Plots to Plates Organic Community Garden is located on the grounds of Carmel Middle School. Not…read moregonna lie: I didn't know this existed until a couple of months ago when my 3rd grader had a field trip here and I was one of the parent helpers. I arrived at the garden and was like, "What the heck? I've been to this school multiple times and I never saw this entire garden ecosystem flourishing here?" But yeah, there's a community garden at the back of Carmel Middle School! So good. To get to the garden, use the entrance by the tennis courts and then drive all the way back to the woods. This community garden is used often in the spring for Carmel Clay school field trips, but it's also used by the community as a place to plant and harvest produce. According to the website, the space is intended for public gardening, education and community fellowship. You can apply for one of the 123 garden plots available to the general public and schools. Garden plots are 4 feet by 15 feet. There is usually a waitlist for these garden plots, but you can get on the waitlist by visiting the website. Spots usually open at the beginning of the year. This is a very tidy and nice community garden, and you can tell that the people who use it love it and take care of it. There's a designated space for compost, which is neat. There's also a small playground at the garden, which is nice for people who visit with children: the kids can play while and adult gardens.

What a great area to do all of the following Walk, Stroll,…read moreand explore. These grounds are beautiful and perfect for celebrations. Whether your getting married or turning 15 lol. The place is great for events. I found it just exploring through Carmel.

Love this place. My company is having a team building event here. I went with my family to check it…read moreout. We stayed the afternoon and had a great day at a beautiful park. Can hardly wait for the event.

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.

Amazing experience!! So cool for the kids to learn about how syrup is created and to try it as well!read more

Went with the family to check out the Maple Madness free event that they had today! Great job! It…read morewas chilly, but the sun was out and they had fire pits. They went through the history of the park, showed 3 different ways of how they get the sap from the trees and even had some taste testing at the end! It was fun and informative! Thank you!

This greenspace is located behind Cleo's Bodega Grocery and Café and in front of the Flanner House…read more This space was awarded by IPL as part of their Project GreenSpace program in 2018, in partnership with Keep Indianapolis Beautiful, Groundwork Indy and the Center of Wellness for Urban Women. Previously it was a vacant lot, that was transformed into the greenspace you see today. It has some information placards, some stone seating, and rectangular shaped garden space. There is also rock paved walkways and a garden pergola. Unfortunately, I visited during the cold months, so there were not plants or blooms. The greenspace was dead. I hope to return in the spring and see this place come to life. The space is intended to be a place where local residents can pick fruit, care for fruit trees, learn about nutrition, and participate in activities such as yoga and community parties. The greenspace has a huge parking lot that belongs to the Flanner House right behind it, so parking is not an issue. I recommend checking this place out during plant season. In addition to being a garden, it is somewhat a peaceful and soothing spot to just sit and chill. Even though it is located right off of a busy street.

This orchard and community garden is open to the public. People are free to gather the food that…read morethey need that grows from this garden, which makes me really happy. I love that the community cares for this garden, and the community is invited to enjoy its bounty. When I visited during the winter, the Flanner House Orchard was covered with snow and didn't have any fruit or vegetables growing. I'm looking forward to coming back to see what it looks like in the summer when things are blooming!

While I was over at Flat Fork Creek Park doing a 3k walk for charity, I looked up in Yelp to see if…read morethere was anything else worth visiting within a fairly short distance. I saw that Cyntheanne Park was a couple miles away and decided to stop in. Cyntheanne Park is part of the Fishers Parks system. Founded in 2010, Cyntheanne Park offers a landscape playground structure, five multi-purpose sports fields, a 1-mile paved multi-use trail, a natural grass trail, and it's also home to the Community Garden Program - this program allows residents to rent 10x10 foot plots of land to garden for the season. The Community Garden Program offers conventional and organic growing along with 4x9 foot raised bed plots. According to Fishers, this park is the only municipality in the country to have eight outdoor courts - including Cage Pickleball Challenge Courts. While Flat Fork Creek Park has a strong emphasis on nature, Cyntheanne has a strong sports focus with a football field, lacrosse fields, pickeball courts, rugby fields, trails, playgrounds, and picnic areas. The park also has restrooms and solid parking. This is a bit more of an isolated park compared to Flat Fork Creek. While I would consider this park a bit less accessible than Flat Fork Creek, Fishers as a rule does pretty well at accessibility and you can definitely see those efforts here. If you're active in any of the sports going on here, this might be considered a destination park. For most, however, this really isn't a destination park. It's simply a very good community park and a great place to gather for residents of all ages and abilities. I wouldn't go out of my way to return here, however, I would no doubt return here when in the area.

