My family member's repast was held here and the cabin and lake was is absolutely beautiful! Grounds…read moreare in need of much repair but other than that, very nice

Louis J. Jenn Memorial Park is one of a dozen city parks within the City of Lawrence. Like most…read moreLawrence parks, sadly, it's more than a little run down but does offer an official leash-free bark park called "Waggin' Tails." The park includes picnicking, fishing, and a rental facility with a warming kitchen. The bark park includes obstacle training equipment, benches, and a double-bubbler fountain for both pets and people. Memberships in the bark park are limited to 500 people and cost $40 annually per dog for residents, $50 for non-residents. Proof of residency is required. You also pay a one-time key deposit of $25. The park's namesake is Louis J. Jenn, founder of Jenn-Air Corporation and a Central Indiana businessman who died in 1993. He had served on a variety of community boards and also owned former restaurants The Loft Inn and Chateau Normandy. The parking lot is private, yet largely separated from the park and while the rental facility is fairly accessible most of the park itself is unpaved and not what I'd call wheelchair friendly. Given the presence of a pond, this park has potential but really could use some updates.

This is the first dog park in Whiteland. It is very small and was originally named Whiteland Dog…read morePark. It has since been dedicated to a Whiteland Police Department K-9 named Vader, who just recently passed away in early 2022. It is on an acre of land, but much of the land is green space. They have a small private parking lot that is more than ample to handle the traffic that comes through here. They do not have much equipment there. It consists of a fenced in area with a fake fire hydrant, a bridge climb that goes over a tunnel, and utility hole covers. There are also a couple of benches for the dog's owners to sit while their dogs frolic with the fence's confines. You are required to have a membership for your dog to use the park. I think it costs about $20/year, per dog. The dog must have the tag on while in the park. There is no attendant, card access, or locks on the gate. Visitors are on the honor system. Outside of the fence you will find a wooden gazebo with a sharing library just outside of it. There is also a stone bench with a small plaque with the names of the Whiteland PD's K-9s on the back. The park is also home to a small veteran's memorial that was completed as part of an Eagle Scout project. It consists a stone that has an inscription that dedicates the area to the veterans of all services and flag poles with flags of each of the service flying high. The stone and flags are illuminated, so they are somewhat visible at night. The park was opened in 2020 and the land that it donated to the town by Arbor Homes. You can see the Arbor Homes development (Millstone) in the background and there is a nice paved walking path between the development and the park. The park seems to be in decent shape, probably to the combination of not getting much usage and a good maintenance schedule. This is a nice dog park and is a work in progress. They city has plans on expanding it. I would not call it a destination pooch park, but is a good option if you are nearby.

We found this park in the beginning of November when the trees were fall colors. Lots of leaves on…read morethe ground but you could still see and indent where the trail was. It wasn't crowded at all. Quite a bit of trails that also run along the river. There is a huge field in the middle too with picnic tables. Great place to take a walk or have a picnic!

Marott Park is formally known as "Marott Woods Nature Preserve." Established in 1987 following the…read moredonation of land by Indianapolis businessman George Marott (think Marott's Shoes and what is now Marott Apartments) and dedicated to his wife, Marott is an 102-acre nature preserve unassumingly located right at 74th and College Avenue. Admit it. You've often driven by it and wondered. The preserve protects some of Indy's oldest remnant forest and native wildflowers. For years, it was known as Marott Park and had signage to support the name. However, it was Friends of Marott Woods that helped spearhead the name change to more accurately reflect the nature of the preserve and goals for it. It's important to note that because Marott Woods is an actual state nature preserve, it's protected under state law. According to the Friends website, "protecting the habitat takes precedent over our personal whims. Because of this, activities like off-path hiking, biking, fires, and off-leash animals are all illegal under state law." Marott Woods has a relatively small area for parking, picnic tables, and hills that are somewhat cleared yet definitely natural as opposed to paved. I definitely would not consider the trails wheelchair friendly, though there are areas where a wheelchair can access and still appreciate the preserve. Nature Preserves are, of course, far more natural than a public use park and while some effort is made for accessibility the focus is on natural preservation. There are some very cool spots that I can technically get to, but not fully utilize. As others have noted, Marott Woods doesn't look like much from the street, but it becomes amazing and it's pretty awesome to think that it's basically smack dab in the middle of a residential area. I do like that the name has changed. I think it creates more realistic expectations of what this space is and how it should be used. This is definitely one of Indy's northside gems and pretty easy to reach from Broad Ripple and Nora. I'm not quite ready to call it a destination spot, but if you've found yourself curious about it I definitely recommend stopping in and enjoying the remarkable natural setting.

I enjoy taking walks here whenever I'm in the area. You can get a good amount of steps in, either…read moreby walking straight down the path (I usually start near the playground by the PD) or by doing a couple of laps around the lake. It's usually not too busy, which makes for a relaxing walk.

Gorgeous park- well maintained, clean and nice…read more Its only fault is the bathrooms. The park is long, over one mile- and the only bathrooms are at the highest point near the playground. For a park this spread out with hiking paths/trails you would think they would have at least 2 restrooms.

