I've been spending a lot of time on Indy's westside and particularly in Speedway, Avon, Danville,…read moreand Coatesville. One day, I decided to venture around Speedway a bit as it's an area I grew up close to and I was feeling nostalgic. Meadowood Park is a 13-acre park on Speedway's north side. It's adjacent to Wheeler Elementary. It offers a densely wooded area along with a .75 mile walking trail, baseball/softball diamonds, sand volleyball courts, 3 shelter pavilions (all can be rented) - $75 for residents and $150 for non-residents, Ziegelmueller Pavilion, (can be rented), 2 playground spaces, and an interactive climbing rock area. There's a public restroom, though it's only open April-October. The playground, newly updated in 2010, targets ages 2-12. This is a safer residential area. I always kind of laugh because in a town known for the Indy 500, speed limits tend to be either 25 mph or 30 mph across town. However, that definitely helps keep things safe. The pavilion, or gazebo, has power outlets and can be rented - $100 for residents and $175 for non-residents. Tables are not included. A good number of local concerts are hosted here. Speedway tends to take care of its town. It's an important town since it hosts the Indy 500 and they take that seriously. This is an attractive and well-kept park and a great place where parents can allow children to play while keeping an easy eye on them. The ground of the playground is nicely padded and the park feels welcoming and safe. While I wouldn't consider this a destination park, it's a wonderful neighborhood park and one I'd easily visit when in this area and need a break.

In the shadow of the Speedway water tower sits a lovely little community park that is filled with…read moremajestic trees. The park offers several climbing structures and swings for young visitors to play and a soft matting so they are safe. Parents can sit on benches that surround the playgrounds and watch their kids. The park offers nicely paved pathways making it easy to push strollers or wheel chairs. There is a picnic pavilion and a lovely gazebo on the park grounds. The grounds are nicely maintained and manicured. There is a lot of natural shade from the large trees. It's a great place to read a book or walk the dog. There is a parking lot that holds about 20 cars or people park in the school lot that is adjacent to the park.

This park is just screaming for help. It is in desperate need of being saved. It has a lot of what…read moreyou want in a park, but most of it is outdated, worn and falling a part. There is a bunch of street parking across the street from the park and there is also parking available in the park's family center parking lot. It is 21 acres and has not been updated since it was constructed in 1931. It was originally called Northwestern Park. The park was the home field of the Indianapolis ABCs, the city's Negro National League team, back in the 1920's. The park was named after Charles T.H. Watkins, a remarkable community leader and a pastor at the historic A.M.E. Bethel Church. The park has 2 horse shoe pits, or at least areas formally known as horseshoe pits. The pits are overrun by grass, leaves and weeds and they do not have the post you throw the horseshoes on. The playground has some outdated equipment that includes traditional swings, a net climbing pyramid, a regular net climb and a jungles gym with slides. The equipment is pretty old/worn, as I mentioned. The playground area is lined with wood chips. There are two tennis courts at the park, but one of the court's net is missing. The court was packed with leaves and in desperate need of repair. You must really need to satisfy your tennis fix if you play on this court. There are also two basketball courts. They both have some decent rims, and backboards, but the court themselves are in desperate need of repair. You will find a picnic shelter here with picnic tables under it and a few picnic tables under a tree. The green space and fields are horrible. They are asking for ankles to be broken. it is very uneven and hard. It has so many divots. There is a field with football uprights on each end a two fields with backstops. As I mentioned though, I would make sure I was up on my health insurance if I played there. Lastly, there is a hopscotch area near the family center. It looked pretty good as far as hopscotch goes. It look relatively new. The city really needs to invest some money in this park and give it some much needed updates. It definitely has potential, but I would avoid this park if possible as it is now.

The park fills the corner of MLK and Fall Creek and features a community center about a block north…read moreon MLK. This seems to be the only area for parking since there are no other lots and no street parking on either of the busy streets. Besides the community center, there are basketball courts and a football field to the west of the courts. There is a playground and shelter and a great number of mature trees. There are two horse shoe courts that fit in among the trees on the southeast corner of the park. There also appears to be some raised beds for plantings on the north side of the parking lot. The park looks to be in pretty good shape. People were using the community center during my visit, but I didn't stop in. Overall, it is a nice park and greenspace. Review #685

This may be a small park, but has enough to keep you entertained. It was established in 1972 and…read morewas originally 8 acres. However, a few acres sold for industrial development through the years and the park is currently less than 4 acres. The park gets its name from the intersection that it is located, LaSalle Street and Clayton Ave. It has its own large private parking lot. There is also some street parking available as well. The park features a large patch of green space that would be suitable for activities such as soccer, football, playing catch, flying a kite, throwing a frisbee, or having a picnic. It is well maintained. There use to be goal post at each end of the field, but they are long gone. There is also a shelter with picnic tables under it and a grill just outside of it. There is an adequate splash pad at the park that has some benches around it that caregivers can sit on while their little frolic in the water. I visited the park during the winter, so the splash pad was closed for the season. The park has a small restroom near the splash pad that has a rubber duck mural painted on all of its side. The center piece of the park is its playground. It is a decent playground on a bed of wood chips. The equipment is a bit older, but in decent shape. The equipment in the area includes a spinning net tree climber, a bank of traditional swings, and a large accesible jungle gym with a bunch of slides, tunnels, bridges and monkey bars. There are benches around the playground area that caregivers can sit while their little ones play. This is a nice neighborhood park that has a lot to offer. It could use a few upgrades, but is still fully operational and you can have a real good time here. I have definitely seen a lot worse. This park is definitely worth a visit, if you happen to be in the area.

