Family Entertainment in Indianapolis, Indiana This Winter

Snow, wind and cold temperatures are abundant around Indiana every winter. Playing board games and making crafts only keeps my kids busy for so long when it's too cold to go outside. Eventually, I end up getting creative and thinking about all of the other things we could be doing.

Indianapolis is such a short distance from many Indiana towns that it's easy to take a quick break with the family to spend the day or the weekend. From sports to concerts and animals to exhibits this list of activities will keep your family entertained and make it worth the drive for everyone in your family.

Celebrating the love of sports, Indianapolis give you three professional sports that play in the cold! Are you a fan of hockey? How do you know if you've never watched it live? The Indianapolis Ice has home games between the months of October and March. The Indianapolis Ice play in the Pepsi Coliseum at the Indiana State Fairgrounds. Single game adult tickets are $13 and $9. Junior ticket prices are $13 and tickets for children 3-10 are $7.

The last regular game for the Indianapolis Colts is December 27 against the New York Jets. Tickets are available online for $85 and up. If you haven't done so yet this could be a great time to visit the new Lucas Oil Stadium.

Basketball season coincides with winter in Indiana. This year the NCAA is back in Indianapolis for the 2010 final four. If you can't wait until April for basketball visit the Indiana Pacers. The Indiana Pacers have been in Indianapolis and I will be visiting them for the first time in November. Tickets start at around $45 for the balcony. The Pacers play at Conseco Fieldhouse.

Other happenings at Conseco Fieldhouse include Disney On Ice: Celebrations. Disney On Ice will be in town from December 2-6. Celebrations is described by Disney as a colossal party on ice with all your favorite Disney friends. Tickets for this event start at only $12. Star Wars in Concert will also be at Conseco Fieldhouse on December 12. This is a once in lifetime opportunity for any Star Wars fan. Parts of all six films have been edited and re worked and are shown on a special LED screen specially constructed for the show. Accompanied by an orchestra Star Wars in Concert tells the Anakin Skywalker in an unforgettable performance that has critics raving and die hard fans in awe. Ticket prices for this show start at $30 and go up to $300.

Christmas At The Zoo is one of the best times to visit the Indianapolis Zoo. Each year the Indianapolis Zoo spends three months decorating for Christmas. All of their hard work can be viewed as well as all of the traditional winter animals. Christmas at the Zoo is from 5:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. and runs December 4-30. The zoo is closed Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. Admission is $8.50 for adults and $6.50 for children ages 2-12.

The Indianapolis Children's Museum has two great winter exhibits. Jolly Days Winter Wonderland starts November 27 and ends January 10. Santa will even be making visits there. Barbie The Fashion Experience opens December 19. This exhibit will allow you to design your own fashions for Barbie as well as see some of her looks form the past. There will even be life sized Barbie close on display! December 24 happens to be a free day at the museum if you don't already have any early Christmas Eve plans they are open from 10:00am until 2:00pm. General admission adult ticket prices are $25 Monday through Thursday and $30 on the weekends. Children ages 2-17 are $25 all the time. December 24 happens to be a free day at the museum if you don't already have any early Christmas Eve plans they are open from 10:00am until 2:00pm. Martin Luther King, Jr. Day is on January 18 and another day the museum is open to the public for free.

Indiana is not so boring after all. If you're looking for easy family fun in Indianapolis this is a great list to get you on your way!

Sources: www.indianaice.com
www.colts.com
www.nba.com/pacers
www.consecofieldhouse.com
www.ticketmaster.com
www.indyzoo.com
www.childrensmuseum.org
www.disney.go.com