Traveling With Older Kids

Morning

One of our favorite outdoor activities in Hendricks County has to be on horseback enjoying the beautiful scenery through the woods, along the creeks and meandering in the meadows at Natural Valley Ranch in Brownsburg.

This working horse ranch provides guided horseback rides with no experience required as the well-trained horses know the routine gentling gliding along the well-worn paths.

They even have a small petting zoo there to check out some other animals before leaving or while you wait for your ride. We suggest scheduling a reservation before you arrive.

Lunch

After enjoying some outdoor recreation, fuel up at a local Brownsburg favorite, Books and Brews. This place has something for every member of the family.

They offer appetizers, sandwiches and flatbreads, brews for the adults and fun games you can enjoy as a family.

This restaurant takes pride in allowing its guests to unplug from technology, bringing families back together again through food, conversation, books and games.

Afternoon

We suggest finding one of our great parks that fits your family's lifestyle for an afternoon of fun.

If you are into hiking, maybe McCloud or Sodalis nature parks would be a good fit, or you can check out a list of our top trails here and pick your favorite.

If sports activities like pickleball, disc golf, skateboards or bocce ball are more your thing, we have a number of parks for that, too. 

If your teens prefer to get wet, maybe one of our splash pads or water parks might fit the bill.

Evening/Dinner

After checking into your hotel and enjoying some downtime, we suggest heading back out to a place we know your teens will love! Press Play Gaming Lounge in Brownsburg should provide hours of entertainment for the whole family.

Rent a family pod, and then let the fun begin! Choose from virtual reality, foam wars, 3-point basketball and their new, state-of-the-art Omni Arena, which takes virtual reality to the next level.

The best part: if the adults need a break, you can lounge on the coach at your family pod, watch TV from various streaming options and enjoy food and drinks while the kids continue to play.

The combination of the time you spend there and the quality and variety of the food may take care of dinner.

Morning

We suggest starting out with a hearty breakfast at Oasis Diner for Day 2 as you will expend a lot of energy the rest of the day. You will love their breakfast specials named after cities on the National Road as this historic diner pairs nostalgia with amazing food.

Lunch/Afternoon

How about some waterpark fun to end your getaway in Hendricks County? Our best waterpark for teens has to be Splash Island Family Waterpark in Plainfield. It boasts some big waterslides.

The whole family can relax while floating in their large leisure river. Plus, they have a zero-depth entry water playground, diving boards and more.

And there is no need to go offsite for lunch as they have an impressive selection of foods for the whole family at their concession stand or you can order food or pack a lunch as they allow guests to bring coolers and outside food in.