-by local Mom Jill Levenhagen
I live here in Greenwood and we have two kids, one elementary age, and one middle school age. We’ve been through all the years of “how to entertain” these kids! Kids love to be active and be crazy and do fun things they can’t do in the backyard. And some of these activities might even provide a quiet table for mom and dad to have a private conversation.
Making the kids happy is a number one goal, so here is my own kids’ list of the things around here that they love doing!
Greenwood Kid’s To Do List
Rascals Fun Zone – this is a favorite because there is variety. The kids basically get a 2 hour bracelet and they can do anything (except the arcade is extra). We’ve attended many birthday parties here! They have go-karts, duckpin bowling, arcade, mini-golf, and bumper boats are open in the summer.
Fundamentals by Wrights – Wrights owns a gymnastics facility for classes and competition, but they also own three “play gyms” that are so amazing! All of the surface is padded, they have ziplines, slides, balance bars, ball pits, and more. They have two locations on the southside. This was a favorite for my kids, but they have outgrown it (age 10 is max for these gyms). Also, this will be the cheapest place to have a birthday party anywhere!
Perry Park (Ice & Pool) – We love Perry’s pool and waterslides in the summer. One main reason is that it is easy to keep track of kids…you can see them from your beach chair at all times! In the winter, they have an ice skating rink that hosts local hockey leagues, open skating and birthday parties.
YMCA Pool and camps – The Baxter YMCA is a great facility for families. Their kids summer camp is top notch and they have a preschool program. They also have a large indoor playplace for members, as well as childcare for parents working out. The Y has workout facilities, an indoor pool, outdoor pool and offers swimming lessons year-round.
Johnson County Park Ride-on Train – The Johnson County Live Steamers Club gives rides on their 7 1/2 gauge ride-on trains. They have a few miles of track through the woods of the park, going over and under bridges and seeing beautiful scenery. This was my son’s favorite thing to do every summer when he was little! They run the trains once a month from May to October. Be sure to go when other festivals are going on at the park. My daughter always loved the petting zoo during the Heartnut Festival in September. They also do private birthday parties, so that is a unique idea for a party!
Monkey Joes – The kids beg for this place. It is a big room filled with every inflatable bouncy thing, and you pay once and can stay as long as you want! I like that it has tables and I can bring my book or laptop and just let them play for hours. But, I never took them until they were old enough to play there on their own because I would have gone crazy trying to keep track of them! It is a great place for the elementary ages!
Zip City – this is a trampoline park, but also features multiple, very long ziplines that kids LOVE! They say it is the “World’s Only Indoor Zipline Park”. They also have Laser Tag and a Rock Wall. It is truly a great place even for the teens!
SkyZone – this is a nationwide trampoline park. My kids love the one close to us. They have more variety than some of the older locations…the Warrior Course is their favorite. It is more like a ropes course meets American Ninja Warrior!
Urban Air in Franklin – again, trampoline park, but so much more. My kids love the Sky Rider, the ropes course, the warrior obstacle course and the Battle Beam. My daughter loves that there are climbing walls that are at her level, and that there is a huge indoor playground!
The Apple Works – Fall is not complete for our family without a trip to Apple Works. It is just 20 minutes south of Center Grove where we live. Apple Works has all the fall baked goods, pumpkins and apples for sale. They have a walking trail, petting animal area, an outdoor “barn” playground, pony rides, train rides and hayrides!
KidCity Playplace at Greenwood Community Center – This is pretty new, and I so wish this would have been around when my kids were small. My daughter is 10, and she loves it still! This is an indoor playspace. It is beautiful and unique. There are climbers that go from the first floor to the second. They have a “Kroger” grocery store, my daughter’s favorite. And there are multiple learning centers and puzzles…a great place to go to get the kids out of the house!
Freedom Springs – This waterpark is in Greenwood and is currently my kid’s favorite because they are getting big and it has lots of waterslides and diving boards…and you can buy Chick-fil-a at their concession stand! 🙂 Be sure to get their punchcard with 10 punches…it is the best deal if you don’t buy a season pass.
Franklin Aquatic Center – The best part of this Aquatic Center is the little kids play area. It is separated from the big pool and so it makes it easy to watch your littles. I loved this when my daughter was little. My son would disappear and do the waterslide or diving board while I hung out under an umbrella by the kiddie play area.
Artcraft Theater – This historic theater has been renovated and is the center of family entertainment in Franklin, Indiana. Every weekend they show a different “classic” movie. The last one we saw there was E.T. It is a great venue and so nice to take your kids to some of the movies you loved as a child. I especially love to go during the holidays to watch my favorite Christmas movies!
Franklin Skate Club – This by far our favorite skate place on the Southside. We’ve had Cub Scout parties, school parties and birthday parties here and the kids love it!
Southern Bowl – They have lots of leagues, special events, they have Cosmic Bowling and a wide menu for eating while you’re there.
Orchard Golf Center – My son has been on the middle school golf team, and loves to go to Orchard in Center Grove with his buddies in the summer. It is a great course for the young learners especially as it is an 18-hole, 3 par. They also have a Miniature Golf course, and a Driving Range.
Upaint – My daughter and I were pretty happy when Upaint opened because sometimes we don’t want sports and activity…but we love art and creating! At Upaint, you pick an unpainted ceramic project and spend all day, if you want, painting to your heart’s content!
This is not all there is to do with kids on the southside. We live in Center Grove, so these things, centered mostly in Greenwood, have been our go-to activities! Share in the comments if you and your kids have found some great spots that you want to mention!
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