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family fun in indy
Time Travel on Land or Sea Local Exhibits Take Visitors Back in Time tried to save each other in that situation. You might be surprised at some of the answers and you can apply it to modern day accidents to make them think about safety without lecturing on what to do in different situations. Other topics you could discuss might include why there weren’t enough lifeboats on board or why other ships didn’t come to rescue them quicker. The exhibit is open from September 25, 2010 to January 2011 at the Indiana State Museum. Tickets are available before the exhibit opens. Another option might be to take a trip back a few more decades on land at Conner Prairie Interactive History Park. September is Country Fair time at Conner Prairie. The whole family will discover what an authentic country fair was like when your great grandparents were kids back in the 1800s. The Country Fair runs September 18 – 19 and features everything from harvested crops to rare breeds of animals. Take the family on a cruise back in time on board a recreation of the Titanic this fall at the Indiana State Museum. If your kids are anything like mine, forget books and movies if you want to hold their attention for any period of time—particularly if you link the word ‘learning’ to it. Offering up a chance to pretend they are one of the passengers aboard the Titanic presents a lot more mystery and intrigue. The beauty of this exhibit is that it allows the kids (and you) to play and learn a thing or two together.
No visit would be complete without a visit to the Apple Store on the east side of the grounds. It’s open throughout September and October and will tempt your taste buds with everything from chewy gooey caramel apples to mouth-watering cider.
Here’s how it works: As you enter the exhibit, each visitor receives a replica boarding pass of an actual passenger who was on board the ship. You then begin a chronological journey through the life of the Titanic starting with the ship’s construction, to life on board, the ill-fated sinking and amazing artifact rescue efforts. Along the way, you will discover more than 240 artifacts recovered from the Ship’s debris field and see some of them in authentic room re-creations, such as first- and third-class cabins and hallways.
And those who are looking for a date night with music under the stars will want to check out Symphony on the Prairie. There are a couple of concerts still left this season. Enjoy the Music of Buddy Holly & Friends on September 2–3. There you will see John Mueller, who starred as Buddy Holly in the national tour of the Broadway musical The Buddy Holly Story. He will be joined by Ray Anthony as Ritchie Valens and The Big Bopper’s son, Jay Richardson, as they perform their respective rock hits “Oh Boy,” “La Bamba,” and “Chantilly Lace.”
Just imagine your child’s face when he puts his hand up against an iceberg while learning about the heroes who tried to save the ship and her passengers. In the end, visit the “Memorial Gallery,” where you can take your boarding pass to the memorial wall and discover whether your passenger and traveling companions survived or perished. While Leonardo DiCaprio and Kate Winslet captured a fictional romance on board the vessel, it also ignited a love affair with the vessel and what it might have been like on board the world’s largest passenger ship back in 1912. We all know she struck an iceberg and sank, killing some 1500 people, many rich and famous, in one of the worst disasters at sea. But most don’t know about the many other purposes the ship served, such as carrying mail. (I know my kids don’t understand what we did in the “olden days” before e-mail and texting.) Here’s a little primer for you before you wow the kids and show them how smart you are: Tell them this whopper weighed 46,329 tons. A little tip to remember is that kids will comprehend better if you give them something they can compare. So, 46,329 tons is about the weight of 10,071 African elephants. The ship measured 882 feet 9 inches long, which would be the equivalent of three football fields. Another way to get the kids thinking is to tell them that it happened in the middle of the night and took two hours and 40 minutes to sink. Ask them to think of ways they might have
Plunge two and one half miles beneath the surface of the North Atlantic and immerse yourself in a once-ina-lifetime adventure of d iscover y— TITANICA. The world's greatest 10 INDY’S CHILD * SEPTEMBER 2010
deep-sea scientists and award-winning filmmakers are your guides in a high-risk journey to the resting place of one of this century's darkest tragedies. Narrated by Leonard Nimoy and shot by IMAX® on 70mm film, TITANICA reveals the clearest motion pictures ever captured of the Titanic. Witness startling images of the long-lost ruin contrasted with never-before-seen 1912
Those who choose the River City Brass Band on September 4–5 will be treated to one of America’s finest and most versatile brass ensembles. Big band, swing, and jazz are just a few of the musical sounds that will drift across the prairie as you relax on a blanket or in the picnic table area. Sometimes, it is necessary to take a step back in time to appreciate what we have today. Take the kids with you to the concert, as well. There is plenty of dancing and room to run—and maybe they will wear themselves out and fall asleep in the car on the way home. Kimberly Harms has four children (5-24) along with a grandchild and is the Associate Director of Media Relations at the Indianapolis Convention & Visitors Association, www.visitindy.com. You can follow her on Twitter @kimberlyharms.
archival photos showing her in all her splendor. Feel the passion of the explorers, each obsessed with a different aspect of the expedition. Relive the memories of two survivors -- an exclusive interview with Frank Goldsmith and the poignant recollections of Eva Hart. An IMAX film of extraordinary power, TITANICA sheds breathtaking light on the legend that is Titanic.
IMAX at the Indiana State Museum is running a special for the IMAX movie TITANICA that will be airing during the Titanic exhibit. Those who see both the movie and exhibit can save on movie tickets and receive free parking. The movie is 2D, 40 minutes in length and opens September 25. Tickets to the museum will be $5 with free parking in the White River State Park underground parking garage with the purchase of an IMAX ticket.