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.

Looking for a playground that grows with your kids? Check out West Park in Carmel!…read more Padded ground throughout Multi-level playground designed for different ages and abilities Lower level features swings, one slide, a merry-go-round & a small climbing structure Climb the rocks or take the stairs to reach a metal slide that doesn't get too hot in the sun At the very top is a HUGE climbing structure leading to a giant clock slide--perfect for older, adventurous kids! Splash pad tucked into a rock valley with a beautiful waterfall feature Lots of walking trails and wildflowers to explore Bathrooms are close by Shade is limited, with most of it under the pavilion This is the perfect park for families with kids of different ages. Between the playground, splash pad, and scenic trails, it's easy to spend the whole day here

Wonderful park! As of 2020 I was no longer a full time…read moreresident of the great Indy area so I was not around when this park was built but now that I am coming home for months at a time to visit I am happy this park is not here and open. I was very impressed with the quality of the layout and planning of the park. The walking paths, bike riding paths, the natural plant growth areas are all amazing! The parking is excellent, there are a few great venue areas that I assume can be reserved, the playground looks wonderful and the outdoor activity oppportnies are just wonderful. I highly recommend this park to anyone in the area, it's great for all ages, all activities (even sitting around and reading or looking at the clouds). what a great park!!

The kids (and honestly, the adults too) will LOVE these…read more "tree-style" honeycomb pods at Meadowlark Park -- it's basically modern art you can actually play on! Giant treetop-style play structure that feels straight out of a storybook Padded ground Playground for all ages with 3 separate climbing structures Massive, fast tunnel slides + toddler/baby-friendly slides 2 shaded pavilions + bathrooms for snack/lunch breaks Pickleball courts, basketball court,  pond & access to the Monon Trail + other walking paths ‍ If your kid loves climbing, pretending, and exploring--you NEED to check out this treehouse-style playground

This is a great park. It looks like it was renovated recently. I've never been here and I was…read morepleasantly surprised! It's right outside of Main Street Carmel. There was a playground, pickleball/tennis, basketball, an open area, and some walking/biking trails.

This park is ok. It is about 25 acres and pretty spread out. There is a small park lot and tons of…read morestreet parking available. This is an historic park that dates back to 1924. The park is named after George Rhodius Jr, the son of German immigrants that left an endowment to the Parks Department after his death in 1909. The park has two playgrounds, located on opposite ends of the park. The smaller one is by the parking lot and has an accessible jungle gym with slides, a set of traditional swings and a picnic table. This area is lined with wood chips. The other playground area, that is near the school is larger and the better of the two. It is lined with plastic tiles and has a large set of traditional swings there. There is a huge jungle gym with a bunch of bridges and a few slides. There is also a musical gazebo that kids can play with some music making instruments. It is nothing really special though. So, don't set you hopes too high on this one. The park has about 4 baseball diamonds that have seen better days. The fields are not well maintained and could probably only serve as a field for a preschoolers pick up game. It is such a large and spread out park that there is green space available where you can do field sports such as soccer or football, play catch, fly a kite, or have a picnic. There are three decent tennis courts that are lighted at the park and a field hockey court right next to them. The park also has two shelters with a bunch of picnic tables under them, but I did not see any grills nearby. The park is one of the few Indianapolis parks that has a pool. I can during the off season when it was also packed away for the winter, but it looks like a decent complex. The pool is housed in the park's family center and you can find a fitness center, youth game room, large community room, a dance studio, arts and crafts area, conference room, full kitchen a sensory room and a gym. There is a decent paved trail that goes around the park and is between a mile and a half mile. It can be used for running, walking, biking, or just strolling. This is a decent old school park. It has a lot to offer and does not get as packed as other parks. Personally, I am more of a modern playground type of guy, but this still works. There are much worst parks that you can visit.

