Minnetrista is an event center and museum that was built in 1988 by the five Ball brothers. The…read moremodern center is part of a complex of museums and gardens on the former Ball property that sits across from the White River in Muncie. There is an admission fee to visit the galleries of $15/adult and $12/child, but the ticket grants admission to the other museums and garden as well. During our visit, we saw the Narwhal exhibit, which is a small exhibit dedicated to narwhals. A curator greeted us at the entrance and was available to answer questions. My granddaughter is a narwhal fan enjoyed the interactive displays. We also visited a special children's exhibit called Good Night Forest. Again a curator welcomed us and invited us to build a backpack and enjoy the nighttime activities set up for the kids. My granddaughter loved the firer fly dance, wandering through the dark forest listening for animals and the shadow puppet show. There were fun and educational activities suitable for all ages. We also visited a permanent exhibit describing the Ball Store History. I liked seeing all the vintage items and describing them to my granddaughter. We also toured a display for a local artist competition. The staff is super friendly and engaging. The center is immaculate and accessible. There is plenty of parking in their dedicated lot. Minnetrista is a great legacy from the Ball family to the community. Exhibits change and can be found on their website. I highly recommend a visit if you like art and history.

Doesn't the name Minnetrista make you think that you'll be visiting a place with puppets? Like…read moremarionettes, right? Well, I hate to disappoint you, but there are no puppets or marionettes here. But there is an exhibit dedicated to Ball jars. Fun fact: Minnetrista was created by the Ball family, who created Ball canning jars, which you can learn about here. They are also the "Ball" behind Ball State University, which is located in Muncie. I had no idea! You will learn interesting facts like these, and others about this area of Indiana, at Minnetrista. The main museum itself is a bit small, and part of it is conference and meeting rooms. But the museum is just one part of Minnetrista. This is actually a 40-acre campus with gardens and paved trails. As you stroll along the grounds, you'll come across some houses. Some of the houses are part of Minnetrista, and you are welcome to pop inside and check out what's going on. What's going on in one of them is an exhibit dedicated to Bob Ross, the painter. At the Bob Ross Experience, you can step inside the historic home where The Joy of Painting was filmed, and see some of the actual filming equipment and art supplies that were used to create the television show. It's sort of surreal that Bob was painting his happy little trees right here in humble Muncie. Some of the houses that you encounter are not a part of Minnetrista, but belong to IU Health or other entities. It's not really clearly marked on the houses which is which. I'm sure if you consulted a map, it might tell you! I consulted no such map, and I was just walking around blindly. I visited during the late fall, when it was cold and the gardens were dormant, for the most part. But I bet this place is amazing in the spring and summer, when everything is in bloom.

Don't overlook the Muncie Children's Museum--we played for over 3 hours and still weren't ready to…read moreleave! Think less traditional museum and more imaginative, hands-on pretend play. A massive upstairs train room A giant bird's nest to climb into A water table with three unique play features An entire pretend-play town with everything from a veterinary office to a marsh A dedicated toddler area An ant maze ...and so much more! Admission: $8 per person (ages 1-100) Hours: * Wednesday-Saturday: 10 AM-5 PM * Sunday: 1 PM-5 PM The museum participates in the Access for All program, offering reduced admission and discounted memberships for qualifying families enrolled in programs like SNAP, WIC, Medicaid, and HIP. Bonus savings: * Find a $1 off general admission coupon online (valid for up to 4 people; cannot be combined with other offers). * Kids who complete the coloring page available at admission can redeem it for a free sand jar from the gift shop. A few things to know: * The building is older, but they're continuing to add new exhibits and experiences. * Only parts of the museum are stroller and wheelchair accessible. Before or after your visit, walk just two blocks to The Caffinery--one of my favorite kid-friendly coffee shops, complete with a play area for little ones.

This place is fine. It isn't an Indianapolis, or an Ogden Utah Children's Museum but this one was…read morefine, especially for a small community and for the price of entry. If it's raining outside or your kids are bored, give it a go.

