TOP FIELD TRIPS

 

LOCAL FIELD TRIPS: Greenwood / Indpls area

 

DAISIES:

·         Local pizza parlors

·         Build a bear

·         Local park for a picnic

·         Tea party

·        Shrine Circus (cheaper than Ringling Bros & local group)

·        Roller skating

·        Pumpkin patch or apple orchard:  Apple works, Waterman’s, Anderson’s, etc.

·        Visit a farm – Kelsey’s

·         Children’s Museum

·         Indpls. Zoo

·         Bouncertown

·        Survive Alive through the fire dept downtown

·        Puppet shows at Melchoir Puppet Studio downtown

·        Pet Co visit

 

BROWNIES & OLDER:

·         You are the Potter

·         Children’s Museum

·         Indpls. Zoo

·         IN State Museum

·         Indpls Art Center - Broadripple

·         Walk the Canal

·         Eiteljorg: visit and/or West Fest

·         Conner Prairie

·         Swim Parties

·         International Festival in November at the Fairgrounds

·         Ice or roller skating

·        Pumpkin patch or apple orchard:  Apple works, Waterman’s, Anderson’s, etc.

·        Visit a farm – Kelsey’s

·        Survive Alive through the fire dept downtown

·        William Harrison House visit for Brownies

·         Day in a local park -  outdoor activities

·         Horseback riding

·         Archiver’s for free scrapbooking class

·         Shopping at the mall

·         Trying a new restaurant to go with a theme

·         Candle making

·         Babysitting classes (5th / 6th graders work best)

·         IMA for classes: art, jewelry, etc.

·         Photography

·         Dad & daughter field trips

·         Greenwood Police Station (IP) or Johnson Co Sheriff / jail

·         IRT or Civic theatre for acting/theatre

·         Rock Climbing

·         Cooking class

·         Bowling

·         Yoga – instructor to your meeting or go to a local business in Greenwood

·         Limo Ride – not much educational value but fun

·         Pedicure

·         IP college at Marian College (Cadettes & older)

·         World War Monument & Museum – upper room is hidden secret in Indpls

·         Scottish Rite – hidden secret / depression building / awesome

·         Soldiers & Sailors Monument – free if you wear your GS uniform

·         James Whitcomb Riley’s home

·         Ice skating at Perry Park or downtown

·         Sports events:  Pacers, Indians, Ice, Fever

·         Movies on the canal during the summer at the HIS

·         Fountain Square for duck pin bowling & old time diner

·         Indpls. Art Center in Broadripple – better for 10 and up aged girls (glassblowing, silk painting, etc.)

 

ALL AGES:

·        Math & Science Center offers that interest your troop

·        Don’t forget…many older girls love to return to the fun museums they attended when they were younger – a new perspective & interest. 

·        Walk in a parade

 

OUTSIDE THE INDY AREA BUT GREAT DAY TRIPS:

 

CENTRAL INDIANA:

 

BLOOMINGTON -

·         Wonderlab in Bloomington, IN (Brownie/Jr)

 

BROWN COUNTY / NASHVILLE, IN

·         Slightly Haunted Puppet Show at Melchoir with an afternoon in Nashville, IN

·        Rawhide Ranch in Brown Co. (Brownies & older)

 

COLUMBUS, IN –

·         KidsCommons

·         Zaharako’s ice cream parlor

·         Architecture tours

 

EDINBURGH, IN

·         Not Just Popcorn tour and taste testing in Edinburg, IN

·         Camp Atterbury

 

FRANKLIN, IN

·         Johnson Co Historical Society in Franklin, IN (great for 4th graders with IN history) - free

·         Shuffleboarding with Johnson Co shuffleboard club at the fairgrounds in Franklin, IN

 

LAFAYETTE, IN & SURROUNDING AREA

·         Visit a farm – Fair Oaks

·         Chemistry Day at Purdue

·        Inspired Fire in Lafayette, IN – glass fusing/blowing

 

MISC AREAS:

 

·         Hunters Honey Farm

·         Covered Bridge Festival

·         Kids Commons museum (toilet slide) & Zaharakos (ice cream parlor) in Columbus, IN

·        Metamora, IN – canal town – neat in the fall & Christmas, can ride the train from Connersville. 