Impressive! This is a great park for kids of all ages! This park has something for toddlers and…read moreolder children. I enjoyed the shelter that directly across from a children's play area and there is so much grass to just run free. I did see that there is an Indy parks community center on site of this park and I also saw a baseball diamond. There are multiple play areas for children. It's a great park.

Roy G. Holland Memorial Park (aka Circle Park) is one of the most popular parks in Fishers--and for…read moregood reason! The coolest part? The entire park sits in the middle of a giant roundabout! It's such a unique layout and makes it easy to explore every part of the park. Here's what you'll find: Separate toddler and big kid playgrounds Tons of slides and swings Splash pad Clean bathrooms 1.25-mile paved loop that's perfect for walking, running, or stroller strolls Pickleball & basketball courts Baseball & soccer fields Sand volleyball courts A charming little community garden This is THE Fishers meetup park. Whether you're meeting friends for a playdate, cooling off at the splash pad, or getting your steps in while the kids play, Circle Park is always a great choice. Bonus: It's just minutes from downtown Fishers, Target, restaurants, and coffee shops, making it easy to turn your park visit into a whole day of fun. Have you been to Circle Park yet? What's your family's favorite part?

This was my first time at Roy G Holland Park -- aka Holland Park if you're following signs from…read moreFishers to the park. I had a great time here! The playgrounds are great and seemed pretty inclusive of most age ranges. There's a lot of climbing areas, some more like steps and some ropes and ladders, so they vary the challenge level. This was great for the littles I was with (4-5 yo) and still interesting for older kids I saw playing. Toddlers have their own little playground off to the side. They do have a glider for wheelchair users, but I don't think the rest of the main equipment would be accessible. Maybe the swings for some. There are a lot of mature trees off to one side and at least one picnic table over there. When the trees bloom for the year, it's going to be beautiful! They have a sand volleyball court, paved walking path, and I spotted a few more sports areas--basketball, soccer. There's potentially a lot to do here! Bathrooms were close to the playground and clean. It's close enough to go grab coffee or ice cream after as well, which in my opinion, makes it great for a day of fun. I'll look forward to seeing the park again later this spring/summer!

This park definitely has potential. Whenever I come, no matter the day, it's usually pretty empty,…read morewhich is nice because I can walk my dogs around freely. Most of the area is uneven grass, though it's usually cut, and there aren't many good walking paths within the park itself. I've listened to live music at the amphitheater and really enjoyed that! I've also longboarded here; the main path along the road seems newer and usually clear. I've played tennis on the courts too, but they could use just a little TLC. Really, the whole park could. Still, it's a peaceful spot with room to grow.

Riverside Park has amazing potential but is in need of major love. The sprawling Park sits on prime…read moreriverside real estate and is lush with trees. But the grounds are overgrown and weedy, equipment fading and in disrepair and my encounter with staff was not uplifting. The pool is locked and empty. I inquired about the status at the front desk. The clerk did not look up from her computer but said the pool was being serviced and they had no idea if and when it would be fixed. I didn't see anyone working on the pool. Since they have a summer camp in session, it would be great if the pool was operational. There is a really nice set of tennis courts (12ish). There is green space for football and a baseball diamond. A nice set of workout equipment from the Colts seems in need of a good cleaning. I was excited to find a boat ramp with parking area. This area needs to be cleaned and patrolled. The River access site is beautiful. The park offers free daily lunches to those in need and also provides summer camps. I found these resources valuable to the community. I was really surprised to find the park not pristine and vibrant for 4th of July holiday. The flagpoles were even empty.

