We love this park! It has lots of different types of climbing sets and slides. It is located under…read moreseveral shade trees. Beautiful landscape and perfect photo opportunities. Located near the water park and several ball fields. There is a walking trail and a large common area that would be great for frisbee.You will not find it difficult to find a parking spot because there are plenty scattered throughout the park. Directly by the play sets there are several picnic tables.

With the recent illness of a family member, I've been spending more time in the Hendricks County…read moreand Putnam County area. On a recent visit, I found myself needing some down time and fresh air. I stopped by Ellis Park, a key park in Danville, Indiana and a park where I used to spend quite a bit of time in my young adult years. Ellis Park is directly off U.S. 36 right as you're getting into the main strip of Danville. It's a 49-acre park with a history tracing back to 1913. At that time, the 49 acres were set aside to protect the wells that provided Danville's water. In 1971, the park was renamed for longtime park superintendent Harve Ellis. Ellis Park is along the White Lick Creek. It's perhaps most known for its historical swinging bridge, however, it has quite a few amenities - shelters, playgrounds, sports fields, restrooms, Gill Family Aquatic Center, an amphitheater, and a "train station" that also can host meetings/events. Ellis Park is a rather nice weaving together of history with quite a few contemporary upgrades. It's incredibly wooded and it's super easy to take some time and just chill out here. The park is also adjacent to the nearby Blanton House Conference and Retreat Center. I definitely love Ellis Park, though every time I visit I can't help but feel like I wish it could be spruced up even more. It's really a centerpiece for Danville and it's definitely well utilized. I've always seen quite a few people here whenever I visit, however, it definitely does still have a bit of an aged feeling. That said, it's my favorite park in Danville and it has been a nice place to decompress during my family's recent challenges.

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.

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.

Well, this park is gone. They have torn it down and started putting up buildings. The only thing…read morethat remains is the nature trail. There is no easy parking available to access the trail. I had to park in the neighborhood (Walker Farms) that borders the park and walk over. It was about a quarter-mile walk. The nature trail is small, but well defined. Most of it is paved. You will find a few benches along the trail and the trail head borders a small pond. There is also a picnic table over there that overlooks the pond. The trail does not go too deep in the woods and you are never too far from the road. You will always be able to see houses and/or the road while you are on the trail, so you should not get lost. As I mentioned the park's parking lot and playground equipment are long gone, probably due to main Street park being so close. The construction has also affected parts of the trail as well. All you see are most of the trail and remnants of the park now such as a handicap parking sign or trash cans. I am not sure if there are plans to rebuild to park or not after the construction is done. So, as it stands today , the park does not have much value outside of visitors from the nearby neighborhoods walking the trail to get out and get a quick immersion in nature. This is definitely not a destination spot, nor a place I would recommend traveling to visit.

This 11 acre park and nature trail is part of the Zionsville Park system and services the…read moresurrounding neighborhoods of Whitestown. The short nature trail has a hard surface but access is over grass. There is natural prairie surrounded by young trees. Maybe a good place to bird watch. Summer overgrowth of the trail left me feeling somewhat unsafe. The play structure is small with basic swings, slides and climbing structure. Not as fancy as the nearby Main Street Park. The local 4-H donated a small pavilion complete with tables and waste cans. The park features a large retention pond with paved sidewalks and benches on two sides. There are supplies for cleaning up after your pooch. Also, there is a nicely maintained field that can be used for soccer or football. There is parking for 16 cars. This is a good neighborhood park.

I've been spending some time in Beech Grove over the Memorial Day holiday this year, and I realized…read moreI'd never really checked out Don Challis Park. This is a 14-acre park named after a longtime Beech Grove resident who was devoted to improving the community and the area's parks. If you visit the city's website, you'll even see a letter from the Challis family on the parks department page. The park is adjacent to South Grove Intermediate School. It's accessible from 9th Avenue, and it features a picnic shelter, playground equipment, a volleyball court, and a good amount of green space with mature trees. From May-October, the shelter can be rented for $65 for Beech Grove residents and non-profits. Non-residents pay $100. The park has experienced some upgrades in recent years, though in 2022 there was a shooting at the park during a vigil. To my knowledge, it was targeted (during a vigil) and I've never seen the park have any other issues. I've always felt safe around the park and in Beech Grove. Don Challis Park does have parking available, and there's also a public restroom (I think the restroom might be seasonal, though I'm not sure). Don Challis Park is a solid community park. I wouldn't call it a destination park, but it serves the community well. For a relatively small city, Beech Grove does well with its parks.

