I have been here a couple times for different events. Each time I have come here I am amazed about…read morehow beautiful this facility is especially with it being brand new. I love that they have this beautiful facility out here in this location for this community. This community center offers a lot for the community which is always a plus and I love seeing this as a social worker. The gym is nice and they have spaces that you can rent out to have an event at. I'm not sure on the cost to rent a space here to hold an event. The employees were all so kind and they will check on you to make sure there is not anything that you need. They have a lovely playground area and there is a swimming pool. Also there is an indoor track here. You definitely should check this place out.

I was Proud to attend the ribbon cutting ceremony of the grand reopening of Frederick Douglass Park…read more& Family Center located in the Martindale Bright-wood neighborhood. The park was originally built during segregation and because of gentrification is now becoming more diverse to reflect the changing landscape of the neighborhood. The renovation costs were upwards of 25 million dollars and will offer everything from technology, the arts and fitness opportunities.

My son and I have been going to all the local skateparks since moving Indiana. This park has a…read morelittle bit of everything a skater could want. A great mix between vert and street. My son just recently got a scooter and he really likes carving in the bowl. If you want to bring the whole family the playground is pretty unique as well so it really has something for everybody. We will definitely be coming back.

This park is named after William Willard, founder of the Indiana School for the Deaf, who the state…read morebuilt a school for in 1850. The park is the site of that school. Willard park is an accessible park. It has one of the largest covered pavilions I have seen at a neighborhood park. There is a free private lot, a playground, a walking/running trail, a full basketball court, a half basket court, and an aquatic center. It is not very quiet as it is right by a firehouse and located off of a busy street. The playground is accessible to children with disabilities. There is a long ram that leads up to the top of the jungle gym equipment. It is some older looking equipment that could use some TLC. Kids will still find it entertaining. The pavilion is massive and has picnic tables. The basketball courts are nice for the most part. The full court has a few cracks, tons of trash, some graffiti. It needs a resurfacing. The half court was a bit lower than the standard height (not complaining) and was in better shape than the full court. It also has 2 4-square courts on the end opposite the hoop. The trail is unpaved but pretty wide. Not sure how far it is, but it looked like a quarter to a half mile or so. The park has a lot of space. It spans over 11 acres. It also has lots of trash. I even saw a spot where someone dumped burned charcoal from their grill. There was a city worker there picking up trash when I was there, but they needed a team to tackle that job. The park has a memorial for Sylvia Likens in the back near the fence, a young girl that was tortured and murdered by her caregiver. This is a decent park, even though it is slipping a bit. It has lots of potential and can easily be a five star spot.

This is a small neighborhood park located in the Broad Ripple area. The park was built by the North…read moreSide Optimist Youth Club and is maintained by its volunteers and funded through donations. There is not much to the park. It has a baseball field that is OK and a small picnic shelter with two picnic tables under it. There are no grills though. the field is well maintained and does not have any benches or dugout. I am not sure if it is part of a full course, but I saw a disc golf hole in the outfield. The baseball field can also double as an open field where you can play catch, a soccer or football game, hold a picnic or even fly a kite. The park's play area is lined with wood chips. Some of the playground equipment includes a large jungle gym with slides, monkey bar rings, a balance beam/parallel bars, a sit n spin cup, U-shaped ladder, sliding poles, a bank of traditional swings and a bank of toddler swings. There are picnic tables and benches on the perimeter of the playground area to sit and watch the littles. The park has a moderate sized parking lot and there is also street parking available. The sheds on the park's property have cute little murals painted on them. You will also find a share a book box at the park too. It is a neat little park, but my little was not very entertained by the playground and did not play there very long. The park is well maintained for the most part, but the trash was overflowing while I was there, and some left a bunch a trash on one of the picnic tables under the shelter. I did not see any restroom facilities or porta johns, so I suggest using the bathroom before you come and to bring your own water.

I came to Opti Park for the broad ripple beerfest and it was good. This was my first time here at…read moreOpti Park in Broad Ripple. For a beerfest, the space was perfect and nice for the vendors. It is not a big park, but for family picnics and events, Opti Park is perfect. The park was run down and not really kept up well from what I could see. I think I did see a playground for kids at the park which is a nice feature, but nothing else really caught my eye as to being impressive. I do not go to a lot of parks, so I really cannot compare this park to another park in Indiana, but for what it is, Opti Park is a decent size park for family gatherings or special events. I personally will not be coming back to this park unless there is a special event. If you are looking to have a family reunion or event, then I would say check out Opti Park for your needs. The children will love the playground. It is all about what your preference is for a park.

