I'm always intrigued by the parks that seem to get the most reviews. While some Indy Parks…read morelocations seem to get ignored, we occasionally get a park like Juan Solomon Park on the northwest side of Indy with 10 reviews. The park was acquired in 1971. It's a 41-acre park. I love learning how parks get their names - and Juan Solomon is named after Juan Solomon (I bet you figured that out, eh). Solomon was very active in Indy's African-American community and served as director of the Community Service Council, Indianapolis Urban League, and was on the board of the Indianapolis Department of Parks and recreation. He worked for Eli Lilly for 32 years and led the Mayor's Task Force on Employment. The park is one of Indy's parks that really has some cool features including a covered sheltered, soccer fields, renovated playground equipment, tennis courts, and wooded trails great for nature walks. There's a .8 mile loop. Crooked Creek runs through the center of the park. This is a park with public restrooms and there's an indoor facility with space for rent and a very cool sod roof. Interestingly, there's also a water treatment facility here. Parking is abundant here. While Solomon Park was developed in 1971, it actually didn't become Solomon Park until 1973. Solomon also lived in this neighborhood (across from the park). As I noted, you can book community room rentals. I know on weekends it's $80 an hour with a three-hour minimum (paid upfront). There are flushing restrooms connected to the building (though they are also open to the public). Capacity is 75 people (no kitchen on site). You can rent the shelter for $85/day with a capacity of 40-50. I used to live in this area. I don't get to Juan Solomon as much as I used to, however, I still stop in when I'm on this side of town or if I arrive on this side of town early for a meeting. While part of me thinks this should be a destination park, it even offers pretty darn good accessibility with the playground, I still think it's not quite a 5-star park as it's not always kept up really well and I'll be honest and say I think the community room rental is a bit steep for a public park. That said, there's much to love here and this park serves the Crooked Creek area quite well. It's not a destination park, however, it's definitely a popular park for this area.

I've had this spot bookmarked after driving by nearly a dozen times. We finally had the time to…read morestop by and check it out with our son this last weekend. The thing that caught my eye the most was the beautiful building with a living roof and the trails surround the park. They have a large playscape on a padded floor, tennis courts and a soccer field. It felt like everything could use a little TLC and they are struggling to keep up with trash overflow that seemed to litter the parking lot, etc. (most likely to blame from the visitors not picking up after themselves) Overall, great bones but could use a little loving.

What a great idea for Fishers residents. This Community Garden is rented for $35 per yr…read more 4/15-10/31. Plant what you want. You're responsible for planting, weeding, watering and tearing down everything at the end of the season. It is located in the back of Cyntheanne Park. The park, one of 25+ parks, has permanent bathrooms, eight pickle ball courts, and a small playground. There are also several fishing ponds with plenty of parking.

Cyntheanne Park It's a smaller playground setup, but…read moreperfect for a quick outing before nap time. There are two play areas (2-5 and 5-12), plus lots of climbing for bigger kids. It's also known for pickleball courts and has great paths for walking or biking!

This is a nice little park on the heart of Broad Ripple. They have a gravel lot right next to the…read moreplayground. The playground is small, but perfect for a toddler! The outside area is a little run down and the landscaping could use a bit of a clean up. The shade does offer a lot of shade which is nice!

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.

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.

This is the spot for indoor and outdoor kid friendly fun. The interior is small, hosting many…read morerescued reptiles, amphibians, and other exotic animals. There's a small play area with lots of opportunities for hands on learning. Outside there's chickens, walking trails, a play set, and giant chess board for good weather fun. This park is free to explore. Staff is knowledge and passionate about caring for the animals. Looking forward to coming back to check out some of the programs.

I finally stopped by Helen Pecar Park this past weekend on my way through Hendricks County to my…read moreparents' home. Pecar Park & Nature Center is a fairly new Avon Park that is a unique balance of primitive meets contemporary. The park has its own naturalist and the nature center offers turtles, tortoises, bearded dragons, and other animals. There's an amphitheater that is primarily used as an outdoor education space. The Nature Center can be rented by the hour or by the day (only between the hours of 10am-9pm). Pecar Park offers 9 primitive campsites, though there is an indoor bathroom and shower to make everything a little less primitive. Rental of a campsite is $15 for township residents, $25 for non-residents. The park also offers a playground, community fire pit, pod, greenspace, GLOW lab, and geocachers should know geocaching is available at this park (and encouraged). Pecar Park still feels like a work in progress. It's one of those parks that's always a dilemma for me - technically, it's accessible. Yet, it's really not. The way Yelp's accessibility questions are phrased, technically this park meets them. However, this park tends to be a place where it's best to have a companion with you, especially if you have mobility issues, as there are places where paths are a bit more rustic and even the playground is a bit more natural in setting. Pecar Park is off the main drag in Hendricks County and seems to be a still underutilized park. It seems to be more about natural activities than just "fun." There's also a bird aviary and a low ropes challenge. Again, this feels like a work in progress but a cool work in progress. It seems like this park has grown a bit since its 2019 opening, however, it remains one of Avon, Indiana's more underrated gems. While accessibility is definitely a bit of an issue here, with a little assistance it's likely one can really appreciate this more natural and relaxed setting. As near as I could tell, the nature center itself was solid in terms of accessibility. I got everywhere I wanted to go here - it just took a little effort.

