Given that I am in a new town for a month, I figured I would explore my surroundings. My pup was…read moredue for a much needed long walk filled with sights and sounds to stimulate her senses as I was kind of cooped up in the house I was staying in in Saint Albans, Vermont. Don't get me wrong, there was a park or two in Saint Albans, but the major one (Taylor Park) was a bit of a walk aways. It was beautiful with a vast expanse of open land and they held a Farmer's Market there in the Spring, but it was at a distance from where I was, so I didn't frequent there as much. The park I am reviewing now is 9 minute walk from the apartment I am staying at. This park was absolutely amazing and rivals that of AD Barnes Park and Tropical Park in Miami, FL where I grew up but Riley Park is like ten times better! As I entered, I didn't expect much except some large canopy trees, oak trees, birds, and maybe on occassion running into some butterflies, and following down a winding path. As I kept moving forward, I first cane across some very well kempt tennis courts and it wasn't like one or two only but like 7 or 8 and on top of that they offer free tennis cardio classes on Sunday to the community. That was like the first tally mark in my mind in terms of Yelp checkmarks. The park itself continued to seem very clean. There wasn't a surplus of dog poo everywhere or debris or litter of any kind. I then happened upon some more greenery and then what I came to learn was a bike park. This was thee coolest thing I have ever seen at a park. Guests can practice for free I assume on the turf. What made it so sppealing to me was that the gravel itself was super new and dark and also well kempt. Whoever the custodians are for this park deserve to be recognized because this park is at least 40 acres I read online! So the bike park/ramps weren't the only astonishing thing abiut this place. As I made my way around, there was also this bridge that connected to another more elevated area of the park (so please be mindful if you are someone that has trouble walking up steps or hilly areas to be careful). It was a beautiful red bridge kind of like one you would see in the woods somewhere in New England. It sat atop a bumbling brook where moss, ferns, and probably some other creatures one can't see would traverse. Once yoh make your way across the bridge, there was an acquatic park, yes, an actually water park with a pool. If I recall correctly it is named The Kathy Dowling Acquatic Center but don't quote me on it. I didn't get a full view of it as I didn't know if I could bring my dog to that area, so I refrained as I wanted to abide by park rules/policies. I walked paat it but I could see a few large colorful closed tube water slide. The kid in me would have totally gone on one of those lol but I wasn't in proper attire to do so. Plus, I aas walking my dog. What made the walk more fun were the woodland type creatures I encountered along the way like the squirrels my dog would try to chase, some ducks floating in the pond, and dragonflies (as well as beautiful butterflies of course). I had to get a better view of the ducks because I love ducks, birds, penguins, blue jays, etc. They were all huddled and congregated together and I didn't wish to disturb them but it's been awhile since I have seen a majestic Mallard. There were some pretty tall trees in the area as well near that pond as well as a Rock Garden. I liked how they had descriptions of the various landmarks or designated rest areas as you mKe your way around the park. So by this point, I had almost made my way around the park. There were some playground areas for kids with swings and slides that seem like perfect play areas for birthday parties. I am sure they probably have some covered shelter areas to host parties as well or other types of gatherings. I am not sure if they would be free to use or cost money to rent. I passed by a basketball court as well. Another cool area that I had to take a photo of was the skate park. I couldn't believe they have one to use, and for free. Now I myself don't skateboard (I tried to many years ago as a kid but failed lol) but I just was so amazed that these places were available to use for free! My jaunt continued to another brook/pond area as my dog insisted on sniffing around there . She is mighty persistent and she must have really loved the park as she urged me to take her around it again for a second time This time though, I got to see things I didn't notice the first time and yes this was all on the same day. It was probably about a 45-60 min walk tops but I didn't mind as it wasn't super hot or raining and I needed the exercise. I used to walk around parks or grassy areas or jog a lot more and have stopped in recent years, but it was so nice to be in nature, I obliged. I noticed they had these signs with stakes in the ground called "postcards" where they would highlight a major milestone in the parks history. It was a nice added touch.

Riley Park is considered Greenfield, Indiana's feature park. It has 40 acres of open grassy areas,…read moreBrandywine Creek, athletic courts, a skate park, the Kathy Dowling Aquatic Center and Splash Pad, picnic areas, a couple of playgrounds, and paved walking areas. It actually houses Greenfield's Parks and Rec. Dept., the Patricia Elmore Senior Center, the Old Log Jail, and the Chapel in the Park Museum. The park is one of nine in Greenfield. You can rent Riley Park Pavilion, Riley Pavilion East, the aquatic center, and the splash pad pavilion. Like most public parks, it's open dawn to dusk daily. Activities include fishing, disc golf, basketball, skating, walking, pickleball, tennis, swimming, a sled hill, water fountains, public restrooms, and programs for all ages. A surprising amount of the park would easily be considered ADA friendly. In 2022, the park's 85-year-old shelter house was destroyed by a fire. It's now being rebuilt in addition to multiple other upgrades. The park has been undergoing multiple renovations in anticipation of its 100th anniversary in 2025. The pavilion has gotten an upgrade along with the restrooms and playground. The Greenfield Baseball Little League moved out of the park - this freed up the space used by five baseball diamonds. There's plans for a dedicated children's zone on the south end and a teen zone on the north end (by the Hancock Boys and Girls Clubs). The teen zone will feature a skate park and multi-sport synthetic playing field. There's also plans for a pump track. Riley Park is, of course, named after James Whitcomb Riley and was dedicated on 10/7/25 - what would have been his 76th birthday. The acclaimed poet was born and raised in Greenfield and the city continues his legacy at multiple locations.

