Little Green Thumb at Garfield Conservatory…read more We tried a new-to-us program today and it was honestly SO cute! This peaceful, hands-on story time was such a sweet way to spend the morning with the kids. The kids got to: Feed & pet the chickens Read stories about the sun Use the sunshine to melt crayons into cute animal shapes Pick peppers Check out dried sunflowers & their seeds Have a little dance party Plant beets Explore the garden It was such a calm, down-to-earth experience that combined story time, gardening, animals, crafts + outdoor exploring--perfect for little ones! Garfield Park Conservatory -- Indianapolis Ages: 2-5 $6 per child Registration required Next Little Green Thumb: September 16 | 10-11 AM Join them in Blake's Garden to learn about gardening and help plant, grow & harvest in the vegetable garden. There will also be a story, craft + time to explore! Definitely adding this one to our list of sweet Indy activities for little kids!

The conservatory offers a variety of plants, flowers, and serene views of the waterfall. The…read morewaterfall and fish pond was definitely my favorite view out of everything offered at the conservatory with their scenic views and decor. The sunken garden was an okay view, the fountains were beautiful but there wasn't any other foliage, flowers, or scenery out there to enhance the view. The garden definitely has potential to be better than it is.

A little bit of New York in Indiana! Theses Ruins are from a salvaged New York City building from…read more1898. This park was beautiful! If you have an hour to burn. This is the spot. Although, I could have hung out here all day. Well maintained and it has bathrooms on site.

I haven't visited Holliday Park in several years, but I was glad I did this week. There is so much…read moreto see and do at the Park. The history of the park is interesting. I was glad to find plaques describing the Holliday family. John Holliday was a journalist who founded the Indianapolis News. The property of the Park was the country home for his family. Holliday donated the property to the City of Indianapolis to serve as a Park. The "Ruins" on the property were formally the entrance facade to the St Paul Building in New York City. Indy Artist, Elmer Taflinger, won the facade when the building was demolished in the 1950's. Taflinger designed the exquisite monument that now stands as a focal point in Holliday Park. The monument includes a water feature that kid's (and I) were playing during my visit. The surrounding garden and fountain are beautiful and provide a magnificent backdrop for photos. The Nature Center in the Park is currently housing summer programs for kids. There are two classrooms and an auditorium. A bird watching room and library are relaxing spaces to enjoy. A nature area on the other side of the building offers interactive activities for children. Trail 3 starts from the Nature Center and meanders through a lovely rock garden filled with perennials in bloom and trees. The trail is a perfect spot to watch birds. The playground is sprawling with multiple climbing features and slides. Shaded benches and lots of mature trees provide shade. The matting is cushy under the equipment to keep the kids safe. I saw a nearby pavilion with restrooms. I saw several parking lots. Signs mark where to find different venues. Bring sunscreen, water and wear bug repellent. Don't leave valuables in your cars according to signs.

It's been a while since I've been to the Canal, but when I saw they were having a Full Moon Yoga…read moreParty, I knew I wanted to check it out and I'm so glad I did! The yoga was provided by The Hot Room Yoga, and I believe the event was in partnership with Indy Cultural Trail. There was also a local artist, Lily Groot, who was there creating free prints for at least 450 attendees. I got print 13. Honestly, it was such a great event! You could purchase items from Black vegan cafe food truck, while we hung out and watched the sunset. Then around 8:30 PM, we turned on the glow lights they provided and got ready to do yoga under the full moon. The yoga session was about an hour. It was definitely challenging as you really just had to listen on what to do, but it felt so good for my body, mind, and soul. There was something really special about doing yoga outside, surrounded by the Canal, with the sunset fading and the full moon coming out. It was a vibe. I'm really glad I got to experience this! There's another one coming up in September, so if you've never been, you should definitely give it a try, it was free! Such a fun and unique Indy experience!

The Canal Walk is one of the major attraction in downtown Indianapolis. It is a long walkway that…read moreis right along the water of the canal. Several parks, museums, hotels, and other attractions are situated along this walkway. While walking along the canal, I noticed several tourists and locals walking and running through the walkway. The walkway and surrounding public area was mostly clean and well maintained. In one corner there was a paddle swan boats for rental but it was closed for winter. Some of the canal had scaffolding for construction. Some of the signs around the canal provided historical insight about the canal.

White River State Park is one of the most popular parks in the city, and for good reason! The…read morenickname for it is Indy's backyard. With riverfront and canal-front trails, a pedestrian bridge to the zoo, proximity to the city, and the amphitheater, so much goes on down here. Over the years, my favorite special events have been the food truck festival and the solar eclipse festival. The area is kept to be pedestrian friendly, with parking being underground to the park and wide walking and biking lanes. During warmer weather, I often see a hotdog vendor for a nice and easy lunch. There's lots of sculptures around the park too, which helps to keep things scenic. There's also a huge lawn space for running around.

