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Star Trek at The Children’s Museum of Indianapolis

Where are my Trekkie’s? If you haven’t been to the Children’s Museum of Indianapolis lately, you’ll want to make a trip out here. Open until April 7th, you’ll be able to check out the Star Trek exhibit featuring many items and experiences any Trekkie will love.

Before the exhibit opened, my family got a special invite to help film the commercial, b-roll, and pose for photos in the Star Trek Exhibit! I was geeking out.

As a kid, I recall sitting with my Dad watching Star Trek – Captain Picard was our favorite, with Riker and Data helping to run the Enterprise. I could not wait to get a pre-look at the newest exhibit with my family without all the crowds.

I worried a little bit how the kids would handle it. After all, despite my attempts, none of them were really interested in the Star Trek world. Add to that, it was taking a whole Saturday away from them and with 5 kids in tow one of them still needing a nap, I just hoped for the best!

My kids were awesome! Now it helped that the Children’s Museum served us breakfast, snacks, and lunch throughout the day, and these kids will do just about anything for food.

We started by checking out the Captains chair in the lobby between exhibits. As part of the commercial they had me stand and take photos of 2 of the kids as they ran and jumped into the Captains Chair. This was fun, and also led to many many photos on my phone of these two cuties.

From there we ventured into the actual exhibit where we saw the model enterprise that was actually used in the show, the original control panel from the first Star Trek season with Captain Kirk, and tons of costumes.

To really experience the exhibit though, the museum has included a few hands on places for the kids. Using a large touch screen, you can scroll through the different plans of each starship. Or head to a corner booth and give your best “KKKHHHHHHAAAAAAAANNNNNNNNNNNN” impersonation.

Maybe you’ve always dreamed of beaming down to an alien planet? Just step into the transporter, hold still, and wait for Scotty to work beam you down. This was easily our families favorite part of the exhibit.

Before you leave the museum, though, make sure you head downstairs to the planetarium where you can see the actual Escape Pod used in the 2016 film, Star Trek: Beyond. Have a seat and listen to George Takei narrate the multimedia experience!

Here’s the final commercial, if you haven’t seen it yet. You’ll see my pig tailed child sitting with her brother in front of the escape pod. Yup. A whole day, and that’s what we got to do. Totally worth the whole experience!

Just to keep it all real, while we did make it through a fantastic day of shooting a commercial (bucket list check!), the kids did start to drop at the end. I snapped this photo while one of the girls was finishing up her role making gross faces at Data’s severed head.

March 6, 2019
Backyard Tourist: Riding the Nickel Plate Express in Atlanta, Indiana

Slow down this holiday season, and take a cozy ride on the Nickel Plate Express. We received a complimentary ride on the train in exchange for our honest thoughts.

Taking a train ride is a bit of an iconic experience in this country. Oh the trains are still there, but in our fast paced society, you’re more likely to hop in a car or take a plane.

One year as a small child, my family decided to take a train across the country to visit family. Normally we drove by car, but it was time to experience something else. I will always remember that ride. The swaying of the cars, and the gorgeous scenery of the country.

When I heard that the Nickel Plate Heritage Railroad would be preserving a piece of track just 30 minutes north of Indianapolis, I knew I wanted to take my kids on their festive ride. So I reached out!

About the Nickel Plate Express

The train is a historic 1956 Diesel Locomotive built for the Erie Mining Company. The cars are Santa Fe Hi-Level passenger cars, originally used on the El Capitan Luxury train from Chicago to Los Angeles. This means you sit on an upper deck, and get way better views of the surrounding area then the lower floor.

Now we wouldn’t be able to call ourselves good Harry Potter fans is at least one of us didn’t wear their Hogwarts Robes for a train ride. Really now. All she’s missing is her wand.

While heading down the tracks, staff came around with candy, popcorn, and sticker activities. While the 30 minute ride didn’t warrant the need for these things, it made it that much more magical for my kids.

The train ride itself I thought was nice. We slowly crawled down the tracks, and the kids got to experience that swaying motion I remembered as a kid. Their favorite part was playing with the seats, and discovering all the different things they did. Footrest: check. Leans back: check. Tray: check.

