What an amazing park! Gigantic play structure with multiple slides, swings, climbing, balance…read morefeatures, fire pole, nice seating for parents, and bathrooms.

This is a very nice park that is tucked away in Bloomington. There is limited parking available…read morespread across 2 lots and another lot with just handicap and 15 minute spots. I guess you can park along the road as well. This park runs along Old State Road 37, has a canal that runs parallel to it and has a lot to offer. They have a couple of very nice shelters with a bunch of picnic tables, a fireplace, and a grill outside of them. They are really nice and can be reserved. They also have a couple of playgrounds in the park. There is a small playground by the larger pavilion with a swing bank with toddler, traditional and ADA swings. The equipment sits on a bed of wood chips, has a large paved trail that runs through it, and picnic tables nearby. The second playground area is across the street and much larger. It has a large red play structure, a bank of saucer swings, a sit and spin, a small playhouse, a pyramid net climber, a bank of traditional and ADA swings and small play structure for little kids. The equipment is in great shape. The large play structure has a bunch of gnarly slides, some bridges, a pebble bridge, and can be accessed from a large bridge. The small play structure just has a couple of canopies, a bridge, and a slide. It is much less exciting than its larger counterpart. The area has picnic tables and a bunch of benches around for caregivers to sit while their little's play. It is lined mostly with wood chips, but has some patches of cement and rubber surfacing mixed in. There is a bathroom facility over in the area as well. You will also find a sand volleyball court here at the park. It is a decent court and I do not know how much use it gets. The park features paved hiking/walking nature trails that are pretty nice. It is a scenic park and has a peaceful feel about it (the further you get away from the main road, the better), and is very scenic and picturesque. Along the main road is a portion of the trail that also parallels the canal, where you will find a bunch of picnic tables that are visible from the road. The park is home to a couple of desolate baseball fields that look abandoned and is closed off. There is a modest parking lot attached to the fields, but it is gated and closed off like the fields. The fields have potential and appear to have been an awesome spot to play ball at one point. Anyway, this is a very nice, low key park that has a lot to offer. It is well maintained, picturesque and soothing. I can not think of many changes I would suggest for this park other than more parking. You could easily spend a half a day here and not even know it. I recommend spending some time here and checking this place out.

This is one of Bloomington's better parks. It has a ton of space and have everything that you would…read morewant in a park. It is very spacious park spanning almost 35 acres and dates back to 1957. The park has tons of parking available spread between 3 lots. There is also parking available near the pool. The playground features 2 parks. The first park is for 5 to 12 year olds and feature a medium sized jungle gym with bridges, tunnels and slides. There is also a sand digger and a bank of traditional/toddler swings. You will find benches and other spots for caregivers to sit. The equipment is a bit dated, but still in fair shape. There is great news though, the playground is scheduled to be reimagined next year. You will find a fair shelter just off of that playground with picnic tables under it and a grill just outside of it. The other playground area is for smaller kids and is fenced in to keep the little ones from running off. There is a cement dinosaur bench that caregivers and sit, along with a bunch of traditional benches. There is also some picnic tables under a canopy. The equipment in this area include a bank of traditional/toddler swings, and another medium jungle gym with tunnels, bridges, canopies and slides. Just like the older kid playground area, this equipment is a bit "seasoned", but still serviceable. The park is home to a nice paved 1/4 mile walking trail, Streamside Trail, that is wheelchair-accessible trail and bisects the park along the south side of Bryan Park Creek. Along the trail, you will find an outdoor fitness area with a bunch a very nice equipment such as a balance beam, chest press, incline sit up board, monkey bars, and dip bars. It is very nice and looks relatively new. I really liked the park's 2 full basketball courts . It was very nice and in great shape. The tennis courts are pretty good too. Other park amenities include a restroom facility, two multi-use fields with backstops, a horseshoe pit, and a ton of green space. You will not find a shortage of green space here, including the multi-use fields. It is suitable for pretty much any field activity including football, playing catch, soccer, a picnic or flying a kite. Along the Park's grounds is another shelter with picnic shelters with tables under it and a grill outside of it and some benches. If that was not enough, the park is co-located with an aquatic center. Being that i visited the park in November though, the Center was closed for the season. The park is well maintained and you can easily spend at least a half of a day or more here. I highly recommend checking out the park. It may be a bit outdated, but upgrades are on the way and the city is investing a lot of money into this park.