This is a nice little park in Beech Grove. It was originally named South Grove Park, but was later…read morerenamed to Don Challis Park, after a man who diligently worked for 29 years to make the parks in Beech Grove a wonderful place for children and adults to enjoy. The park has its own private lot. It appears to be going through some type of renovation. Maybe a paved jogging trail or something. It is relatively small, sitting at about 14 acres. It has a a covered pavilion with picnic tables, a playground, a sand volleyball court, and a little green space to play or sit and have a picnic. The park also has a huge restroom facility. The playground is lined with wood chips and has a jungle gym with some slides and a long row of swings. The sand volleyball court is in adequate shape and the park's grounds are well maintained. This is a decent park to spend some time. You can hang out with the little ones or just relax and watch cars go by. It looks like they are set on improving this park and making it even better.

This park, built on the site of a former school, is a few blocks northeast of the downtown area of…read moreFortville. The park has a central gazebo and garden, a small playground (swings and a slide), a soccer field (but no netting in the goals), and a tribute to the war veterans of Fortville. The open space looks like it could hold crowds for festivals. However, if you are in the area, the Memorial Park about a dozen blocks to the west has a lot more space and activities for visitors. This park is okay, but not worth making a drive to. Review #1035

This park is off of the beaten path. It is a nice park that is well maintained. It has a large…read moreshelter with picnic tables under it and a couple of grills just outside of it. There are some restrooms located in the small building that is connected to the shelter and you will find an empty cement slab just off of the shelter. The park features a white gazebo that I do not see having any other purpose other then photo ops. Additionally there is a fire pit and grill in the green space on that side of the park. On the other side of the park is a smaller shelter with picnic tables under it and a grill just outside of it. Parking spaces are not marked very good at this park, but there are more than enough places that you can find to park. I ended up parking between the playground area and small shelter. The park is home to a decent playground area which is lined with wood chips and has benches along its perimeter where parents and caregivers can sit while their littles play. The playground's center piece is a huge jungle gym with a bunch of slides, and bridges. You will also find a smaller jungle gym here a few slides, tunnels and a small canopy. There is a huge canopy in that area without anything under it. Other of the parks playground equipment includes a bank of toddler/expression swings and another bank of traditional/ADA swings. The equipment is very nice, looks relatively new and is in great shape. The entire park is well maintained. The park has a decent amount of well maintained green space around that would be suitable for picnics, playing catch, or a soccer/football game. Just be aware that the much of the green space next to the playground area is private property and is marked as such. Even with out that large plot of land, the park has more than enough green space for you to have fun on. This hidden gem of a park, may not be a destination park but is worth a visit if you are local or in the area.

This park can be found one block north and a few blocks west of the stop sign in Clayton. This six…read moreacre park appears much larger because there is private property connected to the park with a lot of lawn. The actual park has a large shelter (which can be rented) and a smaller shelter back by the playground. There are some mature trees on the southeast corner, but not what enough to call a woods. There has been a recent addition of a gazebo which makes for frequent photographs. A parking lot exists next to the large shelter and a small driveway leads back to the smaller shelter/playground area. It doesn't have lines drawn for parking spaces, but is wide enough to turn your car around if you decide to park there. Review #808

This is such a clean and lovely park. Absolutely clean, spotless restrooms, a beautiful shelter and…read morea big dog park. We needed to take our dogs and it was the right choice. There's a small 0.5 mile trail inside the park which is quite ok for a quick, run/walk but I still liked the peace and quiet. If you need more walking distance, just take a left from the park and walk a little farther where you will find Monon trail. Beautiful trail with trees on both sides, dotted now with beautiful fall colors. Central or Monon this park in the middle of Carmel is a win win!

We had a membership to the Central Park Dog Park for a few years, and our dog loved it. We loved it…read moretoo -- the grounds are spacious, there are plenty of trees surrounding the grassy area where dogs can explore, and there's a shaded picnic area for humans to sit and relax. We've never had anything but pleasant experiences with the dogs and their owners. I think that part of the reason is because this dog park is kind of exclusive: you need to apply, and you're usually on a wait list for a while. They keep the number of members manageable so that there's not lots of people visiting all the time, and everyone can enjoy the dog park when they're there. The only reason we don't have a membership to the dog park anymore is because our dog prefers the attention of humans, so he would just stand around at the dog park and not play. But we'd totally join again in a minute we got another dog who enjoyed the company of other dogs! This is a nice place for dogs to hang out.