This may be a small park, but has enough to keep you entertained. It was established in 1972 and…read morewas originally 8 acres. However, a few acres sold for industrial development through the years and the park is currently less than 4 acres. The park gets its name from the intersection that it is located, LaSalle Street and Clayton Ave. It has its own large private parking lot. There is also some street parking available as well. The park features a large patch of green space that would be suitable for activities such as soccer, football, playing catch, flying a kite, throwing a frisbee, or having a picnic. It is well maintained. There use to be goal post at each end of the field, but they are long gone. There is also a shelter with picnic tables under it and a grill just outside of it. There is an adequate splash pad at the park that has some benches around it that caregivers can sit on while their little frolic in the water. I visited the park during the winter, so the splash pad was closed for the season. The park has a small restroom near the splash pad that has a rubber duck mural painted on all of its side. The center piece of the park is its playground. It is a decent playground on a bed of wood chips. The equipment is a bit older, but in decent shape. The equipment in the area includes a spinning net tree climber, a bank of traditional swings, and a large accesible jungle gym with a bunch of slides, tunnels, bridges and monkey bars. There are benches around the playground area that caregivers can sit while their little ones play. This is a nice neighborhood park that has a lot to offer. It could use a few upgrades, but is still fully operational and you can have a real good time here. I have definitely seen a lot worse. This park is definitely worth a visit, if you happen to be in the area.

I was visiting a friend in the Twin-Aire neighborhood of Indianapolis and stumbled across Clayton &…read moreLaSalle Park, a relatively small urban park located at 401 S. LaSalle in a neighborhood best described as a mixture of residential and industrial. This is a definite low-feature park with a splash pad being the relative highlight along with a fair amount of greenery that is mostly bordered by a working class neighborhood, shipping trucks, and manufacturing/industrial use buildings. The park reminds me a lot of a smaller park relatively close to my own home, though in my case the apartment complex next to the park is vacant and much creepier. As the late Yelper Ken N. noted in his 2018 review, Clayton & LaSalle shows some definite wear and tear. It seems to be a "summer" park primarily with the splash park on the north side of the park, a shelter with picnic tables, and a playground on the southside of the park. There's a permanent restroom open during park season, essentially summer, and parking available in a northern area and somewhat to the west. The greenspace could be fairly nice, though there's nothing resembling trails here or anything resembling sports fields. The greenery could easily be used that way, of course, but it doesn't seem to be officially designed for it. I've often expressed concerns that Indy has a habit of planting decent looking parks and then not actually taking care of them. Clayton & LaSalle is a definite example of this as what could easily be a shining light in this area is instead proof that this area is largely forgotten in city planning. While I don't have kids, one of the questions I always ask myself when visiting a park is "Would I bring my kids here?" The answer here is definitely a "no." While area kids still benefit from it and the playground itself remains functional, between nearby vacant buildings and the obvious wear and tear of the park this park is closer to a 2-star park than a 4-star at this point. It definitely has potential and with the nearby 201 Studios being developed perhaps there could be some improvements. Essentially, Clayton & LaSalle Park is a small neighborhood park that serves the families in this southeast area of Indianapolis. This entire area is a working class area with a lot of smaller businesses emphasizing manufacturing and industrial industries and there's a lot of vacant buildings that surround the park. The folks I met while around here were friendly and if I lived in the area I would use the park, but there's nothing about Clayton & LaSalle that makes it a destination park and Indy definitely needs to clean it up. This park falls under the umbrella of Indy Parks.

Highland Park has some of the best views in the city. Whether I come here to have a picnic, hang…read morewith friends, or watch the 4th of July fireworks - I always have a good time. My only complaint is that there is no public bathroom at the park. It's always clean though. Free of garbage and well taken care of

This totally might be conjecture, but I'm wondering if Highland Park was so named because it's…read moreliterally a park that sits on high land. Get it? Highland. I don't know -- but that sounds like a good guess, doesn't it? Anyway, because the park is a bit elevated, you can get a great view of the downtown Indianapolis cityscape. It's really cool. The park itself is small and is more of a neighborhood park. It has a small playground with a small play structure. It has slides, some bars to climb, and some swings. The play structure is definitely more appropriate for kids ages 5 and under. I think older kids would get bored with it quickly. I would not go out of my way to visit this park just to play at the playground, but I would visit to sit at one of the picnic benches to eat and enjoy the view. Parking is along the street -- there isn't a designated parking lot. There also weren't any restrooms or water fountains that I saw.