With interactive exhibits, an on-site café and the Basile History Market, this Indianapolis, Indiana attraction offers something for everyone.
Exhibits
You Are There
Step back in time and experience Indianapolis history in You Are There. This interactive exhibit features historic photographs brought to life three-dimensionally, in and around the images. Get behind the lens in a Victorian portrait studio and discover how photography has evolved in 1904: Picture This. Experience the action at the Wulf Hall Relief Station on the west side of downtown Indianapolis in the days following the Great Flood in 1913: A City Under Water. 1939: Healing Bodies, Changing Minds will place you in the doctor’s office of African-American physician Dr. Harvey Middleton for an appointment you won’t forget.
Destination Indiana
Journey back in time and discover Indiana’s history in every corner of the state. Destination Indiana lets you travel back in time using innovative technology, touch screens and immersive displays of historic images. The interactive experience includes stories from all 92 counties in Indiana and explores African-American, Civil War and Ohio River history.
Cole Porter Room
Enter the Cole Porter Room, designed to evoke the style of New York’s famed Waldorf-Astoria Hotel, and enjoy the music of Indiana legend Cole Porter. The Cole Porter Room is a 1940s-inspired, cabaret-style setting featuring a digital grand piano and photographs that span Porter’s life, social circle and travels. Additionally, the exhibit features a montage of film footage and still pictures that bring Cole Porter’s musical heritage to life.
W. Brooks and Wanda Y. Fortune History Lab
Discover what it takes to preserve the Indiana History collection in the W. Brooks and Wanda Y. Fortune History Lab. The exhibit explores how objects are made, how they look up-close and how those qualities influence the way objects age through time.
Lilly Hall
The Indiana history museum’s Lilly Hall offers much to explore. Discover special exhibits about Indiana’s history on the mezzanine level of Lilly Hall. At the center of the Mezzanine Gallery is It’s About Time, a sculpture with large replicas of pocket watches, each highlighting one of the core facets of the Indiana Historical Society’s mission and work. Murals of iconic documents and images from the Museum’s collection are showcased in the exhibits on the mezzanine. Additionally, Lilly Hall features INvestigation Stations, a collection of four hands-on stations highlighting, explaining and demonstrating various ways of working with history and Indiana Legends, a looped multimedia program that presents the lives and works of those who have been honored by the Indiana Historical Society as Living Legends for their contributions to Indiana’s history, economy and culture.
Grab a quick bite or a light lunch at the Indiana History Center’s Stardust Terrace Café. Enjoy signature soups, sandwiches and snacks inside “under the stars” surrounded by a Victorian-era inspired street scene or outdoors along the Central Canal on the Kruse Family Stardust Terrace.
Shop the Basile History Market
Be sure to shop the Museum’s Basile History Market. A large selection of gifts and keepsakes inspired by Indiana’s history including art, jewelry and literature are available to purchase.
Travel Tip
- The Indiana History Center is ADA compliant.