This park is amazing. I am surprised that it does not have more reviews. It is a well kept secret I…read moreguess. I had never heard of it before my visit. The park dates back to 1921 when 40 of its 64 acres were donated to the City by Wilmer and Edna Christian in memory of Wilmar's mother. The park is a bit aged, but has everything I look for in a park. It is also conveniently located right off of the Pleasant Run Trail. The park has three distinct sections and a ton of parking available between its 4 lots and street parking. The park can be accessed from many different ways. One area of the park, near the front, has a couple of baseball fields that have definitely seen better days. It is pretty worn and not well maintained. Across the street at the main part of the park is a couple of ball fields that are in even worse condition than the ones in the baseball complex across the street. There is a lot of green space in this section as well, that is suitable for activities such as playing catch, throwing a freesbee, a soccer game, a football game or having a picnic. You will find three tennis courts in the section as well. They are a bit rough, but would still work if you want a quick match. There is a shelter with picnic tables under it and grills just out side of it. The shelter can be rented and are in fair shape. It has remnants of parties past still there. Streamers were all over it. I almost thought it was police tape. There are two full basketball courts that are very nice. I almost had to lace them up and throw a few down. Other amenities in the area include a nice splash pad and playground. The splash pad has benches around its perimeter to sit. The playground is on a bed of wood chips and has some relatively new equipment that includes a bank of traditional/toddler swings, a pyramid net climber, and a huge jungle gym with a rock climbing wall, pebble bridge, a web net climber, a bunch of slides, bridges, monkey bars, and a bongo. It is a very nice jungle gym. I was impressed. The large building that you see in this section is the family center. I do not know if it is still operating (But I believe it is). It was closed while I was there. This is the section that has the largest of the park's parking lots (there are 2 lots in this section). The third section has a decent football field, with goal post on each end. It appears well maintained. This section also has a shelter with picnic tables under it. It is better than the shelter in the other section but could still use some love. It can also be rented. You will find a another playground in this section. It has much older equipment. It has a smaller jungle gym with monkey bars, parallel bars, bridges, tunnels and a few slides, a bank of toddler swings, a bank of traditional swings, old school monkey bars, parallel bars and big blue arch that I have no idea what it is. This is a hidden gem. It offers a ton to do. I did not however, find a restroom facility though. It is relatively well maintained, even though I saw a lot of trash on the grounds near the shelter. It has a paved trail through it that can be linked with the adjoining Pleasant Run Trail to give you a nice long hike. Yes, some of the park could use some upgrades, but it still works well. This is a destination park that I highly recommend checking out. You could easily spend a half day or more here, especially during the summer.

This park covers a massive area, but it's not as wooded area I like. It has all you need for…read morerecreation: basketball courts, tennis courts, a splash area, large playground, football field, softball and baseball fields, and lots of picnic tables spread throughout. It does have a paved path to walk and a little area to do calisthenics type of exercise off the path. But, it is more like a sidewalk than a park path or trail, or somewhere I'd want to go for a walk. And, it was riddled with litter (not too bad, but consistent); but, it appears to be a very popular park, so the amount I saw want excessive for the traffic. Maybe more trash bins would help. This park looks like it makes a lot of families very happy. The basketball courts were definitely my draw!

We love visiting playgrounds and this one is great. If you have kids who are a range of ages--there…read morearen't many betters options on the southside of Indy. The separate playgrounds for big kids and little kids is great. They also have parent & baby swings, which we love. The splash pad is great but gets crowded with bigger kids later. I would recommend going earlier in the day if you have littles.

