Riley Children’s Health Sports Legends Experience in Indianapolis

Riley Children’s Health Sports Legends Experience 

Originally written July 2019, updated March 2023

The Indianapolis Children’s Museum is one of the top children’s museums in the nation. They’ve made it even better with the addition of the Riley Children’s Health Sports Legends Experience. Almost eight acres of interactive sporting experiences allow children and individuals of all ages, sizes, and abilities to play and exercise.

We LOVE the Indianapolis Children’s Museum!  It is still one of my favorite places, even as an adult. Our older children especially enjoy the Sports Legends Experience because of all the interaction and outdoor room for them to run and play.

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Exhibits and Things To Do

If you aren’t familiar with the Sports Legends Experience at the Indianapolis Children’s Museum, I highly recommend you check it out for an outdoor interactive experience.  It’s one of our favorite spots in Indianapolis!  You can easily spend an entire day here with 12 outdoor and three indoor sporting experiences.  We allow at least four hours when we visit, even more, if it’s busier or during peak hours.

The Avenue of Champions represents sports legends from throughout the nation with ties to Indiana; currently, there are 16 of these legends on display. The National Art Museum of Sports (NAMOS) is one indoor exhibit with nearly 1,000 pieces highlighting moments and athletes in history!  Children can become an artist and create their masterpieces at NAMOS.  They can make a sports card or illustrate sports through motion.

Outside, The Tree of Sports is a gigantic tree house over 25 feet high!  Kids can climb the stairs or ramp into the tree house, explore the inside, and take the slide down to exit (the tree house is also handicap accessible).  Kids can even jump in a pedal car and try drag racing at the Racing Experience!

Other exhibits include basketball, tennis, baseball, soccer, hockey, football (in Indianapolis Colt’s style!), and golf.  We love the mini-golf courses that are set up for the entire family.  The 9-hole course has challenges for both beginners and pros alike! ADA equipment and “My-sized” sporting challenges are available for children of all ages.

And if sports aren’t your thing, you might enjoy the Fitness Path & Track area!  A 2/5th of a mile track is available for running or walking and is equipped with fitness equipment along the way.  Any of the five fitness stations is great for warming up!

Admission and Hours

General admission to the museum INCLUDES the Sports Legends Experience.  You can plan an entire day visiting the museum and sports experience; I suggest doing the museum first and then the Sports Legends (since it is open later).  The museum is open from 10 am-5 pm, but the Sports Legends is open extended hours from 10 am-7 pm.

Tips for visiting:

1. Sports Legends is open, weather permitting, so check the weather in advance!
2. Don’t forget sunscreen, sunglasses, and hats! There are shaded areas to rest, but most outdoor experiences are exposed to the sun.
3. There are concessions available in the Sports Legends; however, you are welcome to bring in our food and drinks (no glass)! Bring a water bottle to refill. Just make sure you bring it in something portable to carry around with you (rolling soft cooler, stroller, wagon, etc. – you can park this outside of the experience stations). Several picnic tables with umbrellas are available for snacks and lunch. It’s a great way to save money!
4. Free wifi is available. I worked from home and could still go with my kids and husband; I worked on my laptop from one of the tables while my husband and kids explored. Just ensure an adult accompanies children under 18 at all times – it’s a rule!
5. Wear closed-toed shoes. This is required for the racing experiences and makes for a much better overall Sports Experience.
6. Dress like you are going to the gym. This is suggested if you plan to do the sports experiences and/or track with the kids.
7. If you can, the best times to visit are during the week. You’ll get discounted tickets, and it’s less busy.  Additionally, booking tickets online at least two weeks in advance will give you up to a 25% discount.
8. The Access Pass is available for Hoosier families experiencing hardship and allows families to visit museums like The Children’s Museum for admission for around $2 per person (this varies per location).
   To qualify, one family member in the household must receive TANF {Temporary Assistance for Needing Families}, SNAP {food stamps}, or Hoosier Healthwise Insurance. The benefit? The Indiana Access Pass allows ALL Hoosier families to experience culture, art, and history, regardless of socioeconomic standing. In other words, it makes family fun available to more Indiana families.
9. Check out more tips from the Indianapolis Children’s Museum here!

Nearby Things To Do:

• Garfield Park’s Sunken Gardens in Indianapolis
• Spend a Day in Hendricks County, Indiana
• Sleep in a Train Car in Downtown Indianapolis
• Spring Break in Indianapolis!
• Spend a day in Greenfield, Indiana
• How to Spend a Day in Franklin, Indiana
• The Ultimate Indiana State Fair Guide

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