Visits to the Oakhurst Mansion and Gardens are part of the Minnetrista complex of activities in…read moreMuncie. The Oakhurst Mansion was built in 1894 by George and Frances Ball in the Arts and Crafts style. The Balls were avid readers and created the Blue Book of Canning, that teaches food preservation. This remarkably maintained house is open for self guided tours. The interior contains all original woodwork, trim details and some furniture. Family history is abundant throughout the home. My granddaughter enjoyed the interactive activities throughout the house, especially canning in the kitchen and creating a family tree. Immaculate gardens surround the house. The garden is filled with oak trees and other dense hardwoods. Paths meander through the garden. There was one clerk present during our visit that checked us in and invited us to explore the house and grounds. She was friendly. Admission was included in the $15 tickets that we purchased at the Bob Ross Experience (but can also be purchased on line). There is ample parking in the lot northwest of Oakhurst. Accessible ramps are located at the east entrance of the home. They are opened Wednesday - Sunday.

The campus of Minnetrista is beautiful! My sister and I often drive here and park to start and end…read moreour run from the campus. There are nice paved paths that easily connect to the Cardinal Greenway or just a short jog to the White River. The paths through Oakhurst Gardens are not really long enough to do your full run, but they are a nice little detour from typical sidewalks! I would highly recommend the garden paths for an easy stroll on a nice day. This is a safe and free area to enjoy a nice walk. Even in February the gardens are well kept and the ornamental sidewalk designs provide enjoyable scenery. I am looking forward to going back as spring awakens the blooms in the garden. Another plus about parking/visiting this area for a walk or run is that the Minnetrista museum building is unlocked during business hours and you can sneak in to use the restroom!

I was a little bit nervous about signing up to do a 3k event in November, however, the opportunity…read morepresented itself and I knew I'd be able to visit a park I'd never been to before. Flat Fork Creek Park is part of Fishers Parks. Located at 101st and Cyntheanne Road, Flat Fork Creek Park offers just over 60 acres of relaxing fun for just about everyone in the family including a good amount of ADA accessibility. First off, you'll get a 60-foot sledding hill here. That's good to know as we inch toward winter. It's the tallest point in Hamilton County. There's also a 1.25 mile progressive mountain bike course that offers features for both mountain biking newbies and those with more experience. There's a beautiful fishing pond - state license required except for those 17 and under. Nearly 20 acres in the park are reforestation areas and there's a shelter with picnic tables that can be rented. Okay, that accessibility I mentioned? The 3k I did was a relatively small group, though it was centered around disability and had several disabled participants. The park includes an ADA accessible treehouse, a paved multi-use trail, and a boardwalk (I would note that while the boardwalk is, indeed, accessible, you do want to be a tad careful due to the side of the boardwalk that do offer a bit of a drop-off). You know what I think is really cool? They've created a ramp here so that even those with mobility issues can get to the top of the sledding hill - in most parks, that's an afterthought. As a side note, Fishers has won awards for their inclusion work and this park really shows it. This is really just a lovely park. You're not going to find a playground or other frequent park features, however, this beautiful park does a nice job of including everyone and weaving together nature with fun park adventures. This was my first time here. It won't be my last.

I recently discovered this park and have gone back a few times now. It's a beautiful park with a…read moregreat walking path, trail and hill. I love taking my dog here for a walk or going alone just to watch the sun set. The park is spacious and clean and overall a great experience. If it were closer to me I'd probably go daily.