Very nice park in Greenwood with areas for big kids and toddlers. They also have a splash pad. The…read morearea is well kept. My toddler had a lot of fun playing on the little kids area and the swings

Known as a pocket park with a purpose, this is a small park nestled away in the Hawthorne…read moreneighborhood. It is literally behind 2 houses. It dates back to 2013, and was created after receiving a Project Green Space Grant from KIB.You can find parking in front of one of the houses, but keep in mind that parking is only allows on one side of the street. It is a small art park, that use to be an abandoned lot that was full of illegally dumped trash and furniture and drug paraphernalia. The first thing that yo notice when you see the park is it's bright yellow 1964 Pontiac Bonneville sitting vertical. You will also find bench seating and a picnic table around the car and a fire pit with some stump seating around it as well. The fence is painted with a rainbow version of the city's skyline. In addition to serving as a place to display public art, the park serves as a place that local residents can garden. There are also some fruit trees there. You will also find this home to many species of local native vegetation. Events are hosted at the park throughout the year such as Art in the Park. So, outside of one of these special events, you probably will not spend a lot of time at this park. It is however, a nice place to see and has a wonderful backstory about a neighborhood coming together and doing something positive in their community. And plus you get to see some cool public art (for free) and it provides for some awesome photos.

This used to be an abandoned lot, and now it's a beautiful space for the community. You gotta love…read morethe great things that can happen when residents come together to make their neighborhood better. Purpose Park is a pocket park in the Hawthorne neighborhood. It's on a quiet, residential street, and you would probably drive right by it, except for the fact that there's a yellow 1964 Pontiac Bonneville planted right in the the ground at the entrance of the park. It's a photo op for sure, but also practical: The bottom of the car has been smoothed and is used as a projection screen for neighborhood movie nights. It's a small little park, but it serves the local residents by being a place to plant vegetables (there is a raised bed community garden here). There are also fruit trees and grape vines that surround the park. There's a casita that's used for community performances. There are wooden stumps that circle a fire pit that the neighbors use for summertime campfires. According to Purpose Park's Facebook page, this pocket park is a meeting area for community events, such as Easter egg hunts and other gatherings. I love pocket parks so much, and this little one is a great addition to Indianapolis' amazing community spaces.

Close to where the Monon Trail ends in Indianapolis, you'll find the Frank and Judy O'Bannon Soccer…read morePark. This park went through a facelift that was completed in May 2023, and it now includes a cool splash pad, a modern playground, picnic shelter and other amenities. I love a new playground, and I love when the city invests in parks, because it means it is investing in families. My only beef is that this playground has zero shade, unless you're lucky enough to be sitting in the shaded picnic shelter. When we visited, it was a bright, sunny day, and not only was there no shade for the parents and caregivers to stand under, but the playground equipment was hot to the touch, and my children -- who will typically ignore things like hot monkey bars in the name of fun -- gave up on playing after a short while because the bars were just too hot on their hands. It's a shame, because the playground equipment looked super fun. So maybe this is a playground to visit on cooler days. This park is located right on the Monon Trail, so you can see people running as you're playing at the park. It's just south of a great place to get coffee (Provider), so if you need a little pick-me-up before you watch your children play on the playground, you know where to go.

I've gone here a few times for my nephew's soccer games and I'm always impressed by home well…read moremaintained and beautiful the grounds are. There's a great view of the city skyline from the park and a walking trail close by.

This park is more than meets the eye. The front part, where you first enter, isn't much to see. I…read moremean, it's beautiful -- there's lots of grass and open fields, a lovely amphitheater, lots of flowers and benches under shady trees -- but kids don't care about that. Kids want playgrounds, and fortunately, University Park indeed has a playground. And the playground is pretty awesome. You need to drive a little through the park to get to it, but once you do, you'll see giant play structures with lots of slides, bridges, fireman poles, monkey bars, swings, rock walls and lots more. The playground area has wood chips on the ground for a soft landing. There's an indoor restroom right next to the playground too, and a water fountain. Just beyond the playground, you'll see signs pointing out different hiking paths. We walked into the woods and came across all kinds of beautiful nature, as well as bridges. This is a great place to take an easy walk or hike with kids. For the doggies, there's a little dog park here (Four Paws Dog Park), with some agility equipment and lots of room to run. The whole dog park is securely fenced and gated. University Park is another great park in Greenwood!

