This is a nice park. I do not think it gets many visitors due to its location. It is right off of a…read morebusy street. The park spans 127 acres and was previously owned by Cosco Products company, which hoped to create an employee recreational area, but it was never fully developed. The county received the property from the Cosco in 2007. The park's name, ECO, is an acronym derived from Employees of Cosco (ECO). The work "Lake" was added to the name to highlight the lake. The park runs along ECO Lake and has an ample amount of parking available. You will find a nice public boat launch that feeds right into the lake. There are also picnic tables and benches positioned in locations around the lake's perimeter. They provide very scenic views. The park has a sand volleyball court and a basketball court right next to each other. They are in fair to good shape. This park features a lot of green space, a moderate amount of shade, a picnic shelter with picnic tables under it, and a playground area. The playground area is not the most modern, but it is decent. It has a medium sized metal play structure with a bunch of slides, a net climber, and monkey bars. The playground also has a bank of traditional swings, monkey bars, and pull up bars. This is a very nice, low key park with lots of open pace. There is a gravel road that leads to the back of the park. That road will take you to camp sites and only registered campers are authorized to go past the gate. I like this park, but think it is just in a bad location. It could use a little bit of an upgrade such as a new shelter because the current one is in bad repair and maybe a restroom facility. They current have a port a potty there, that is located by the shelter and playground area. Definitely a nice place to visit and get access to the lake. Worth a visit if you are in the area.

Camped 1st time July 19th weekend. Absolutely loved it. Beautiful area. Quiet. Pond was great for…read morekayaking. Bathrooms are unbelievable clean. May be our 1st go to camp spot. Also so close to Columbus and I had good internet service. Great place.

This park has just about everything you look for in a park. Sure, there is the Donner Center which…read moreis a place for coordinated activities, but there is also an urban park with 32 acres that include an aquatic center, basketball, tennis, pickleball, lots of parking, a playground, and several shelters as well as a huge Shelterhouse/pavilion that could be reserved for a large event (up to 200 people!) Everything looked to be in good condition and though the park is over 100 years old, it is holding up well! The only thing that I can think of as a negative is beyond the park's control: There are one way streets that can be challenging to get to the park from downtown if you aren't familiar with the area. A fun place with mature trees and easy access to amenities throughout the park. Review #2062

Great playground for older and younger kids! Lots of picnic tables and a shelter. Clean restrooms…read moreavailable as well. Great place to play with your kids or relax on the grass.

I'd call this a pocket park, if anything. Yelp has the category "parklet," which is appropriate, I…read morethink, because Old Pumphouse Park is a tiny little park. Yes, a parklet, if you will. (Will you?) There is a literal pump at this park, with a sign that tells you the history of the pump. It's not functional anymore, but it used to be set up as a place for families to get water who didn't have their own well, and for firefighters to do their thing. Now, of course, the town of Nashville has its own water system, and no one needs a water pump. But it's a fun relic. Old Pumphouse Park is pretty much in the center of downtown Nashville, right outside the public restrooms. How I enjoyed the park is: I sat by the pump, which sits under a gazebo by some beautiful hydrangea, and ate some chocolates that I bought down the street. This is a nice park to visit for a bit and sit at for a while, as you're making your way around downtown Nashville.

While Nashville continues to grow and turnover the shops in the area, I was glad to see they…read morefinally started adding parks to the community. Sure, I know they have huge state parks in the area and the kids have playgrounds at the school, but they were missing the charm of having a quiet place, slightly away from the crowded streets of the town. So, when my day of shopping/eating/browsing was winding down, I finally noticed this park. Just a block away from the main drag through town, I was able to sit on one of the benches and appreciate the nice landscaping. The public restrooms are there too, so it makes sense to have a place for others to rest if someone in the group needs to use the facilities. Seems like there has been a pocket park here for quite awhile, but what I finally noticed was the mini shelter that covered an old water pump, the kind used to fetch water out of a well. There is a plaque about the ceremonial "burying" of the old pump back in 1949 when the town finally got on a public water system furnished from a lake in the state park. What makes this quirky is that an actual hearse was used to haul the pump to its final resting place after 60 years of service. There is even a photo of the horse drawn hearse posted in the mini shelter. What a strange bit of local flavor. Regardless of whether you enjoy reading these little bits of local lore, the park was well maintained and provided a nice place to take a break. Review #2779

When the Selmier family owned the property, Frank Selmier began planting pine, black locust, black…read morewalnut, sycamore, and tulip trees on the land. From 1921 to 1934, he worked on the property and most of the property was placed on Indiana's Classified Forest Program between 1927-1931. After Frank's death, his wife donated the property to the State. This 355 acre property is located just a short distance from US 50 to the northeast side of North Vernon. The park is only accessible form CR 350 N and has the Forest Office/Property Manager's station on the east end of the park. However, if you don't wish to stop by and pick up a brochure, you can take the self-guided trail which starts (and has its own small parking lot) on the west end of the park. That's what I decided to take. The self-guided trail is fairly easy to navigate with wide gravel based roads making up most of the trail. Elevation changes are easy with the exception of one area where steps have been built into the hillside. The trail is roughly 1 mile in length and there are benches for resting or stopping to enjoy the sights and sounds of the park. There are small creeks/runoffs along the way with one spot where a small pond tends to grow after rain fall as it waits to filter through a pipe under the trail to lower ground. For those who like longer hikes, there are additional trails in the park, but none of them are very long. Be advised that hunting is allowed in the park during the season, but hunters should check in at the Forest Office to make sure of any additional restrictions. The brochures list the major items of concern for hunting as well as having maps of the trails. Nothing spectacular to catch your attention as far as terrain, but the forest looks to be in great health and the wide paths make the park more accessible (though not completely) than most. Review #2632

