This is a nice little park located in Franklin, IN. It is managed by the Franklin Parks and Rec…read more There is free street parking within a reasonable walking distance to/from this park. This park features a tennis court, a full basketball court, picnic area, and playground. There is also a decent area of green space to play things like catch. Filed sports would probably not work too well here unless you play ones with short fields. The tennis court and basketball court have seen better days, but they are both playable. The picnic area is shaded and has picnic tables and grills. The playground area is on a bed of wood chips and has a play set that has a few slides and a canopy. It is in great shape. There is also a bench that caregivers can sit on while the littles play. You will also find a bank of traditional/toddler swings. You will find a community center/meeting space at the park. It was recently renamed the Booker T. Washington Community Center. It is available to be rented for community events. The park has a historic background as the historical marker located at the park notes, it is the site of the former Booker T Washington Elementary School, Franklin's grade school for children of color from 1873-1951. In addition to the historical marker in the front on the community center, you will find informational placards throughout the park featuring prominent figures during the time of the school's operation. Thus is a nice no frills park. It is very clean and well maintained, but could use a little updating. It is definitely a cool place to hold a low-key family picnic or birthday party.

If you're like me and like to see actual pictures and videos of places this is it! Here is a video…read moretour of Booker T. Washington Community Center / Palmer Park. I had a 1 year old birthday party here and it was a great space for it! It was $154.29 after taxes for the whole day 10am-10pm. I rented it with Franklin Parks and Recreation

If you like hiking in natural settings where you can get a fair amount of distance (around 2 miles…read moreper loop) and without much elevation change (about 60 feet), this may become a new favorite park for you. As part of the Sycamore Land Trust, the properties here total 98 acres and were acquired in 1995 & 1998, so just over 20 years of naturally converting from farm land. There are wooded areas and prairies. There is a small lake hidden from view on the trail but just at the beginning of the Shawnee Trail loop. On the east side of the Shawnee Trail is a small observation deck that lets you overlook a prairie. Not a much better view, but it does held see over some of the grasses that obstruct your view. I will mention that if you are going here, wear clothing that you won't mind getting muddy. Also, be aware that the natural trails are mowed without any gravel or grit for traction, so even if it hasn't rained recently, the trail does hold some moisture which can make it slippery and muddy. I was surprised a couple times with all the fallen leaves and if not for a bit of luck, I may have slipped to the ground. There is a map of the trail paths at the parking lot. I suggest taking a photo with your phone so that you can check progress. The basic layout is the Lenape Trail heads east from the parking lot. If you take the short cut, the trail is only 0.7 miles long through a lightly wooded area. If you push on to the eastern edge of the trail, you add another 0.6 miles and will get more elevation change and pass through some areas where wooden bridges cross over the creek several times. If you want to explore some area where the observation deck and more meadows are visible, take the path that leads to the Shawnee Trail to the north. After following a 0.1 mile path to the north, you can work your way around the loop which is another 0.5 miles. Note that there are random placements of benches along the trails. No restroom facilities exist. The parking lot is gravel and is located about a half mile south of SR 46. I look forward to returning in the spring/summer months when the wildlife is more active and the fields are more colorful. Review #2061

This is a cute little pocket park that is located along an active railroad track. There is a small…read morewhite gazebo and a couple of picnic tables in the grass. The park features a train car that is in pretty good shape. The car has painted silhouettes in the window and even though you cannot go into the car, you can climb on it. It is a very clean park and there is free street and lot parking within a reasonable walking distance. I had my little with me and he badly wanted to see a train go through. Unfortunately, on weekends there may be two trains to go through at the most. Weekdays may give you a better opportunity to see a train roll through. As I mentioned, this is a very small park. I would say about a quarter of an acre. You also probably wont spend a lot of time here, but I still like it. It is a very nice place to take a load off while in Franklin's business district or if you want to see a train go by, up close and personal.

This charming little park is not a destination location but definitely worthy of a visit. There is…read morestreet parking along the side streets and further down Jefferson Street plus a lot across the street. It is a nice resting point if you're walking to the various shops along Jefferson Street. The park lawn and landscaping is well maintained with hostas, flowering plants and grasses, a cute white gazebo and a locked caboose to visit. Fun photo op for kids or adults. The caboose has fun silhouettes of passengers in the windows. If you'd like to enjoy a beverage while you rest there is a convenient shop right next door across the tracks to grab a beverage and snack. A perfect small town park to take a break at or entertain the kids for a few minutes.

