Spring Mill State Park is a 1,358-acre state park located about two hours south of Indy and about…read morethree miles east of Mitchell on SR 60. It was established in 1927. The park includes Pioneer Village, the Gus Grissom Memorial, a nature center, campgrounds, cycling lanes, and it also has a tennis court and a basketball court. Pioneer Village and Grissom Memorial are interpretive facilities. There's also Lakeview Activity Center and a Twin Caves Boat Tour. Spring Mill has programs throughout the year. Spring Mill Inn has 71 rooms, though I didn't stay overnight and can't review the Inn. I do know that the inn offers free wireless, a splash pad, a restaurant (The Millstone Dining Room), a complimentary coffee/tea station (24 hours), a game room, a gift shop featuring Indiana products (24 hours), satellite TV/DVD players, and the inn has an ATM. Like all Indiana state parks now, Spring Mill offers a motorized chair that can handle at least some of its trails for those with mobility issues. There are seven trails plus a two-mile mountain bike trail and a "stagecoach" trail. Trails range from accessible to easy to rugged. The majority of the trails are considered moderate. The trails range from 1/4 mile long up to 2.5 miles. There are some gorgeous trails here including a couple of lakes and caves - Donaldson Cave is terrific, the Twin Caves are great, and for those who like older cemeteries I recommend a stop at Hamer Cemetery. Spring Mill State Park is certainly not the most accessible of our state parks, however, it is a terrific place to camp for those who like it a little rougher. The Inn is a terrific option for those who prefer the indoor experience. In terms of the wheelchair, contacting the park in advance is typically recommended to make sure it's available. The best way to enjoy Indiana Parks is with an annual pass (seniors/military discounts), however, single-use entry is also an option.

An absolute gorgeous protected area with a village, caves, boat rides through the cave. And some of…read morethe most beautiful woods you can imagine! It gets chilly down in the caverns. Christmas in the village was stunning.

Great place! Iconic, historic, and fun. Chances are that your parents, and maybe grandparents,…read morejumped off this rock into the cool water below. Be advised it is only maybe 3ft at deepest, rocks on bottom, and occasional waters naked. You know, nature stuff. Crawdads abound, and are fun to hunt. Only caveat is during dry spells the water can become less than savory. Toxic even. So be advised.​

Big Rico park is a very cool and beautiful park located in the Cherokee park system that's created…read moreby Olmsted the same person who made New York's Central Park. Located in the highlands/Cherokee portion of the city of Louisville. I stopped by this park the other day with my wife and 4th horn daughter who is 18 months old. We had planned to play on there small playground but she fell asleep so we Chelsea out the scenery instead. They have lots of water that's ankle high and lots of rock that allows you to walk out in and get in the water. It also a few small trails that surround the park that lets you see yeh park from several angles. The park includes seven benches on the banks of the water for viewing pleasure. They also have a giant pavilion that can be rented out. Which looks like at one point was very impressive. Now it's not upkept and filled with graffiti. It's honestly the only eye sore here. Hopefully they clean it up. Overall cool place that looks like it has 3 different parking lots for different entry points. Although the water is low enough and there is a bough rocks to easily walk this small park and get to any entrance. We had a nice visit here and I look for art to coming back with my other kids and enjoying the exploring and playground.

Spring Mill State Park is one of seven Indiana State Parks with an inn on property. This is a…read morebeautiful state park worth checking out. Like most state park inns, this one is historic and doesn't feel very modern - BUT, it will close in November 2022 through the first quarter of 2024 for significant modernization. This includes update to the rooms, conference center and the dining room. I can't wait to see the updates! Note that while the Spring Mill Inn is closed for 18 months, the State Park will remain open.

We arrive for lunch and found that they had only a buffet to offer. They also had a drink list with…read morelocal wines and beer. The staff was friendly and attentive. The look of the restaurant was nice with a lot of wood and a big fireplace which gave it a coziness. The buffet had fried chicken potatoes, green beans, cornbread, corn, fish, and rice and mac & cheese. It was homestyle comfort food. Simple but good.

We went to check this place out with family visiting from out of state…read more They offer cave boat tours (every hour I believe it was). Adults were $26 as of 7/2026. Our boat trip probably had 12 people - give or take. The boat tour was really informative and immersive. The tour guide shares in's and outs of how the cave was found, how they expanded, and how they created the business. You can see some fish, crawfish, and bats. The tour is done in lower level lighting from the light on the boat and with the tour guides flashlight. They also have a little section to "mine" for gemstones. You can buy a few different sizes in the gift shop and that was a fun way to do while we waited for the next tour.

Very cool, peaceful, intriguing, wonderous, sciency, fun…read more Make sure you take the quick trail around the massive sink whole/Woods/creek. Looks boring at first but it's getting more interesting as you walked around it. Overall a great trip.

Great, unique park with amazing scenery and wildlife habitat! It's a perfect mix of grasslands,…read morewoodlands, and wetlands! Chapel Lake is absolutely in my top 5 parks in the area, and I try to make a visit at least once a week. I hope the city of Jeffersonville will take some of the features of this park, and adds them to future parks too!

Located on New Chapel Road in Jeffersonville is a great new park in the east side of town. The…read morepark has one entrance so you can't miss it. There are hiking trails, walking trails, playground for the kids, restrooms are available as well as picnic tables located in a sheltered area. They have a very large pond if you want to kayak and the pond is stocked with fish. Fishing is catch and release and you do need a license to fish in the pond. A great family park and dog friendly! Please pick up after your pets. Leave the park clean and enjoy the day!

