Just footsteps from downtown, the Zoo features Indiana's largest aquarium, open exhibit areas with 350 different animal species and seasonal pony, train and family roller coaster rides. The complex also includes the 3.3-acre White River Gardens, featuring hundreds of plant varieties on display in outdoor gardens, as well as entertaining and educational conservatory exhibits throughout the year. The Indianapolis Zoo's mission is to connect animals, plants and people.

Dolphin Adventure
The Dolphin Adventure at the Indianapolis Zoo includes the world's first totally-submerged dolphin viewing experience and the Midwest's only human-dolphin interaction program, giving groups of guests the opportunity to have in-water experiences with these majestic mammals.

Oceans Exhibit
The bold Oceans exhibit uses the presentation of live animals and their diverse habitats to teach an appreciation of the oceans. The aquarium is organized into three thematic experiences, exploring different aspects of how humans interact with oceans and marine wildlife. The highlight is a “touch tank” featuring dogfish sharks! The grand opening of the new Oceans exhibit is Saturday, May 26.

The Children's Museum of Indianapolis is the largest children's museum in the world, featuring 11 major galleries that explore the physical and natural sciences, history, world cultures and the arts. The museum, situated on 14 acres of land in Indianapolis, presents thousands of programs and activities each year.

Dinosphere
“Dinosphere” is a world-class collection of real dinosaur fossils presented in exciting settings which reflect life in the Cretaceous Period, more than 65 million years ago. A dinosaur dig, a functioning paleontology lab, a question lab with in-depth dinosaur information and an art gallery featuring pieces from the finest collection of dinosaur art in the nation complete the experience.

Spymaker
Bring your best spying skills - cunning, stealth, creativity and observation - to the “Spymaker” exhibit, now through September 3. Decode a secret message, build a disguise and track data as you spy on targets throughout this exciting exhibit. Visitors will also discover how high-tech computers and cameras know who's who and how lie detectors work.

The Eiteljorg Museum is unique, one of only two museums east of the Mississippi River with both Native American and Western art. The building's distinctive design was inspired by the land, people and architecture of the American Southwest. The American Western Gallery includes works from the Taos, New Mexico Artists' Colony, as well as pieces from such legends as Remington and Russell. Contemporary artists who tell the story of today's West are also represented and the Native American collection includes pottery, basketry, sculpture and other artifacts from all 10 North American native cultural areas.

Totems and Turquoise
This spectacular exhibition, the first of its kind hosted by the Eiteljorg, features a stunning array of nearly 500 pieces of historic and contemporary jewelry and artifacts that celebrate the beauty, power and symbolism of the tradition of Native American arts. The exhibition (May 12 – August 12) honors a rich and diverse art form, the foundations of which lie in thousands of years of culture and heritage.

Indian Market
Nearly 200 artists from more than 60 different tribes showcase some of the finest traditional and contemporary pottery, painting, sculpture, jewelry and cultural items being produced today. Indian Market weekend (June 23-24) also includes performances, food and educational activities for all ages.

The Indiana State Museum, in White River State Park, is a gathering place to explore the state's past, present and future through exhibits inviting exploration and discovery of art, science, history and culture. This architecturally-significant complex includes permanent and changing exhibits, two restaurants, a two-story gift shop and an IMAX Theater.

Space: A Journey to our Future
Created to ignite the desire for discovery, spark your imagination and inspire new generations of explorers to dream of the possibilities that lie ahead, “Space: A Journey to our Future” gives visitors an opportunity to experience past explorations and future destiny in space. The exhibit is now open and runs through September 16.

Live some history! Journey back to long ago and experience how life has changed. Travel to an Indian camp, pioneer village, Victorian farm, hands-on discovery area and a historic house and gardens at the award-winning living history museum. Conner Prairie’s five, unique historical areas include: the Museum Center, 1886 Liberty Corner, 1836 Prairietown, the historic Conner Homestead and Lenape Indian Camp.

Glorious Fourth
Four days of family fun includes ice cream making, barn dancing and a watermelon seed spitting contest in PastPort, a militia muster and reading of the Declaration of Independence in Prairietown, base ball and a temperance-suffrage rally in Liberty Corner, and a tomahawk-throwing contest at the Lenape Indian Camp.

