What Is Our Master Plan?
The Conner Prairie Site Master Plan lays out a vision and a series of projects for development over the next few decades. The Master Plan addresses not only new exhibits, buildings, access points, and infrastructure projects, but also plans for the green spaces: woodland, riverbank, wetlands, and the prairie for which Conner Prairie was named. The Plan is the result of 10 months of collaboration during 2017–2018 between Conner Prairie leadership, the Site Master Plan Task Group, the Conner Prairie Board of Directors, and more than 64 external stakeholders. In total, more than 225 people were engaged.
As one of the country’s preeminent living history museums, Conner Prairie will harness the White River as a resource for its growth.
Like museums all across the country, Conner Prairie is meeting the challenge of engaging an evolving audience, ever more diverse in background, age, and accessibility, while striving to remain relevant and even critical in our educational and cultural landscape. Conner Prairie Museum has a tradition of innovation and is nationally recognized. The Museum is Indiana’s first Smithsonian Affiliate and recipient of the National Medal for Museum and Library Science “Top Honor.” The Giving Voice Initiative was recognized by the American Association for State and Local History with a 2019 Award of Excellence. Conner Prairie is recognized as one of 250 Sites globally by the International Coalition of Sites of Conscience. The Museum has programs for dementia awareness and inclusion, and for those with autism and sensory developmental challenges.
Initiatives of the Master Plan
The following projects further illuminate our vision of the Master Plan. These initiatives help build a lasting impact at Conner Prairie for decades to come. Explore each project and their relationship to our mission.
These projects are located on the West side of the river in Carmel:
- Food, Farm and Energy Experience
- White River Education and Ecology
- Eco-Lodging
- Land, Water and Energy Innovation Center
These projects are located on the East side of the river in Fishers:
- Museum Experience Center
- Trails at Conner Prairie
- Promised Land as Proving Ground