The Glass Barn | 12 Free Fun Activities for Families at the State Fair

The Indiana State Fair is a beloved tradition that brings so many people together each summer. You could go multiple days and still not see and do everything there is to enjoy there. With each visit we take to the State Fair, we always make sure to prioritize a visit to The Glass Barn. It is an interactive and educational center for kids and parents alike! Want to hear more? Below are 12 reasons you need to visit the Glass Barn.

The Glass Barn is Free for Families

The Glass Barn is a free exhibit where you can learn about agriculture, farming, and how your food is grown and processed. All of the activities inside are free, and there are fun prizes offered daily, such as a free Glass Barn Hat, free Dairy Bar gift cards, and even grocery gift cards!

Snap a Family Photo at PictureU

When you head to the Glass Barn, you will find lots of fun activities to engage your kids. The photo booth is a great reason to visit! Pick your backdrop, and take a fun family photo to capture your trip to the Fair. There is a computer available to input your information and get a digital copy free of charge sent to your email. We love taking pictures and selecting different backdrops on the green screen!

Check Out the Combine Simulator

Have you wanted your kids to connect with where their food comes from on a personal level? I know it can be hard to teach our kids about the work that goes into the food we eat and love at the store. The Indiana Soybean Alliance has a combine virtual reality simulator. Your family will be immersed in the soybean field, where you will experience the process of harvesting crops. This is the closest thing you’ll find to sitting on a real combine!

Play the Grocery Game

This interactive activity challenges guests to go shopping for a category of items at the mock grocery store. You’ll learn about different products that you could expect to find at the store that are made from soybeans. This is a great way to see how versatile and useful the soybean really is, in a fun and hands-on experience.

Video Chat With Farmers

The daily farm chats are a unique way to learn about farming in Indiana, as well as other careers in the agriculture community. Multiple farming families will be featured sharing personal experiences about what it’s like to live on a real-life working farm. This event happens daily at 11 am, 2 pm, and 4 pm, and offers families the opportunity to have a live question-and-answer session over video chat with local Indiana farmers and others in the farming community.

Play the Farming Arcade Games

This activity is a popular section of the Glass Barn. Here you will find multiple simulations that allow your children to engage with different aspects of farming, and learn what it is like to work on a farm. They’ll have decisions to make as they work with agriculture technology to manage their crops.

Get Your Trucker Hat with Beango

Do you want to win a fun hat? Each year, the Glass Barn has a game called BeanGo. This is an interactive way to learn about all there is to see in the Glass Barn. Take your card with a checklist of things to do, and when you’re done, you turn it in for your brand-new hat! There’s even a children’s version of BeanGo that will allow the little ones to be a part of the fun.

Visit the Fun Statues Outside

In front of the Glass Barn is a super cute soybean man statue that my kids absolutely love! There are multiple photo opportunities outside the glass barn as you enter. The chicken statue is also a family favorite. The Glass Barn takes every opportunity to make learning fun. There are even fact signs with the statues to learn as you go.

Learn about Indiana’s Rich Farming History

Several farming families in Indiana are highlighted inside the Glass Barn. You will have the opportunity to connect with local farming families and learn about the history behind their farms, and what they are growing and producing. You can also find interesting information about the evolution of farming technology- where we started, and what we use today.

Visit the Gardens Outside the Glass Barn

The design of the Glass Barn building is unique, and will immediately catch your eye. The seven different peaks in the roof were developed so that rainfall naturally is distributed amongst the garden surrounding the building. You can walk around and admire a garden that waters itself!

Explore Careers in Agriculture

The Glass Barn is looking to inspire the next generation of farmers, and there are many ways to get involved. You can learn about the different opportunities in the agricultural field and what type of career path may be interesting for your child.

Did You Know?

There are so many things that we come across in our everyday lives that are created from soybeans! This magic bean is more than a food source for animals. See many products around the Glass Barn to learn about the many uses of soybeans.

Learn About Different Types of Farming

The soybean crop is a prominent part of the Glass Barn, but there are many other opportunities to learn about different types of farming, such as animal farming. You can learn about hogs, chickens, and more in this interactive exhibit. In addition, live farmer chats often include dairy farmers and hog farmers.

As you can see, the Glass Barn is packed full of activities for everyone in the family to enjoy together. This unique exhibit is a must-do on your trip to the Indiana State Fair. The fair runs from Tuesday-Sunday each week, August 2-18, 2024. Check out our tips for other Free Things to do at the State Fair.

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