It has been nine years since my original review of Indiana's longest rail-trail, the Cardinal…read moreGreenway. Despite the popularity of Central Indiana's Monon Trail, the Cardinal Greenway is a much longer trail at 62 miles of paved trail and another 15 miles of road that many bicyclists use (from Gaston to Jonesboro). I just finished the Cardinal Greenway yet again for one of my Tenderness Tour events, an annual long-distance wheelchair event that I use for fundraising and outreach. As is nearly always the case for me, I started at the Sweetser Switch Trail in Sweetser, Indiana, a smaller trail that leads right into the Cardinal Greenway. My review is based largely upon my experiences as a wheelchair user on the trail, though some of my insights will universally apply. As someone who enjoys long distances, the Cardinal Greenway is ideally suited for a 2-3 trek. It's a mostly wheelchair friendly trail, though some with upper body weakness may struggle on some of the inclines. I will also note that while the Cardinal Greenway tends to have a decent number of trailheads with portable toilets, some of these are surrounded by gravel and may be more difficult to navigate for wheelchair users. \Additionally, multiple parking areas had clearly marked accessible parking yet were either only gravel or had a surface that was so uneven you'd be a fool to try it in a wheelchair. So, a little advance planning is probably a good idea for wheelchair users. Fortunately, the Cardinal has a good team behind it and it's fairly easy to get accurate info. I'd originally given the Cardinal Greenway a 4-star review precisely because of some of my accessibility concerns. I'm increasing to a 5-star this time around because, quite honestly, accessibility has improved over the years and I've simply fallen in love with this trail. It's a fun mixture of city and rural sections. If starting in Sweetser, the lovely Sweetser Cafe is directly off the trailhead and a great place to stop for breakfast/brunch or a drink (before 2pm). In the rural areas, you can go for miles without seeing more than a few people. The Marion section, which goes directly through the more urban parts of Marion, still seems to be under-utilized but is honestly a lot of fun. It looks a little rough, however, I've never had a single issue wheeling through Marion. As you move out of Marion, you start to experience the country area and, of course, once you hit Gas City you either decide to try the bike trail (not advised for walkers...minimal shoulder and occasionally busy traffic) or pick up in Gaston. I loved the Gaston to Muncie stretch and it takes you through downtown Muncie. The trail's main office is at Wysor Street in Muncie, an area I was told isn't the greatest but looks deceptively calm. Again, I had no problems at all but staying aware is important. I will note that the Wysor Street Depot is a beautiful historic landmark that serves as the Cardinal office - yet, it appeared they've reduced their hours. After Muncie, you have a fairly significant period of a modest incline. It was an exhausting stretch for me that ended in Losantville. This is a particularly long stretch and those who want to do an overnight will probably leave the trail in Losantville and stay in Winchester. Losantville to Richmond is, with a couple of exceptions, a pretty nice downhill. Among the three major cities on the trail, I was most impressed with Richmond's care for the trail with the exception of the ending D Street Trailhead that is located in a hard to find and rather run down area a few blocks from City Hall. The trailhead itself is nice and I found several nice people upon my arrival, but the area itself just seems an odd place to end such a wonderful trail. I've always loved this trail and the people I meet along it. The Cardinal Greenway is in the Rail-Trail Hall of Fame (as is the Monon) and continues to get even better every time I ride it. The restroom situation, in particular, has really improved and over 20 trailheads now have a restroom option. If you're looking for a modestly challenging and scenic trail, the Cardinal Greenway is a tremendous option and easily within a couple hours of Indy even at its most distant point in Marion or Richmond.

My husband and I recently biked the cardinal greenway and had such a nice time. We parked at the…read morestop in gas city and it had a nice lot and bathrooms. We rode north 10 miles and back. The trail is Good despite a decent amount of bumps which can be rough in a road bike. The bridges and scenery were great though. Fun ride!

This beautiful corner park has a great location overlooking the White River on the north side of…read moredowntown Muncie. The perimeter of the park is lined with shrubbery and grasses with a few maturing trees for a limited amount of shade. There are sectioned wooded back drops that have become covered with green vines that add to the circular shape of the park. In the center is an art installation called "Nightsong" by Joe Beeler (1998) which features a lone Native American seated and playing a flute/recorder type instrument. The character is seated on a block with images carved into each of the four sides of the block. Beyond the statue, the sloping lawn is open until reaching the paved path that encircles the park. Review #936

While kids were waiting their turn to play at the ball field up the street, this smaller field was…read moregoing unused. It has lights, dugouts, a small playground and a concession stand, but all sat idle. The park does look like it could use some clean up/maintenance (a large tree had fallen and was unattended to during my visit.) There is a gravel drive and a limited size parking lot on the property too. I assume the field is designed for Pee Wee League and therefore, a bit smaller than the other field in town. Still, it seems a shame that kids were waiting to play while a field went unused. Maybe the town could make some changes to this park to make it more flexible for multiple types of leagues. Review #2821

The owner of this company, Robbie, refused to honor vouchers that were bought from a radio station…read morebecause they had expired. They expired in October of 2021-clearly deep into the pandemic- He didn't offer any amount of anything for them. I told him we were uncomfortable going during the summer of 2021. He told me "The pandemic was over last summer" & I said "actually it's still going on"...He got super angry & through clenched teeth yelled to me "You shut your mouth!" Then turns to his staff & says "they're not going"

