Christmas in Indianapolis

Travel

Christmas in Indianapolis

Christmas in Indianapolis

Be delighted and inspired this holiday season with the Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra and the annual Yuletide Celebration. The tap-dancing Santas are a crowd-pleaser. Five-time Grammy Award-winning vocalist Sandi Patty will be this year's hostess for the musical production.

The Indianapolis Motor Speedway Hall of Fame has approximately 75 cars on display, including the 1911 race-winning Marmon "Wasp" and more than 30 other winning cars. Also, see the museum's extensive trophy collection, including the famed Borg-Warner Trophy with winning drivers' faces sculpted into the side.

President Benjamin Harrison started the tradition of decorating a Christmas tree at the White House in 1889. As the tradition continues, visitors are invited to tour the President Benjamin Harrison Home in its holiday splendor, reminiscent of Christmas in the White House in the late 1880s.

At the Children's Museum of Indianapolis, families can admire a 43-foot-tall blown glass sculpture by Dale Chihuly, then lie on a turning platform and view the work through a glass ceiling.

During the holidays, the Children's Museum creates a winter wonderland scene complete with a Winter Wonderland Yule Slide. Kids can visit with Santa or listen to storytellers.

Dale Chihuly's "Fireworks of Glass" sculpture at the Children's Museum of Indianapolis is one of the features that adults and children can appreciate. Adults admire it's beauty and children love to make their own sculptures or watch an interactive video about how glass is blown.

Whether you'd like a leisurely winter stroll, some high powered holiday shopping or a holiday getaway with the family, visit Indianapolis this winter.

Kids can also climb on a turn of the 20th century carousel at the Children's Museum, crafted by Gustav Dentzel. Originally, the carousel was installed in 1917 in Broad Ripple Park in Indianapolis. In 1956, the domed pavilion housing the carousel collapsed, but the animals were salvaged and brought to the Children's Museum in 1970. Some 5,000 hand carved wooden carousels were built in the United States from1880 to 1930, but fewer than 175 survive from that time.

Nicolette Sebree and her fiance, Herbert Jones, with her children Kejuan, 13, Talaya, 8, and Yontoreya, 4, sit down during a visit to the Children's Museum to trace and draw dinosaur scenes.

At the Indianapolis Zoo's Dolphin Adventure, two fully-submerged tunnels lead to a 12-foot high, 30-foot diameter dome that allows visitors a 360-degree view of the dolphins.

President Harrison, the 23rd U.S. president, resided in an 1875 Italianate mansion that's been beautifully restored. Holiday decorations include feather trees and a 10-foot Christmas tree like the one the Harrison's had at the White House.

The Eiteljorg Museum's Contemporary Gallery represents the broad and rich aesthetics that emerge from cultural, social, political and religious perspectives of today's West. Other galleries feature Native American art and artifacts from coast to coast, including pottery, basketry, woodcarvings, beadwork and apparel.

During the Holiday Open Houses (Dec. 6 and 20, 5:30 - 8 p.m.), the winter landscape of the IMA's grounds are transformed by the serene glow of hundreds of luminaria. The Madeline F. Elder Greenhouse will be open for holiday shopping and visitors can stop by Lilly House to chase off the chill, hear seasonal music and pause for refreshments.

One of Downtown Indianapolis' most beloved holiday traditions is the annual Circle of Lights celebration, now in it's 45th year of holiday performances, visits from Santa, and the lighting of the city's Solidier's and Sailor's Monument.

Embark upon a festive journey into 1836 Prairietown and meet and mingle with its pioneer residents at the living-history museum of Conner Prairie in Indianapolis.

Take a holiday stroll in the soft glow of a million twinkling lights at Christmas at the Zoo. The Zoo grounds are covered in lights and holiday sounds are heard from carolers and local school choirs. More than 150 larger-than-life light sculptures depict holiday and animal scenes.

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Be delighted and inspired this holiday season with the Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra and the annual Yuletide Celebration. The tap-dancing Santas are a crowd-pleaser. Five-time Grammy Award-winning vocalist Sandi Patty will be this year's hostess for the musical production.

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