Great place for a 50m lap swim. Summer night swim is relatively bright up until 830-845. I really…read moreenjoyed the cooling water jets spraying over the pool to keep the water temps down. Right on IU's campus, and just a short walk down from the stadium.

Really enjoyed an outdoor night lap swim here. Plenty of space--didn't need to share the lane…read more Staff was nice. Locker room was pretty clean for it being the end of the day. And even though the air temp was in the upper 60s, the pool was still 80 degrees.

I spent a great week on the campus of Indiana University a few weeks ago attending the inaugural…read moreBloomington Pro Swim. The Councilman Billingsley swimming and diving complex is dedicated to longtime swim coach Doc Councilman now deceased. Also to Hobie Billingsley who attended the meet and now in his early 90's. Both were influential figures in the world of swim and dive for decades. The complex built in the mid 90's and located in the (SRSC) Student Recreation Sports Complex. It's sets on Law Ln and Union St. The aquatic complex consist of almost 145,000 of swimming and diving capability. The complex also houses Indiana's polo team. Parking close may be tricky with most being permit only. The complex features an 8 lane Olympic size pool with depths of seven to eight feet for greater speed. The complex also features an indoor diving tower. Two one meter and three meter spring board diving. As well as up to 10 meter platform diving. The facility is immaculate and maintained to high standards. The beauty of the facility comes from the wonderful banners and photos posted on the walls. It really brings the history of Indiana Swim & Dive to life. There is spectator seating, however not large. Estimated capacity is under 500. The wooden bleachers are in need of refinishing. A highlight however for spectators is the gigantic video board showing times and video. They also have a much smaller one at the diving well for polo and dive. The locker area is spacious and well maintained. There are other rooms for offices and meetings located just off deck. Being a Hoosier I can't help but be a fan of the Councilman Billingsley pool. But any bias aside, it is an incredible complex.

The Councilman Billingsley Aquatic Center is home to both Men's and Women's IU Swimming & Diving…read moreteams. This facility host numerous swimming and diving events including NCAA and Big Tens. Offering Indoor/outdoor seating for students to hang out or study. Vending machines and clean restrooms are available for visitors. This pool and facility are amazing! Mom Tip: Bring a stadium chair if you'll be there a while.

A superb place for your kids to blow off steam if you are in Bloomington during the colder months…read more In two large rooms they have a climbing wall, an indoor zip line, some water tables, a large wooden fortress, a slide, a trampoline, a giant ball pit, and more -- the 4- and 5- year-olds we saw here were having a great time but so was our 17-month toddler. Also, there are lots of places for adults to sit, and a pretty simple entry process (for $8 a kid). This place will likely become a mainstay of my holiday visits.

Very clean. Great activity to get out of the house on a bad weather day. No toys or imaginative…read moreplay, it's gross motor and sensory focused. We visit every time we're in Bloomington and we have brought 9/10 year old nieces with us to play as well. When they're interacting with the littles it works well But I don't think neurotypical kids 6 and up by themselves would have fun. It's small. We're usually done after an hour.

This park is close to the school, so it seems a bit redundant to the playground and basketball…read morecourts nearby. Still, the park is unfenced and visitors can use the nearby parking lots to access the shelter, playground, and courts within. There is one shelter and another building that looks more like a maintenance building than a true shelter. It did have picnic tables by it, so you'll have to inquire about its function. The playground has a variety of slides and swings, but doesn't have much of a base to protect from falls or keep kids from getting dirty if it has rained. The coolest thing about the park is the hippopotamus shaped drinking fountain where kids have to stick their own heads in the mouth to get a drink. Review #2675

Ransburg Scout Reservation is a Boy Scout summer camp. This camp is primarily used by the Scouts in…read morethe summertime but can also be used by the public in the off season for camping, and it has so much to offer. It is one of BSA's premier camps in the Mid-west. They offer 9 weeks of summer camp located in Hoosier National Forest right on Lake Monroe. They offer boating (canoe, kayak, sailing, motor), private dock for swimming, gun and archery ranges, horseback riding, climbing tower, high-ropes course, and so much more. Get your son or daughter (yes, I said daughter -- check out Venture Scouting) to get involved with BSA and give them summers that they'll never forget!

