Here on Plainfield there are a series of very nice parks. I spent a few minutes in the afternoon…read morerelaxing at the friendship gardens. Technically, I took my son here to work on photos for his photography class. There are many interesting features to take picture of such as the waterfall and gazebo. You can walk in the park and it is connected to other parks and trails. Also good for bile riding too.

This is a very tranquil park. It is one way in and one way out, with a designated entrance and…read moreexit. There are a lot of parking available between three separate areas. The park has a very nice and soothing waterfall near the entrance. The park also has a small area with some picnic tables and there is a lot of shaded areas here. I was surprised to see a bathroom facility here, but it is under renovation at the time of this review. The park is a large garden composed of many smaller gardens such as the Memorial Veterans Garden, and the Enabling Garden. The center piece of the park is a triple gazebo that is very picturesque and can be rented. Even though it is not park of the park, I found another picturesque spot right off of it, a historic iron truss bridge. It spans the White Lick Creek and runs into the White Lick Creek Trail. The park is home to a veterans memorial and a statue that depicts a man holding a child, with two older children playing with a dog at his feet.The sculpture titled "a Celebration of Family values", is meant to signify The Dura builders family dedication to the town of Plainfield. You will also find many dedications and memorials in this park by some of the trees and in areas like the small fountain near the exit and the sundial sculpture across from the gazebos. The park has nice paths that run through it and are connected to a larger network of trails such as the aforementioned White Lick Creek Trail. This is a nice refection park that has a calming peace about it and is very soothing, even though it is located right off of a main thoroughfare. It does not have a shortage of benches. It feeds into some nice trails and offers some nice backdrops for pictures.

A solid nature park to walk my dogs. The trails are usually well-kept, and it's never overly packed…read morewhen I'm there. We're able to get a good amount of walking in without getting bored, which I really appreciate. A peaceful spot for a steady, enjoyable walk.

The Town of Plainfield has successfully recovered this land from The Indianapolis Airport Authority…read moreand are making some very welcome improvements. I love the new name, Echo Hollow. Perhaps it honors our precious endangered Brown Bats, who have taken up residency in our little forest? I am extremely excited to see all the changes being made in my favorite little spot to connect with nature and wear out my elderly dog. Watching the new walkway being built that will allow us to walk out over the marsh and the pond keeps bringing me back with amazement.

Being someone who grew up here this park was a staple of my childhood. Its changed some but overall…read morenot much. They have pickleball courts, basketball courts, a city pool with splash pad, multiple shelters you can rent for get togethers, trails to hike, disc golf course, playground for the kids, and the greatest sledding hill in Indiana come winter time. For the 4th of July, they always shoot off fireworks off the top of the hill for the whole town to see. Arguably one of the best city parks in all of Indiana given the hilly terrain and all the activities.

This public park for Martinsville is comparable to Pioneer Park in Moorseville. There are four…read moretennis courts and two full size basketball courts or they can be used as four half courts. They have a full size pool with a water slide, a splash pad and a good size facilities building to accommodate their water park. Both parks are very similar in that respect. This park might have better shelters depending on your point of view but definitely a couple more with a total of nine. Most are fully enclosed and most have fireplaces. Most have some sort of playground equipment at each shelter location. These shelters can be more accomdodating in inclement weather or during colder weather. But enclosed ones have ways to open them up for summer weather such as one or more garage doors. Parking is plentiful at most shelters and all have access to a paved road. There are trails for hiking, a large fishing pond and a dedicated playground with a huge spaceship structure at its core. A dog park is available. My only complaint is there is no sign that I saw directing you to the restrooms. The obvious boy & girl restrooms at the rear dog park were locked.

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.

I'm a huge fan of the five trails in Plainfield. Their safe, as a trail can be, clean, paved, many…read moreconvenient parking areas throughout Plainfield and not over populated like the Monon. Most of the folks I encounter are friendly and polite with a lot of dog walkers, runners and bikers. Each of the trails intersect with another trail making it easy to explore Plainfield or stay away from the congestion of the world. If you enjoy spending time in nature, you'll enjoy Vandalia Trail. Spend a few hours exploring all the trails to find your favorite route throughout Plainfield. Vandalia Trail replaced the old Vandalia railroad line. As a child my husband played on and around the Vandalia tracks and I love hearing his childhood memories. Most of the 5 trails have points of interest along the way that can distract you. Vandalia Trail has a great bridge at the intersection of White Lick Trail close to the baseball diamonds at Franklin Park. Just across the bridge is a shaded seating area which is great to meet up with friends and a map of the trails if you get turned around. I often find myself stopping to watch a ballgame at Franklin Park on my way to White Lick Trail. The almost 5 mile trail is a comfortable walk, jog or ride with a few hilly areas. The N. East Street and Aquatic Center hill is probably the steepest but still manageable for most. Much of the trail is shaded with sunlight streaming through the trees and I find very peaceful. You will encounter a few road crossings or under passes, and even though well marked stay vigilante. Vandalia Trail connects with White Lick Trail which takes you to Main St., a.ka. Washington St. or US 40, Al's Doughnuts, Oasis Diner, or Dairy Queen if you're looking for a quick snack or meal. From here continue on to Friendship Park and Hummel Park. Both are beautiful parks and each have their own points of interest worth exploring.

