Time for a winter getaway

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Updated: December 24, 2011 12:35PM

Winter break is a great time for a family getaway, and Indianapolis is a great destination for a nearby getaway. With so many outstanding museums and attractions, Indianapolis has something for everyone.

Chances are you’re already familiar with the Children’s Museum, which is said to be the world’s largest; the one and only Indianapolis Motor Speedway Hall of Fame Museum, which offers bus tours on the track; the wonderful (and free!) Indianapolis Museum of Art; the beautiful and historic Statehouse; Conner Prairie; and the zoo which currently has evening hours and extensive light displays, to name just a few.

A wonderful museum you might not be familiar with is the innovative and fairly new Indiana Historical Society Museum.

The old adage that a picture is worth a thousand words is challenged at this museum. Here, a few pictures have easily generated millions of words that have been exchanged in the engaging and innovative “You Are There” exhibits. These exhibit spaces recreate the scenes of historic photos complete with costumed historical interpreters portraying the characters in the photo and others from that time.

“You immerse yourself in a scene and speak with the characters,” explained Amy Lamb of the Indiana Historical Society.

“We try to have at least three characters in each room. Some of the interpreters are actors, others are educators or historians. What they all have in common is having a hunger and thirst to learn about the person, the time and issues of the day, and to be prepared for no holes barred questions from visitors,” said Lamb.

One current “You Are There” experience brings visitors into a 1920 police station following a prohibition bust. In this exhibit you might have an opportunity to chat with the bootlegger behind bars, a policeman who was in on the raid, one of the few women officers in the nation at the time and a temperance activist, and also try the body measurement method used at that time to identify criminals, in the era before fingerprinting was adopted.

Another “You Are There” places you at the scene of Robert Kennedy’s speech in Indianapolis on the day Martin Luther King Jr. was assassinated. Impressive hologram technology projects an actor portraying Kennedy into the exhibit, his movements synchronized to an audio recording of Kennedy’s poignant speech.

The third “You Are There” is based on a photo of a woman cooking in a 1950s kitchen. Inside what appears to be a common household scene, you learn that the woman pictured is a Jewish survivor of World War II who had been recently resettled in Indianapolis and is preparing a kosher meal.

“This exemplifies the fact that ordinary people have extraordinary stories,” said Lamb. “In fact I think it’s a testament to the success of these exhibits to see people open up as they engage in conversations and see that their own lives are a piece of history.”

Other exhibits at the Indiana Historical Society Museum include: “Destination Indiana,” in which thousands of the society’s 1.6 million historical photographs come to life through informative audio-visual presentations and at personal interactive touch screen stations where you can explore your county as well as other aspects of Indiana’s story; and the “Cole Porter Room,” where visitors can enjoy a live performance of their request of a song written by the Peru, Ind. native.

The museum also has a science lab where visitors can get hands-on pointers on document preservation techniques, plus library and computer resources for researching information about your ancestors.

Through Dec. 30, the museum is offering Winterfest with additional special activities and exhibits. Step into a scene from “A Christmas Story,” play with vintage toys from the 1950s and ‘60s, enjoy free admission on Friday, Dec. 23, and have fun with Radio Disney on Dec. 30 from noon to 2 p.m. (CST).

The Indiana History Center, 450 W. Ohio St., is near the capitol in downtown Indianapolis. Hours are Tuesday through Saturday from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. (CST). The facility will be closed on Dec. 24. Admission is $7 for adults and $5 for children ages 5-17. Parking is free with paid admission in the lot behind the building, enter from New York Street.

For more information call (317) 232-1882 or go online to www.indianahistory.org.