Fort Wayne is home to the 42-acre Fort Wayne Children's Zoo (kidszoo.org) that contains 1,500 animals. Children are able to travel to different sections of the zoo including the African Journey, Australian Adventure and Indonesian Rainforest. Baby animals are often born at the zoo, including baby lemurs, mongooses, swamp monkeys and giraffes. The Wild Things Gift Shop provides normal gift options, but also a specialty candy section with gummy crocodiles and scorpion shaped lollipops. Special camps and educational activities that take place on special occasions, and free activities such as looking at specimens under a microscope, dressing up like a rainforest researcher, the wombat burrow mazes and the African Journey experience are always available.
Kids will enjoy playing at numerous parks (fortwayneparks.org) in Fort Wayne. All city parks are open from 6 a.m. to 11 p.m., giving kids plenty of time to have fun. Indian Village Park, Bob Arnold Park, Johnny Appleseed Park, Swinney Park and Camp Allen Park are all options that have picnic areas, playgrounds and open spaces. Some of the parks also have basketball courts, baseball fields, tennis courts and swimming areas. Special events are occasionally held at the parks, including the Johnny Appleseed Festival during the third weekend of September, located at Johnny Appleseed Park.
The Foellinger-Freimann Botanical Center (botanicalconservatory.org), located downtown, provides visitors with an opportunity to see over 1,200 plants in the 25,000-square foot location. Kids will love interacting with “Woody,” a talking tree displayed there, as well as burrowing around in the worm tunnel designed for kids.
A visit to the Lakeside Rose Garden (fortwayneparks.org) is a great way for kids to explore a 24-acre park complete with numerous floral and rose displays. Children will still have access to playground equipment, walking trails and open spaces while enjoying the rose gardens.
The Science Central (sciencecentral.org) building provides educational experiences for young children in the city. The building is full of science-based activities that teach kids while keeping them entertained. There permanent stations include a moonwalk, weather station and tidal pool to go with an ever-changing group of temporary stations.
As your children get older or on a return visit, you can see The History Center (fwhistorycenter.com), located in Fort Wayne's old city hall building, which concentrates on historical artifacts important to the city.