I love running on this paved trail in Plainfield...a lot of traffic in most areas but on some parts…read moreof the trail it can seem lonely. Great mile markers. The parks department keeps it mostly clear and easy to access. This is a gem in Plainfield!

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

This is one of the best parks I've visited in central Indiana, and if you look at my Yelp review…read morehistory, you'll see I've visited a lot of parks! This lady knows her parks, mmmkay? Hummel Park in Plainfield is impressive for many reasons: it's huge (205 acres!), it has multiple playgrounds (like 4!), it has a splash pad, it has a baseball field and basketball courts, it has a great area to creek stomp with lots of shallow places for kids to wade, it has paved walking trails, it has a bridge, it has a amphitheater, it has clean restrooms, and a lot more that I'm forgetting. Also, it's really clean and well-taken-care-of. People with kids definitely need to visit this park. Like I said, there are four different playgrounds, so you could spend a lot of time here going from playground to another. The biggest playground area is located in the southeast part of the park. This playground includes a vintage twirly slide, but also a more modern playground structure with multiple slides, tunnels, bridges, monkey bars, poles to slide down and rope ladders to climb up. The playground is accessible to kids of all abilities, and includes a ramp entrance into the playground structure. This part of the park also has swings, including a saucer swing, as well as a separate playground for toddlers, and a big sand box. The splash pad is located in this area of the park, too. It's a great size for toddlers. I wouldn't visit this park just for the splash pad, because there are other parks in the area with bigger splash pads, but it's nice that there's one here and that it's so close to the playground. There is another playground near the performing arts center, which includes a toddler playground and a playground for bigger kids. A short walk away from this playground is a nature playground, with manufactured boulders and rope webs that kids can climb and explore. Paved trails offer an easy walk or stroll. As you meander through the park, you'll probably cross over a bridge that's suspended over White Lick Creek, which runs through the middle of this park, and it flows from the north part of the park to the south part. There are five small lakes within Hummel Park, including Blue Heron Lake. Hummel Park is also a great place to go creek stomping, because the creek bed includes many shallow areas where kids can wade in the water. I've heard that the sledding hill at Hummel Park is amazing, so I'll have to visit in the winter with my kids.

McCormick's Creek State Park is Indiana's first State park founded in 1916. They have several…read morehiking trails, camping, a State Park Inn, and an outdoor pool for cooling off in the summer. In the warmer months it is an excellent place for creek stomping with a small waterfall at the end. Both kids and adults love this attraction. It is hard to go wrong with any State Park in Indiana.

Here's hoping we knock out visiting even more Indiana state parks in 2021! We kicked off the new…read moreyear with a visit to McCormick Creek state park and neighboring (15 min) Cataract Falls. During our brief visit to the park we were able to pop by the Inn for a bathroom break, drive through some of the park and walk down to the falls. During non-COVID times, I'd love to explore staying at the Inn or a cabin. I'm a sucker for a simple state park inn. The park features trails, a pool, horseback riding and a nature center. It seemed like some of the bathroom stations were closed down (January '21). The park was free during our visit so I can speak for the expense. If you're visiting g here, definitely do yourself the favor of driving 15 minutes down the road to see Cataract Falls state recreation area.