I love a good hidden gem. The David Owsley Museum of Art is hidden in plain sight, though, because…read moreit's located on the campus of Ball State University, one of the biggest universities in Indiana. So, I guess, if you know, you know. But if you don't know? Then, in the words of the late Biggie Smalls, aka the Notorious B.I.G. (RIP): If you don't know, now you know. Either way, you'll find this surprisingly large art museum in Ball State's Old Quad. Parking is kind of a pain: You'll need to park in one of the metered lots. Make sure you pay! Those campus parking attendants don't play and are always out in full force. The museum houses works of art from all around the world. I saw everything from African masks to Greek statues. It's kind of amazing to me the amount of art this place holds. There are two stories of things to see. I forgot that I was on a college campus -- it really is a real-deal art museum. Best of all: This museum is free! Just stroll right in and peruse at your leisure. Just don't plan to visit on a Sunday or Monday, because it's closed on those days.

What a great, free art museum!!! Enjoyed it very much. Should have went earlier in the day to have…read moremore time to browse.

I have been wanting to go to this place for a few years now after initially seeing it while walking…read morearound Downtown Carmel. I finally remembered to go and was completely delighted in what I found! This place is located on Main Street and has parking specifically for the Museum behind the building, which is also where the entrance is located. Upon walking in, I was greeted by a lovely lady and was offered a Scavenger Hunt and an Audio-guided tour. They have 7 different exhibits, all showcasing different themes. They have an amazing Addams Family miniature creation that I was obsessed with. They are really good at providing context and telling the history of miniaturism. They also have a shop that you can buy miniatures from to create and design your own exhibit! If you are a fan of Miniature Things, awesome history or just enjoy learning new things, then you should definitely check this place out! I look forward to going back and doing the audio-guided tour!

This place is a gem of a find! My friend got tickets from a silent auction and I went along with…read moreher. They do have private parking, but the lot is small and it was surprisingly busy on a Saturday afternoon! We checked in and chose the audio option and also a one page scavenger hunt for each room, which helped to dig into the houses a bit more. I was shocked at the level of detail! So much love and work went into these houses. I was in awe of some of the work completed in them. I definitely had my favorite! You can also buy all sorts of pieces to work on your own house too. My friend is redoing her childhood house for her niece so it was a great way to get the creative juices flowing. Definitely something to check out!

The museum at Earlham College has an amazing collection of fossils and artifacts. The museum is…read morefree and open to the public. It is usually only opened in the afternoons. Although small, they have a complete allosaurus, mastodon, giant sloth, giant beaver and much, much more. You can get close up to the exhibits. They also have a great display of Ordovician fossils with descriptions. You can find many birds and other small mammal specimens native to Indiana. The staff is knowledgable and friendly. They offer tours and programs for kids as well. Nicole was our guide and she was engaged and had a passion for the museum. They have a small gift shop with educational items. If you pass through Richmond, Indiana, this needs to be in your to do list. What a great experience and opportunity to see world class specimens.

Absolutely worth the visit! My children were pulled into the portions of the exhibit that are hands…read moreon! It can seem quick at a child's speed of looking through the exhibits. I think every corner is utilized in a learning experience. They have reptiles too! Something worth looking into are the 'trail talks' the museum offers during warmer weather. My kids will not stop talking about the fossils they collected while on a trail talk lead by two Earlham students. So much fun, but worth wearing the right gear and packing water. *Yes, you do need to wear a mask and show your vaccination card to enter the museum. It is on campus, and therefore abides by protocol of trying to keep campus as safe as possible for everyone.

If it weren't for James Dean, there would not be anything left in Fairmount, Indiana. We rolled…read moreinto town at 9am and saw the large "open" sign on the front porch of an old mansion. There is no charge for admission and this place is stuffed with James Dean memorabilia, down to pages from his grammar school notebook. A 20-minute video showing clips from Dean's early television work is shown in an alcove of the gallery. The back of the gallery contains more general mid-century paperback books and ephemera for sale, along with shirts made by one of the owners. The owners live in the upstairs of the house and have a fascinating personal history that they will share with you, along with tips on everything you can possibly do in Fairmount. The warmth and enthusiasm of the owners is endearing. We didn't even buy anything and they could not have been nicer. We returned the following morning and purchased their memoir, which is being made into a documentary film. The James Dean Gallery is open seven days a week, unlike the James Dean Museum, which was closed the day we were in town (at the height of tourist season).

