What a nice little park. I highly recommend visiting the tennis area at Craig Park, and just…read morewatching people hit balls for a while. It's relaxing. There are bleachers at which to sit, and you can just sit and watch, and talk or not talk, depending on whether you're alone or sitting with someone who understands the value of talking and not talking. I'm usually visiting parks with my children, but this time, I did not. How luxurious to enjoy a park as an adult without children! Ingrained habits die hard, though, and I still made a beeline for the playground to check it out. The playground at Craig Park has some fun and somewhat modern equipment: multiple slides, traditional swings, things to climb. The playground area has wood chips on the ground. There's also a surprising amount of shade on the playground because of all of the trees around the area. Shade is so nice and kind of rare in a playground! Near the playground, there's a gaga ball court, pickleball courts and the aforementioned tennis courts. If you walk a little ways away from the playground -- just follow the paved trail -- you'll find a few different spots with fun things to play on along the way. This isn't the most modern park, but it's a nice and peaceful place in Greenwood to spend some time.

Craig Park has a little something for most people. Tennis courts, pickleball courts, a nice play…read morearea for little children, some covered shelters, paved walking paths that seem appropriate for all abilities. You can park off Smith Valley (watch out for the crazy double roundabout) or you can park in the center area south of the baseball/softball fields. In the evening, it's wellness and feels very safe for walking This is also the area that is used for fireworks for the Greenwood Fourth of July never on 4 July event If you want a farther walk, then just around that park you can add in the park at the library and cross the road which makes a nice circle.

A beautiful park located just off Main Street in Greenwood. Great walking trails, although not too…read morelong and some paths are hilly, but woodsy with a creek flowing next to them. Great playground, baseball fields, and newly renovated tennis and basketball courts.

Beautiful park with walking trails, playground, and sports fields. Walkers and bikers. Beware,…read morethere are steep grades, though they are marked.

This is a nice nature park with a vast amount of green space. It is located well off of the main…read moreroad which gives it a bit of calmness. It spans 82 acres and dates back to 1970. The park has a shelter with picnic tables under it and a few tables and a grill just outside of it. A large portion of the park is a dog park area. They have 2 large fenced in areas with benches and dog ramps and jump bars. It is a nice dog park and requires a permit where dog owners can purchase a day or annual pass. There is a decent sized parking lot to park in and just off of the parking lot is the entrance to the park's nature trail. It is a very nice trail that is well defined and wide. You are never too deep in the woods being that it borders a neighborhood. The green space is vast and well maintained. You can do just about any field activity here including flying a kite, playing soccer, playing football, throwing a frisbee, having a picnic, batting practice or playing catch. There is a huge hill in the midst of all the green space that would be awesome for hanging out, working out and sledding after a snow. Some people use the green space, instead of paying to use the dog park to walk their dogs. I think that is acceptable by the park, as long as you clean up after it and keep it on a leash. The park's playground is ok. It has a bank of traditional swings, a bank of toddler swings, a geo dome, a see-saw, a spiral slide, and a large accesible jungle gym with a bunch of slides, monkey rings, pull up bars, and track ride. The area is on a bed of saw dust and the equipment is in fair condition and you can see signs of weather and wear. I know that money does not grow on trees, but it would be nice to upgrade this area. I will caution you that the park can get muddy after some precipitation, so dress your feet accordingly. This is a nice nature park that has a dog park, hiking trails, green space, a playground, and picnic area. There is no restroom facility, but they do have a porta-potty available by the parking lot near the dog park area. Definitely worth a visit if you are looking for a park and are in the area. I enjoyed my time there.