Súper bonito , tranquilo y seguro. Excelente para todo tipo de deportes y el parque excelente para…read morelos niños,as pequeños

I stumbled upon this park over the weekend while walking through downtown Zionsville. Until then, I…read morewas oblivious to this tucked away charming green space. This park features two sections- the higher level has a fountain, small green space and covered shelter overlooking the lower portion of the park with a large, lush field with a paved trail that winds along the Eagle Creek River. This park is located only a few blocks from the Main Street of downtown historic Zionsville and "next door" to the Lions Park. It looked like this was a popular spot to take your pups or ride a bike on the trail. Half the fun is enjoying the homes found on the streets neighboring the park.

This is a great little park to walk your dog in Zionsville. The park is relatively new, about five…read moreyears old and is in a low lying pasture along Little Eagle Creek. There is a good amount of parking in the park's lots upper and lower lots. Paved paths route in a large circle around the park and are accessible and keep Fido's feet clean. There are nice benches at regular intervals in the park for bird watching or just reading a book. At the upper end of the park is a small shelter with bench and a good place to watch summer fireworks. The is also a nice fountain and a few more benches to enjoy the view of the wetlands. This is a quiet hidden treasure in Zionsville and a good place to meditate and relax.

Holloway's Garden is a urban neighborhood garden specializes in unique varieties fresh cut,…read morebouquets, and edible flowers at our urban farm on the Near East side of Indianapolis. They have partnered with Growing Places Indy whose mission is to empower people to "cultivate individual, family, and community wellness through urban agriculture, access to fresh local food, and mind-body education." Growing Places Indy sponsors the Young Grow Getters Program, a paid, six-week intensive hands-on youth agriculture program. They produce some beautiful flowers including jowey paulas, peonies, ranunculus, zinnias, lisianthus and snapdragons. They are not your usally flowers that you always hear about, but equally as beautiful, if not more so. The garden itself is not very big, but serves a greater purpose than just providing flowers. It is the only green space within miles of that neighborhood. It is located right on the corner and hard to miss. They operate year-round and they sell their goods on site, just check their social media for days and times. You can also find their flowers at local markets such as SoBro Farmers Market, where they are a regular vendor. If you want to support local. This is the place for you. You cannot get more local than this. This is a nice business that supports some very positive programs. They have some exotic flowers that would surely make a wonderful surprise for that someone special.

Best volunteer experience I've had! Not only are they organized, they are efficient, and focused on…read moretheir mission to help as many people as possible. I had heard of Fletcher Place food pantry, but I didn't realize how much this location offers. Check it out: 1. Thrift store. People can come and shop around the store to score clothes, shoes, and household items for free. All clothes have been donated from the community and are sorted in the basement by volunteers. Clothing in the store is nice and any stained clothing is given to Salvation Army. Anything the Salvation Army can't use is given to a company in Canada that turns them into rags. Nothing is wasted and the thrift store staff says that their goal is for people to leave feeling better about themselves. That's why the store is so clean, organized, and friendly. 2. Preschool. There are two preschool classrooms for kids. Not only do they receive education, but teachers will pick out clothing from the thrift store for the children if they are not adequately dressed. Children then get to keep the clothes. There is also a large library that allows students to choose books from (to keep) each week. 3. Kitchen. The top floor has a large multi-purpose room that is often used for meals. Churches come in every day and donate food and cooking ability. No one is ever turned down from receiving food. An average of 120 people are fed every meal. The facility is super nice and always clean- but only with the help of volunteers. The building is also very secure and they always have plenty for volunteers to do. They also have an e-mail newsletter they send out about volunteer opportunities. *There is a big Christmas event in which you take families "shopping" throughout the building to get all necessities and Christmas presents. Very cool. They're looking for help* Check this place out if you've never been. They're doing great things!

