Very nice park with a 1800s walking tour of a grist mill (currently being restored), the stables,…read moreblacksmith, school etc. Nice history and no dogs allowed in the village. Plenty of walking trails, the summer offers a huge pool and some sad looking tennis courts. Camping available with newly added row of full hook ups ( worth the extra money). There is an inn and a restaurant on site too.

Spring Mill State Park has well maintained trails, facilities, and campgrounds! All the employees…read morewe encountered were incredibly kind. I loved how unique and well preserved Pioneer Village is. I bought freshly ground cornmeal so that I could take home a little piece of the park to make cornbread with! The park is dog friendly (other than pioneer village where dog's understandably are not allowed).

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.

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.​

Lovely accommodations and meals. :-] My only suggested…read moreimprovement would be brighter lights in the rooms. Enjoyed visiting White Lick and West Baden Springs national historic monument.

This hotel is ok, but I didn't know somethings going in, that I wish I had. The biggest one is…read moreCELL PHONE RECEPTION IN THE PARK/INN IS SPOTTY AT BEST. I stayed for two nights. I was worried that my elder parents or pet sitters would not be able to get ahold of me. No room phones either. Wifi was also spotty. Wifi didn't work more than it worked in my room. Be prepared for lots of walking. I had an injured person in my party, and she wasn't able to do most things. Also, the room was small! The bathroom door was only two feet wide and the bathroom itself was very narrow. One of the beds was against the wall. Also the restaurant was buffet only. There was no menu ordering. Now that I have complained a lot, heres the nice things. Staff was very nice. Things were very clean. Parking in the garage was easy. Each room had a minisplit heat/ac unit. It worked very well. There is a page in the room binder on how to change the temperature, fan speed, and blowing pattern. The beds were very comfortable and came with six pillows on each bed. There was an in room refrigerator.The Pioneer Village was very nice. It was also very nice that a church service was offered in the Pioneer Village. I greatly enjoyed it, but only happened to find out about it by accident. I didn't visit it, but there was a game room available. I really enjoyed the outdoor patios at the hotel. They are conveniently located and well kept. The view from the patios of the large trees and rolling hills was beautiful.

We had Vivi as our tour guide and she was very educational for my husband and my first cave tour…read more It lasted close to an hour and the average temp was a very comfortable 54 degrees on a summer day! We saw a transparent cavern fish that you can see their spine and a frog and a bat.

It was the day before mine and the wife's 30th anniversary and I was looking for something fun and…read moredifferent to do. Enter Bluespring Caverns Park. So on our Anniversary Eve I told her what time we needed to get up and what time we needed to leave to make the drive from Louisville to the park. She had no idea where we were going. When we pulled in to the parking lot she said "Well, this looks fun!". We were fortunate enough to arrive about 10:45 am and were the last two booked for the 11:00 tour. The entre fee is around $25 per person, but being a Veteran I was able to get a $4 discount (I'm also told that the Veteran discount is the only discount they offer any more). The tour starts with a walk down a hill that I couldn't help but think would be GREAT on a sled in the winter. It's a helluva walk (both down and up), but VERY scenic. As you descend you can feel the air cool. On a 90° degree day it felt REALLY nice. Once you're down to the bottom you board a boat and start the tour. Sam was our tour guide and he was Most Excellent. Sam has been doing tours at Bluespring Cavern for about 9 years and he shared all kind of facts and trivia during out tour. As I recall our tour was about 5/8 of a mile at a very leisurely pace. Caverns are such amazing, wonderful places. They're their own little, secret underground world. No matter how many I my brain goes into overdrive trying to imagine how it was hundreds/thousands of years ago, how incredibly still and quiet it must be when empty, and how completely isolating they can be. Sam educated us as we went along and entered different "rooms" in the cavern, giving us history and safety tips (DO NOT drink the water) along the way. We even got to see a few bats on our journey. Our boat tour got over a lot sooner than I expected, then it was time to walk back up the hill I think it'd be a blast to sled down. No worries, I'm in pretty good shape. A quick visit to the gift shop and we were on our way. (I added another shot glass to my collection of over 700). We did the boat tour, but they also offer kayak tours and have an overnight room where groups can actually sleep overnight in the cavern. That would be SO freakin' cool! The staff was friendly and funny, the tour was great, and the gift shop wasn't overdone or kitschy. Bluespring Caverns is SUCH a cool place, and we will absolutely visit again.

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

McCormick's Creek State Park is Indiana's first State park founded in 1916. They have several…read morehiking trails, camping, a State Park Inn, and an outdoor pool for cooling off in the summer. In the warmer months it is an excellent place for creek stomping with a small waterfall at the end. Both kids and adults love this attraction. It is hard to go wrong with any State Park in Indiana.

Here's hoping we knock out visiting even more Indiana state parks in 2021! We kicked off the new…read moreyear with a visit to McCormick Creek state park and neighboring (15 min) Cataract Falls. During our brief visit to the park we were able to pop by the Inn for a bathroom break, drive through some of the park and walk down to the falls. During non-COVID times, I'd love to explore staying at the Inn or a cabin. I'm a sucker for a simple state park inn. The park features trails, a pool, horseback riding and a nature center. It seemed like some of the bathroom stations were closed down (January '21). The park was free during our visit so I can speak for the expense. If you're visiting g here, definitely do yourself the favor of driving 15 minutes down the road to see Cataract Falls state recreation area.

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

Wonderful spot! I'm happy that it's coming along. Currently at 4 stars, but I can't wait as the…read moregardens continue to build out the place. I've been to botanical gardens in other cities where the community and local officials don't dedicate resources to it. I'm not sure of the entire breakdown here for funding but I do know they'll obtain a round of funding, build out, and repeat. In the future, this botanical garden will rival some of the best in the country. I don't even think 25% of this place has been developed yet. On the last visit, it was for the holiday light decorations. We got super lucky, arrived, and within 20 minutes it started snowing. It made the experience so worth it. Out of other holiday happenings around town, (Light up downtown, the mega caverns, etc etc), I much preferred this even over all the others. The light decoration isn't the largest but I still think it's worth it. Kids will love it and as long as you're not a grumpy gus(No offense Gus) of a human being, you should have a good time. The gardens part through the spring and summer is also fun but limited. Again, it's going to take time as the years go by but the botanical gardens definitely adds something to the city of Louisville.

Attended a silent meditation retreat on a Saturday in November for approximately 4 hours and found…read moreit to be a phenomenal recharge. This is only my 2nd time being able to grab a spot over the past few years, as this is only an occasional offering thus far. I hope it will become a more regular event on the calendar. We arrived to check-in around 8:30 AM and were done by 12:30 PM. The event included silent meditation, chair yoga, mindfulness (including mindful eating exercise), music and singing, sound bowl and chanting, a lesson reading, and a walking meditation on the WBG property. This is a great introduction to a wide variety of experiences for someone who would like to determine what is appealing in practice. The couple who led the event were terrific and I will sign up for this as often as possible. Highly recommended!