This is a small garden located across from Young's Creek Park and was created in 2015. It is open…read more24 hours a day/7 days a week and can be accessed through Richard's Brick Oven Pizza's parking lot. That is where I parked. The garden is owned and maintained by Meg Jones and Richard Goss, the owners of the Brick Oven Pizza. The garden is small and is a nice concept, but it looks as if it is scarcely maintained. There are a couple of tables and chairs out there on somewhat of a patio are, along with a bench. This garden is in a circular formation and has a few weather sculptures. Some of the art located in the garden include the Baltic Wheel Labyrinth, and an origami crane sculpture. The Labyrinth is intended for the visitor to meditate as they are going through the maze and then end at a kinetic sculpture in the center. The bushes that make up the maze have seen better days. The Labyrinth has a sign explaining a little bit about it, but it is rusted and very hard to read. In total, I counted only 3 sculptures in the garden. Some of them are kind of camouflaged into the landscaping and were hard for me to find. There is also a painted rock garden by one of the benches, with a bunch of colorful rocks. They look relatively new. Also, there were a bunch of trash on one of the benches in the garden. Some people just have no respect. I love projects that allow the community opportunities to beautify their neighborhoods. I seems that the place is not getting the respect and support that it deserves and the maintenance is slipping a bit. Hopefully, it will pick back up soon.

As much as I like visiting parks and looking at public art, I have to admit I was surprised that I…read morehad never seen, nor heard of, this park in Franklin. It was created in 2015 by the owners of Richard's Oven Brick Pizza who, along with some financial help, helped design and install this art garden. The park is located on the land east of the Richard's parking lot. The south half of the park is filled with flowering shrubs, several art installations (metal sculptures), some seating, and a paved walkway to navigate the area. The north half of the park is made into a Baltic Wheel Labyrinth using shrubs to make a single winding path that leads from the opening near the center of the park, to the large, spinning wheel type sculpture in the middle of the labyrinth. (Note that there is a short direct route to the center, but otherwise, you are encouraged to walk the winding path and meditate while you do to literally become centered as you walk. The shrubs have been maintained well and the owners hope that visitors don't damage the shrubs trying to cut through. (It took me just over 250 steps to walk through to the center using the labyrinth.) I really enjoyed the fresh flowers, the art, and the labyrinth. The only suggestion I would make is that the signage by improved. The one for the labyrinth has rusted and is difficult to read. The art work doesn't have any signs, so have small markers identifying the art piece and artist would be helpful. Overall, I appreciate that a local couple made a difference in their community by providing a greenspace downtown that is open year round. Review #2853

Sweet walk down memory lane to read my old "pre-children" review of this park now that we have a…read more3.5 year old and 9mos.old in the house. This park ended up being quite the refuge during COVID and a daily spot for my son and his nanny. From the covered seating area with outdoor grills to the playscapes for various ages, there's a little something for everyone here. Not to mention the adorable Northside Lights festivities featuring Santa each year for the neighborhood celebration.

For sentimental reasons alone, I'm inclined to offer this Old Northside park a five-star rating…read moredespite minor reservations around accessibility. Shawn Grove Park is managed by the Old Northside Foundation. Located at 1401 N. Alabama, the park was created to memorialize 24-year-old Shawn Grove, a Riley Hospital nurse who was shot to death outside a nearby Jack's Pizza while resisting a purse grab. I'm not sure you could better honor a nurse than to create a park such as the Shawn Grove Park. It's got two playgrounds - one is considered a toddler playground and is fenced in and the other is for older kids. This is definitely a small park - I'd say it's slightly larger than a pocket park, however, it's definitely not a destination park. It's a true neighborhood park that's ideal for gathering and ideal for small children. It's well-maintained. Parking around here is fairly easy (a bit tougher for wheelchair users since it's primarily street parking and the street is a bit narrow). The surface in the toddler area is fun and seems to be designed with toddler safety in mind. It's sort of comprised of mosaic rubber bits. There's swings and slides older kids. There's a covered area with picnic tables, bike racks, and fun rides. I don't get to the Old Northside a whole lot, but as someone who's been a lifelong activist in violence prevention this is a place I stop whenever I do. I'm grateful that even after all these years it continues to be well-maintained. In terms of my minor accessibility concerns - these would be the difficulty of street parking, the slightly uneven surface, and the lack of adaptive features. However, curb cuts are solid here, the features are simple enough that they'll work with a lot of kids (with supervision), and there's too much to love about this park to give it anything less than five stars.

