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The Children's Museum. Sometimes biggest is best, and this, the largest children's museum in the world, is a smashing hit with kids of all ages. Ramps spiral up five floors, with Dale Chihuly's largest-ever permanent glass installation soaring up through the center. Kids romp and frolic from floor to floor, climbing on the full-sized steam engine in the basement, riding the full-sized working carousel up top, digging for fossils in Dinosphere, and scaling the climbing wall in ScienceWorks. There are oodles of dining options and a mega gift shop. Adults, $14.50; 2-17, $9.50.

• Indianapolis Motor Speedway Hall of Fame Museum. Don't leave town without visiting the museum dedicated to the city's famous two-and-a-half-mile oval, home to the 500, the Brickyard 400 and other races. Adults pay $3, kids 6 to 15, $1, 5 and younger, free. The hall of fame includes 75 of the coolest of cool cars, the Borg Warner Trophy, and a good movie. Double your money and take a ride around the track in a van.


• White River State Park. This downtown park is home to a variety of sites, including the Eiteljorg Museum, a supersized I-Max theater and the Indianapolis Zoo. It is laced with walkways and paths, perfect for biking, strolling and skating. Cross the river on a pedestrian bridge, rent a pedal boat for a leisurely tour on the canal, stop at the Congressional Medal of Honor Memorial to hear amazing tales of bravery. Buy a park pass for access to all sites: $42.00 for adults, $30.00 for kids 3-12, a 25 percent discount when compared to individual tickets.


• Connor Prairie. One of the nation's finest living history museums, with hands-on activities galore. Plan a day because there are five areas to visit: Museum Center, with its indoor play space and restaurant; Lenape Camp, with a trading post and wigwams; Prairietown, where life is frozen in 1836 (Abraham who?); Liberty Corner, a slice of 1886; and the Connor Homestead. Adults, $1; kids, $8. Special activities include Symphony on the Prairie, Friday morning activities for 2-5 year olds, and Follow the North Star, which recreates the experience of fugitive slaves.


• Indianapolis Museum of Art. The grounds are made for romping youngsters; don't miss the Ravine Garden. Inside, head for galleries heavy on objects: Asian, African, and contemporary. At the Star Studio on level one, see the changing exhibit and go next door to create your version. Bring a picnic lunch and eat on the grounds or dine at Puck's, which has a good children's menu. Free admission.


• Indianapolis Zoo. With the addition of Dolphin Pavilion, including the only human-dolphin encounter program in the Midwest, this zoo has morphed from good to great. Kids can pet a shark, feed a giraffe, and be brushed by the wings of an exotic butterfly. Cuddly koalas, spunky dolphins, and lumbering elephants are all just feet away. Rest your senses in the White River Gardens, particularly delightful when thousands of tulips bloom. Don't think of buying a stuffed animal any place else. Adults are $14, youth ages 2-12 are $9.


• Action Duckpin Bowling. Babe Ruth enjoyed this once widely popular sport, played in only ten states today. Indiana claims two locations, this one a classic, straight out of another era (the other's in the basement of the same Fountain Square building). Duckpin bowling appeals to youngsters because pins and bowls are smaller than in regulation bowling. Dine while you bowl; stop at the Fountain Diner for a post-game root-beer float or handmade milkshake. Bowling costs $30 per lane per hour. Shoes are included.


• Indiana State Museum. Ignore the stodgy name and ask for the kids' passport. Youngsters go on a scavenger hunt in the museum, trying activities such as churning butter, and stamp their passports as they complete each one. During the holidays, Peewinkle's Puppet Studio performs, a mini train runs and kids can have breakfast with Santa. Adults are $7, children $4.

Have more time to spend in Chicago? You might want to also consider these fun family vacation ideas
• Eiteljorg Museum. This collection of art and artifacts tells the true story of American Indian life and the settlers' quest for the West. Make sure kids make their way to the lower level to climb into the stagecoach and imagine traveling across, say, Kansas! Adults cost $8, students $5 and children under four are free.


• Circle Centre Mall. The city's toniest shops are up north at the Fashion Mall, but this downtown hub has an enormous array of stores, including Nordstrom's, and GameWorks Studio, a high-tech playground, with Indy racecars and a flight simulator. (Prepare to spend at least $15 per person; no one under 18 after 7 p.m.) Dine at the mall's food court.


• NCAA Hall of Champions. This museum, at 30,000 square feet, is designed to look like a stadium. It contains a theater, interactive displays and memorabilia. You can even try your hand at several different NCAA sports in the Play gallery. Food and retail locations are featured on-site.


• Holliday Park. Step out of the parking lot and into the wild at this 94-acre park, loved for its playground, wooded trails, and nature center. The park is also home to the façade of a building that stood on Broadway in New York City and was moved here in the '50s. Photo op!


• Carter's Toys Museum. Zionsville, with its quaint shops and brick streets, is home to this brand-new museum, more a nostalgia trip for mom and dad than toy nirvana for kids. You can, though, take a spin in a bumper car or a twirl on the carousel; then grab ice cream or lunch at the adjacent ice-cream parlor. Tickets are $7 for adults, $6 for seniors and $4 for children.


• Indiana Medical History Museum. Brains in jars, skeletons preserved in arsenic-need you know more? Not for little ones. Call for (317) 635-7329 for more information.