Eiteljorg Museum’s
Jingle Rails now in 11th year
INDIANAPOLIS — Jingle Rails: the Great Western Adventure, one of the city’s most popular holiday traditions, is open now through Jan. 18 at the Eiteljorg Museum of American Indians and Western Art, 500 W. Washington St. Jingle Rails features nine G-scale model trains that ramble past reproductions of the landmarks of the American West as well as the skyline of downtown Indianapolis. The trains chug along 1,200 feet of track, winding through tunnels and over trestles, passing miniatures of Monument Circle, Lucas Oil Stadium, Mount Rushmore, Yellowstone, Las Vegas and the Grand Canyon. Each notable location is crafted out of all-natural materials including bark, tree roots, pine cones, acorns, seed pods and honeycomb. The elements of the display rotate from year-to-year, so for fans who missed visiting the Indiana State Fair or the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in person in 2020, both are recreated as scenes in this year’s Jingle Rails. Model train experts will be on hand to answer visitors’ questions. For the safety of visitors, masks are required. Groups visiting Jingle Rails must reserve entrance time slots in advance when ordering tickets online. Timed tickets are available in 15-minute increments, with the last entrance at 4:45 p.m. each day. For more information on safety procedures, admission prices and hours of operation, visit eiteljorg.org.
Indiana State Museum offers in-person or virtual experience
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INDIANAPOLIS — Wednesdays through Sundays from now until Jan. 3, experience Celebration Crossing at the Indiana State Museum, 650 W. Washington St., Visitors will discover a redesigned Santa’s Front Yard with a variety of family-friendly activities, explore our brand-new Reindeer Barn where Santa’s team will help you learn some interesting reindeer facts or take a ride through a winter wonderland on the Santa Claus Express train. The Indiana State Museum Christmas experience is also available on line. In lieu of the traditional in-person musical performances this year, go to indianamuseum.org/experiences/celebration-crossing-2020/ and scroll down to Virtual Holiday Sounds to listen as school and community choirs, bands and ensembles share winter-themed musical selections. The Jingle Hangout (indianamuseum.org/jingle-hangout/ offers at-home activities such as designing and downloading a Christmas postcard to send, a downloadable Celebration Crossing color book or activity book, family holiday trivia, listen to Hoosier holiday tradition stories and directions to make your own snowflakes. Visit indianamuseum.org for admission and open hours.
Jolly Days at The Children’s Museum has something new
INDIANAPOLIS — Jolly Days, at the Children’s Museum of Indianapolis, 3000 N. Meridian, remain open through Jan. 3. Although the Yule Slide is closed due to COVID-19 restrictions, there are still plenty of other experiences open to families such as sock skating on the pond, exploring the ice castle, turning the colorful lights on and off in the kitchen, making it snow inside a giant snow globe and meeting Jolly Days characters such as Scrooge and Ms. Claus. New this year are the light display on the Christmas tree, the chance to watch clips from holiday movies and television shows in the kitchen, the opportunity to turn on the candles of a menorah and make frost appear on the kitchen windows and search for holiday decorations in a miniature house. For more information visit childrensmuseum.org/holiday-events.
Drive-thru lights at the State Fair Grounds shine brightly
INDIANAPOLIS — This family-friendly light show at the Indiana State Fairgrounds, 1202 E. 38th St., features a two-mile car ride through more than a million LED lights synchronized to traditional and more modern Christmas music. Visitors of all ages will see larger-than-life trees, glowing snowflakes, dancing candy canes and tunnels of lights from the warmth of their own vehicles. Guests can tune their radio dial to a dedicated signal and sing along to the sounds of the season synchronized to holiday lights. The display is open rain-or-shine from dusk until 10 p.m. through Jan. 3. The cost is $7 per person. Tickets can be purchased in advance at christmasnightsoflights.com/indianapolis. Just a heads-up, reports are that the line to get in is very long so plan accordingly.
View a winter wonderland of trees at the Indiana Historical Society
INDIANAPOLIS — The Festival of Trees from the Indiana Historical Society at the Eugene and Marilyn Glick Indiana History Center, 450 W. Ohio St., runs through Jan. 9. This year’s Festival of Trees — with the theme “Life is a Gift” — will feature a winter wonderland of 50 elaborately decorated trees representing individuals, families and organizations from around Indiana. The center is open from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday and noon to 5 p.m. on Sundays. A virtual experience is available on line at indianahistory.org/events/festival-of-trees/.