This park never gets old for us. We stroll through here a couple times a week since it's located…read morejust around the corner from our house in the Old Northside. From the little community library and changing flowers with the seasons to the sensory section of the park and fountain, it's a peaceful refuge in the heart of downtown. We like to sit on the bench and listen to the birds chirp. It's a very simple pocket park that is managed by the neighborhood foundation. Throughout the year, you'll find small events, neighborhood cleanups and engagement photo shoots taking place here. It's a perfect spot to take a book and read for awhile.

The park is located in a somewhat upscale neighborhood, the Old Northside Neighborhood. This is a…read morevery small park that is maintained by the neighborhood. It is decent and consists of a fountain, a sensory garden for the visually impaired and a gazebo. The walkway is mostly gravel around the park. Free street parking is available in the neighborhood that the park is in. The fountain was not operating while I was there, but it was full of pumpkins and looked very festive. There are benches around and just off of the fountain. The gazebo and decent sized and has seating. It is well maintained. The sensory garden sits in the back of the park and it is for the visually impaired. There is a nice bench back there too. The park is well maintained and sits between two houses. If you are not paying attention you could pass it. You will find some green space pockets at the park and there is a give a book, take a book kiosk in an old green newspaper dispenser. The park is home to special events, such as Plunder in the Park. This is a decent park for someone wanting to take a load off. It is not however, as peaceful as it is intended. There are many houses under renovation in the neighborhood and lots of construction nearby. On top of that, there was a lot of neighborhood dog barking going on while I was there. So, this park is not worth making a special trip for for definitely cool if you are in the area or live in the neighborhood.

This is a cute little pocket park that is located along an active railroad track. There is a small…read morewhite gazebo and a couple of picnic tables in the grass. The park features a train car that is in pretty good shape. The car has painted silhouettes in the window and even though you cannot go into the car, you can climb on it. It is a very clean park and there is free street and lot parking within a reasonable walking distance. I had my little with me and he badly wanted to see a train go through. Unfortunately, on weekends there may be two trains to go through at the most. Weekdays may give you a better opportunity to see a train roll through. As I mentioned, this is a very small park. I would say about a quarter of an acre. You also probably wont spend a lot of time here, but I still like it. It is a very nice place to take a load off while in Franklin's business district or if you want to see a train go by, up close and personal.

This charming little park is not a destination location but definitely worthy of a visit. There is…read morestreet parking along the side streets and further down Jefferson Street plus a lot across the street. It is a nice resting point if you're walking to the various shops along Jefferson Street. The park lawn and landscaping is well maintained with hostas, flowering plants and grasses, a cute white gazebo and a locked caboose to visit. Fun photo op for kids or adults. The caboose has fun silhouettes of passengers in the windows. If you'd like to enjoy a beverage while you rest there is a convenient shop right next door across the tracks to grab a beverage and snack. A perfect small town park to take a break at or entertain the kids for a few minutes.

This park is named after Reverend Mozel Sanders, civil rights activist and philanthropist, most…read moreknown for founding an annual city-wide Thanksgiving meal for the underprivileged and shut-in and heading the Indianapolis Opportunities Industrialization Center, a national job-training program. This park is OK. There is ample parking, but it is shared with an elementary school. The park has a basketball court that has seen better days. It is covered in duck excrement and is cracked. There is also a playground with some updated playground equipment such as a jungle gym and swings. The park also has a huge open field to play sports or just run around. The field however has trash on it and is not very flat or even. The park is located right off of the White River and in the backyard of Matchbook Learning at Wendell Phillips 63. The school has pretty much adopted the park as their own during school hours. There is always students out there playing, if the weather is half decent. So, I don't even know if you can use the park while school is in session and would not feel comfortable if I did. This is an ok park if you live in any of the adjoining neighborhoods and wanted something to do or just stumbled across it. I definitely would not make a trip here.

This "park" is really a greenway with some recent plantings. I get the impression it is more of a…read moreway to honor Rev Sanders than to be an actual park. The space along White River Parkway has no amenities or equipment. There is only a small number of trees that appear to be quite young to break up what otherwise would be a basic lawn. It could also use some attention since there seemed to be quite a bit of vehicle debris from accidents near the location. With some love and care and time, the "park" could grow into something more visitor friendly. Maybe if the trees matured, the city could put in a bench or two and a walking path. Review #527