This park is located at the entrance of a major subdivision. It is huge. It is said to be 40 acres…read moreand has two sections. The front section consists of one of the most beautiful lakes in Indianapolis, a large field area with a few benches, an amphitheater, and a dog park (for members only). The back part has a basketball court and a huge playground area. It is also the backside of the dog park, but that area is not accessible from there. The final amenity back there is a pavilion that is available to rent. The lake has a beautiful teal color and has large concrete slabs that you can sit on and enjoy its beauty. The front section of the park where the flags are is known as reflection plaza. It has some benches that you can sit and is meant as a place where you can sit and reflect. The dog park called Four Paws, looks nice but you need to have a membership to use it. The Chandler Amphitheater is very small and not covered, meaning it is wide open to the elements. It has stone stadium seating and has the lake as its backdrop. Reflection Plaza, including the amphitheater is available to rent. In the back, the basketball court is decent. The court could use a fresh coat of paint or some resurfacing, but the rims have nets and it is better than most backyard courts. The playground, which has a forest theme, is awesome. It is one of the biggest jungle gyms I have seen. It is very impressive. There are also swings and a seasonal bathroom facility back there as well. Both sections have adequate parking and they both are interconnected with 2 trails, the Benjamin Trail and the May Apple Trail. The trails are well paved and are in good shape. They can be used for hiking, jogging or walking. I really liked this park and enjoyed my visit. It has tons to do and even giving its location I still found it very peaceful and soothing. The development, Homecoming at University Park, is very lucky to have it. I will definitely be back soon.

The park is located by Fredrick Douglas IPS School 19. This is a very nice park, having went…read morethrough an extensive renovation last year. It has preety much everything you would want in a kids park. The park is actually in 2 parts, one in the front of the school and the other and much larger part in the back of the school. The park is named after a community leader, Dr Marvin Sandorf, who tirelessly served the community. The playground is very well maintained and has some top notch exotic equipment. They have you basic playground equipment and some stuff that I have never seen before. There is also a covered pavilion with picnic tables and a couple of grills. They have two very nice full basketball courts, one of which doubles as a field hockey rink pickleball court and other activities. It is touted as the state's very first Multi Use Game Area (MUGA) court. Both courts are some of the best I have ever seen. There is of course swings, slides, a merry go round, a xylophone, and two large jungle gym structures. I did see a water fountain out there, but there are not any restrooms. Of course there are benches throughout the park to sit on and relax. The playground is lined with artificial turf and that rubber surface that most new playgrounds are putting down on the floor. The park has a private parking lot for visitors and a huge green field to play football, soccer, frisbee or just throw the ball around. There is even a small bike/skateboard track next to the ball courts. It is very small and looks like an accident waiting t happen. My main issue with the playground is that due to the proximity to the school they have commandeered it. When I was there half the school was playing out there. They also had some classes eating lunch out there under the pavilion. It was packed. I like this park a lot, but the fact that the school has taken over the public park played into my rating (I was teetering between a 3 and 4, but decided to go with the 4). It is very hard to enjoy the park and all that it has to offer with over 50 kids running around. I almost felt like I was trespassing. I recommend going to this park when school is out. You and your little ones will enjoy the park much better and I am sure you will have a lot of fun.

Sandorf Park has been completely remodeled as of fall 2020, and the playground is amazing! It has a…read moregigantic climbing structure with net ropes, tunnel slides and a lot more. This is a great playground for kids who like to climb! There is also a merry-go-round, swings (both regular swings and ones where you can swing with your child), a small structure for young kids, musical instruments and best of all, the whole playground is covered in that nice, soft rubber that is great for playing on (and falling on, if that happens). The park also has basketball courts, a track for skateboarding and riding bikes, a multi-purpose greenspace (open field) for soccer, and lots of picnic tables all around the playground. One thing that I didn't see was restrooms. I'm hoping they get some of those in there at some point! Sandorf Park is located behind Frederick Douglass IPS School 19. There is a different playground in front of the elementary school itself, but I'm not sure if it's available to the public (although I didn't see any signs that stated anything to the contrary).