This is Mooresville's main public park and home to many sporting fields, athletic facilities and…read moreactivities. There are a multitude of hiking and walking paths; some paved others more rustic trails. There is a large public pool and splash pad, with restrooms, showers and changing facilities. The pool area has a large multi story water slide as well as two smaller straight slides for younger children. Next door to the pool is a Zip line with a chair for two people to ride together for only five dollars. It is only open during the warmer seasons. There are seven shelters of various sizes and well as playground equipment near some of them. There are two full size basketball courts or four half courts depending on how you visualize them. There are four complete and fenced in baseball diamonds each equipped with full size backstops to protect spectators and they are well maintained. There are at least five, probably more, soccer fields with goals for community practicing and leagues. Shelter No. 1 is located just to the right of the main entrance and has a permanent volleyball net plus horseshoe pits and some swings. The basketball courts are nearest this shelter and a short walk. Shelter No. 2 is the largest with a large parking lot and is located just to the left of the main entrance. It features the largest and main playground. Shelter No. 4 is on the other side of this huge playground and is located very near the equipment. Shelter No. 3 is also located towards the front of the park, but smaller and has a small single piece of playground equipment with a slide next to the shelter. Shelter No. 6 has its own playground equipment but is within a short walk to the main playground visible across an internal road. There is parking for a half dozen vehicles. Shelter No. 5 looks like a gazebo and is the smallest of the seven but a bit more secluded from all the shelters towards the front of the park. There is parking here for a half dozen vehicles. Shelter No. 7 is double the size of an ordinary shelter and located in the back next to the soccer fields. You can see the wooden bridge leading to the rustic hiking trails in the woods. There are permanent restroom facilities located adjacent to this shelter. There is plenty of marked parking spaces here along the road as well as a small parking lot in front of the wooden bridge. If you like to walk or hike, I recommend parking in the lot by the bridge in the back and starting from there. There is also another open soccer field beyond the trails I have used for kite flying.

I have been to this park a few times and it is a mega-park. It is massive, spanning 150 acres. I…read morelove this park It has everything you could want in a park. There is tons of parking available here spread out between a few different lots depending on what area of the park you are visiting. In the front of the park you will find a 4 shelters that are spaced out. Each shelter has picnic tables under them and grills next to them. The largest of the shelters is by the biggest of the parks playgrounds that has nice equipment that includes a huge jungle gym with slides, animals to climb on, and swings. The ground is lined with rubber matting. Also in the front of the park, you will find two decent full basketballs court that are in good repair. Of in the distance, in the corner close to the main road, you will find three horseshoe pits. The pits are not the best, but will do. You will find a gazebo off by itself and a restroom facility up there in the front of the park too. a little deeper into the park, is another playground area by one of the 4 shelters. It consists of a traditional bank os swings and a jungle gym with climbing equipment and slides. You can take the road further to the back and you will pass a gazebo with seating, picnic tables, and a small shelter on your way to the soccer fields. This is a huge green space that has some small bleacher seating and in addition to soccer can be used for other stuff like playing catch, football or frisbees. Back there you will find another shelter with picnic tables under it and grills nearby and a restroom facility. A little further past that you will find a picturesque bridge. If you cross the bridge, it will lead you to another area of muliti-use soccer fields. The bread and butter of this park is its trails. It has miles of very nice paved trails that go all through the park. There is also a storybook trail and a fitness trail that is just to the side of the bridge. The parks has some very nice trails and are very peaceful as well. I love walking the trails and have done a couple of 5K races there. The park has about 4 baseball fields that are decent. They could use some maintenance though. It is primary used by the Mooresville Baseball League. They have a batting cage, and a snack bar over there as well. There is a zip-line in the park somewhere, but it was closed for the season when I was there. The waterpark look decent, but was also closed. In front of the waterpark and right by the park's maintenance office is another small playground area with a medium jungle gym with slides and another shelter with picnic tables under it. This is a first class park that has everything including horse shoes, shelters that you can rent, green space for days, trails for miles, a water park, zip line, multiple playgrounds, a fitness trail, gazebos, and tons of parking. It is well maintained and very clean. This is one of the best parks in the area and it has something for everyone. I highly recommend this park.

If you like the Indy outdoor scene but want to avoid the crowds, Southwestway Park is a great place…read morefor it! I consider the hiking to be similar to Eagle Creek and Fort Harrison parks, but with the perks of no entry fee and thus, less crowds. I went on my hike on an early Saturday evening. There is pretty good shade coverage on the trails. They are rated for hiking, biking, and horseback riding. Some spots can be muddy or slick, so good traction on your shoes is a must. I don't believe there is a bathroom on the premises. There's also not a ton of parking by the hiking trails either. However, there is some construction going on in the area, so they might be adding some extra facilities with this.

This is a great park for mountain biking of all levels and hiking. Good free outdoor activity and a…read moreworkout. We took some of our kids mountain biking for the first time here. Helmets are definitely a must. Even the beginner trail can be challenging if never mountain biked before. My kids really enjoyed it, one struggled with getting up the hills though so that caused some hardship when biking with multiple people in close proximity. The mountain biking trails also have hikers on them so beware and try to be as safe as you can. After mountain biking, we hiked a trail which was fun. Not sure how long the trail was, but we walked all the way down by the water which was very pretty. They have a paved path as well if that's more your speed. Parking areas are available which makes accessing the park easy. I didn't notice any restroom building, but they had a porta potty open for use. A playground was accessible near the area we parked at.