This park is off of the beaten path. It is a nice park that is well maintained. It has a large…read moreshelter with picnic tables under it and a couple of grills just outside of it. There are some restrooms located in the small building that is connected to the shelter and you will find an empty cement slab just off of the shelter. The park features a white gazebo that I do not see having any other purpose other then photo ops. Additionally there is a fire pit and grill in the green space on that side of the park. On the other side of the park is a smaller shelter with picnic tables under it and a grill just outside of it. Parking spaces are not marked very good at this park, but there are more than enough places that you can find to park. I ended up parking between the playground area and small shelter. The park is home to a decent playground area which is lined with wood chips and has benches along its perimeter where parents and caregivers can sit while their littles play. The playground's center piece is a huge jungle gym with a bunch of slides, and bridges. You will also find a smaller jungle gym here a few slides, tunnels and a small canopy. There is a huge canopy in that area without anything under it. Other of the parks playground equipment includes a bank of toddler/expression swings and another bank of traditional/ADA swings. The equipment is very nice, looks relatively new and is in great shape. The entire park is well maintained. The park has a decent amount of well maintained green space around that would be suitable for picnics, playing catch, or a soccer/football game. Just be aware that the much of the green space next to the playground area is private property and is marked as such. Even with out that large plot of land, the park has more than enough green space for you to have fun on. This hidden gem of a park, may not be a destination park but is worth a visit if you are local or in the area.

This park can be found one block north and a few blocks west of the stop sign in Clayton. This six…read moreacre park appears much larger because there is private property connected to the park with a lot of lawn. The actual park has a large shelter (which can be rented) and a smaller shelter back by the playground. There are some mature trees on the southeast corner, but not what enough to call a woods. There has been a recent addition of a gazebo which makes for frequent photographs. A parking lot exists next to the large shelter and a small driveway leads back to the smaller shelter/playground area. It doesn't have lines drawn for parking spaces, but is wide enough to turn your car around if you decide to park there. Review #808

I'm really starting to appreciate nature and hiking. This park is a nice spot for a peaceful walk…read more I visited with my son to enjoy some quality time and nature, and it's conveniently close to our home. It wasn't very busy the day we came. The park has shelters and multiple walking trails, which gives you options depending on how far you want to go. I noticed people taking family pictures at this park. One of the highlights was the water along the trail which adds a really pretty, calming touch to the scenery. The weather was decent temperature but a bit gloomy the day we went, and there were a lot of leaves on the trail. We didn't check the map and just kind of winged it, so parts of the trail were hard to follow because the leaves covered the path, but it wasn't an issue. Overall, we enjoyed the walk, the quiet surroundings, and the chance to bond while taking in what nature has to offer.

Southeastway Park is a hidden 188 acre treasure in the southeast corner of Marion County. The Park…read morehas trails through sycamore filled woods, picnic areas, a large playground and a naturalist center. Best of all, the park is free. The park maintains several natural habitats including a pond, wetland, prairie and Buck Creek. The setting is perfect for bird watching, hiking, running, walking the dog or enjoying a sunset. The six shelters can be reserved (rented) for parties, meetings, picnics for $135 for residents of Marion County or $160 for non-residents. The naturalist center/classroom can also be reserved during certain months. There are lots of picnic tables available on first come basis. There is a bathroom facility available in the warmer months. The naturalists run special educational programs throughout the year including summer day camps for the kids, a bug festival, maple syrup tapping in late winter and hayrides in the fall. The Park will be hosting eclipse viewing on April 8. I was visiting the Master Naturalist Class, a but also took my dog on a nice walk. The park is open dawn til dusk and worth a visit. Plan on spending a couple hours. Be sure to bring your bug repellent.

Lots of different equipment to climb on and spin or swing on! Several different slides. A large…read morearea for kids to run about and burn off their steam. The 'tall slide' was a favorite of the day!

Hidden gym, my grandkids just love everything about this park, will visit again. The ages were 9-11.read more

Anderson Park is a 7-acre park in Plainfield with its primary feature being a skate park that's…read moreopen seasonally (April-October). The skate park can be reserved. The park opened in 1983 and is named after Frank Anderson, a longtime park employee and foreman. I always kind of chuckle when a fairly modest park is a "memorial" park. I'm thinking Hummel and Swinford got better deals. There's a decent amount of greenery here with trails, shelters, and picnic tables. The park is considered pet friendly. While I no longer skateboard (both age and disability), I did when I was younger and during good weather it's a blast watching kids of all ages boarding in the park. The skate park has ramps, grind rails, ledges, bowls, and is easily great for beginners and experienced boarders. I'd say the skate park seems a little better maintained than the overall park, however, it's also a much newer feature. There's not much else to be said about this relatively small park. It's best for those wanting to take an easy walk or those wanting to try some not so easy skateboarding. If you're looking for many other features, I'd likely check out one of Plainfield's bigger parks.

Sitting on only 7 acres, this park is Plainfield's smallest park, by far. The State of Indiana…read moredonated the land to Plainfield a few years ago. The city named the park in honor of Frank Anderson, a 27-year park employee and foreman. There is really no parking for this park outside of the roundabout located in the front of it. However, The much larger Swinford Park, which it is connected by a pedestrian walkway that crosses South Center Street. It is also connected to the nearby Hummel Park via a walkway that winds south along South Center. The park is home to a decent sized picnic shelter. But since I visited the park in the winter, there were no picnic tables under there. They were removed for the off-season. You will also find an "OK" fitness trail with equipment and directions on how to use said equipment. There is a push up station, and a sit up station, to name a few. Being such a small park, there is a lot of green space with benches places around to sit and relax. I did not see any playground equipment or restrooms, but if that is what you are looking for, you will find that and much more right across the street at Swinford Park. This is a what you see is what you get kind of park. There is not much to it. The main draw for this park is its skate park, which is open from Aril through October. It is a very nice skate park and can get packed. The only other utility I see of this park is its pavilion and green space. It would be a nice semi-secluded place to host a party or special event. The field, which is in good shape, could be used to run around, play catch, have a soccer game, fly a kite, or have a football game.