If you want to know anything about James Dean, please stop at the James Dean Gallery! The owners…read moreare there to answer questions and are very helpful. They have a vintage shop in back of the Gallery that has shirts that a make on site. The people that own the Gallery are very friendly, and very easy to talk to. They make you feel very welcome.

I cannot get over the customer service from the upper management here! We have been long time…read moremembers, because of the fun and educational aspects that fit the different ages of all of our children. my last visit I came in to do some work and enjoy a drink from the cafe, I was sitting tasting my drink and it was a little off from what I'm use to. Emily, (stood up from a meeting with other suits) approached me and asked if I needed my drink remade. I was just in a corner of the cafe minding my business- I had been looking over at the cafe to decide if I should go ask to add some milk to my latte- and she, must have noticed! She got my drink remade and it was just right. Always clean, always safe and care for those visiting from all employess. So glad to be memebers.

I absolutely love the Children's Museum. I'm not an Indianapolis native, so whenever I'm here I…read morealways try to visit. It really is amazing, both inside and out. For other Midwestern natives, it's similar to The Science Center in St. Louis, MO. The museum has a beautiful exterior, which is obvious just by looking at it, but the inside is just as impressive with character statues, beautiful glasswork pieces, and a grand staircase. There are a ton of different areas and displays for those with different interests: space, archeology, and more. The target audience is obviously children, but as a college student, I always have fun going. They strike a great balance between readable information and interactive activities, and a great balance between physical activities (toys, costumes) and digital activities (touchscreens). The Children's Museum has so many special events, which are all easily viewable on their website. I expected them to all be for young kids, but there are actually 21+ events as well, which I wasn't expecting. There's a lot of Halloween-themed events right around now, so I have to assume they do other seasonal events well. I also know that exhibits are sometimes switched out, although I don't know how often they are. Years ago I believe there was a Barbie exhibit that I really enjoyed. In addition, for college students looking to save money, there's free entry on Martin Luther King Jr. Day! So if you want to go, this is a good excuse. I've had the good fortune to take a behind-the-scenes tour, and while I don't think this is accessible to the general public, (with the exception of events few and far between), it was fascinating. I got to see the massive amounts of collection and artifacts they have. Whatever you see on display, there are about ten times more objects in their collections! Switching out these items is how they keep the museum updated and fresh. One area that really stood out to me was a section that displayed all the taxidermy they have-I got to look into the process of how they go about stuffing the animals. It's clear that they put a lot of care and effort into creating the best-quality specimens for their museum. I love the Children's Museum, but if I had to offer one complaint, it would be the crowds. In my experience, the museum is usually pretty full of people. Of course, as a popular museum, that's to be expected, but people planning to attend should be aware. This was most apparent in the dining area, which always seems to be the most crowded. You'll very likely have to wait in line for food, and may even have trouble finding a place to sit. This is a very minor note and did not detract from my enjoyment of the experience at all. Overall, I love the museum, it's a great place to go, especially on a free day.

I had no idea that Wilbur Wright's Birthplace was a roadside attraction. This was pretty cool to…read moresee!

My wife and I visited here at the end of May. It's a small museum, but one that does a good job…read morediscussing the Wrights and their connections to Indiana. Unfortunately, the original house was demolished years ago due to deterioration and safety concerns. The present building is an exact replica built with period-accurate timber. In the house are antiques that paint a picture of the life the Wright family lived during their time here. The property also contains a few other buildings, including the original smoke house. The museum building tells the story of Wilbur and Orville from Indiana to Ohio to the skies. Overall, a fun spot to visit if you're passing through. The only awkward moment was when the older man there noted my wife's Chinese ethnicity and told us how much he "loves Asian girls." That rather soured the experience, but we choose to focus on the better parts of our visit.