This park is deceptively larger than it looks sitting at 2.7 acres. It does not have a designated…read moreparking lot, but there is a lot of free street parking available along the streets surrounding the park. The park was opened in 1928 and originally known as 61st and Broadway Park (after the streets it's located off of). It was renamed to Dan Wakefield Park in 2016, after a long time local resident and author/journalist, in part due to a campaign proposing the change was started. The park has a lot of green space. It would be good for activities such as picnic'ing, playing catch, flying a kite, or even a small football or soccer game. There are a few picnic tables placed on the green space to sit and/or eat. There is also a half decent tennis court and remnants of a volleyball court. The net is missing and the sand court is in very bad shape. You will find a relatively small picnic shelter at this park with picnic tables and a modest playground area. The playground area is lined with wood chips and has some older equipment which includes a jungle gym with slides, a bank of toddler swings and a bank of traditional swings. There are also a couple of sit and spins. The equipment could really use an upgrade. There is a lot of trees that provide decent shade at this park, which would be nice on a hot sunny day. There is a restroom facility at the park as well, but it was temporarily enclosed within a fenced area that they are doing some heavy construction on. I think it is where the splash pad is located. This is a good neighborhood park and has lots of potential, but time has seemed to catch up with it. The main draw for this place would probably be its splash pad. I hope it is back operational before the hot weather is here. Well, outside of the splash pad, it does not look like the city has invested much into the park in a while. This is not a park that you would travel to per se. But it may be worth while if you were in the area or lived in the surrounding neighborhood.

Here is another nice park for the folks in Broad Ripple. This one features tennis and volleyball…read morecourts, a splash park, a playground for kids, and a small swing playground for toddlers. There is a shelter with picnic tables but I didn't see a grill. There are restrooms and a water fountain available during park season. There is shade for adults who might not be participating in the splash park. Note: I thought the tennis courts looked like they were in really good condition compared to many I've visited. Review #595

This 11 acre park open in 2019 and is in excellant shape. It has pretty much everything that I look…read morefor in a park. There are 2 very nice tennis courts and 2 pickle ball courts. There is also 2 very nice full basketball courts. The park also touts a large sledding hill and handball court. The sled hill is huge and is located behind the play area. The handball area is on the backside of tennis courts. You will find 4 picnic shelters with picnic tables under them here and an awesome bathroom facility co located with the large shelter. Near the front of the park next to one of the shelters are 3 very nice and well maintained sets of corn hole boards. They are very impressive. The park has a fenced in splash pad that looks pretty cool. They have benches around the perimeter for parents to sit and watch the littles. In the warmer months it is open daily from 9 AM to 7 PM. The center piece of the park is it playground area. It is lined with rubber matting and turf. It also has shade awnings and some new age equipment. There is a bank of swings that has a traditional swing, a toddler swing, and an expression swing. There are a couple of saucer swings, a universal carousel, a bunch of net climbers, a couple of slides, a 4-square course, a see-saw, some percussion instruments, and a whirl and twirl. I must say, the equipment looks straight out of an Ikea catalog. There are a few benches in this area for parents to sit and watch their kids. The park's paved fitness/jogging trail is awesome. It is well paved and has dog poop stations placed along the route. There is a huge parking lot for the park and they have even added a little bridge that connects the back parking spots with the park, crossing over a little prairie area. In addition to all that, the park has a few green space pockets that are suitable for playing catch, a pick up football game, a soccer match, flying a kite or other similar activities. The park is one of the nicer ones that I have visited and I like that the play are does not have dirt or mud. It is very well maintained and in good shape. I hope to make it back to this park when the splash pad is operational and get the full experience.

Hidden gem of a wonderland in Whitestown. Amazing climbing structures, swings, slides, splash pad,…read moretennis and pickle ball courts, corn hole, merry-go-round and much more. There are many many sensory and musical structures for learning. This is the nicest playground I have ever visited - hands down. My granddaughter did not want to leave. The playground is about two years old and is kept immaculate by the park service. There is a soft mat under all structures incase the kids fall. There is parking for about a hundred cars, but we were here alone today in the early morning. The facilities are open dawn til dusk. All facilities are totally accessible and stroller friendly. There are swings designed for special needs visitors. There are structures for all ages groups. A number of canopies are arranged across the structures to provide shade. There are awesome unisex and family restroom facilities and four picnic pavilions. There are plenty of benches surrounding the park for parents to relax. There are also plenty of strategically place trash receptacles. Courts and pavilions appear to be first come first serve. There is a nice sidewalk-running path around the park with amenities for dog clean up. Covid guidelines are posted and the park is smoke free. We will be regulars. Well worth the trip.

Really nice park tucked off in the broad ripple area. This park is great for little and big kids…read more Everything at the park is updated and it seems to be a lot of different people that come to the park with their families. Parking is right out front so that's easy access. There is also a basketball court, soccer and football fields. There is also a trail around the entire park. My little ones enjoyed playing here and I also saw a building for restrooms which we did not visit. We will be returning.

This is a good park for a family gathering. It's really a hidden gem and off the beaten path. It's…read moretucked away in a quiet neighborhood and I didn't know of its existence until today. My family reserved the shelter and there are several picnics tables and benches. It was a very hot day so the kids tired theirselves out at the playground and splash pad. It was very convenient and in good shape. There is a paved trail looping around park, which is good for walking or even bike riding. We saw a couple of walkers during our day. The restrooms are a bonus, but they could've been cleaner. The park wasn't crowded and the adjacent parking lot was another added bonus. My family liked the park, the location, and the amenities and will probably try to use it again next year.