We rented the Rogers Pavilion at Highland Park for our family reunion in August. We booked it about…read morea year in advance since we have our family reunion every August, and we wanted to make sure we could get the date we needed. The pavilion was around $250 for pretty much the entire day, which I thought was a great price for the amount of time and space you get. We really like this park because there's plenty of space and lots of parking. There's also a playground directly across the street that's suitable for kids of different ages, along with a basketball court. The pavilion itself has plenty of tables and chairs, you just have to set them up yourself. There's also a small kitchen, which is very convenient, along with two gender neutral restrooms on each side of the kitchen. The only downside is that the grill provided with the pavilion is a little bit of a walk from the indoor area. There's also another covered pavilion with seating between the grill and the Rogers Pavilion. There happened to be another event going on there during our reunion. It didn't interfere with our event, but of course, having the entire area private would have been even better. I really like this pavilion and think it's a great place to host an event. There's plenty of space, lots of parking, and activities for all ages. I'd definitely consider renting it again for future family events!

Highland Park is a huge community park in Kokomo with lots of green space, recreational spaces and…read morea historic covered bridge. What I like best about the park are the mature trees that provide lots of shade. Some of the trees are over 400 years old. There is a huge colorful playground with climbing structures, swings and slides. The base is a mix of mulch and soft matting. Benches line the area for parents to sit and watch kids . (The equipment could use a good cleaning from the trees.) There are two ball diamonds with bleachers within the park. A beautiful stream that meanders through the park attracts fisherman. Tree-covered picnic areas are scattered along the creek. The Vermont Covered Bridge spans the creek and is open to pedestrian traffic. There are restroom facilities near the playground. There are several parking areas throughout the park and you can drive along the creek. Highland Park is a great place to bring the family.

This is a nice park and show what a community can do together. Many of the park's amenities are…read moredonated such as the shelter, exercise equipment, and playgrounds. It was reimagined almost 10 years ago in 2014. There is free street parking available for the park and you could also park in the Bauer Family Center lot, which it sits behind. The park is not very big and has a decent full basketball court, a shelter with picnic tables under it, and a a couple of playgrounds. There is fitness equipment there, but it looks to be in fair condition, and thats generous. There are two playground areas here. They are both on the rubbery mat surface that are popping up at most new parks. There is an area for smaller kids that is fenced in and has a jungle gym with a tiny bridge, and some slides. There is also a low hanging swing there and a metal bench for caregivers to sit and watch the littles play. The other playground area, for bigger kids, has a bank of traditional/toddler swings. This area features a monstrous jungle gym contraption over there. As well as a stand up see-saw, and seat spinners. The equipment seems relatively new and is in great repair. The park has a hole seems to be well maintained and was clean. There is a fence around the entire park's perimeter. Other park amenities include a shower, which I found random, a glider swing, a share a book kiosk, and some benches (the Buddy Bench). This is not a destination park, but is a very nice community park that is nestled in a small neighborhood.

The SIA (Subaru of Indiana Automative) South Tipp Park was made over and rededicated in 2014 next…read moreto the Bauer Family Center on South 3rd St. The park looks great and kids seem to be enjoying it every time I go by. There are distinct playgrounds for different age groups and on the older kid side, there is a basketball court too. Parking is limited to street parking for the park visitors, but there is a lot for the Bauer Family Center if visiting both places. I was able to street park on Fountain St without any problems. There is also a small shelter area for shade since the trees on the property are on the perimeter and don't offer much shade to the playground. Note that the Bauer and other neighborhood buildings have murals that add fun backdrops to the playgrounds. Review #1086

My 2 year-old and I LOVED this playground (and the pun in the name is just amazing)!…read more When you walk in, you're immediately greeted with a shaded parent area. This is great if you have older kids, but since there are two (that I saw) other entrances, it's still best to follow behind younger kids if you want to make sure they don't leave the park. There is an area called Tot Lot for toddlers, which is a scaled-down version of the rest of the park with baby swings, smaller slides, climbing structures, mounted instruments, etc. We spent some time here, but my son was really drawn to the main playground. The main area is truly a wonderland for littles. With ramps, slides, swings, ropes, obstacles, and a zip line, there is never a dull moment. We visited on a day that was about 90 degrees, so there were only 1-2 other families with us at a time, but the kids that were there all gathered in the shade beneath the main structure. There was fun to be had even under there, with the different ceiling heights and areas making playing tag or hide & seek a blast for everyone. Personally, my favorite part was the large, adult-sized swing (I regretfully did not get a photo... because I was on it the whole time!). It's a standalone swing that is supported by 4 cables. The actual seat is so comfortable it makes me wonder why all playgrounds don't have these! I imagine it's truly for older kids with different abilities, but on a slow day it was my perch. I could see the whole park, including under the main structure and 2/3 entrances, so I just enjoyed the breeze while my son played tag with his new friends. There is also a picnic area and restroom building that looked nice from far away, but we did not check them out. The whole place seems very structurally sound and well-maintained. I was positive it must be brand new because of the quality, so imagine my surprise on the way out when I noticed it had last been renovated in 2014 (11 years ago). Overall, if I could give this playground 10 stars I would. Great job, Valparaiso!

This is likely one of the best playgrounds that we have recently visited…read more We arrived early on a Sunday morning before it got busy. The vast playground has a rubbery ground and is consisted of a section for young toddlers and a larger area for older children. We have two young, energetic daughters so we gained quite a bit of steps in chasing after them as they kept running between the different play areas. I am under the impression that either everything is brand new or incredibly well-maintained. The playground equipment appear to be high-end with exceptional diversity and quality. There are several wooden structures, multi-level jungle-gyms, swings, climbing structures, slides, monkey bars with different height levels, and zip line. Several themes were highlighted in the play spaces too - from fire trucks to solar systems to Vikings. There was never a dull moment in the two hours that we spent there.