Beautiful greenspace on the outskirts of downtown all along the White River, as the name implies,…read moreand the canal. Lots to see and do, or just relax, enjoy a little nature, walk or run along the water, enjoy all sorts of trails, enjoy some of the public art hidden here and there, have a little picnic, whatever you feel like. There is an outdoors concert venue, a souvenir shop, the zoo, various museums, such as the Eiteljorg, the Indiana State Museum and such. You can rent multi-seat bikes or a segway and cover more ground. Go and discover.

Highland Park has some of the best views in the city. Whether I come here to have a picnic, hang…read morewith friends, or watch the 4th of July fireworks - I always have a good time. My only complaint is that there is no public bathroom at the park. It's always clean though. Free of garbage and well taken care of

This totally might be conjecture, but I'm wondering if Highland Park was so named because it's…read moreliterally a park that sits on high land. Get it? Highland. I don't know -- but that sounds like a good guess, doesn't it? Anyway, because the park is a bit elevated, you can get a great view of the downtown Indianapolis cityscape. It's really cool. The park itself is small and is more of a neighborhood park. It has a small playground with a small play structure. It has slides, some bars to climb, and some swings. The play structure is definitely more appropriate for kids ages 5 and under. I think older kids would get bored with it quickly. I would not go out of my way to visit this park just to play at the playground, but I would visit to sit at one of the picnic benches to eat and enjoy the view. Parking is along the street -- there isn't a designated parking lot. There also weren't any restrooms or water fountains that I saw.

Such a fantastic and accessible park! It has everything. Basketball courts, tennis courts,…read morepickleball courts, and a playground as well as a playground for little kids that's all low to the ground and padded. There's also a little fountain area that kids play in when it's summer. Grills, covered areas for parties, what else could you need?

We really enjoyed our visit to Tarkington Park! The big draw for me was Teas Me Community Cage…read morebeing right there, and I must say, it was fantastic to have an iced tea while in the sunshine on a sunny day! My mini BFF enjoyed the younger area--the small slide, the tunnels, the little hills. There are so many cool aspects of this park to climb, swing, jump, crawl,spin, and even make music. Next time I'm in this part of town, I'll be happy to stop by again!

Nice place for kids to play and walk the cannal, and spend family time. It is a little hard to find…read morebut worth the look

If you're looking for a great park to take the kids, get a walk or run in, or even hop on a bike,…read morethis spot is perfect! The playground equipment is super nice--you can definitely tell they put some money and effort into making it great. It's right next to the canal, so once the kids are done playing, you can head out for a walk or rent a bike and ride along the water. There's even a dog park area, which is a huge plus if you want to bring your pup along. They have poop bag stations stocked and ready, so no worries if you forget yours. The whole place was really clean too--I didn't see any trash around, which shows people actually care about keeping it nice. The only downside is that there aren't any restrooms by the park. So definitely make sure you (and especially the kids) empty your bladders before you get there, otherwise you'll end up leaving to find a bathroom nearby. Parking is mostly street parking, and yes, you'll need to feed the meter. But if you go on a Sunday or a holiday (like I did), you're in luck--free parking! And honestly, who doesn't love free parking downtown?

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 :-)

The first thing I'm always struck by when I visit new Fields in Indianapolis is the level of…read moreprofessionalism and warmth of the staff. Everyone from the person at the information desk to the people who check your bags at the little security checkpoint our consummate professionals, warm, and will get you where you need to be. Another thing for out of towners to know is that New Fields is the Indianapolis Museum of Art. For some reason, the name throws people off. New Fields also includes the Lilly house, Garden, and Fairbanks Nature Center. Personally, I would start the garden. Walk into the main entrance, and walk to the right from the ticket desk. Follow the signs and you'll end up in the garden. You could spend a day or two out there. Just enjoying it. Oh, and don't forget that they are members of NARM and AHS, so many reciprocal museum memberships will get you free entrance into New Fields.

Ten of us (some in costume) attended the Harvest Nights event (first time) it was great. The…read moregrounds were beautifully decorated and all of the present staff were extremely friendly from parking to on site. Even the adults were given a bag and directed through a trick or treat area. Since we had kids, we didn't go to the adults only lounge I think I read about, but that's ok. There were stops to get food and drinks if needed (we didn't). I don't know how they manage all the amazing decor. The Lilly House all made into a haunted house inside and out was incredible. Parking off Michigan Road was super easy with attendants directing us. Next up Christmas (they are going to be busy! I wonder what they do with the thousands of pumpkins and gourds decorating the place!

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