·        Noblesville, IN – train ride, great park

·         Engineering Day at Rose Hulman

·         South Bend – HealthWorks! Kids Museum, Car museum and more

 

SOUTHERN INDIANA

·         Squire Boone Caverns / visit Corydon, IN

·         Holiday World

·         Spring Mill State Park and Pioneer Village

 

OHIO

·         Columbus, OH – COSI museum

·         Dayton, OH – Air Force Museum

·         King’s Island

 

Be creative – ask the girls – try something new that no one has done before

 

OVERNIGHT EVENTS:

 

DAISIES:

·        Use your discretion if they are ready for a full day trip

·        May try camping in someone’s backyard or home

 

BROWNIES:

·         Overnight at the Indpls. Zoo

·         Overnight at Conner Prairie

·         Camping in a cabin at a GS camp

·         Sleepovers at someone’s home

·         Camping at Camporee or in someone’s backyard

 

JUNIORS:

·         Squire Boone Caverns / visit Corydon, IN

·         Horseback riding & overnight at Rawhide Ranch in Brown Co.

·         Overnights at local places – Children’s Museum, Zoo, etc.

·         Sleepovers – good to work on Bronze Award, too

·         Camping at a local park: McCormick’s Creek, Eagle Creek, etc. for hiking, picnic, canoeing, etc.

·         COSI in Columbus, OH with overnight

·         Pokagon State park in the winter for Tobogganing, swimming, crafts – book it early! 

·         Camping adventures:  Wolf Park in Lafayette, Spring Mill, Turkey Run

 

 

OLDER GIRLS (CADETTES, SENIORS, AMBASSADORS)

·         Junior suggestions & the below

·         IP college during the summer

·         Camping adventures

·         King’s Island

·         Ask the girls what interests them

 

BIG TRIPS: check websites for the state

 

KENTUCKY:

·        Mammoth Cave, KY

·        Birthplace of Lincoln, KY – tie in with Mammoth Cave

·        Shaker Village & Bardstown

·        Lexington Horse Park

·        Van Melle Tour – Airhead factory – Erlanger, KY

 

OHIO:

·        COSI – Columbus, OH

·        Put in Bay, OH

·        Cedar Point, OH

·        OH to IN train ride

·        Bob Evan’s Homestead & Farm – SE Ohio

  • Great Wolf Lodge
  • Boonshaft Museum of Discovery in Dayton
  • Cincinnati – Aquarium, boat ride on the Ohio, etc.

o       Over the river, there is a church that is modeled after the Notre Dame in Paris, France.  The restaurant where the movie Rainman was filmed is there as well. 

o       Other ideas:  metro ride, Taft Museum, Children’s theatre, Carew Tower with lunch at Hathaway’s

 

ILLINOIS:

·        Chicago, IL

 

MICHIGAN:

·        Dunes – IN / MI

·        Skiing

·        Frankenmuth

 

WISCONSIN:

·        House on the Rocks & New Glareus (Swiss town/villa)

·        Wisconsin Dells

 

TENNESSEE:

·        Chattanooga, TN

·        Gatlinburg, TN

 

MISSOURI:

·        St. Louis, MO

 

PENNSYLVANIA:

·        Hershey, PA – Hershey town & theme park, Amish area

 

GEORGIA:

·        Savannah, GA to visit Juliette Gordon Low’s home

 

OUT OF THE COUNTRY:

·        World Centers of GS

RESOURCES:

·        Check out www.fieldtripfactory.com

·        National Park websites

·        State Parks / DNR website

·        Other Girl Scout Council sites

·        Visitor’s guide to each state – check out the festival guides and special events

 

 

 

Have fun & give the rest of us feedback / ideas / suggestions from your experience!