At the End of the Track

We rode the fall express from the Arcadia Depot, near 105 Main Street, south to Noblesville High School. There the local FFA chapter had a fall harvest festival set up. We bowled pumpkins, did a little face painting, enjoyed some hot cocoa, and even brought home our own pumpkin.

After the ride was over I somehow got behind the rest of my family. This turned out to be a stroke of luck as I overheard there was an opportunity to check out the engine! So I let Mark take the kids up the road to check out the train museum, and I followed the Conductor to the engine. Climbing up into that was an experience in itself, but getting to sit in the conductors chair – just a neat experience all together.

While the fall excursion is past, currently the Reindeer Express is running. The train touts a look at Christmas lights along the track, and a visit with Santa for December riders. This sounds like the perfect time to hand out some “Polar Express” tickets to your kids, and read the best Christmas book with a train.

Who is the Nickel Plate Express For?

The Nickel Plate Express is great for families. Kids will love the experience of riding on a train.

With that being said – I probably wouldn’t recommend it to everyone. Why you ask? Well, the prices are pretty high, especially for such a short little trip. They are still new, so the experience could definitely have more interactive parts during the ride. Some local people believe it’s just a gimmick, and would rather see it become a continuation of the Monon Trail.

So, while I thought it was a blast, I have a special love for anything historical. If my parents were going to come visit, I would suggest we go for a ride. However, if my mother-in-law were coming for a visit, I’d say this is something we would skip.

If you have a child who loves trains – go! You will excite them, and encourage their love.

If you enjoy getting hands on with history – go! Climbing aboard a Hi-Level and heading down the tracks will be enough to fill that love.

If you don’t mind things being a little pricey, and somewhat gimmicky – go! You can say you’ve done it.

November 29, 2018
A Trip to the Limberlost in Geneva, Indiana

For families on a budget, the best kind of summer vacation involves day trips to get to know their home state better. I received comped tickets to The Limberlost State Historic Site. All opinions are my own.

Check out these other places to visit in Indiana.

In an effort to be better at budgeting, and pay off some debt, we decided this summer vacation we’d stick close to home. With day trips around the state, I wanted to really get to know Indiana. The past, the present, and the future. For our first family day trip, we headed to The Limberlost and the home of Gene Stratton-Porter in Geneva, Indiana. At $6/adult and $3/child, it’s truly an affordable visit for large families like ours.

I recalled A Girl of the Limberlost as one of my mom’s favorite books so wanted to get a closer look at the author’s life, and the swamp that inspired her stories. I hoped it would lead to my kids enjoying our story time better, and give something they could talk to their Nana about.

Geneva, Indiana is a classic small town. Out in the middle of nowhere, with little cell service, it’s not a place you’ll just happen upon. It is, however, worth the drive out if you enjoy learning about authors, nature, and getting a dose of history.

The first thing I noticed as we pulled into the parking lot was the interesting rock wall fence. It seemed a bit haphazard, and possibly falling apart, with gaps between every stone. During the tour, we found out that Gene purposefully had the wall built this way so that creatures such as bunny rabbits, could easily cross her lawn. Coming and going as they please. We understood the delight Gene must have found watching these animals as we saw our first black squirrel scurrying around the yard, in and out of the rock wall, and up a tree.

As we toured inside the house, the kids loved getting to know this author and her love of nature in the Limberlost. From the stuffed birds that were a part of Gene’s and her daughters’ life, to the music they made together – our tour inside was made enjoyable and exciting by our knowledgeable guide. We sat around a replica of her dining room table as the guide read a passage from A Girl of the Limberlost that described that very room. Suddenly, the book had come alive for all of us.

I’ve never seen my children pay more attention to a tour then they did this one. Could it be because we had already begun reading A Girl of the Limberlost? Or perhaps our guide’s excitement was that contagious. Either way, we had a lot of fun learning about Gene’s life in Geneva.

The kids and Mark all loved taking a turn playing the pump organ (not Gene’s original) in the music room, and all of us enjoyed sitting on the back porch learning how Gene would collect cocoons then string them up near her bed so she wouldn’t miss the butterflies and moths as they emerged.