This park is located right next to the North Lawrence Community Schools Office. That complex is…read morelooked down to keep park goers out. You have to drive all the way around the park to get to the park's parking lot. It is a huge lot and is located by the ball fields. The park is home to 3 nice ball fields that are suitable to host a small tournament. The park has a restroom facility near the ball fields, but it was locked during my visit. I guess they must be unlocked for special events. There is a shelter near the ball fields with picnic table under it. You will encounter some picnic tables and pavilions along the side of the drive leading to the parking lot. The park has a playground but it is in need of repair and some updates. There are two banks of traditional swings, a bank of toddler swings, a stand and spin, a bridge, and a wooden balance beam. The playground area is on a bed of spongy wood chips and features a jungle gym with a bridge, a slide, a conveyor belt slide, monkey rings and a ladder. As I mentioned, the equipment is in bad shape, and is very old, the ADA swing is broken. It is just bad. My littles did not stay long and only played on the rusty conveyor belt slide. The park has easy access to the woods, hence it names. I saw a few people walking in the woods while I was there. I think that there was even some people riding dirt bikes there. This park is not bad. However, they need to invest a lot of money and energy into the playground. The park has a lot of potential. It is off of the main drag and has a quiet peacful vibe. This is on the border of being a destination park depending on what you are looking for. Just keep in mind that there are no restrooms available or water fountains, so plan accordingly.

Near an elementary school, the park has a shelter by the roadside, several baseball fields, and…read moresome picnic benches in the wooded area between the access road and the highway. Although the parks department lists this park as having a playground, I didn't see any play area other than the school property, so I think it is a bit misleading. The facilities were in good shape and there was limited parking by the shelter. Not much here unless you are planning an event at the shelter, but it was limited since there were no restrooms or grills. Review #2004

If you are looking to get away from it all, go to a larger park. On both of our hikes, we could…read morehear nearby freeway traffic the entire time. There was also lawnmower noise from the park itself and diesel exhaust from the parks vehicles. I understand employees have to do trail maintenance, but electric vehicles should be used. It was noisier in this park than in my backyard. We went into the Inn to cool down for a bit and the ice machine in the lobby sounded like a Mac truck. There was no indication that the inn has exhibits or a wildlife observation room, so we missed that. When we entered the park, we asked the gate keeper which trails were the most scenic. We were directed to the waterfall and the fire watchtower. The water fall is all of ten feet. We climbed all 106 steps to the top of the fire watchtower only to discover that there is no view from the top. All you can see are the trees a few feet in front of you. The entire experience was underwhelming.

The falls are amazing and in the summer they refresh you. The park has trails to fit every age…read moregroups. We Owen county residents enjoy our park and events they offer for our children as well as adults.

We came here for the first time and had a blast! The paddle boats are a lot of fun and doable with…read morejust one person (if your other passengers are kids). The canoes are also great to rent but it was a windy day and it kept blowing us around lol. Prices for rental are reasonable as well. The lake is big but you can basically see the whole thing from one end to another. Which is nice if your family is on multiple boats. There is a disc golf course but I only played on a couple holes. The kids playground is a lot of fun and has some unique features. There is a petting zoo as well, basketball and tennis / pickleball courts. So much to do! Looking forward to going back and trying the camping!

We brought our 3 boys here (2,6,9) and they had a blast. They loved the playground and water…read moreactivities. We rented a paddle boat and canoe. We didn't get to swim, pet the animals, or walk the path around the lake, but we will be back! We could see the campsite and it looked pretty full. It seems like a nice place to camp with many activities. We did eat some food here and it was a bit overpriced, but it was worth it and supported the park.

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

Louisville is one of my favorite towns to visit with my wife. Every-time we go we find another…read morecool part of the city, the botanical gardens are tucked away and almost a hidden gem. Very nice paved walking paths throughout and great variety of species to experience. Even just for a peaceful afternoon stroll. Highly recommend.

The gardens really are stunning and beautifully cared for. You will see plants there you could…read morenever have dreamed up. Unfortunately, if you are sensitive to smell (or sound) DO NOT GO. Or perhaps check which way the wind is blowing (and bring earplugs). The gardens are on a hill where the wind carries the smell of rotting carcasses from the butcheries below. (The land is also a few yards from the highway, so the sound of cars is constant). I got used to the sound. I did not get used to the smell. The air is thick with the stench of rotting meat. You can feel it. You must swim your way through it. There is no respite. Every ounce of your breathing air is decaying, sliced animal flesh. I wretched more and more as I made my way, into the wind, to get back to the parking lot. I thought I was going to vomit. The smell has permeated my clothes and I doubt I'll be able to eat until I toss these in the wash and take a long shower. If you've read this far, I'll also add that the tour guide was a wealthy old white man volunteering to work there and he was pretty insensitive to the diversity our group represented - age, gender, race, different bodies and abilities, etc. Tactless jokes. A lot of standing still on hard ground. No escape from the smell even when folks were in physical distress. Too many tangents and asides to make whatever relevant info he might have had worth waiting for. So, yeah. Check the weather and wind direction, consider earplugs, and skip the tour. (I'll try again some day and maybe I'll get to immerse myself in those gorgeous flowers!)