Great Nights Out: With Kids

Indiana Ghost Walks and Tours

Scary-good excursions that blend history and haunts.
Lace up your tennis shoes and get ready to take a spooky hike. These paranormal tours take place all around the city—Westfield, Noblesville, and the Chatham Arch neighborhood, among others. You’ll trek some one-and-a-half miles while learning about local lore and ghostly sightings. Guides don’t try to scare you, so it’s a good way to add a little fun to a family expedition. Apparently, even ghosts get a little chilly: Tours take a break during the winter, but start back up in March. Don’t wait too long to get tickets—they tend to sell out. 317-840-6456, unseenpress.com

Back to back ghost tours in my loafers

A photo posted by Ashley (@ash_la_folle) on Apr 16, 2016 at 5:01pm PDT

The Holcomb Observatory & Planetarium

The next-best thing to a personal tour of the universe by Neil deGrasse Tyson.
Now is a great time to sky-gaze—thanks to the Earth’s orbital position, winter months provide Hoosiers a brighter view of the stars. Experience the cosmos like never before with a long look through Indiana’s largest telescope, which can be found at Butler University. The instrument recently underwent a $450,000 refurbishment, so it can show you the wonders of the galaxy better than ever—sharper, and with a larger field of view. All-ages tours are guided by Butler students or observatory staff beginning at 7 p.m., with a 7:30 planetarium show (this season, it’s New Horizons of Pluto). Then, stop by the observatory, where you’ll see the Orion Nebula, planets, and star clusters through the massive scope. 4600 Sunset Ave., 317-940-8333, butler.edu/holcomb-observatory

Today I learned that Pluto is 2/1000 the size of Earth, has an orbit that is tilted 17% , and is composed of rock and ice #scienceiscool

A photo posted by Lauren Schommer (@lschommer) on Sep 30, 2016 at 6:54pm PDT

Speedway Indoor Karting

Indulge your need for speed—just remember to let the kids get a turn, too.
Just blocks from our famous Brickyard, Speedway Indoor Karting brings racing action inside, where it’s nice and toasty—and stays open until 11 p.m. on Fridays and Saturdays. Test your skills on either the two-level road course or America’s only indoor oval track, owned by retired IndyCar driver Sarah Fisher and her husband, Andy O’Gara. As long as you’re at least 8 years old and 48 inches tall, you, too, can grab the checkered flag in the Racing Capital of the World.
1067 Main St., Speedway, 317-870-3780, sikarting.com

Laps for Zoey! The guest of honor gets a ride from @sarahfisher67 #BeZoStrong

A video posted by Speedway Indoor Karting (@sikarting) on Sep 21, 2016 at 5:31pm PDT