Any good trip ends with a visit to the gift shop. We got to see the largest moth hanging out in a butterfly habitat (I definitely should have written the name down…), tried to open a real bank safe that belonged to Gene’s husband, and enjoyed some other cool facts about the Limberlost.

Finally, we couldn’t leave without purchasing the Limberlost series. I’d been trying to read A Girl of the Limberlost on my phone to the kids, but it just wasn’t holding our attention that way. With fantastic prices, I couldn’t pass up the opportunity. After a week of reading from the physical book, and the visit to the Limberlost fresh in our minds, story time got 100% more exciting with this purchase. I might have a slight book problem when it comes to things like this…but it’s all in the name of learning!

June 22, 2018
Grab some Popcorn, Indiana then Watch these 10 Movies with Ties to Indiana

I received Popcorn, Indiana to sample. All opinions are 100% my own thoughts.

Have you ever heard of a little town called Popcorn, Indiana? Neither had I until I saw their Drizzlecorn® popcorn, and just had to try it!

Popcorn, Indiana is actually a small town in Indiana with a population of 42, according to the popcorn package. They grow their corn in GMO-free soil, and us no artificial flavors, colors or preservatives in the making of their popcorn. It’s a cute little town, from what the internet tells me, that I’m tempted to take an afternoon drive through someday.

When I got my Popcorn, Indiana bags I knew I had to watch something truly awesome with it. This wasn’t going to be just any movie popcorn snacking for me. So I did a little research and found these 10 movies with ties to Indiana. If my popcorn is coming from Indiana, I figured my movie should too! Here’s the list along with how they correlate to Indiana.

A Christmas Story – Set in the fictional town of Hohman, Indiana A Christmas Story is a classic everywhere. It’s the perfect movie to enjoy with the whole family while munching on the Dark Fudge Peppermint Drizzlecorn. You’ll shoot your eye out.

Hoosiers – Loosely based on the Milan High School 1954 state championship win, the title says it all. Hoosiers is set in the rural south-eastern town of Hickory, Indiana.

The Fault In Our Stars – A more recent movie, based off the best-selling book by John Green, we find ourselves in the heart of Indianapolis. As the main characters head out for a picnic at the epic Funky Bones, natives of Indianapolis can say they’ve been there too! Though, the bones were actually reconstructed in Pittsburgh for the filming with the help of the original artist.

Rudy – Another sports film based on the true story of Daniel “Rudy” Ruettiger. Rudy is both based in Indiana and filmed in Indiana. One of the few films Notre Dame has allowed to be filmed on campus. Rudy is inspirational, and a must see if you love sports.

A League of Their Own – Starring Tom Hanks, making it an automatic must-see from me, and featuring the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League. Many of the games featured were filmed at Bosse Field in Evansville, Indiana as well as the League Stadium in Huntingburg Indiana.

Transformers Dark of the Moon – Now this one does not take place at all in Indiana, however, filming took place on the Northern side of the state near Gary, Indiana to showcase Ukraine in the movie.

Pearl Harbor – Another local filming to show a location abroad, the filming of Tokyo’s Industrial section in Pearl Harbor is actually just the US Steel Works in Gary, Indiana.

The Music Man – While not set in or filmed in Indiana, you can’t help but feel a connection to the Hoosier state as the Music Man sings of his hometown Gary, Indiana.

Close Encounters of the Third Kind – While not filmed in Indiana, the main characters we follow on their journey of extraterrestrial encounters are from Muncie, Indiana.

Friendly Persuasion – Following a Quaker family in Indiana, they must decide if they should fight or follow their religious teachings of peace. Another movie to bring you closer to the history of local Hoosiers.

What Indiana, Popcorn® flavor will you try first?

Indiana, Popcorn has both classic popcorn and their drizzlecorn popcorn. With flavors from Sea Salt to Aged White Cheddar, and chocolate drizzled Caramel to Pretzel you’ll find a flavor to love, I guarantee it!

November 9, 2016