Winter officially begins next week! Things to do around town seem more sparse in the cold months and creative date ideas – besides the typical dinner and a movie – are tricky this time of year. I was browsing the web for things for my husband and I to do and found so many possibilities. The best part? They are ALL free! It is all part of the “12 Free Days in Indy” by Indianapolis Downtown, Inc. ย Most are year-round attractions, yet I haven’t really done a lot of them before, although I have lived in Indianapolis my entire life. I figure I can’t be the only one and chances are, there will be things on this list you have yet to try as well. Buying Christmas presents, hosting parties, and attending parties adds up by the end of the month, so all of these ideas are FREE. Here is my list of Top 5 date ideas on the cheap for December, but you can see the complete list of 12 here!
Be Inside the Christmas Tree with an elevator ride to the top of the Soldiers and Sailors Monument
December 14 – FREE ice skating at the Pan Am Pavilion downtown Indy from Noon-8PM. You just gotta pay for your skate rental! Skate where the Indiana Ice play!
Skate where the Indianapolis Ice skate!
December 15 – FREE elevator ride to the top of the Soldiers and Sailors Monument on the Circle downtown Indy. How did I never know this was an option? The views are said to be stunning and what more perfect timing could there be with the circle beautifully lit up with Christmas lights?!! Open 10:30AM-5:30PM.
December 16 – FREE admission to the Indiana State Museum. Open from 10Am-5PM.
December 17 – FREE admission to the James Whitcomb Riley Museum. Explore this famous Hoosier poet’s early 20th century home as he did for 23 years. Open 10AM-3:30PM. I am a English nerd and lover and I am definitely doing this one! I can’t wait to learn more about the man who so many things in our state are named after – Riley Hospital for Children, Riley Towers Apartments, annual Riley Festival in Greenfield, James Whitcomb Riley High School….the list goes on and on!
Beloved Hoosier Poet, James Whitcomb Riley
December 24 – FREE admission to the Children’s Museum – the largest children’s museum in the world. Okay, maybe this one is more for a date with your kids, but who doesn’t feel like a child at heart on Christmas Eve? Open 10AM-2PM.