No playground! Let's just get that out of the way right now. My children believe that all places…read morethat call themselves "parks" should have a playground, otherwise it's false advertising. I don't agree, but you should know up front that this park doesn't have a playground, so you can set your child's expectations where they need to be. What Beckenholdt Family Park does have is lots of walking paths that meander around a beautiful pond. There's also a wooden deck and lookout tower, which when you make it to the top, you can see the whole park. (The lookout tower is also wheelchair accessible, which is cool.) The lookout is what actually caught my eye from the road. I saw it and slammed on my breaks, did a U-turn and headed toward this park that I had never heard of until today. A good portion of the park is dedicated to a fenced dog park called Rovers Run Bark Park. The dog park has a few obstacles, but mostly lots of grassy areas to run. There's also a gazebo-type sitting area for the humans. Next to the dog park is a rainbow bridge -- literally, a bridge that's painted rainbow colors -- called Baker's Rainbow Bridge, for people whose dogs have died. The owners can place their lost dogs' collars, ID tags, photos and other mementos all along the bridge. I have been in my head a lot lately, with my feelings heightened and right at the edges, so seeing this rainbow bridge, with all of the photos and collars attached to the bridge, made me cry. There was just so much love there. It's making me want to cry again just writing about it! What a nice gesture for the community. Luckily, a dog from the dog park sensed that I needed to snap out of it, and ran over to bark at me. I'm so glad I stopped at this park! It wasn't a planned part of my day, but sometimes the unplanned things are just what you need. It was nice to walk around and enjoy the sunshine at this beautiful place.

Sometimes you just need to take a freaking walk…read more I've been on a health journey for the past few years, and I am trying to change different habits and my default ways of dealing with stress, anxiety and all sorts of emotions. I used to stress eat. When the hamsters were running wild and free inside my brain, I would head straight to the fridge. Now, I go for a walk... and it's glorious. Today, I needed a walk. It was the end of my work day and I wanted to clear my head and burn some calories. I work less than 10 minutes from Beckenholdt Park, so I left work a few minutes early and headed to the park. I keep my ruck pack in my trunk, so I was all set. I arrived at the park around 4:00pm. It was cool and overcast, but a great day for a walk. I have been to this park multiple times over the years. I have taken my kids fishing in the small pond and have walked laps around its trails. Today, I threw on my ruck sack, put in my earbuds, and started walking. There is something special about moving your legs and listening to good music. Neutral Milk Hotel danced in my ears as I walked laps around the pond. While this band might not be for everyone, I feel like nature parks like Beckenholdt were made for folksy bands like Neutral Milk Hotel. Listening to folk music and walking in nature-- that's a great way to slow down those hamsters! Beckenholdt Park isn't the largest park. There are no playgrounds. But it is a great nature preserve to take your family and your dog. Or to simply go for a nice walk around the pond.

This park is 88 acres and has many features. The first thing that you will notice as you enter the…read morepark is the Southern Hancock County Veterans Memorial, a memorial dedicated to the Veteran heroes that called Hancock County home. It is a well done and fitting tribute to those men and women. There is no problem parking at this park. It has a decent sized private parking lot. The park also has a basic dog park that is basically two large fenced in areas with some seating. To the best of my knowledge, the use of the dog park does not require a membership, which if true, is nice. The park is home to a decent paved trail. My only issue with it is that it is a down and back trail and not a circular one. It runs along the side of the park and is about 2 miles, round trip. There are a few benches along the trail for people to use and take a load off. The trail also has some fitness equipment along its path to use that has bee there for over 12 years. You will find a picnic shelter at this park, with picnic tables under it and a grill just outside of it. The shelter and picnic tables are a bit aged and could use a little TLC. It is available to be reserved through the county, if you are looking. The park's playground area is on a bed of old wood chips and has some older equipment that consists of a pebble bridge, a spiral slide, rocker bees, a rock climbing wall, a jungle gym with a spiral slide, canopies and bridges, a bank of traditional/toddler swings, a pyramid net climber, and a see-saw. They have benches along the area's perimeter for caregivers to sit and watch their little ones, while their little ones play. The playground equipment is serviceable, but you can tell that it has been since 2010. A 9-hole disc golf course was also installed at the park in 2010 as part of a Boy Scout project. There is no shortage of field or green space at this park. The park has a multi-use field with a bunch of soccer nets spread out on it. There is also a backstop on the field as well, that could be suitable for sports such as baseball, softball, or kick ball. The open field could be used for just about any field activity including football, soccer, field hockey, flying a kite, playing catch, or having a picnic. The park does not have a rest room facility. You will see a porta-potty by the dog park, just off of the parking lot though. Feel free to use that. Anyway, the park is relatively well maintained, but there was a little trash and junk around the shelter though. On a positive note, the grass was well groomed. Does it need a few updates and new equipment? Yes, but it works for now. It is a decent park to pass some time and hang out at, if you are in the area. I probalbly would not call it a destination park though.

