Whitestown knows how to build parks. This is another great little park that serves the community…read more I'm guessing that the park is about 5 acres of mostly green space with a charming upscale small playground in the center. The green space has a cement walking trail that goes around perimeter to walk dogs or push strollers or wheel chairs. There were numerous birds out during our morning visit with our granddaughter. Nice benches line the walkway. There are dog stations for pet owners to clean up after their dogs. The green space can probably be used for soccer or football practice. The playground is really nice with a climbing and play structures that are ideal for 3-7 year olds. There is a really nice little "zip" line for the kids as well. The swing sets have infant seats and special needs seats that are covered by a shaded awning. There is a soft astroturf under the structures to cushion the kid's falls. There are three covered benches to watch the kids on the playground, but they could use a few more for us grandparents. Parking is a little unusual with a single one-way parallel parking lot on the east side of the park. There is bike parking as well. There are no restroom facilities (as the other parks have in Whitestown). My granddaughter had a blast and played for over an hour. Bring some water snacks and sunscreen for the kids.

There's a dog park under construction on the west side. There's a restroom coming tooread more

This place is such a hidden gem! It was my first time visiting and I loved it! First things first…read morecan I just say how lovely and clean it was! Very well kept area for kids to play! Not to mention massive on the inside! The kids played for hours and could have been there longer! There's a toddler area, which always helps! There was not one but 2 restrooms! Very well organized as well! Best part....it's free! Mind blown!!! Looking forward to returning!

We used to go here quite a bit after school but since their hours have change we occasionally visit…read moreon the weekends. This is a fun free indoor park for the community. You check in and get 1 hour of indoor play. As you leave they will allow more guests to enter. At busier times there can be a long line to get in so I suggest getting there early.

Panther Park has a great playground with something for all ages. It's also one of those playgrounds…read morethat is great when you're looking for a mud-free place to play after it rains, because the ground all around the playground is rubberized, which allows for mess-free play. The playground has toddler play equipment and equipment for older kids. The toddler playground area has little sides, and lots of easy places to climb on. The older-kid playground has tunnel slides, a rock wall, fireperson pole, ropes and nets to climb, and a spherical climbing structure that spins. There are also swings, including a tandem swing where a toddler and adult can swing facing each other. The park also has a basketball court, a paved walking/strolling path that's circles the park that's about 0.3 miles, a restroom, a shaded picnic area, and shaded benches situated around the playground. I was most impressed by these shaded benches, because shade is often lacking at playgrounds. But the shade thing has been thought about here.

We discovered this park this weekend and so glad we did! My son made friends of different ages…read more(2-11 yrs) and everyone had hours of fun here. They have a huge field for kids to play soccer as well and have a basketball court on the playground too. We'll be back here for often.

I've secretly held off on reviewing this place to not make it as known to keep it quiet and less…read morecrowded like most of the other parks are around Indy nowadays. As of April 21, 2025, they'll be charging for entrance, so might as well review it! I've been coming here for years now. It's an amazing spot with one major trail (2.85 miles) and then a shorter out-and-back trail that leads to the water overlook. I frequented this place cause it's not as known, which means less people! One of my go-to places to hike in the city given its ease of access off of the interstate and free admission. Womp. Thanks for providing the free space while it lasted!

The Starling Nature Sanctuary is an 11-acre nature sanctuary within the boundaries of Eagle Creek…read morePark. The sanctuary is named after Scott Starling and is located at the north end of Eagle Creek Reservoir (Pike Township). Starling passed away at the age of 29 after being struck by lightning during a storm. He was a 1977 Pike High School graduate and a Purdue University graduate. At the time of his death, he was working toward a doctorate in marine aquaculture and had served in the Peace Corps. The area was purchased by Indianapolis in 1966 and was officially designated the Scott Starling Nature Sanctuary in 1992. It's managed by Indy Parks. The sanctuary is the setting for a wetlands restoration project led by the Center for Earth and Environmental Science along with Indy Parks, wetland restoration professionals from Spence Restoration Nursery, and IUPUI (now IU-I) students and faculty. The sanctuary has done a great job of maintaining its natural state while also becoming more accessible. The core of the sanctuary is a 2.4-mile trail that is moderately challenging. Initially not very accessible (and trails that branch off can be far less accessible), there's been much done to improve it. The boardwalk section, in particular, is kid-friendly and is a popular yet fairly isolated spot for hiking, walking, and running. In terms of wheelchair users, this is really only a trail for more experienced, independent wheelchair users. I grew up in Pike Township and visited this area a lot in my young adult years, however, now that I live in Lawrence Township I don't get over here as much as I should. Today's visit was a reminder of how much I enjoy it even though there were a couple spots that were pretty difficult to pass in the wheelchair. It's worth the extra effort for sure.