This is where you bring donations. Don't take them to the chain donation drop off center where…read moreyour stuff is sold. Bring your clothes, blankets, shoes here, where they will be given away to people that really really need them. They also operate a free food pantry so you can bring food items for needy families. After donating a cart load of stuff, they gave me a receipt for tax purposes. On the way out I also noticed a community garden and produce stand that probably operates in the summer. My wife is a Girl Scout troop leader and they often come here to volunteer, sorting food items and helping to sort and display other donations.

I'm honestly amazed I've never reviewed Arsenal Park. I live just east of SoBro, South Broad Ripple…read morefor the uninitiated, and drive by and/or visit Arsenal Park on a pretty regular basis. It's a 13-acre park smack dab in the middle of the SoBro area. This is a definite residential park with parking that's pretty interesting - it's essentially around the perimeter of the park. This is a very wooded park. It's actually a pretty heavily utilized park and there's very few times that I drive by here that I don't actually see people at the park. This park was purchased by the City of Indianapolis in 1928 (Fun fact: Original price was $19,915). It resulted from a desire for a park in the area east of what's known as Meridian Kessler. Early development came from such projects as the New Deal jobs programs and the Works Progress Administration in the 1930s. Arsenal Park offers a variety of activities including basketball courts, a bicycle polo course, a multipurpose field, a splash pad, playground, a shelter and a comfort station. Arsenal Park was purchased by the City of Indianapolis in 1928 following community interest in establishing a park in the area east of the Meridian Kessler neighborhood. Much of the early development of the 11-acre park was done through New Deal jobs programs like the Works Progress Administration in the 1930s. This park offers basketball courts, a bicycle polo course, a community garden, a multipurpose field, a splash pad, playground equipment, a shelter, and a comfort station. This seems to be a park that's always under some sort of development. There's a current master plan for the park and it's a beautiful setting that I don't feel like has ever lived up to its potential. Another fun fact: It's called Arsenal Park because it used to be on Arsenal Avenue (which became Indianola). At one point, it was also called Haverford Park. If you pay attention to this area, there's a Haverford baseball complex down the street. I tend to agree with most of the reviews here. I love this park. It's also great for those who geocache - there's more than one geocache in this park. It's not the most wheelchair friendly park and there's really not a walking path here. However, the playground is fairly accessible. Overall, this is a solid 4-star park that could easily be developed into a 5-star park with some love, attention, and vision. I typically do feel safe in this park, though the bike area can get a bit congested. It's surrounded by houses and pretty open concept.

This is a neat park. It is a bit older, dating back to 1928, but still has a lot of life left. It…read morewas originally named Haverford Park, after Haverford Avenue which borders it on its West side. The park is home to a garden. I believe it is one of those community gardens that are popping up all over the area. It has a table and chairs to sit and looks nice. The park seems well maintained and has adequate parking available. It spans 13 acres and spans a bit of everything. They have a skate park that has seen better days. It sits on what use to be old tennis courts. It looks like it was put together using items that were found laying around. It has rails, ramps, stairs and other pieces that I do not know the name of. It may be makeshift, but it works. There were people shredding (is that still the word) when I was there. The park also have a restroom facility and a couple of shelters with picnic tables under it and grills outside of them. There is also a very nice water park there. It seems relatively new. There are benches over there that are shaded by canopies where parents can sit and watch their littles play. The park also has a lot of green space that could be used for activities such as football, soccer, flying a kite, or having a picnic. The park's full basketball court has seen better days. It will do for those wanting to just throw up a few shots. The court could use a fresh coat of paint though. Of course the park has a playground. It is on a bed of wood chips and consists of a few pieces of older traditional equipment. It is not a very big area. Some of the equipment includes a bank of traditional/toddler swings, an accessible medium sized jungle gym with slides, and a spinning net climber. The splash pad makes this park a destination park for some. It is a nice traditional park that has a lot to offer.