It has been nine years since my original review of Indiana's longest rail-trail, the Cardinal…read moreGreenway. Despite the popularity of Central Indiana's Monon Trail, the Cardinal Greenway is a much longer trail at 62 miles of paved trail and another 15 miles of road that many bicyclists use (from Gaston to Jonesboro). I just finished the Cardinal Greenway yet again for one of my Tenderness Tour events, an annual long-distance wheelchair event that I use for fundraising and outreach. As is nearly always the case for me, I started at the Sweetser Switch Trail in Sweetser, Indiana, a smaller trail that leads right into the Cardinal Greenway. My review is based largely upon my experiences as a wheelchair user on the trail, though some of my insights will universally apply. As someone who enjoys long distances, the Cardinal Greenway is ideally suited for a 2-3 trek. It's a mostly wheelchair friendly trail, though some with upper body weakness may struggle on some of the inclines. I will also note that while the Cardinal Greenway tends to have a decent number of trailheads with portable toilets, some of these are surrounded by gravel and may be more difficult to navigate for wheelchair users. \Additionally, multiple parking areas had clearly marked accessible parking yet were either only gravel or had a surface that was so uneven you'd be a fool to try it in a wheelchair. So, a little advance planning is probably a good idea for wheelchair users. Fortunately, the Cardinal has a good team behind it and it's fairly easy to get accurate info. I'd originally given the Cardinal Greenway a 4-star review precisely because of some of my accessibility concerns. I'm increasing to a 5-star this time around because, quite honestly, accessibility has improved over the years and I've simply fallen in love with this trail. It's a fun mixture of city and rural sections. If starting in Sweetser, the lovely Sweetser Cafe is directly off the trailhead and a great place to stop for breakfast/brunch or a drink (before 2pm). In the rural areas, you can go for miles without seeing more than a few people. The Marion section, which goes directly through the more urban parts of Marion, still seems to be under-utilized but is honestly a lot of fun. It looks a little rough, however, I've never had a single issue wheeling through Marion. As you move out of Marion, you start to experience the country area and, of course, once you hit Gas City you either decide to try the bike trail (not advised for walkers...minimal shoulder and occasionally busy traffic) or pick up in Gaston. I loved the Gaston to Muncie stretch and it takes you through downtown Muncie. The trail's main office is at Wysor Street in Muncie, an area I was told isn't the greatest but looks deceptively calm. Again, I had no problems at all but staying aware is important. I will note that the Wysor Street Depot is a beautiful historic landmark that serves as the Cardinal office - yet, it appeared they've reduced their hours. After Muncie, you have a fairly significant period of a modest incline. It was an exhausting stretch for me that ended in Losantville. This is a particularly long stretch and those who want to do an overnight will probably leave the trail in Losantville and stay in Winchester. Losantville to Richmond is, with a couple of exceptions, a pretty nice downhill. Among the three major cities on the trail, I was most impressed with Richmond's care for the trail with the exception of the ending D Street Trailhead that is located in a hard to find and rather run down area a few blocks from City Hall. The trailhead itself is nice and I found several nice people upon my arrival, but the area itself just seems an odd place to end such a wonderful trail. I've always loved this trail and the people I meet along it. The Cardinal Greenway is in the Rail-Trail Hall of Fame (as is the Monon) and continues to get even better every time I ride it. The restroom situation, in particular, has really improved and over 20 trailheads now have a restroom option. If you're looking for a modestly challenging and scenic trail, the Cardinal Greenway is a tremendous option and easily within a couple hours of Indy even at its most distant point in Marion or Richmond.

My husband and I recently biked the cardinal greenway and had such a nice time. We parked at the…read morestop in gas city and it had a nice lot and bathrooms. We rode north 10 miles and back. The trail is Good despite a decent amount of bumps which can be rough in a road bike. The bridges and scenery were great though. Fun ride!

After my wife's chemotherapy this week, she needed some fishing therapy. She's caught 3 so far…read more I love to see her smile!

Beautiful lake!! We've taken the pontoon out here and also do paddle boarding. It's a spectacular…read morearea!

Great trails! Definitely one of my favorites. Not too crowded. There's a good variety of trail…read moreoptions. The trails are well kept. It was very cool to see the mounds and read about the history.

If you haven't been here the mounds are an archeological site, and that this site and was noticed…read moreby outsiders/settlers and survived is also amazing. The nature center has a great mural of the mounds, their preservation, and Mounds before it became Mounds State Park. The obligatory bird/wildlife viewing room, like Turkey Run and Brown County State Park, is here, when you finally peel yourself away from that peaceful space, visit the Bronnenberg House next door to the nature center. You can only go in to the Bronnenberg home on the weekends, but no one bugged us for peeking in the windows of the closed building. There is sadly no more pool, and hasn't been for a couple decades, but you can get your feet wet in the shallows of the White River. We poked around for mussel shells and man-made fossils, river-erroded glass, tiles, and brick bits. Plenty of hiking trails and bike-able spots in the park, a minimal bike trail in the from Bronnenberg house the group of mounds, but the roads are pretty flat around the park if you need a good ride. Friendly enough staff at the gate and campground gate, and one ranger took the time to say hi to us after noticing our way out of state plates. Fellow campers were quiet enough, making this a good getaway.

