Indiana State Museum

650 W Washington St, Indianapolis, IN 46204, USA

Address:	650 W Washington St, Indianapolis, IN 46204, USA
Phone:	+1 317-232-1637
Site:	indianamuseum.org
Rating:	4.5
Working:	10AM–5PM 10AM–5PM 10AM–5PM 10AM–5PM 10AM–5PM 10AM–5PM 11AM–5PM

Location

Photos 100

Reviews 9

M Elderon

This rating is slightly unfair because my comments are mostly about the service of the parking garage attendants. Service "in" the museum was great, as well as the museum itself. I pulled up to the parking garage during the Star Wars exhibit and an attendant was standing outside the booth collecting $5 and providing a garage ticket. Note: The garage itself is difficult to navigate and not clearly marked. When I picked up my exhibition tickets I was given a validation ticket for a partial refund on the parking fee and told to give it to the attendant when we left. The ticket counter personnel had mentioned that others had told them about the same experience I had when entering the garage, and they were surprised to hear that this was happening. When we left, I showed my ticket to the attendant, who promptly told me that I would need to return the next day and present it to the supervisor to be reimbursed. Let’s see… drive an hour round trip the next day and use more gas and time to get a couple of bucks back!? Hmmmm... Really??? My email to the customer service department seems to have fallen on deaf ears. I was perfectly willing to pay the $5 and be done, but when an organization makes an offer to refund or reimburse you; it should be honored, everyone should be onboard, and it should be easy for the customer to acquire. They did not have their act together and I wonder how many others were taken in by this. Beware of the parking troll. The Star Wars exhibit was great! Very cool hands-on activities, props and costumes.... and as a Sci Fi fan I really enjoyed the experience. Oh yes... as for the "Millenium Falcon Experience".... in my opinion, it would be better off left in the hanger. July 6 - Update - I did hear back from the Museum and the parking garage manager. The both were interested in the situation that occurred and treated me with concern and respect. For this reason I am upgrading my rating to very good across the board. They are good people to work with. :-D

Lena Hall

Huge building, very little to see. Weve been spoiled by Washington DC Smithsonian grand museums, which are also free of charge. This one is way overpriced for what you get. Our $26 charge per person saved the IMAX 3D experience of Polar Express. The website is very misleading in presenting the information about the museum: for the Total Museum Experience we ended up paying $26, not $21 per person. Admission to Celebration Crossing included in the charge turned out to be completely useless: it is a basic train ride for little kids, nothing more. 1 Photo with Santa, also advertised on the website, was quite unpleasant. The Santa lady looked so cross and mean that I am surprised any person would want to take a picture with her. Granted we are not kids, but since a picture with Santa is included, we thought-why not, especially having forgotten our camera at home - it was a chance to record our memories of vising this museum. But the way that woman looked at us- I was afraid to even open my mouth. She better suits to be a witch for Halloween than Santas lady, I swear. All in all there was nothing to see, really. Definitely not worth the price we paid and we will not be coming back.

Randy Long

What a gorgeous museum that makes me proud to be a Hoosier. I went up to the Indiana State Museum on Friday night a 6pm to see the Opening of the exhibit "200 Years of Indiana Art: A Cultural Legacy" and when I walked into the Special Exhibition Gallery on the 3rd Floor I was pleasantly surprised to see that my sterling silver and marble Tuscany Tea Service that I made was the first art work that I saw. It was beautifully displayed in a specially built display case of perfect craftsmanship. The entire exhibition is wonderful with such a variety of art work and artifacts. It wasnt just all painting, although there were some beautiful paintings. There were lots of crafts and sculpture by well know artists, many of which were university and college professors at some point in their lives. I saw many works that I loved and that amazed me. I even when back the next day to spend more time in the exhibit and to see the rest of the museum. Many thanks to Mark Ruschman for curating such a wonderful exhibition and to his staff for the professional installation they did of both galleries of the show. Not to be missed!!! There is also a terrific cafe in the museum!

Doug McKinney

Went to Geofest with my family of 4 and 5 extended family members. We made our way in the front door and eventually found the "good part" of the show. Needed a $10 or $12 ticket to get in. Problem was we only had an hour left before the show closed. The ticket agents were inflexible and uncaring that some of my group traveled from Vincinnes and Kendallville to see the displays, not to mention add to their collections. I cant believe there wasnt a prorated price that could have been negotiated. We will not be coming back !

Bert Stewart

They have very nice exhibits fun to walk around. There membership is worth it if you travel to other cities. We went to Chicago and saved $108 on going to just 2 other museums for the 2 of us. There pass for 2 cost $65 and a family pass cost $115. The Family membership gets you in to over 1100 places around the world 12 of them in IN. Even for places that are free you get perks like the Cincinnati art museum it is free to get in without the pass but the extra shows are $10 you the ticks for free and you get 10% off food.

John Lieurance

We visited Jan 2016. A good 30% of the exhibits were closed for renovation including the IMAX. We visit a lot of museums and this was a bit disappointing. Most of what was open was pre-historic. Good to include but not 50%! The history side lacked continuity. It was difficult to follow a timeline because of the haphazard layout. the top floor was an art gallery. Nice art but not what I thought I was paying for. Not worth $10 on that day.

Aaron Kleyla

I love this sleeper of a theater. I have seen some big budget movies that have full IMAX scenes and the experience is great. The theater has nice seating, its clean, and well organized. Concessions are available, including hard to find beer from 18th Street Brewery. I highly recommend ordering your tickets online, reserving your seats, and enjoying your next block buster here. Oh and garage parking is free with an IMAX ticket purchase.

Ben Bir

Very nice museum. My initial impression was that this was going to only be an Indiana History style of museum. Lots of the exhibits were Indiana specific, but there was some other exhibits. Very well maintained facility and staff was very friendly. We had no kids and it was still very enjoyable. Nice and quiet. Some of the exhibits were under-construction, but that was ok. Fantastic place to relax, learn, and enjoy an afternoon.

Daisy Hibbard

This is a fun place to take friends from out of town who have a few hours to spare and are willing to learn some Hoosier history! Usually I come here for the IMAX experience, but always end up walking around the public area. Exhibits are changed often enough that I see something new every time I visit. Also, this is one of my favorite places downtown to park! Cheap, easy access!