This park looks like Disneyland! The playground structures are absolutely amazing. Bargersville…read moreneeded this park for the kids for a long time. When I stopped on Friday morning to walk the dog, I was shocked to see the parking lot (which holds 60+ cars) almost full. They have 8 pickle-ball courts and they were full with a line of people waiting for a court The pangs of the balls were pretty loud and disrupted any peacefulness that the park has to offer. There is even a set of bleachers to watch the pickle-ball games. Anyway, the park does have an amazing playscape, perhaps the best in the Indy area. There are multiple climbing structures, swings for all abilities, a merry go round type structure and more. There is soft matting under the structures to keep the kids safe. Kids were having a blast. In addition, there is a colorful and awesome splash pad. There are nice benches, some covered, to sit and watch the kids. The park also has a walking trail into a wooded area, which is not paved, just gravel. There is some natural prairie vegetation. Trees have been recently planted. There are a nice set of restrooms including a family restroom. I also saw a small pavilion with picnic tables. Bottom line, while it's a bit crowded and loud, this is a great park with lots of fun things to do.

This is a new 19-acre park located in Bagersville. It still has that "new car smell" and is very…read morewell maintained. It opened on July 1, 2023. There is a decent amount of parking available but this park does get packed. The park features 8 very nice, fenced in, pickleball courts, a large playground, an active splash pad. The park also have two shelters with picnic tables under them and some benches under small shelter-like structures that provides some relief from the blazing sun. The splash pad has a lot going on. There are sprinklers, pouring buckets, sprayers, waterfalls and lots more. It is very nice and open from 9am to 8pm. The playground is modern and is Divided into zones for children aged 2 to 5 and 5 to 12. It is laid on a combination of artificial turf and rubberized, mud-free, surfacing. The playground features a swing bank with traditional and ADA swings, a net cone merry go round, a slide on artificial turf covered hills and a small jungle gym structure with a couple of slides and bridges. The highlight of the playground though is the towering jungle gym with a bunch of tall slides, ropes, and bridges. It is one of the first things that you will see when you arrive at the park. Additional amenities at the park include a water fountain that is capable of filling bottles, a restroom facility and a patch of green space to play catch or just throw a blanket down and relax, hiking trails that lead to and from downtown Bargersville. It is a small, but very well designed park. I will admit, that it does get packed during nice weather, no school days, especially on weekends. I really like this park. Bargersville has began to invest in parks, which is nice. This is definitely a must visit while in the Center Grove/Bargersville area.

Indianapolis World Sports Park was formerly known as Post Road Community Center. It's located on…read moreIndy's Southeastside and is easily most known for its game fields - cricket, soccer, basketball, Gaelic, and football. The park does also have a walking trail loop and an activity center with restrooms. There is also, of course, a playground. The park was expanded and renovated in 2012. It has 46 acres with wonderful greenspace and mature trees. The multi-use sports fields can be rented. The park has a banquet hall with meeting/event space - easily one of the best features of an eastside park. It can accommodate larger gatherings. The park received a $2.15 million grant from Lilly Endowment to add a new concession pavilion to be done by the end of 2024. The indoor facility includes a ballroom, dining room, fireplace room, and community room. The athletic fields can be configured into two cricket fields, four Gaelic fields, six soccer fields, or a variety of other options. It took me a while to realize this park was the old Post Road Community Center, though I don't really do the southeastside a whole lot. Prior to its renovation, this has existed since 1991 and is still one of the area's newer parks. This park is also pretty heavily utilized and I'm super fond of some of the activities here including free yoga, clogging lessons (Okay, I'm footless. I'm obviously not clogging - but I do love that they have it.), line dancing lessons, and art classes among other activities.