During my seminary years, I spent quite a bit of time at Richmond, Indiana's Glen Miller Park. It's…read morea 194 acre park on Richmond's eastside directly off Main Street. Glen Miller Park also houses the administrative offices for Richmond Parks. Glen Miller Park opened on June 6, 1885. It's named for Colonel John Ford Miller, a railroad executive who'd bought the land specifically to establish a park and ended up selling it to Richmond five years after acquiring it. One of the things that attracted Miller to the Park was its freshwater springs. He had them tested and they were noted as being high in iron (which was believed at the time to be good for your health - people still fill water jugs here). In 1890, Glen Miller Park established a zoo within its grounds and it grew in 1908. By 1964, it had 250 different birds and animals. Unfortunately, it started to decline and by 1984 was named by Parade Magazine as one of the nation's 10 worst zoos. It closed in 1986 and all the animals were relocated. The entrance to the park is marked by the Madonna of the Trial Monument - it's one of 12 monuments built by the Daughters of the American Revolution along U.S. 40 dedicated to the spirit of pioneer women. The Richmond Rose Garden is also housed here. At one point, Richmond was known as The Rose City as it served as home to three of the nation's premier growers and marketers of cut roses. Park amenities include a band shell, concessions, fishing, the Rose Garden, golf course, nature area, picnic areas, an ADA accessible playground, restrooms, both open and closed shelters, an 11,000 square foot skate park, splash pad, and tennis courts. You can, of course, rent the shelters for your events. As the most popular park in Richmond, Glen Miller Park hosts a lot of the city's special events. It's had occasional issues with crime, but I've been here many times during my weekends in Richmond and have never had any issues. Because it's on the main drag through Richmond, police presence is not uncommon here.

I have comical memories of busting my butt on one of the old metal slides at Glen Miller Park in…read morethe early 90s. Despite only being in preschool, I will never forget slamming off the end of that slide. Ha, now days the slides are plastic, lower to the ground and padded more at the bottom for soft landing. Fast forward 27 years and I found myself at Glen Miller Park to swap Christmas gifts with my mother in the parking lot. Funny enough, we weren't the only ones swapping gifts outside for the holidays. 2021 Glen Miller Park features a music garden with hands on instruments, ponds filled with ducks, extensive playscapes and walking trails. The bathrooms were closed during our December visit. Overall, a pretty straightforward but spacious park a stone's throw from Richmond's shops and restaurants.

We love miss Brittany! She is so sweet & attentive to my little. She is a wonderful swim instructor…read more& very good at what she does!! PLEASE sign your little up for ISR! Your littles life depends on it

I was back in Richmond, Indiana recently. It's a city I used to spend a lot of time in during my…read moreseminary days, however, I don't return quite as often these days. Whitewater Valley Gorge Park seems to be one of those ever-improving parks. It's an over 100-acre park with gorge walls containing bedrock said to date back 500,000,000 years. The gorge runs 3-1/2 miles and ranges from 200-300 feet wide and 50 to 80 feet deep. In terms of history, smack dab in the middle of the park is the Starr Gennett building, a building that dates to the 1870s and held the Starr Gennett Piano Company and Recording Studio. Gennett made significant contributions to early jazz, country, blues, and gospel music. The park also has what I'd consider to be a park within the park - Veteran's Memorial Park. The park also has nature trails, a picnic area, an enclosed shelter, and it's just a really beautiful area. At one point, the Starr Gennett building faced demolition - I'm so glad that Richmond decided otherwise. It's weird. When I was in seminary, I hardly ever came here. Now that I'm out of seminary, a trip to Richmond isn't complete without it. There's ultimately not a lot of activity spaces here other than the fact that you can rent the space for events. Really, this is a greenspace, a reflecting space, and a historical space. It's definitely worth a stop if you're in the Richmond area.

The main feature of this lovely little park is a trail that honors Gennett Records and great music…read moreartists from the 1920s-1930's. The site was once home of several manufacturing facilities related to music. Remnants of the several old buildings stand as monuments of the thriving businesses that once stood on the site. Historical plaques describe the piano manufacturing and the Gennett recording studio that once stood and operated on the grounds. A concrete walkway runs through the park along the river. Along the trail at 27 ground plaques, each honoring different music giants from the 1920-30s who recorded here at the Gennett studios. I loved walking the path and learning about each of these legends including Hoagy Carmichael and Louis Armstrong! There are a few benches for seating. The walkways are easily accessible for strollers and wheel chairs. There is no charge to visit the park. There is ample parking at the north end of the park. The lot is surrounded by native prairie plants. In the winter a farmers market is held at the site. If you like history and architecture or are just looking for a quiet place to enjoy the day, I recommend a visit to the park.

Classic Family Fun. This place was outdated but was pretty…read morewell keep-up for the most part. Loved the lay-out of the place, the workers seemed very friendly at the time of our visit 10-2021, the young lady who cooked our food did an amazing job! My family had a very fun family night with lots of laughs yummy food and great time bowling! Bowling Food Arcade

They have air conditioning! 40 bowl is hot!! Much nicer at…read moreDo Ri Me And the charge for ketchup

Swicker Park is located on the south side of Richmond. The block sized park has a gazebo type…read moreshelter in the middle and numerous mature trees throughout the park. Parking is limited to street parking along 7th Street. Without playground equipment, the park doesn't seem to attract many young visitors, but does offer a well managed green area for neighbors to enjoy. Review #1027

Peaceful spot for hiking, leaf collecting and exploring nature. Growing up, this was the spot…read moreeveryone visited to build their leaf collections for school. They have paved and non-paved hiking paths along with an outdoor chapel and nature center. Overall, a lovely and free experience tucked begins the hustle and bustle of department store chains in Richmond.

This place is wonderful! Multiple trails to walk, a nature center to visit and even a trail to…read moredrive though. So many trees, just so relaxing. They allow dogs and we really enjoyed the quiet. Such a wonderful place. We wished we lived closer so we could visit more often.

I was in the area for a friend's wedding and had some time to kill, so I opened up Yelp and saw…read morethis rose garden and decided to swing by. Definitely a small attraction, but beautiful nonetheless. Would be a great spot for a picnic or some family photos. Be forewarned: the grounds don't seem to be monitored well. There were some empty alcohol bottles and unfortunately there is a substance abuse issue in the area. Someone under the influence was there walking around and seemed agitated, so we didn't stay long. I wouldn't advise visiting here alone, but if you have time and company, it's worth a stop!

We visited Richmond in early July and were kind of underwhelmed with our time there. I was feeling…read morekind of disappointed on our way out of town when all of a sudden I notice us passing this beautiful rose garden. I immediately made my husband turn around so we could visit. I spent a great deal of time admiring the many different colors and varieties, so much time that my husband started to get annoyed. I so much wanted to take a picture of every flower I saw, the garden was just too beautiful not to fully appreciate. I tip my hat to the people who care and maintain this wonderful little gem in the city of Richmond, Indiana.

An awesome little getaway located on the north end of Richmond. A lot of childhood memories were…read moreformed here and it only gets better with time. It's been years since I've been to the reservoir and I'm happy to see that it is more beautiful than ever and waiting to create more memories for generations to come.

Caught this while fishing with my All Star Chase W. at the Richmond IN RESERVOIR. We had a ball!!read more