Dinosphere also claims ownership to the only known find of a species of dinosaur that has been named Dracorex Hogwartsia (King Dragon of Hogwarts after the Harry Potter series). That seemed kind of odd at first, but it really is a pretty ingenious way to make dinosaur paleontology relevant to today's kids.
Another winner with the girls was the Barbie exhibit. It contains a lot of life size props to interact with like standing in a life size Barbie package, sitting behind a Barbie studio desk, and walking down a Barbie runway. Of course, it also as displayed hundreds (thousands?) of Barbies from throughout the years.
Other rotating exhibits like Rock Stars & Guitars, Star Wars and Etch-a-Sketch keep the place fresh for locals. It is a really neat place and we recommend it to anyone who might find themselves in the area. Along those lines, the downtown area of Indianapolis was very impressive as well. They have a thriving business community, a large amount of retail and a booming restaurant/bar/hotel area -- largely in updated historic buildings. (So, thumbs up to Indianapolis!)
After several fun hours with our friends, it was time to get truckster back on the road. But, on our way out, we stopped by The Brickyard - The Indianapolis Motor Speedway. We were fortunate to see a few cars running on the track -- enough to get an idea of the speed and decibel level at which they operate. The kids would love a chance to come back a watch a full fledged race there.
Inspired by the oversized go-carts driving in excess of 200 miles an hour, we maxed the accessorized swagger wagon out at 75 mph on the interstate on our way to our next stop: St. Louis. The stretch across Illinois found us driving through three different storm bands where visibility was next to zero. But, we remained undeterred, looking for our first glimpse of the Arch and trying to get to Sweetie Pies (as made famous on the TV show "Dives, Diners and Drive-Ins") before it closed.
We made it the restaurant just prior to closing and enjoyed the Mississippi Style Cooking/Soul Food fare. Their much bally-hooed Macaroni & Cheese was incredible. And the rest of the fried chicken, smothered pork chops, cabbage, green beans and black-eyed peas were great. Though the kids still say it all comes in second to Grandma's.