Paul Ruster Park is an 82-acre park that sort of rides the South and East corridors of Indy. It's a…read morelittle gem, though not particularly a wheelchair friendly one given it maintains a lot of its natural setting rather than having a lot of actual "features." The park was acquired in 1970 and is part of Indy Parks. It has beautiful, winding trails, a small fishing pond, and a playground that has some nice equipment but I sure wouldn't consider it to be top-notch in that area. I sort of stumbled by Paul Ruster Park. I was on a therapeutic drive after work and happened to make a turn and instantly saw the park sign. As I knew this was not a park I'd ever visited before, I had to stop and check it out. As I was driving in on a winding road, I saw one guy pulling out his fishing equipment. I love that. Paul Ruster Park does feature a bark park. You can buy a pass for it at the Post Road park. There's also a 1.5 mile trail in the park that I tried out - it's relatively gentle with some inclines and has some lakeside features. Dogs can go on the trail, though they must be leashed. The trail is pretty good for wheelchairs and is certainly paved. Paul Ruster has a really good sledding hill, though that's obviously not wheelchair friendly. It might be interesting, though! There is a path that leads to the playground equipment, though I certainly would not call the playground area an accessible area. I'm always curious about how parks get their names. So, I did some research since Paul Ruster doesn't really ring a bell. Ruster was a 1964 graduate of Warren Central High School who died on December 10, 1978 of Hodgkin's Disease. He was a longtime Eastside presence and had a brother who had been a Warren Central baseball star and would become a P.E. teacher. Paul Ruster himself went to Ball State and returned to Warren Township where he taught for 10 years before his death. He was a beloved child advocate and the park was named after him in 1979. Another fun fact about the park - it's reportedly haunted by the ghost of John Kitley, a 12-year-old harmonica playing boy who was killed along train tracks in 1864. The park is close to the Washington Square area and yet is nicely set apart from both the retail and residential areas that are within minutes.

Washington Park is new and improved! The city of Indianapolis is on a roll right now, investing…read morefunds into improving the parks around the city, and Washington Park has been one of the targets for a much-needed glow-up. As of August 2025, there is an all-new playground in the center of the park, a splash pad, new picnic shelters, a huge parking lot and a comfort station. This is in addition to the other features that currently exist on the 120 acres of the park: a family recreation center, an outdoor basketball complex, walking trails, an 18-hole disk golf course, a mountain bike course and another smaller, older playground. The new playground at Washington Park is super fun for kids of all ages. There's an area made for kids ages 5-12, with a big play structure that has multiple slides, ropes courses and lots of things to climb. There's also a play area for toddlers, with a mini slide and a pint-sized play structure. There are also musical instruments, a teeter-totter, swings (including accessible swings) and cement creatures like turtles and salamanders you can climb on top of and ride, if you want to! The splash pad at Washington Park is one of only two splash pads in the near east side of Indianapolis, so it is a much-needed feature in this part of Indy. (The only other splash pad is at Wes Montgomery Park.) It has multiple water features and a fun water slide. One of the best things about it is that there is actual shade around the splash pad! Shade is a scarce resource at playgrounds, oftentimes. I've only visited the new playground and splash pad, but I'm impressed with the updates that have been made to Washington Park! I hope to come back and explore more of the park sometime soon.

I had never heard of this park until my family member started working here. The playground has been…read morecompletely redone. It's very nice with areas for big and little kids. My toddler had a lot of fun looking at the large animal structures they had. We walked some of the trails- they aren't super well kept so that's disappointing. I was surprised to see the mountain bike area and disc golf course.

River Heritage Park is a hidden gem in Hamilton County. The Park borders the White River…read more Yesterday, was our first visit and we had a beautiful cool day to walk the trails and explore. The trails are totally accessible with parts of the trail covered with a soft matted material for easy walking/running. Along the trail are a number of colorful play structures with a zip line as a highlight for the kids. My favorite part of the mile plus hike were the scenes and overlooks along the White River. The river was crystal clear and picturesque. We found some evidence of the recent flooding throughout the park. The woods were filled with birds and native trees. We saw large turtles and fish in the river. Benches, picnic tables and information placards are along the trail. A beautiful old silo stands at the trail head along with a picnic pavilion and amphitheater. A playground with plenty of covered seating and a pair of volleyball courts stand near the parking lot. A small set of restrooms are available. Construction by adjacent Citizens Energy is somewhat distracting, but should be temporary. Signs indicate that the Park will begin a new phase of growth after the work is completed at Citizens. We found plenty of parking. The park is well worth a visit and should be spectacular when the leaves start changing color soon.

River Heritage Park in Carmel sits right along the White River and is SO much more than just a…read moreplayground. There's one main playground with: * Swings * Climbing structures * Spinning equipment * An interactive game on a rubber surface * Two shaded picnic tables But here's where this park gets really fun Take the hard, rubberized trail through the park and you'll find three mini play areas scattered along the trail. And THIS is where you'll find the zipline! I've checked out a lot of parks around Hamilton County, and this is one of the longest and fastest free ziplines I've found. There's also a slide just past the zipline, and if you keep walking, you can make your way to White River overlooks. A few things to know: The main playground doesn't have much shade There is shade along the trail Bathrooms are available The rubberized trail is smooth and much easier on your joints than mulch or uneven trails It's basically a playground + mini playground adventure + scenic walk + White River views all in one. And did I mention the zipline is FREE?!