My first visit here was in July 2021 when I resided in Indiana. The bridge was built in 1871 and…read morewas used for 100 years and since 1971 was listed in the National Register of Historical places in 1991. I made my first visit in July 2021 when I resided in Indiana. The park has restrooms, children's playground, paved trails to walk, tubing, jogging, running, kayaking, paddle boarding or biking. The park is also dog friendly. The park was well kept. The bridge was nicely constructed. My first sight to see this type of bridge. Overall, I enjoyed walking on the peaceful and beautiful park alongside the White River.

Free parking in grass for general public. Free entertainment and sports/bounce house activities…read more Two areas of different vendors and food to me. I plan to go back around to buy tamales. The brisket at another food truck seems appealing. Free caricatures and free van booth photo. Enjoyed exploring today. Needed a change.

This is a fantastic 4.9 mile loop trail for a day hike. I don't normally give much credence to…read moretrail difficulty ratings in the Midwest, but the "expert" trail definitely isn't easy on foot (I imagine it would be super challenging on a mountain bike). The trail weaves through old timber, dipping and diving between marshes that flank the White River. The trail actually divides at various points into easy, intermediate and expert legs. To get the full 4.9 miles, you have to take all of the expert loops, but they are the fun ones anyway. The trail was not heavily trafficked, even on a beautiful Saturday afternoon. The loop is one-way traffic, so you won't likely see anyone else unless you overtake them or vice-versa. That also means no turning back once you start. Take water and a snack. The full 4.9 will take over 2 hours to hike. Also, with all of the marshes, there are lots of bugs in the summer months. Make sure to apply plenty of deet.

During my recent cross-state Tenderness Tour event, I had the pleasure of traveling by wheelchair…read morethe full-length of three Indiana trails - the Nickel Plate, the Cardinal Greenway, and this trail - the White River Greenway in Muncie. It should be noted that there are multiple trails that go by White River Greenway, not surprising considering the White River is a long river in Indiana and an ideal location for a walking/bicycling/wheelchair friendly trail. This trail, which connects to the Cardinal Greenway and is run by the Cardinal Greenways organization, is a just shy of 5.6 mile trail that is a beautiful weaving together of urban trail meets natural pathway. The White River Greenway in Muncie has a couple obvious places where you can easily park and tie into it - the Historic Depot area that serves as the Cardinal Greenways headquarters and Westside Park. The trail itself meanders its way through multiple Muncie area parks including Westside, McCulloch, and Tuhey. The trail is asphalt throughout, though it's worth noting that it does have some hilly areas, especially around Westside Park, and there are sections of the trail where you will actually need to cross streets. One of the true delights of the trail is that it crosses the campus of Minnetrista Center. an educational, arts, historical facility with a children's garden, nature preserve, and a focus on East Central Indiana life. It was once a Ball family estate (think the Ball jars). They are pretty famous in this area and have a wide variety of places named after them. I mean, seriously. Ball State University anyone? It's not uncommon to see wildlife on the trail, though it's typically in the form of birds, such as herons, and geese were prevalent on the Westside Park section of the trail. When you arrive near the parks, you can also access a variety of recreational equipment, shelters, picnic areas, etc. The folks at Cardinal Greenways take great pride in making their trails ADA compliant and, indeed, the White River Greenway is no exception including a wetlands area. However, you should know there's no actual restroom facilities on the trail - there is a public restroom in the Cardinal Greenways office that is just off the trail. The day that I wheeled the White River Greenway it was a rainy mess as Indiana got hit by the post-hurricane rains. The inclines near Westside Park are just steep enough that someone with a weak upper body or any other type of mobility issue may not want to travel the trail without a partner. While you are never actually right next to the water, thus, the risk of actually falling in is minimal, you should know that there's no real barriers other than grass between the trail and the river. It's quite beautiful, but it is a river. Additionally, while I had no issues with the geese it's well known that geese can be a bit attitudinal at times and appropriate precautions should be taken - mostly, it seemed, if you leave them alone they'll leave you alone. This wasn't quite a 5-star trail to me, but it is easily a 4-star trail. The trail itself is ADA compliant, though it's occasionally steep inclines may keep some from doing the trail independently. For a trail that's actually within the city, you can't get much more beautiful. As is true for most trails, motorized vehicles are off limits but this trail is walker, bicycle, stroller, and for the most part wheelchair friendly.