brother and I used to go when we wanted to swim in the town pool, a dammed-up section of Fall Creek, in the summers during visits to my grandparents. We would go in the front, pay our 10 cents, change out of our clothes which we were probably wearing over our swimsuits, put the clothes in a locker and go out the door on the Falls Creek side to the town swimming area which had steps leading down to the water, a long slide and a diving board. The swimming area closed in the seventies or eighties due to contamination but it looks like it has gotten cleaned up quite a bit since then. I'm glad the old building wasn't torn down and was turned into the Historical Museum instead. I guarantee you won't see everything in one visit because there are so many items there. Many of them have been donated to the museum or the Historical Society while others are on loan. Probably my favorite is all the old pictures, among which I'm always able to pick out a few relatives and ancestors and old family friends. This is the town that my mother grew up in and when I did genealogy research I discovered my mother's side of the family went back four or five generations to the early 1800's. That made looking through the museum and the local cemeteries even more interesting. Among their collections they have old appliances, a player piano with a dozen or so piano rolls, vintage clothing that belonged to various residents, magazines, newspapers, a complete collection of all the yearbooks from the only High School in town starting in 1916 or so and enough extras they're able to sell some to people for $25 each. There are postcards for sale with sketches of vintage buildings, some books on local history you can buy, and a donation jar if you want to contribute to help keep the museum running. If you get into Pendleton on a weekend from April through October be sure to stop in and walk around!

My wife and I are visiting from Florida and I made a point to stop by the Pendleton Museum. The…read moredisplays are fantastic and the history shown is amazing. I enjoyed every moment of my walkthrough.

This is a place that I have only seen on the outside during the Irvington ghost tour. I recently…read morehad the chance to actually visit the inside. What a beautiful building! Located in beautiful historic Irvington you can find the Irvington historical society, located in the Bona Thompson center. The building was actually a part of the original Butler University. It's large and historic, and I think they have kept a lot of the original building in tact. On the inside there are a lot of interesting exhibits, one is on military tattoos which show a lot of pictures of different people with tattoos and the meanings behind them. As well as a lot of older camera parts. There's also some vintage Butler items on display as well. In the basement holds some other displays as well, one on tractors and engines and then one on the angels of west baden springs. All very interesting things! It's worth a visit to check out and lean different things about local and state history!

After hearing from a couple people that I should check out Irvington's Historical Society, I…read morefinally aligned my schedule to be on the east side on a Wednesday afternoon (weekends seem too busy). After parking in the small lot on the north side of the building, I climbed the steps to the entrance and entered the museum. In the central lobby, there are some permanently displayed items including a recreation of the Butler College campus while it was in Irvington circa 1914 and a portrait of one of the area's most influential residents, Bona Thompson. There are exhibit rooms on the left and right and a stairway that leads to more permanent displays which are in various stages of development. The display on the south end was a mixture of photography (antique cameras) and photos of Military tattoos that current college students volunteered to share. The display on the north end was a timeline of the more notable houses in the neighborhood. They were arranged in chronological order of being built with photos, paintings, and sometimes, schematics of the houses. There were narratives about who the people were that built and/or lived in the houses. To make it more interesting, the running timeline shows events outside of Irvington to use as a point of reference to the dates of the homes. Upstairs was an assortment of local artists' work on the stairwell walls, an "Abe Martin" collection of art/stories by Kin Hubbard who lived in Irvington, some military items, memorabilia from Butler College, and a depot/telegraph office room circa 1898. The admission is free, but donations are accepted in the lobby. Exhibits in the wings change out after a couple months and I was invited to come to the Ice Cream Social Aug 4th (one of the Society's most popular events.) This is a nice example of a neighborhood maintaining its history in spite of all the changes that occur. If you have an interest in anything related to the east side, this should be your first stop! Review #2685