Indiana Medical History Museum

Activity Overview

The Indiana Medical History Museum is a fascinating museum in Indianapolis located in a historic pathology building that was once part of Central State Hospital. It contains a large collection of artifacts related to science and medicine that date back to the 19th and 20th centuries and are used in informative exhibits, including an exhibit that shows what a typical doctor's office looked like before WWII. Once you've looked around indoors, you can also head outside to explore the beautiful Medicinal Plant Garden.

Things to Do

• View all of the historic medical artifacts throughout the museum, as well as areas like its former autopsy room and teaching amphitheater.
• Visit the doctor's office exhibit, which features the many tools that doctors used in the early 1900s for medical procedures such as surgeries, delivering babies, and setting broken bones.
• Explore the Medicinal Plant Garden, which contains over 90 different plants from around the world that can be used for medicinal purposes. You can learn about each plant, including its medicinal uses, by reading the accompanying signs.

Indiana Medical History Museum Insider Tips

• Check their events page to learn about upcoming tours, lectures, classes, festivals, and hands-on children's activities at the museum.
• The museum is only available to visit by guided tour, with tours starting on the hour.
• If you want to learn even more about medicinal plants, take advantage of the museum's free guided tours of the Medicinal Plant Garden each Saturday at 11:00 a.m. from June through September.