This is a great neighborhood park for the kids. There are several playgrounds available.read more

Large park, lots of things to do, kept my son busy for over an hour…read more Clean facilities and clean park.

This park is amazing. It is a gem located in Bloomington. It is a Rails to Trails pedestrian…read morethoroughfare and was once an old rail switchyard. It spans 65 acres and was opened in 2019. By the looks of it, I though that it was opened more recently. This park has everything you want in a park and much more. This is a modern park and I was really felling it. There are two decent sized parking lots for you to park your vehicle. What amenity that brought you to the park will determine the lot that you will use. The park features a dog park with separate areas for large and small dogs. There is seating for pooch owners to sit in each area, as well as lots of green space and a few obstacles for the pups to play. There are a few picnic tables in between the two dog areas. The park also has a ton bright green picnic tables in a plaza area just off of one of the parking lots and a very nice shelter with picnic tables under it, a fireplace and a grill. This area is also where you will find the restroom facility in this area. There is also a low-key splash pad in this area, but it was shut down for the season during my November visit. This park is also home to an awesome outdoor amphitheater with lawn seating. It looks pretty impressive. There is also an 11,000 square foot pavilion with overhead doors, making it an indoor/outdoor event space. Both spots are available for rent and are prime spots to host your next event. They are used to host special events such as 5K runs, farmer's markets, and You will also find a skate park that could easily be a stand alone park itself. It is a concrete park with bowls, rails, and a snake run. Graffiti, tags and stickers are prohibited in the skate park area, but you will find some nice tags just outside of it. The park's playground is first class. It is a huge area on a mud-free rubber/artificial grass surface. There are benches, walls and glider swings for caregivers to sit while their littles play. The area's equipment includes saucer swings, tunnels, a rock climbing wall, slides, some traditional swings, wall net climbers, a pyramid net climber, and xylophones. The equipment is very modern and looks relatively new. On the other end of the park is where you will find a very nice full basketball court, a bocce ball court, and 4 pickle ball courts. There is a large patch of green space on this side of the park as well that is suitable for picnic, playing catch, or tossing a frisbee. A Bloomington police also has a station at this entrance to the park. Even though their is a police presence on site, the park contracts with a security company to assist with park patrols and safety. The highlight of this side of the park though is the outdoor fitness area. It is a circular area that has equipment that includes a chest press machine, a shoulder press machine, a strider, a dip machine, sit up bench and pull-up bar. In the shadow of the workout area is a community gardens, which feature 39-foot by eight-foot raised garden beds that are available for rent. A 3.1 mile trail, the B-Line Trail, passes directly through the park. The Trail is nicely paved, completely accessible and well illuminated with LED lighting. If 3.1 miles is not enough for you, it connects to the Bloomington Rail Trail, thus adding 2 more miles. This is a nice park that has everything you could ask for. It is well maintained. I will not that there are a few urban campgrounds on the outskirts of the park and you will find transients sleeping on park benches and using the restroom there, but they are not aggressive and just keep to theirselves. I highly recommend checking this park out. You can easily spend a half day here.

This nine acre park on the west side of downtown has a lot of nice features as well as a great hill…read morefor sledding. There is very little level ground in the park, but the layout is well planned. Near the east parking lot, the playground has been placed close by. For those who face physical challenges, there is a bridge built from the hillside to the upper levels of the playground's equipment. To the west of the playground are a pair of shelters with grills and picnic tables. At the top of the hill along 9th Street is a restroom facility painted with a mural of famous television animated characters. A workout area for adults is located next to the restrooms. There is a lot of shade and green space, with one large flat area just above (south) of the parking lot. Review #882

This is a cute little pocket par spanning only a half an acre. It is more of a neighborhood park…read morethat does not have a designated parking lot. You can find a few places to park your vehicle in the little cul de sac that runs along the side of the park. The park is managed by the city and has a a couple of picnic tables on a cement slab, under a vinyl canopy and a grill just outside of it. The parks playground has some nice equipment that includes a bank of traditional/ADA/toddler swings, and a large playset. The playset is nice because it caters to big and little kids. One side of it is tall and has spiral slides, bridges and a rock climbing wall. The other side is much lower and has a small rock climbing wall and a small straight slide. They both a canopies to give a little protection from the sun. It is a very nice piece. The is also home to a decent full basketball court. You will find a short, paved trail that is a little over a half a mile, the Polly Grimshaw Trail, running along the northside of the park. The park does not have a restroom facility or water fountains, but it is still a nice park. It is well maintained. Someone was even servicing it while I was there. I would not call it a destination park, but a nice place to spend some time if you are in the area.

