Trifter

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Last summer we stopped to visit Conner Prairie, a museum and living history farm in Fishers, Indiana, just a few miles north of Indianapolis, while we were on our way from North Carolina to Michigan.  We had planned to spend a couple of hours there, thinking that would probably be enough.

Boy were we wrong!  There was so much to see and do at Conner Prairie that we ended up buying a season pass so that we could stop there again a week later on our way home from Michigan.

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Conner Prairie has fun activities for the whole family.  With a blacksmith shop, a tanner, a weaver, farm animals, old farm implements, and excellent historical period presentations, not only is it fun but it’s also a great educational experience depicting what life was like back in earlier days in America.

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Conner Prairie originally was established by Eli Lilly of pharmaceutical fame.  He purchased the Conner estate back in the 1930’s, and he also found period buildings across the Midwest that he moved to the Conner estate.

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There are various pioneer games and activities for adults and kids alike.  We found that walking on stilts is not as easy as it looks!  After a few minutes, though, we were able to get the hang of it.

The grounds of the museum are divided into sections, each depicting a different year and life style in American history. 

One section represents the year 1836 and is called Prairietown.  It includes a school house, a general store, a blacksmith shop, a pottery shop, and an old inn.

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The potter here was quite skilled and had an impressive array of finished products.

There is also a section called Liberty Corner, representing the year 1886.  This section has a Victorian farm house, a barn, a schoolhouse, a Quaker meeting hall, and even an authentic covered bridge.

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The blacksmith wanted my two boys to take an apprenticeship under him.  I thought it sounded like a great idea, but the blacksmith balked when he heard how much my boys really eat.

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Pelts from all kinds of animals are being sold here.  This was back in the days of self sufficiency, when people made clothing and blankets and most everything they needed.

There is also a Lenape Indian camp.  The Lenape are also known as the Delaware Indians.  We heard a wonderful presentation given by a descendant of the Lenape, and he taught us several words that we ended up using for weeks afterwards.

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We had a chance to grind some corn into cornmeal.  Don’t expect a big slab of cornbread any time soon though.  This is a lot of work!

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The kids enjoyed playing a game in the Lenape Indian camp.

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The farm has cows, horses, sheep, goats, and chickens.  The yarn that is being produced in this picture is from the wool of sheep on the farm.

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This loom is intricate and fascinating. 

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The presentations were interesting, informative, and very well done.  This was a great experience for my kids, and especially for our Korean exchange student.

Even though we were there on a weekend in midsummer, it was not crowded at all.

Not pictured in this article is the museum, where one can find various interesting exhibits, artifacts, and an informative film.

If you find yourself going to or through the Indianapolis area, I highly recommend stopping and seeing Conner Prairie.  You’ll be glad you did!

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