SPECIAL PROJECTS
a key part of the world’s first immersive outdoor and indoor family health, fitness and sports experiences that encourages, educates and inspires generations of children and families to participate in and enjoy sports together.
Founded in 1925, The Children’s Museum of Indianapolis is a nonprofit institution committed to creating extraordinary family learning experiences that have the power to transform the lives of children and families. Spanning over 480,000 square feet, The Children’s Museum is the world’s largest. With childhood and adult inactivity and obesity on the rise and opportunities for families to participate in sports together on the decline, the Museum saw a growing need for making active play accessible and inclusive for all families. Its goal was to counter this alarming trend and create a first of its kind, hands-on, interactive sports utopia that invites families to learn together through active play while celebrating the legacies of inspiring Hoosier sports icons.
The vision of the Children’s Museum: To create one of the world’s first and foremost immersive outdoor and indoor family health, fitness and sports experiences that encourages, educates and inspires generations of children and families to participate in and enjoy sports together throughout their lifetimes while celebrating the achievements and legacy of extraordinary athletes and teams.
In March of 2018, the 7.5 acre Riley Children’s Health Sports Legends Experience, an immersive outdoor and indoor family health, fitness, and sports experience, opened. The collection of sports-related activities includes partnerships with local professional sports teams, including the Indiana Pacers (NBA basketball) and the Indianapolis Colts (NFL American football). Part of this vision was the inclusion of a fitness path composed of outdoor fitness equipment along a half-mile walking path.
The Museum strives to ensure that museum interactives are inclusive of all family members and wanted to showcase adult and child size fitness equipment. After discovering that US fitness equipment suppliers only produce adult size equipment, the museum was at a loss until one of the team members saw Fresh Air Fitness child size equipment while on holiday. The museum quickly contacted Fresh Air Fitness to fulfill its goal and we were delighted to be a part of this thought-leading, innovative project. “Being active is not about competition. It’s about participation. Rather than focusing on skill levels, scores, or statistics, Riley Children’s Health Sports Legends Experience focuses on the benefits of participating in sports activities—the physical, mental, and social rewards of being in motion in an increasingly motionless world. The intention is to help visitors discover the pleasures of being active so they will want to make it a regular part of their daily lives,” commented Sarah Myers, Experience Project Manager.
After visiting six of Fresh Air Fitness' sites in the UK to study the sizes and quality of the equipment and to ensure it would be a good fit, Fresh Air Fitness worked with the Museum to put together a range of outdoor gym equipment that would support their vision. 29 pieces of Fresh Air Fitness equipment were installed along the Dr. Cory SerVaas Fitness Path at The Children’s Museum. Children, families, adults and seniors can walk the perimeter of the entire Riley Children’s Sports Legends Experience and encounter a variety of products from the children’s and adult’s ranges with enough user stations for more than 50 people to workout on the equipment at one time, including pieces available for those in wheelchairs. All equipment complies with US safety standards. Working with the Museum’s appointed contractor, Fresh Air Fitness ensured a smooth installation process despite the location being several thousand miles away and the challenge of a 5-hour time difference.
The Riley Children’s Health Sports Legends Experience has been a resounding success and the trail incorporating the Fresh Air Fitness outdoor gym is a very popular attraction with all ages
SARAH MYERS, EXPERIENCE PROJECT MANAGER
It is great to see families taking part in activities together while having great fun. Fresh Air Fitness was fantastic to work with and we recommend the company and its equipment to anyone interested in outdoor gym solutions for families
SARAH MYERS, EXPERIENCE PROJECT MANAGER
