Newfields and the Indianapolis Museum of Art
3845 Woodstock Dr, Indianapolis, IN
Indianapolis, IN
One of the country's largest art museums wrapped in a campus of formal gardens, a historic estate, and a wooded art-and-nature park, where the collection spills outdoors.
Newfields is a rare blend of an art museum and a great garden estate, one of the largest and oldest art institutions in the country set within a sprawling campus of grounds on the north side of Indianapolis. At its heart is the Indianapolis Museum of Art, whose collection ranges across centuries and continents, from European and American painting to Asian, African, and contemporary work.
But the museum is only part of the story. The campus takes in formal gardens, the historic Lilly House estate, and a large art-and-nature park where sculptures and installations are scattered through woods and along a lake. The institution rebranded itself as Newfields to capture this fuller identity, a place where art and landscape are woven together, and where the seasons, especially the celebrated winter lights, become part of the experience.
What Guests Love
- A wide-ranging art collection spanning centuries and continents
- The sprawling gardens and the historic Lilly House estate on the grounds
- The Virginia B. Fairbanks Art and Nature Park, where outdoor artworks dot the woods
- The winter Nights lights display that transforms the gardens after dark
Worth Knowing
- The campus is large, blending museum, gardens, estate, and park, so allow plenty of time
- Much of a visit is outdoors, so dress for the weather and wear walking shoes
- The gardens shift with the seasons, from spring blooms to autumn color to winter lights
- Check the schedule for the seasonal lights and special exhibitions before you go
Details
Indianapolis, IN
Learn about Newfields and the Indianapolis Museum of Art
A collection centuries deep
The Indianapolis Museum of Art holds one of the most substantial art collections in the American Midwest, built up over more than a century. Its galleries move across European and American painting and sculpture, Asian art, African art, textiles, design, and a strong contemporary collection, giving visitors a broad tour of world art under one roof.
As one of the oldest and largest general art museums in the country, it anchors the whole campus. The strength and range of the collection mean a visitor can spend hours indoors before ever stepping into the gardens, and the museum regularly mounts major special exhibitions alongside its permanent galleries.
Gardens and the Lilly House estate
Surrounding the museum is a campus of formal gardens and grounds that began as a private estate. The historic Lilly House, an early twentieth-century mansion once home to a prominent Indianapolis family, still stands on the property, furnished and open to visitors as a window into the era.
The gardens around it are a destination in themselves, changing dramatically with the seasons, from spring bulbs and blossoms to summer greenery to a blaze of autumn color. In winter the grounds host a much-loved lights display that transforms the gardens after dark, drawing crowds through the coldest months.
Art and nature in the park
Beyond the gardens, the campus includes the Virginia B. Fairbanks Art and Nature Park, a large tract of woods, wetland, and a lake along the White River where art moves outdoors. Here contemporary sculptures and installations are placed among the trees and water, so that a walk becomes a gallery in the open air.
This blending of art and landscape is what sets Newfields apart. A visit can carry you from centuries-old paintings indoors to a bold outdoor installation reflected in a lake, all on the same grounds, making the case that art belongs in the natural world as much as on a gallery wall.
Indianapolis and a full-day campus
Newfields lies on the near-north side of Indianapolis, an easy drive from downtown and the capital's other attractions. The city, laid out in the early nineteenth century as Indiana's capital, stands on land that is old homeland of the Miami (Myaamia), the Lenape (Delaware), and other Native nations of central Indiana before treaties and forced removals pushed most of them west.
Because the campus combines a museum, an estate, formal gardens, and a nature park, it easily fills a full day, and it rewards repeat visits as the gardens turn with the seasons. Paired with the downtown museums and White River park, it makes Indianapolis a genuine art-and-garden destination.
Closest Boutels
The closest Boutel™ stays, so you can turn this stop into an overnight. Each is an independently owned, editorially selected place to stay.
Things to Do Near Indianapolis
Downtown Indianapolis
About 5 miles south
The capital's core, with the White River State Park, the state museum, and canal walk.
The Children's Museum of Indianapolis
About 3 miles south
One of the largest children's museums in the world, with dinosaurs, science, and hands-on exhibits.
White River State Park
About 5 miles south
A downtown riverside park bringing together museums, a zoo, gardens, and trails along the White River.
Broad Ripple Village
About 3 miles north
A leafy Indianapolis neighborhood with shops, galleries, and a canal-side trail.