I was visiting a friend in the Twin-Aire neighborhood of Indianapolis and stumbled across Clayton &…read moreLaSalle Park, a relatively small urban park located at 401 S. LaSalle in a neighborhood best described as a mixture of residential and industrial. This is a definite low-feature park with a splash pad being the relative highlight along with a fair amount of greenery that is mostly bordered by a working class neighborhood, shipping trucks, and manufacturing/industrial use buildings. The park reminds me a lot of a smaller park relatively close to my own home, though in my case the apartment complex next to the park is vacant and much creepier. As the late Yelper Ken N. noted in his 2018 review, Clayton & LaSalle shows some definite wear and tear. It seems to be a "summer" park primarily with the splash park on the north side of the park, a shelter with picnic tables, and a playground on the southside of the park. There's a permanent restroom open during park season, essentially summer, and parking available in a northern area and somewhat to the west. The greenspace could be fairly nice, though there's nothing resembling trails here or anything resembling sports fields. The greenery could easily be used that way, of course, but it doesn't seem to be officially designed for it. I've often expressed concerns that Indy has a habit of planting decent looking parks and then not actually taking care of them. Clayton & LaSalle is a definite example of this as what could easily be a shining light in this area is instead proof that this area is largely forgotten in city planning. While I don't have kids, one of the questions I always ask myself when visiting a park is "Would I bring my kids here?" The answer here is definitely a "no." While area kids still benefit from it and the playground itself remains functional, between nearby vacant buildings and the obvious wear and tear of the park this park is closer to a 2-star park than a 4-star at this point. It definitely has potential and with the nearby 201 Studios being developed perhaps there could be some improvements. Essentially, Clayton & LaSalle Park is a small neighborhood park that serves the families in this southeast area of Indianapolis. This entire area is a working class area with a lot of smaller businesses emphasizing manufacturing and industrial industries and there's a lot of vacant buildings that surround the park. The folks I met while around here were friendly and if I lived in the area I would use the park, but there's nothing about Clayton & LaSalle that makes it a destination park and Indy definitely needs to clean it up. This park falls under the umbrella of Indy Parks.

This park had a lot of the typical park structures. We stayed for a little while, but then moved on…read moreto a park with more to do. I overheard someone who was there with a child with braces on her legs say in disappointment that she wished there were a swing for her daughter and it saddened me as I realized that for her daughter there really wasn't much to do.. it would be nice if all parks took all children into consideration when building their playground.

This is a nice park, equipped with a playground, pickle ball courts, a bathroom facility, a…read moreshelter, and baseball fields. It covers 25 acres. The playground is nice and pretty spread out. The equipment is not the newest, but it is well maintained There is a small jungle gym (for younger kids) with a small rock climbing wall and slide. Also in that area you will find a a carriage shaped monkey bar, a merry go round, two banks of traditional swings and some rocking vehicles and animals. Right next to that area is a bigger jungles gym for older kids (it did not intimidate my 2 year old though). It has a barn yard them and has a bunch of slides and bridges and stairs. In that area you will also find a maze, sit and spins, a bank of traditional settings and rocking animals. The shelter, which can be rented, is right by the larger kid play area and has picnic tables under it and a grill right outside of it. The shelter also has a wood over inside of it. It is a very nice shelter. There are 8 very nice pickle ball courts here. Four on each side, divided by a semi-covered sitting/waiting/spectating area. The courts were very busy. The park is home to 4 lighted baseball fields. The fields are very nice and they were having some little league girls games going on while I was there. Good luck finding a parking spot when they have baseball or softball going on. There were a good amount of spots near the playground area though. Even though they are not officially part of the park, there a some tennis courts, that belong to Plainfield Community Middle School, which borders the backside of the park. They were open while I was there and are pretty well maintained. This park has pockets of green space that can be used to toss a ball, have a picnic, run around, or have a football/soccer game. And as an added bonus, even though the park does not have a designated trail, it does have some pretty good paved paths that can be put together to get a decent walk or run in. This is not your newest park, but it is a very good traditional park with a lot of amenities. It is a solid park that the little ones will enjoy for hours.