A nice little park to play pickleball or hit the playground. The small picnic area isn't spotless,…read morebut it was clean enough. The restrooms right by the playground were closed on Sunday when we were there, but there are other restrooms by the courts that are open. A heads up that gps signals were wonky for me when I was trying to navigate the trails.

As one of the larger parks in Bloomington, this 48-acre park on the south west side has a lot to…read moreoffer. For activities, there are tennis and pickle ball courts and a playground with shade tents nearby. For those into hiking, there is a paved trail and a trail that leads into the wooded area. The park also has a nice sized parking lot, restrooms, and a shelter with picnic tables. Review #875

So glad the city of Bloomington decided to redo this marshland in 2003. They have renewed what was…read moreoriginally 29% of Indiana before the settlers came in the 1800s. This is important because wetlands help with pollution control, ease erosion, and storm runoff. It also provides a beautiful urban park view from local businesses like Heartwork brewing, and home 2 suites hotel. Quick 15 minute walk around the park with your dog would be ideal, which includes doggy bags and a water fountain for you and your furry friend.

This is a nice park. It dates back to 1929 and was originally named the Jacob & Loretta Miller…read moreHomestead. The land that the park sits on was purchased by the city for $1. The location could be better though. It is sandwiched between a highly trafficked main road and with cars zooming by. It has a small parking lot with a 3-hour limit and a very nice state-of-the-art stormwater retention facility that serves as a beautiful lake with a small water fall. Talk about taking lemons and making lemonade. There is a pier that goes out over the lake to give you a better view and it has benches for you to sit. There are also some benches and bike racks in the parking lot area and on the opposite side. I was very impressed by the .6 mile paved walking/jogging track that goes around the park's perimeter. You will find the Red, Blond, Black, and Olive sculpture on the end of the park opposite the parking lot. The sculpture is in a little plaza area that has bike racks, benches and a lake overlook. On one side of the park you will find another plaza area with a bridge, lake overlook and a bunch of benches. Here is where you will find the park's limestone sign near the street. On the other side of the park, opposite the limestone sign and across the bridge, you will find the Axis sculpture that sits right off the water. The park is home to numerous local plants and has information placards around explaining the sculptures the water retention lake, and the plants. As I mentioned, this park is a good park, but because it is smack dab in the middle of a high traffic area, it is not very peaceful. That is the main knock I have about this park. The park also does not have restroom facilities, or playground equipment, but it is not that type of park. The park has received numerous awards through the years including the the Bloomington Chamber of Commerce's Community Enhancement Award in 2004, and the Indiana Urban Forest Council's Outstanding Project Award in 2005. This is not a bad place to past time and the closet you will get to nature in downtown Bloomington. I would say that it is worth a visit.

It was a perfect day for hiking around the paved trail of this park on the NW side of Bloomington!…read more After pulling into the large paved parking lot, I noticed the playground and shelter to the west, the community gardens to the east, and a basketball court to the north. Between the shelter and the court, a wide paved trail (very little change in elevation, so excellent for physically challenged visitors!) takes a short loop around the pond in the park. I would estimate the walk is roughly the distance of what you would find at a high school track. But what you see, particularly in the autumn, is a wide range of color as the woods slope away from the trail. There is also a POI on the east end of the trail called "Hack's Arch" which is made of stone and has its own plaque telling why it is there. Though it is a little out of the way from downtown Bloomington, it is easy to find (despite the small detour for road repair.) Simply take 17th Street west (it becomes Vernal) over the interstate and watch for the park on the north side of the road. Well kept and though some of the large trees were recently removed for safety reasons, brand new trees are being planted to bring more shade to the area with less risk of falling branches. Review #3288