Columbus knows how to do parks. The location of this park in downtown Columbus has historical…read moresignificance. Two rivers, East Fork White and Flatrock Rivers merge creating a flood plain. During the 1800's, water was diverted to create power for milling, called a "Mill Race". A number of mills operated here. There were tanneries, brick makers and woolen manufacturing to name a few. Various mills operated for decades but faced challenges of periodic flooding. The mills closed over time and only a few foundations remain. The site has been transformed into a beautiful park, complete with sculptures, trails, a historic covered bridge and more. We visited the park yesterday and spent several hours exploring the site. A notable observation Tower is prominent near the river. I climbed the 130 steps to the top to see panoramic views of the river and town of Columbus. Graffiti vandals have left "art" on the tower. There is an elevator, but it was non operational during my visit. Maybe it as just me, but it was a little creepy at the top. A modern colorful playground is located on the north side of the park. Climbing structures, slides, interactive toys and a wide variety of swings fill the area. The equipment is clean and pristine. Benches and picnic tables surround the playground for parents. I saw several pavilions around the park for picnics or meetings. The grounds of the park are tree covered and beautiful. There is a project underway to restore native plants. The New Brownsville Covered Bridge crosses a small duck pond and is a lovely backdrop for photos. The tress bridge is opened to auto traffic. I saw several sculptures including an artistic vine covered tunnel. The sculptures did look like they have endured annual flooding. Fisherman were fishing in small boats in the river. There is a small boat launch in the park. An amphitheater structure is also on the grounds. The setting is an ideal spot for summer concerts. A single basketball court is located on the west side of the park. I did see a set of modern restrooms in the park. Pathways are concrete making travel easy for strollers and wheelchairs. Parking is available at various locations throughout the park. There is no charge to visit the park. Warning: the mosquito population was pretty treacherous during my visit. I would recommend long sleeves, pants and spray. They will carry you away.

I feel bad that I was so focused on seeing the covered bridge that I completely spaced out and…read moremissed the observation tower while I was here. The park is lovely, a big green space with some sporting features including tennis courts, picnic shelters, playgrounds, horseshoe pits and basketball courts. You should also check out the amphitheater. The park is located in an oxbow bend in the Flatrock River, so it's surrounded by peaceful slow-flowing water (which did flood quite high a few years ago). [Review 20531 overall - 76 in Indiana - 1512 of 2023.]

My sister came across this Forest by reading through a book about hikes in Indiana. Our first visit…read morehere was in April and we hiked along trail 7 which was a rugged 1.7 miles and took us up along a number of overlooks. We then hiked along Knob Lake- trail 5- only .25 miles but beautiful views of the lake. Plenty of people were fishing here. There are 10 trails overall and most range from 1-3 miles. We noticed that there were primitive camp sites and someone told us that it is very rarely full. We decided to come camping here in September after Labor Day. It is only $13 a night and self registration. The camp sites have plenty of room for car and tents. The sites each have a fire pit and picnic table. There are only pit toilets but they all had plenty of toilet paper. There were a handful of people camping so it was a very quiet evening. This time we hiked trail 2 which was 1.75 miles moderately rugged. This takes you up 985 feet above sea level. There are horse trails, hunting, archery range and plenty of picnicking spots. If you enjoy the outdoors- this is only about an hour and 30 minutes from Indianapolis.

Found this park by way of AllTrails app, and I'm so happy I did! My sweet spots are national and…read morestate parks, but I'm so happy I stumbled upon this state forest. Being a state forest, it's free entrance, for one. It's about 1.25 hours from downtown Indy, so not too far of a trek and about the same distance to Brown County area. I came for the purpose of a day hike on the Knoblake and Pinnacle Loop Trail. It's labeled "hard" on AllTrails. As with most Indiana "hard" trails, if you're an experienced hiker, it means they're "easy-to-medium" challenge. However, I will happily say that this trail kicked my booty. It was a challenge. The elevation gains/descents are no joke. Bring hiking poles if you can! The final views were incredible and a great place to feel the spring sunshine and breeze to reward our hard work. It meanders through some creek area as well. I can't wait to come back and take advantage of their buddy camping system. $13 a campsite - an absolute win compared to other nearby campsite prices. Would highly recommend for camping, fishing, hiking and general nature time!

This narrow park on the south side of Seymour consists of ballfields on the east end, a playground…read moreon the west end, and a small shelter in the middle. There are a few benches by the playground and a couple picnic tables inside the shelter, but I didn't see any grills. Parking is plentiful along the north side of the park. Review #2166

This small plaza in Downtown Seymour is dedicated to Sarah Steinker Stephens who was a part of the…read moreSeymour community. The park features a grass lawn with a sidewalk that borders all sides and plantings to add color and interest. There are also benches for visitors to relax upon and enjoy the space. The park was opened in 2014, five years after a fire had claimed the two buildings previously located there. Review #2170