This is a small pocket park located in Cumberland and was dedicated in 1999. It does not have a…read moredesignated parking lot. So, I was able to find a spot on the side of the road to park in and visit the park. It also does not have a bathroom, but there is a port-a-potty nearby. The park is fenced completely fenced in has a grill that is off by itself, a small patch of green space that you could play catch or have a picnic. The park has a bank of toddler/traditional/ADA swings, a small playground area with a tunnel and a medium sized jungle gym with slides, a tunnel bridge and a rock climbing wall. The equipment is in decent shape, but one of the swings is missing off of the bank. You will find a picnic tables under a shade tree and a few benches at the park, one of which overlooks the play area. The park also has a less than half basketball court with a rim that appears to be about 7 or 8 feet high. I finally found a court that I can dunk on. Anyway, the court is decent and is perfect for a little one to shoot around. It is not a very good court to run a game. In the back corner of the park you will find a small memorial to notable Cumberland residents. A ceremony honoring those citizens is held annually at the park. This is decent park, but definitely not a destination park, and is used primarily by families in the nearby neighborhoods, which explains the lack of a parking lot. It seems to be adequately maintained, but does not get a lot of use. I was teetering between at a 3.5 rating, but felt that the park was closer to a three than a 4 due to lack of amenities.

Honors Park in Cumberland is one of the town's newer parks. It's practically the definition of a…read moreneighborhood park with a focus on playground equipment for smaller children and a fenced in perimeter to keep those same children safe. The playground equipment is your basic equipment - swing set, slide, stuff to climb on. While someone in a wheelchair could technically wheel to the area, this is not an accessible park. The best feature of Honors Park is its memorial monument area. The monument is engraved with the names of Honors Park honorees - the recognition honors those who've contributed to the growth and welfare of the town of Cumberland and specifically cannot include active politicians. Honors Park has the usual greenery that you'd expect. While it's not a fancy park, Cumberland takes their park areas seriously and Honors Park is no exception. It's beautifully green, well kept, and the playground equipment is in good condition. While it's far from a destination park, it's a nice neighborhood park for those in the area.

Ringgold Park has been completely revitalized as of the summer of 2023. It has new (and awesome)…read moreplayground equipment and rubberized, synthetic turf surfacing installed around the playground. The park is tiny -- just 0.19 acres, and there is no parking lot, just street parking. This pocket park is maintained by Indy Parks & Recreation. The park playground features a climbing structure, a swing set with swing-along swings that accommodate both child and caregiver, and a seesaw. There are also two benches off to the side for parents and caregivers to sit and watch their children play. There are some natural spaces around the park that are maintained by Keep Indianapolis Beautiful, Indy Parks and Bates-Hendricks neighbors. All around the park are native plants and shrubbery, as well as bird boxes to encourage wildlife to visit. I wouldn't necessarily go out of my way to bring my children to this park because it's so small. But if you're in the area and need a place for your child to play, this will more than serve its purpose!

This pocket park was shaped as I-65 sliced through the near east side forming a triangular shape at…read morethe end of Ringgold Street. A small raised patch of land was turned into a neighborhood park. The park has recently upgraded to add new mulch and some shrubs were planted. The park only has one bench for seating. There are a few swings and a retro spring-type piece of equipment to use like a teeter totter. Other than these few items, there isn't much for kids or adults to do. No running water and no designated parking mean that the most likely users of this park at the back side of the neighborhood will be families that live within walking distance. Review #537

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.

I wish I could be arsed to find out why this park is called Wolf Run Park. I can't, though, so I…read moreguess it will forever remain a mystery. Because the name of the park has "wolf" in it, I kind of thought it would be a bit more bad in the good way (like Michael Jackson's Bad), but instead, it was just good in the bad way (like boring). Kids will love the playground, though. And that's the point of visiting this park. The playground has a big structure for the older kids, and a small structure for the younger kids. There are saucer swings, regular swings, a rope climber, slides, musical instruments, a merry-go-round and other fun things to play on. The whole playground is padded with wood chips. The playground looks like it is relatively modern (no metal equipment), but there isn't anything that stands out about this park. It has a run-of-the-mill playground, and it does its job. There are basketball courts a ways away. There's a big, grassy field to enjoy. One thing to note is that there is zero shade on the playground. That was fine when I visited, because it was an overcast day. But I imagine that this playground can be insufferable on a hot, sunny day. Another thing to note is that there are restrooms at Wolf Run Park, but on the day that I visited, they were closed for the season. So I guess if you visit this park during the fall and winter (and maybe even early spring), the restrooms will be closed.

My nieces love this park and it's become one we visit fairly often. The playground has equipment…read morefor a variety of ages to enjoy with swings, spinning spots, play houses, climbing materials and plenty of slides. The ground is a wood chip base, so sneakers are better than sandals and slides for shoes! There tends to be a lot of bugs, little tiny flys of some kind today, so something to be aware of. They did just add a bathroom recently, and I used it for the first time today. There was no toilet paper or soap. The toilet and sink water worked fine, and there was a changing table. One of two water fountains worked too. I'm hoping that all improves soon, but I'm still grateful they put in bathrooms here! It was a problem before. The trail is nicely paved and there's a little break to the left when you turn down the trail. If you follow it, you'll find a little spot to see the creek. Not really enough to play in, but we like to go take a minute to see it sometimes.