The Indianapolis Museum of Art is among the largest and oldest general art museums in the United States. Founded in 1883, the Museum now boasts a permanent collection of more than 50,000 works of art that span the range and scope of art history. In addition to housing its world-class art collections, the Museum is also a premier showcase for national and international exhibitions.

Nature Holds My Camera: Video Art by Sam Easterson
Video artist Sam Easterson has been collecting footage from the perspective of animals and plants since 1998. Amusing, captivating and thought provoking, his work offers viewers an unconventional perspective on the natural world. This exhibition (June 24 – July 15) allows visitors to experience the world from the perspective of a hawk, scorpion and buffalo and compare it to their own.

Roman Art from the Louvre
Selected by the Louvre curators from their unsurpassed collection of Roman antiquities, these 187 prime and noteworthy examples of Roman sculpture, fresco, mosaic, metalwork, ceramics and glass exemplify the grandeur, wealth and influence of Rome. Never before has the IMA hosted an exhibition of the dawning of Western art and never before has it partnered with the Louvre. This blockbuster exhibition will be at the IMA September 23 – January 6, 2008.

Arts and culture thrive in Indianapolis with not one, not two, but six distinct “cultural districts.” In these districts, you will find delightful public art, unique galleries, inspiring museums, quaint shops and engaging recreation. Satisfy your appetite at exquisite restaurants, ethnic eateries and sidewalk cafes. Laugh out loud or dance the night away at one of dozens of night clubs and theaters. The districts also have your ticket to professional sports and performances.

Broad Ripple Village
Located six miles north of downtown, Broad Ripple Village boasts a thriving art scene and street life with shops, historic buildings and parks in charming, walkable neighborhoods nestled between beautiful greenways and waterways. By night, it pulses with the beat of the most original music venues and destinations in the city of Indy.

Fountain Square
Fountain Square is an historic neighborhood with a town square and central fountain like a European village. This thriving artist community blends retro and new art influences in its architecture and style creating a funky mix of independent, one-of-a-kind destinations.

Mass Ave
Mass Ave is the arts and theater district, drawing creative people to its eclectic offerings of live theater and music venues, trendy galleries, shops and restaurants. It’s a corridor where people live and work amid memorable urban architecture and style, alongside the city’s most historic and urban neighborhoods.

Wholesale District
The Wholesale District is a vibrant urban entertainment center with great shopping (Circle Centre mall), signature restaurants, lively entertainment and quality hotel accommodations all within walking distance! Visitors rave about cultural events and performances, the historic architecture and friendly hospitality.

Canal & White River State Park District
The Canal and White River State Park is Indiana’s museum and cultural attractions corridor. The 250-acre park and canal feature the world-class Indianapolis Zoo, White River Gardens, Indiana State Museum and IMAX Theater, Eiteljorg Museum of American Indians and Western Art, NCAA Hall of Champions, Victory Field (baseball) and the south portal to the Central Canal. It’s a package of tremendous art, history, recreation, leisure and sports, all showcased along beautiful waterways.

Indiana Avenue
The Indiana Avenue Cultural District encompasses the most historically rich commercial district for Indianapolis' African-American community. The area is known for history, music, restored neighborhoods and spirituality. Its showcase is the Madame Walker Theater Center.

The Indianapolis Motor Speedway is the world's largest spectator facility and the only racetrack to host the Indy Racing League, NASCAR and Formula One. Since 1911, the Speedway has been the home of the "Greatest Spectacle in Racing," the Indianapolis 500. The Allstate 400 at the Brickyard has become one of NASCAR's most coveted races since the inaugural event in 1994 and heats up the track in late July. The Speedway completed the Triple Crown of Racing in 2000 with the addition of June's United States Grand Prix, the only Formula One race run in the United States.

United States Grand Prix
The United States Grand Prix, the only Formula One World Championship in America, will take place at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway for the eighth consecutive year. Rarely does a circuit combine the discipline of a Formula One course with an oval but that is just what Indy has done. Formula One racing is the most technologically sophisticated and expensive series in motorsports, with drivers competing in more than 15 countries around the world.

Allstate 400 at the Brickyard
The best drivers on the Nextel Cup circuit race to Indy for pulse-pounding NASCAR action. See the sports top stars, including Jeff Gordon, Tony Stewart and Dale Earnhart, Jr., vie for the checkered flag and a win at the world's most prestigious racetrack.