In the spirit of continuing to explore new to us local parks, I pulled up the Yelp app after…read morepicking up car from the mechanic to search for the nearest park- up popped Starkey Nature Park. What a delightful surprise! This little park packs a punch with ravines, beautiful river views, neatly marked trails, and tree coverage on a lot of the trails. It feels like a mini version of a state park just a stone's throw from Zionsville and Whitestone. We enjoyed a quick one mile loop and the breath of fresh air. Parking is easy and plentiful. Note that the entrance to the park is tucked into a residential neighborhood- somewhat unsuspecting. Looking forward to future visits and longer walks on the horizon!

Starkey Park is one of the oldest parks in Zionsville. The park is mostly natural forest that is…read morebordered by Eagle Creek on the southeast and housing developments on the west. The park is managed by the Zionsville Parks & Recreation center. There are seven short trails running through hills and dense forest within the park. The trails are less than one mile long each. The trails are ideal for nature lovers, birdwatching, hiking and dog walking. The forest offers cover for many interesting species of birds. In some parts, the trails are rugged and not easily navigated. Many native wild flowers bloom within the park. Unfortunately, the trails are not suitable for strollers or wheels chairs (except for a few short segments) because they are dirt paths. But the Rail Trail that runs adjacent to the park is totally accessible and overlooks the park on the eastern side. There is a parking area on the northwest corner or other parking areas along the rail trail.

This park has a prairie setting and features an amazing trail, some vast green space and a skate…read morepark. It is 38 acres and used to be a farmstead before being purchased by the city in 2003. The original farmstead is still being used for educational programs and is managed by Maplelawn Farmstead, Inc. There is tons of parking here spread across three sections. One near the front and skate park. The other, in the center, near the prairie, and the other near the back pavilions, playground and splash pad. This park has about 3 picnic shelters with picnic tables under it and grills right outside of it. There is a decent full court basketball court there. It is in pretty good shape. The park also features a pretty nice splash pad, however, it was closed for the season during my visit. It has a bunch of colorful spray structures and benches along the fence that parents can sit on and watch their kids splash around. The playground is lined with wood chips and has more of your traditional equipment. The equipment is in excellent shape and includes a small jungle gym, rock climbing walls, monkey bars, a bank of swings with a couple of traditional swings, toddler swings and ADA swings, a small jungle gym with slides, and a set of pebble path pods. The play ground is fenced in to keep the little ones from running off and has benches along the inside perimeter of the fence to sit. The bathroom facility is right between the splash pad and playground area. It is nice as far as bathrooms goes and is connected to a picnic shelter on the side and has an uncovered patio area with picnic tables in front of it. Your will see green space for days here. A large portion of which is lighted. It is well maintained and is multi-purpose. It can be used for most any outdoor activity including a picnic, football, soccer, playing catch, field hockey, or flying a kite. Right behind the green space is a monster hill. I saw people using it to work out while I was there, more power to them. It would make for some awesome sledding after a snow. Near the front of the park is a skate park. It is small but nice. No bike allowed, only boards. They have a small maze like fence that is made to try to prevent people from bringing bike in. Some of the stuff in the park includes a pool, stairs, rails, ramps, and other stuff that I have no idea what they are. The walking trail here is a 1 mile loop and is one of the better trails that I have been on. It is well maintained and can be used for running, jogging or walking the dog. It goes around the park's green space and hill. This is a very nice Zionsville Park. It checks all the boxes of what you would want in a park. I like this park a lot. It is well maintained and has top notch amenities. You could easily spend a day to a half of a day here.