A couple Workers are extremely rude, this one older lady in particular is never kind. We always…read morehave an awesome time on the river but they do not give us a good jumpstart to our day

Hear me out... this is not my normal park post--but do you want a day trip to a 90s kids park?…read moreCheck out Memorial Park in New Castle, IN. it has a small toddler-friendly playground in the sand bring your bike or stroller and explore all the old 90s playground pieces throughout the park well-established park with tons of shade ponds for fishing (and don't forget bread for the ducks ) open grassy fields + beautiful mature trees = room to roam if your 3-year-old "golfs" like mine... there's a golf course This park has the sweetest history too--it was originally dedicated to Henry County men and boys who fought in WWI, and later rededicated to honor veterans of all wars. It's even on the National Register of Historic Places It's about a 45 minute drive from Indy, so pack a lunch, plan to stay awhile, and let your kids get a little dirty living out that 90s childhood

I was expecting a little more from the park considering how large it is and that it is next to a…read moregolf course. I think it was the layout that bothered me. The park is quite hilly and parts of the park seemed difficult to get to from a central road. Without a map of the park layout, I kept driving around trying to figure out if I could get to the playground from the central road. I never did find a way, so I left the park and pulled into a separate parking lot along Memorial Drive to access the playground, the creek, and the Wilbur Wright memorial. The majority of the park is densely wooded and contains numerous small shelters, many with stone fireplaces. On top of the hill, I found a clubhouse (?) with basketball, tennis, and volleyball courts that were in okay condition, but the netting needed tightening. There was also a natural amphitheater with some chairs arranged to face an "anniversary gazebo". The entrance of the park has a pull off lot for those visitors who wish to climb part way up the hill to see the veteran's memorial. There are several ponds on the lower property with fountains and usually, some ducks. Review #1196

They may be more effective in person. But I was very frustrated when I emailed them. Asking for…read morepricing information on replacement parts for my pump system and asking them to tell me what it would cost to replace the pumps. And they kept emailing me back-and-forth with. Questions instead of just answering my question about how much to install brand new pumps. After the fifth email of getting questions and no answer to my question. I just stopped.

Always professional and welcoming and very helpful with great customer service, great selection and…read morequality of fish and products

Great place for adventure and activities for kids. They loved scout camp there. It's beautiful and…read moreclean.the climbing wall is great.

What a great program! Scouts have the opportunity to learn and be exposed to various outdoor…read moreactivities and the elements in a well maintained/balance wooded area. Troops have access to the property for beginning and end of the year activities. During the summer, the property host many scout groups for scout camp. There, each day is schedule out and includes events like cooking class, archery, rifle range and more. The staff that runs this program and volunteers in each group are amazing.

What a fun experience! How have I driven by this place so many times along the highway and never…read morebeen? I have had it on my hit list for so long and was thrilled to attend their annual plant sale this past weekend. Note to self: it is hopping! It appears that the sale takes place over the course of several weekends. We ended up purchasing okra, tomatillos and a few fun purple tomato varieties. They had live music, Tinker coffee and chickens on hand to round out the experience ;) It was fun to see everyone so fired up for gardening and supporting the cause. I've made a note to attend their Farmraiser for the Parks Alliance in the fall. Keep up the amazing work for our community!

I've been making an effort to review more of my beloved Eastside's businesses, restaurants, and…read morecommunity organizations. As someone who has lived on the Eastside for around 12 years, I've always felt like it gets a pretty high level of disrespect and yet is filled with good people and good businesses. The area surrounding Indy Urban Acres is a weird mishmash of working class, lower income, residential programs, and more challenged areas economically and in terms of crime. It's honestly a perfect location for Urban Acres. It's fairly easy to drive by Urban Acres without completely noticing it. It's a collection of four organic farms dedicated to empowering and educating people by providing equitable access to free, high quality produce. The program has been around since 2011 and has provided farm-to-home workshops and tours to thousands of volunteers, groups, and teens. The staff are dedicated and the volunteers deeply involved in the program. The site itself is semi-accessible. The parking lot is mostly gravelly and, as you might expect from a garden, the majority of the area is ground. However, having been to Indy Urban Acres multiple times I have very little difficulty getting around in my wheelchair. Indy Urban Acres donates 100% of its produce to food pantries and directly to select low-income families. They also grow flowers, however, that they use to help raise funds for the program. You can get these flowers in bouquets at Kroger. You'll know them by the Indy Urban Acres logo and the hashtag #flowersthatfeed. Indy Urban Acres is a program under the umbrella of the Parks Alliance of Indianapolis, a non-profit organization. As a little known secret, there's even a geocache on site here. I'm not telling you where! This is a marvelous program that nicely utilizes what was a vacant lot near 21st and Shadeland while also addressing the food needs in the area and in broader Indy. It empowers youth and also educates adults and children in valuable ways. I can hardly ever drive by this place without stopping to just appreciate their efforts. It's a great project and a valuable asset for Indy's Eastside.