This park is more than meets the eye. The front part, where you first enter, isn't much to see. I…read moremean, it's beautiful -- there's lots of grass and open fields, a lovely amphitheater, lots of flowers and benches under shady trees -- but kids don't care about that. Kids want playgrounds, and fortunately, University Park indeed has a playground. And the playground is pretty awesome. You need to drive a little through the park to get to it, but once you do, you'll see giant play structures with lots of slides, bridges, fireman poles, monkey bars, swings, rock walls and lots more. The playground area has wood chips on the ground for a soft landing. There's an indoor restroom right next to the playground too, and a water fountain. Just beyond the playground, you'll see signs pointing out different hiking paths. We walked into the woods and came across all kinds of beautiful nature, as well as bridges. This is a great place to take an easy walk or hike with kids. For the doggies, there's a little dog park here (Four Paws Dog Park), with some agility equipment and lots of room to run. The whole dog park is securely fenced and gated. University Park is another great park in Greenwood!

It's very nice I also like the monkey bars below the park it's really cool nice place to take your…read morekids and theirs another park across from it for smaller kids

Always great to walk in this space as close to home but like being in a forest. It gets pretty busy…read moreand the path is narrow so have to often step off or into the underbrush. It is a friendly group though so usually not an issue. We took our rescue dog and it was a bit of an issue when someone walking had two dogs off leash. They were calm but to prevent a scuffle I had pick up our dog. Not great but it helps to be mindful of others as this is a city/urban park. The picnic areas are few but nice and there is a lot of space to wander. A fun spot!

This "park" is pretty nice for being in town! It had rained so it was slightly muddy and the…read moreinclines could be a bit slippery but the trail is well kept and easily marked. It's nicely tree covered and I've even seen a few owls and wood peckers the Bochum always make for a good walk! Quiet and peaceful with little rises to get the blood flowing - go for a walk!

This is the spot for indoor and outdoor kid friendly fun. The interior is small, hosting many…read morerescued reptiles, amphibians, and other exotic animals. There's a small play area with lots of opportunities for hands on learning. Outside there's chickens, walking trails, a play set, and giant chess board for good weather fun. This park is free to explore. Staff is knowledge and passionate about caring for the animals. Looking forward to coming back to check out some of the programs.

I finally stopped by Helen Pecar Park this past weekend on my way through Hendricks County to my…read moreparents' home. Pecar Park & Nature Center is a fairly new Avon Park that is a unique balance of primitive meets contemporary. The park has its own naturalist and the nature center offers turtles, tortoises, bearded dragons, and other animals. There's an amphitheater that is primarily used as an outdoor education space. The Nature Center can be rented by the hour or by the day (only between the hours of 10am-9pm). Pecar Park offers 9 primitive campsites, though there is an indoor bathroom and shower to make everything a little less primitive. Rental of a campsite is $15 for township residents, $25 for non-residents. The park also offers a playground, community fire pit, pod, greenspace, GLOW lab, and geocachers should know geocaching is available at this park (and encouraged). Pecar Park still feels like a work in progress. It's one of those parks that's always a dilemma for me - technically, it's accessible. Yet, it's really not. The way Yelp's accessibility questions are phrased, technically this park meets them. However, this park tends to be a place where it's best to have a companion with you, especially if you have mobility issues, as there are places where paths are a bit more rustic and even the playground is a bit more natural in setting. Pecar Park is off the main drag in Hendricks County and seems to be a still underutilized park. It seems to be more about natural activities than just "fun." There's also a bird aviary and a low ropes challenge. Again, this feels like a work in progress but a cool work in progress. It seems like this park has grown a bit since its 2019 opening, however, it remains one of Avon, Indiana's more underrated gems. While accessibility is definitely a bit of an issue here, with a little assistance it's likely one can really appreciate this more natural and relaxed setting. As near as I could tell, the nature center itself was solid in terms of accessibility. I got everywhere I wanted to go here - it just took a little effort.