Went for a pickleball class and thoroughly enjoyed it! I…read morewill be going back to this park. Little known well kept park.

Great little park. Perfect for toddlers. Not crowded. Playground is clean and has multiple climbing…read moreoptions that don't terrify me that my kiddo is going to fall out of a giant hole in the play structure. Nice covered pavilion, walking trail, dog park. Very sweet and nice for a solid hour of playtime.

This is a cute little park at the north end of the rail trail in Zionsville. We met a group of…read morefriends for a picnic there on a warm Tuesday evening. There is a nice covered pavilion with about 4 tables. The tables were very clean. There were grills close by. There is a small upscale playground near the front of the park with interesting selection of activities. The equipment was clean and inviting. We watched a steady parade of dog walkers, skaters and runners make their way around the ark and down to the trail. During our visit we watched a lovely Midwest sunset over the farm fields adjacent to the park. So peaceful and relaxing. A perfect end to the day. There are about 10 parking spots and the park is totally accessible. There is even motorcycle parking.

The park looks better than ever. The Sea shore water park is amazing. Something for everyone to…read moreenjoy and cool off.

I love that there is a gated/fenced toddler and preschool area with benches that is near the 'big…read morekid' playground! Be sure to bring sunblock because unfortunately the toddler area is in the sun whereas the older kid area has lots of shaded areas. If you get hot, the water park is nearby. There needs to be a couple extra trash cans dispersed throughout the area. There are adult exercise apparatus near one of the parking lots. Enjoy watching as your littles play the musical instruments or as they pick ent size of slide they prefer.

This is a very nice garden with only a few amenities. It covers 20 acres and is located on the…read moreButler campus. It is definitely a change of pace from the hustle and bustle of college life and life in the big city. With that being said, it can be difficult to get to if class is in session and parking could be challenging. I do not know if I was supposed to, but I parked on the gardens's circle. The garden is located near the Butler athletic fields and track. The garden is well maintained and has benches placed all over the grounds. I really liked the garden's small lake with the fountain. Overlooking the lake is the Mrs. James Irving Holcomb Memorial Carillon Tower. It is an impressive tower sitting on a hill. You will also find a small waterfall, a gazebo, a poets corner (marked by statue of Socrates), a garden house (that is used for class on certain days and times), a 500-foot-long grass mall ending at a statue of Persephone in an octagonal pool, and canal. This garden is very chill and makes for a wonderful place to lay out a blanket and relax. It is a very calming place. The garden is also a walkers/joggers/bikers paradise. There is a very nice trail that runs along the canal and along the gardens perimeter. This is a nice place to just decompress. I recommend going when school is out because it will be easier to find parking and also less busy. Also, Spring/Summer time has the garden's full foliage and plants on display. I really enjoyed the this place and recommend that you check it out.

Holcomb Gardens turned out to be an interesting place too visit, and we got some nice pictures…read moreclose to the waterfalls :-) Tip: The path around the pond isn't handicapped friendly Like with most venues of this type, there are a lot of insects here, so it's a really good idea to bring along some bug spray. Admission here is free, and spending some time in the Gardems can be quite enjoyable :-)

We were on our way to Louisville and decided to stop at this massive municipal park on the…read morenorthwest side of Indianapolis. There is a small entrance free per car but well worth it. Plenty of trails,picnic area and parking. We stopped at the Ornithology Center which was fantastic. Plus you get to see an eagle and a variety of raptors. We were short on time but will definitely go back when we have at least half a day to explore the area.

I visited here get a little exercise while in town recently and was impressed with the quality of…read morethe trails and hiking paths around. Parking was easy to come by on a weekday but I can see it getting tough on a nice weekend day. I thought the $8/day was a little steep and wished they had a weekly pass