Shelbyville has a variety of settings for all types of events during the entire year. There are…read moremany banquet halls, lodges, clubs, and outdoor settings that can accommodate a wide variety of events such as; weddings, graduations, retirement parties, birthday's, and much more. The town has many well kept parks and recreation centers, including a large public pool with huge curly slide. The small town is about 20 minutes south east of Indy, and easily accessible via i74. The rural area offers many great backdrops during all 4 seasons for photographers to capture those special moments such as; old barns, wide open fields of grass, wheat, corn, etc, old tractors, 100+ yer old elegant homes with original charm, a beautiful limestone courthouse, as well as all the modern scenery of a small town mixed with the old slower moving lifestyle of the citizens living here. The town is overall pretty safe, with low crime rates, as many locals have lived their lives here, know each other, and are willing to even help a stranger in need. During the summer months the downtown public square offers many events, and during Christmas time it is decorated with lights and boasts a Santa's workshop. Plenty of local mom-n-pop businesses as well as most of the major national chain restaurants and stores are located here. Stop in for some great food and friendly conversation with the locals.

I've lived in this area for several years and just discovered this local hidden gem. As others have…read moresaid, the gravel/dirt road to gain entrance is VERY steep and has some serious pot holes. My small Mazda SUV handled it just fine, going slowly, but I did get a little nervous going back down. Slow and steady, as long as you've got good brakes, and you should be fine. Just like the short driveway up to the small parking area, the paths are quite steep. When you enter the trail area, take the trail to your right. The trail loops around, returning you to the entrance. If you go the opposite direction, you'll be left to go up the steepest part of the hike. I made that mistake the first time, and let's just say it really tested my ticker. The whole trail takes you about 20 minutes if you don't make any stops. You certainly get the feel of being out in the wilderness, minus being able to hear the nearby highway and airplanes coming and going from the airport.

This is a small land trust tucked on 67 near Martinsville that is a fun moderate hike. The gravel…read moredrove into the small parking area is a steep curving uphill road so make sure you either bring the appropriate vehicle or plan to park a bit away and walk in. It is off of a nice wooded road with private residences, so is mostly quiet with the feel of deep woods. You can hear a bit of the road from later in the trail but it isn't too overwhelming. The trail is marked with some signs but can get confusing if you don't prepare and download a map given online. It helps to have also read a few blog posts about the land trust so as to get a feel for the trail and types of wildlife you might encounter. There are no benches along the way or any facilities in this spot, but there are plenty of fallen trees on which to sit if you want to stop and take a break or listen to the sounds of the woods. It is a lovely hike which has some hills and uphill depending on which way you go on the trail, and some wonderful vistas of the woods ahead. We throughly enjoyed our hike and we took breaks to look around so it took us a bit longer. I'd say it is a good 1 1/2 hour path at a slower walking pace. We did get a bit confused and did one extra loop twice as the marker isn't really well defined, so next time I will use the map or use Alltrails to calculate our path. A wonderful outing though and then we headed to Martinsville for some local BBQ which made the day that much more fun! Highly recommend this spot!

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.

This is a very nice park located off of the Bargerville's First Christian Church. It is a small…read moreparked that is fenced in. You will 2 basketball goals just outside of the park's fence and the parking lot is the court. The park is basically a playground. There is nothing else to outside of its playground equipment. No trails, no restrooms, no water fountains, no tennis courts, or no pond. The park is named after longtime Bargersville Clerk-Treasurer, Beulah Witt. Outside of services or an event going on at the church, parking is easily obtained in the lot that the park shares with the church The park has a shelter with a picnic table under it and benches placed around for parents to sit while their littles play. The playground's equipment includes a jungle gym with slides, monkey bars, a whistle, rock climbing, nets, a suspension bridge, and a climbing wall. There is also a bank of swings with some traditional and expression swings, a caterpillar tunnel, a water well and percussion instruments. The equipment is very nice and appears to be pretty new. The playground is on a bed of wood chips and the grounds are well maintained. Additional the park has a dog clean up kiosk, a share a book box, and a bike rack. Even though this playground is small, it is still very nice and entertained my little. It is well maintained and you can tell that a lot of effort, planning and love went into this park. I would not make this a destination park per se, mostly due to its limited amenities, but it is well worth a visit if you are anywhere near the area.

Maybe it was my timing coming early in the year, but with a bit of maintenance, this trail could be…read morereally nice. There is a small parking lot on the higher ground, picnic tables and a really small shelter (no restrooms), and a really helpful map carved in wood near the entrance of the trails to show you the multiple loops that provide a mile long hike, but with lots of short cuts if you want to keep your hike brief. The trails have a grit base and are easily followed. The higher ground paths are wide and in generally good condition. However, as you get nearer Sand Creek, the trails get narrower and suffer from more fallen obstructions and the occasional low spot with water. Yes, mosquitoes are out even in April, but they weren't too bad yet. The trails do have some simple benches to sit on and there was a picnic table near the water's edge for anyone who wishes to sit there. Note that you are expected to clean your area since there weren't trash cans down there. There is a very modest elevation change on the trails, but they are not very challenging for folks without mobility problems. Once the pile of grit near the entrance gets redistributed and some trimming takes place to remove some obstructions along the creek trails, the park could easily be a more pleasant place to visit. Review #2446