I recently attended a wedding at Foundation Meadows Park. The venue is stunning, featuring…read morebeautiful outdoor spaces and a very cool gazebo, perfect for a memorable celebration!

Great park with 3 levels of slides. Beautiful walking paths and public bathrooms. Entire play area…read morehas rubber pellets to protect the kids when they fall. Trust me, they will fall, they are kids!!! Two covered pavilions that make for a great place to have a meal/snack. This park is less crowded than ValPlayso while valplayso has more to do!!! This park is one of the many reasons Valparaiso, IN is an amazing place to visit and live!!

Southwest of Lafayette is the new town of Shadeland (it still has a Lafayette mailing address…read morethough). The folks who live there have a fairly new park that has a combination of sports and playground equipment for kids to use. There is a nice parking lot on the southwest corner. To the east is a fair sized shelter with a picnic table and a grill. Down the hill to the north are a basketball court and a baseball field. Between the basketball and the parking lot is a bright and unique playground. There are lots of large animal shapes and even a few dinosaurs for kids to climb on. The rest of the equipment serves the same function of lots of other playground equipment in other parks, but these pieces look unique and might make for a little bit more excitement from kids given the chance to play here. The negative is that there is very limited shade outside of the shelter probably due to the park being so new. Maybe they should plant a few trees around the playground to solve that problem down the road. Review #1070

What a nice surprise! This park has a bit of everything. Large shade trees and multiple shelters…read morewith a huge central playground make this place ideal for a family picnic. And parking is all around. The playground has a number of small pieces of equipment, but the showpiece is called Manitou Mountain. A large wooden series of towers and slides are enclosed in this fenced area. Swings and other pieces of wooden equipment are mixed in among the towers. In addition to the playground, there are basketball courts, a baseball field to the north and a football field to the south. The park was clean and in good condition. This is the park to choose if you are visiting Rochester. Review #3076

There's a lot of weird kids here me myself as a kid I'd like to play around go down the slides and…read moreeverything and there's a lot of kids here that like flip people off and say some pretty bad words not trying to be a kid Karen but do you know it's a little bit weird. But the slides are nice and the play equipment.

This place is surreal. A true blessing to have within 15 mins of Purdue…read more You can see Wolves, Bison, Foxes, turtles, you name it. Everybody who works here is super sweet and very knowledgeable. I am blown away with my experience and cannot wait to come back in the fall!

I guess I expected something different from Wolf Park, so I was slightly underwhelmed. But I think…read morethat's my own fault. My life motto is to approach everything with low expectations, and I think my expectations were very high for this animal sanctuary. That's not to say Wolf Park isn't cool. It is. The tour guides are very knowledgable and engaging, you learn a lot about wolves, there are some neat things in the gift shop, and it's nice to know that there's a sanctuary in Indiana that cares for these canine creatures. The wolves were mostly sleeping and behind fences, and we had to stand way far away from the fences, so it was difficult to see the wolves, most of the time. Mostly, it was a lot of walking and looking at the animal enclosures during the one-hour tour. But we did learn a lot about wolves and animal conservation, which was nice. There are also buffalo and fox here, but we didn't see those, either. I guess your mileage may vary depending on how active the animals are on the day that you visit. Because the tour is a lot of talking and walking and not a lot of seeing of wolves or touching things, I would say that this experience is better for adults and older kids. There was a young child in my group, and he was trying to climb the fence and then melting down by the end of the tour. Parking is in a gravel lot, but there seemed to be plenty of spaces. There are also restrooms on site.

Although this park is tiny, it has a basketball court for older kids and a mini playground for the…read moretots. And it's just a block from the heart of downtown Monticello, so you don't have to walk far or even move your car if you are downtown. The basketball court is a two basket style that has been maintained in good shape. The playground is compact and rests on a soft mulch base where the equipment doesn't rise very far off the ground, so even a fall won't hurt them. Nice park with a great location. Parking is free and nearby. Review #2755

Great park for all ages of young children. Swings for adults to swing their wee ones. A swing for…read morethe differently abled. Good mix of climbing structures for all ages of children. There are covered picnic tables right next to the playground and the bathrooms a few steps away are sparse but very clean. Playground itself is fenced in restricting entrance from the street to one main entrance or through the larger portion of the park where there are baseball fields and a walking path. Ample seating for adults giving good view of the entire play structure. Have your kids to the scavenger hunt on the red wheel of the USS Scott and find all the sea animals in the boat!

Amazing park just outside of New Buffalo. Beautiful, clean, fun. Tons of playground equipment and…read moreeven trails in the woods to explore. Lots of parking. Basketball courts. Bocce ball courts. Public bathrooms and drinking fountains too. Splash zone: The last time we visited, it wasn't quite warm enough to play in water, but WOW is that an awesome feature worth mentioning in its own paragraph. If we lived in the area, you'd better believe that we'd hit this park up several times a week in the summer to cool off. Bravo, City of New Buffalo. Bravo. This is the small town park that lots of big town parks aspire to be.

This is amazing for toddlers and children. Amazing age appropriate playgrounds with safe rubber…read moreflooring directly next to cute splash pad/sprayground. Plenty of picnic tables with pavilion. Such an amazing find for the family.