Ransburg is an alright Summer camp. My first complaint would be the food. The food is average at…read morebest. Sometimes it's bland and lacks flavor, and others it's great. Another problem is that there is no female shower houses. For females camping, they have to wait to use the BOYS shower house. Although the programs are good. Overall, it has good advantages, but remodeling and renovation is highly needed.

Built in 2012, gigantic run area and toss the ball opportunities. Large dog entrance has large dog…read moreholes in the ground, dangerous walking or running area. There is a covered picnic table area, but personally prefer the humans to be mobile and attentive to pets. This day offered up ball tossing humans who said their dog gets territorial over the balls, so let's rethink the playing of the game. I do wish folks understood if your saying your dog is territorial or had an issue with other dogs, how do they knew it won't be this day it tries to eat yours. Common sense needs to prevail, pick up poop and control your hopefully vaccinated pooch.

This park is difficult to rate. If you compare it to other dogs parks, it is a solid 3, but the…read morefact that it is free, while most others charge a fee. makes it a 4. The park has a port-potty and water for both you and your pooch. There is a decent sized parking lot there. The park spans almost 19 acres and has two fenced areas, one for use by large dogs and one for small dogs. Each area is decent sized and both has a shade awning. You will also find a picnic tables and cement slabs off in the distance. The park is ok and do not have any additional amenities or "bells and whistles" outside of the bare minimums that I mentioned, but it is free, so hey. The play areas are very spacious and wide open. Plus it is free. With it being free though, it can sometimes get packed on nice dayside's , so you may want to plan accordingly. This is a decent park to take you. pooch, especially in an area where such places are limited. And, its FREE.

I have lived in Indianapolis my entire life, and never heard of Fairfax State Recreation Area at…read moreMonroe Lake. From what I understand, it's even fairly well-kept secret from the locals. My friend visits the beach every weekend with her boys and others join her from time to time. She had lived in the area for several years before she knew it was there. We drove down for the day earlier this month and really enjoyed it. The beach is a little rocky and muddy, but I suppose that's to be expected in Indiana. It's a nice little spot to lay out, hang out with friends and family, or take out your floats, paddle boards, kayaks, etc. I would visit again. I give it four stars for a couple of reasons. 1. The difficulty in getting down to the beach area since there is only one small walkway. 2. The restrooms are not well-marked, and are thoroughly disgusting. Although a DNR employee sits near the restrooms, they don't seem to do a whole lot. There were people using one of the grills near the restrooms who thought it would be a good idea to play soccer on the sidewalk instead of the grass. They made no effort to move or stop playing as people had to walk by to the restrooms, and the DNR employee cared more about asking someone to move their vehicle than ask those disrespectful guests from hitting others with their soccer ball.

The skatepark needs repairs and improvements. To be honest, it needs completely redone…read more The ramps are over 20 years old. They are rusty and dangerous because the lips to the ramps are lifted off the ground. Also, the asphalt is not smooth, and there are large cracks running all the way through the park. Nothing noticeably wrong with tennis, swimming, and basketball court area

There is a lot to do at Thornton Park. They have an aquatic center (seasonal), skate park, tennis…read morecourts, basketball courts, and a playground. They also have a community center and shelter accessible from Q Street with plenty of parking. Parking also is available off Brian Lane Way on the west side of the park. The only negative I had was that I found all the fencing around the different sections of the park (tennis, aquatic area, and skate park) made it difficult to reach the other side of the park without driving out and around the neighborhood to the other side. One bonus though was the pair of limestone guardian heads along the path up to the playground. Very cool! Review #1982