One of the first things you notice at the entrance of the park is that there is a new installation…read moreof the Southern Hancock County Veterans Memorial going in. The memorial has flags and some nice monuments and a bunch of loosely laid bricks with veteran names on them. I hope that these bricks will be installed properly when the memorial is completed. The rest of the park has a dog park, a playground, something that looks like it might be a frisbee golf game (I honestly haven't seen anything like it), and space for sporting events. And poor drainage. So much so that even after two days since the rains cleared out, much of this former field had standing water. The playground was surrounded by water, so I can't see this being an ideal condition for most visitors. I guess if you want to use this park, you hope for a drought and then there is a lot you can do. I will give it a bonus star out of respect for the memorial, but the rest of the park needs some drainage and attention. Review #780

I haven't been to this park in years since it was redesigned. I visited with my 3 year old and 1…read moreyear old. It was fun and safe for both of them. We will be back!

Doesn't look like much as you're driving by. But it's a great space for kids to play. There's…read moreoutside playground equipment for all ages. There are bathrooms and drinking fountains on site. There's also a covered gazebo with picnic tables open to first come first serve. The parking lot small but this is a fun hidden gem.

I love when I pull up a place on Yelp to review it, and see that the only other review is from my…read moregood buddy Ken N. (RIP). It makes me feel nice to think about my friend, who has transitioned to writing Yelp reviews in heaven. Brandywine Park looks like it mostly functions as a sports park. There are soccer fields, softball diamonds and walking trails. The fields are beautiful and lush, which seems unusual considering we're just now entering spring. They really take care of the fields here, apparently. There's also a snack bar, which was closed when I visited. The playground is fine and does the job of giving kids something to do while their siblings are playing soccer or softball. I wouldn't go out of my way and bring my kids to visit this playground, but if we were here, my kids would have a good time. One thing to look out for is that the only two slides on the playground are made out of metal, so I'm sure they get super hot and unusable in the summer. There are also swings and a little playground structure for young kids. Lots of parking here, but not lots of shade! Probably bring your own shade if you're coming here to see a game. Also, there's a gaga ball court, but you need to bring your own ball.

This park is best known as a large baseball and soccer park. There are so many practice fields…read morethat I wasn't able to count them all....I think some are temporary. Anyway, there is a shelter and a small playground area. There is also some caged area that looks like it might have been a tennis court, but there are no signs of pavement within the fencing. I am not sure whether it may be some sort of community garden or if some new construction is going to fill the area. Good place for kids on athletic teams. Otherwise, there are plenty of decent options elsewhere. Review #787

I wish I could be arsed to find out why this park is called Wolf Run Park. I can't, though, so I…read moreguess it will forever remain a mystery. Because the name of the park has "wolf" in it, I kind of thought it would be a bit more bad in the good way (like Michael Jackson's Bad), but instead, it was just good in the bad way (like boring). Kids will love the playground, though. And that's the point of visiting this park. The playground has a big structure for the older kids, and a small structure for the younger kids. There are saucer swings, regular swings, a rope climber, slides, musical instruments, a merry-go-round and other fun things to play on. The whole playground is padded with wood chips. The playground looks like it is relatively modern (no metal equipment), but there isn't anything that stands out about this park. It has a run-of-the-mill playground, and it does its job. There are basketball courts a ways away. There's a big, grassy field to enjoy. One thing to note is that there is zero shade on the playground. That was fine when I visited, because it was an overcast day. But I imagine that this playground can be insufferable on a hot, sunny day. Another thing to note is that there are restrooms at Wolf Run Park, but on the day that I visited, they were closed for the season. So I guess if you visit this park during the fall and winter (and maybe even early spring), the restrooms will be closed.

My nieces love this park and it's become one we visit fairly often. The playground has equipment…read morefor a variety of ages to enjoy with swings, spinning spots, play houses, climbing materials and plenty of slides. The ground is a wood chip base, so sneakers are better than sandals and slides for shoes! There tends to be a lot of bugs, little tiny flys of some kind today, so something to be aware of. They did just add a bathroom recently, and I used it for the first time today. There was no toilet paper or soap. The toilet and sink water worked fine, and there was a changing table. One of two water fountains worked too. I'm hoping that all improves soon, but I'm still grateful they put in bathrooms here! It was a problem before. The trail is nicely paved and there's a little break to the left when you turn down the trail. If you follow it, you'll find a little spot to see the creek. Not really enough to play in, but we like to go take a minute to see it sometimes.