Admission is a steep $11.50 for adults, $6.50 for children. The museum is free on Martin Luther King Day and from 5 to 8pm the first Thursday of the month (closed Mondays, except in summer).

The museum has five floors. The lobby contains the gift shop; fast-food court; the unique Water Clock, which tells time through a series of water-filled bubbles; and the museum's premiere multi-million dollar gallery, Dinosphere. The Dinosphere depicts the Cretaceous period through several dinosaur fossils, including a spectacular scene with two T. Rexes attacking a Triceratops. The sky projected onto the screen changes from dawn to dusk, and then to a thunderstorm. The storm, complete with rain sounds, thunder, and lighting, is so realistic that I put my program over my head and looked for cover! Overall, this is a spectacular exhibit well worth the admission price.

But there are still more galleries! The new galleries have lots of seating for the parents and lots of things for kids to bang on. Water was especially popular, so little kids just splashed each other. Below is a floor-by-floor gallery guide:

GROUND FLOOR: What If? is an older gallery but still pretty entertaining. Enter through the submarine into an underground world, progress into Dino-land, and then enter an Egyptian tomb. All Aboard features the steam engine built in 1868 for Madison, Indiana, as well as several model trains.

MAIN FLOOR: Dinosphere, the Info Zone, food court, and the gift shop comprise this floor.

SECOND FLOOR: The Mezzanine area contains several traveling exhibits and Passport to the World, an international gallery.

THIRD FLOOR: My old stomping grounds,Mysteries in History, is a look back at American history from the French fur trading posts found in the area in the 1700s to cabin life and to Main Street America at the turn of the century. While I loved this gallery, it doesn't have much for kids to bang or play on. It is also outdated.

FOURTH FLOOR: This is probably the most fun floor, as both main galleries are new. ScienceWorks has lots of things for kids to play on. I had fun climbing up into the cave (tight squeeze) and sliding down the slide. Also, they have live animal demonstrations with some truly interesting creatures. Carousel Dreams features the former Broad Ripple Park Carousel, which you can ride for $1. Try to get a jumper. But the best part is the old pastime stuff they brought up... the funhouse mirrors, Atari and Nintendo game systems, and playhouses.

The museum is appropriate for children of all ages. Be sure to allow several hours for the entire museum!

The newest area is Dinosphere. Discover the sights, sounds and smells of the Cretaceous period. The Dinosphere entrance is located just outside the food court on level one. Dinosphere has 3 levels featuring: dinosaur’s fossil, a sky that changes from day to night, has a thunderstorm and shows a comet. There is a dinosaur art gallery, a Dino Dig area and a Paleo Prep Lab.

The lower level features: "What if….? This area has an Egyptian tomb (one of my kid’s favorites) with a 2500 old mummy, and a coral reef with living creatures. All aboard: see the Rueben Wells, a 35-foot long steam engine. The SpaceQuest Planetarium is a 130-seat planetarium featuring a DigStar sky projection system. The Lily Theater features their plays.

The first level features: Water Clock – a 33-foot tall water clock, it is the largest in North American. The Food Court featuring Mc Donald, Pizza Hut, Starbucks, Oscar Meyer Café and more. The Children’s Museum Store - the gift shop. Info Zone – the museum’s library. The entrance to Dinosphere is also on the first floor.

The second level features: Passport to the World, discover how people around the world celebrate, communicate, and imagine. Mini Masterpieces – a collection of miniature rooms decorated in Colonial, Victorian and New England styles. There is a sack lunch area on this floor if you want to pack your lunch and eat it there. This floor also has three special exhibit areas; these are traveling exhibits, so something new is always there. During our last visit special area 1and 2 was: Moneyville, where kids can play the stock market, run a lemonade stand, put their face on a million dollar bill and much more. Special area 3 was Mister Rogers Neighborhood.

The third level features Playscape. It is for ages 5 and under. It is a play area. Babyscape is a play area for ages 2 and under. Story Avenue – a gallery of stories to learn lesson on life. Mysteries in History – has a 1850s log cabin, a 1750 French Fur Trading Post and an early 1900s Main Street are just some of the features of this area.

The forth level features Science Works. This is my kids’ favorite area. This area is dedicated to natural and physical sciences. Biotechnology Learning Center – learn about plant biotechnology though hands on activities. Carousel of Wishes - a giant old fashion carousel. Mirror maze" – conquer this maze of mirrors. Ball Dollhouse – a collection of dollhouses.

Outside the museum is Festival Park - an open-air area used for festivals. Plan to spend a day there. It is a terrific family outing for all ages!

The museum changes its exhibits periodically. Once they had a walk-in cockpit and half airplane, where you could sit at the controls and pretend to fly. At Christmas they have Santas from all over the world tell stories from every country. There are also exhibits that remain constant, like the playscape for little ones where pre-schoolers can play with water and sand; the dinosaur bone hunt; visiting an ancient Egyptian tomb, learning to write your name in hieroglyphs, and seeing how royalty was mummified; building paper airplanes; and using water, pulleys, and weights at different exhibits. You can also explore cultures from around the world and learn to play board games from Spain, Italy . . . you name it.

A must is visiting Science Works, a display demonstrating basic engineering principles using pulleys and bulldozers, and a creek with changing water flows thanks to locks and pumps.

The museum is fun because not only do you get a hands-on experience, but they have workers stationed around to explain, play, and interact with you to make your visit a true learning experience.