As the idiom goes, "Don't judge a book by its cover." It's true, you shouldn't. When you drive,…read morewalk, or bike by the entrance to Marott Park, it is easy to ignore it. The "cover" to the park looks like a small, open field, perhaps only useful as a place to walk a dog. However, the magic of this park is in its proverbial "pages." Located north of Broad Ripple and directly across the street from Park Tudor, Marott Park is close to many popular neighborhoods, restaurants, shops, and bars. While the park is a great place to walk the dog or have a picnic, once you venture onto its paths, you'll realize that it is a mico-sanctuary from the hustle-bustle of daily life. While Marott Park is relatively small (when compared to other Indy Parks like Eagle Creek, Broad Ripple, or Holliday), you can still take a lovely, light-to-moderate hike. One of my fondest memories of childhood was creek stomping. There was, and still is, nothing like running pell-mell into a creek, getting wet, and hunting for frogs, toads, turtles, or salamanders. Well, you can do just that at Marott Park. If you hike far enough, you will be able to access the beautiful Williams Creek. While I have not seen much wildlife (other than small fish), this place will make all of your creek stomping dreams come true. There are no age limits - high or low. Whether you want to spend 15 minutes or several hours in nature, Marott Park will provide the perfect getaway. You'll love it. Check. It. Out!

We found this park in the beginning of November when the trees were fall colors. Lots of leaves on…read morethe ground but you could still see and indent where the trail was. It wasn't crowded at all. Quite a bit of trails that also run along the river. There is a huge field in the middle too with picnic tables. Great place to take a walk or have a picnic!

Highland Park has some of the best views in the city. Whether I come here to have a picnic, hang…read morewith friends, or watch the 4th of July fireworks - I always have a good time. My only complaint is that there is no public bathroom at the park. It's always clean though. Free of garbage and well taken care of

This totally might be conjecture, but I'm wondering if Highland Park was so named because it's…read moreliterally a park that sits on high land. Get it? Highland. I don't know -- but that sounds like a good guess, doesn't it? Anyway, because the park is a bit elevated, you can get a great view of the downtown Indianapolis cityscape. It's really cool. The park itself is small and is more of a neighborhood park. It has a small playground with a small play structure. It has slides, some bars to climb, and some swings. The play structure is definitely more appropriate for kids ages 5 and under. I think older kids would get bored with it quickly. I would not go out of my way to visit this park just to play at the playground, but I would visit to sit at one of the picnic benches to eat and enjoy the view. Parking is along the street -- there isn't a designated parking lot. There also weren't any restrooms or water fountains that I saw.

This review is for the park's outdoor pool: in terms of public pools, it's my favorite yet that…read moreI've visited in Indy. I stopped by for a few hours on the 4th of July and it wasn't too crowded at all and I could easily find a lounge chair and dip in the pool with plenty of my own space. The lifeguards all had a great camaraderie with each other and I noticed a lot of the younger kids talking to them like friends. They were dancing and jamming to music and even taking song requests. I'm not sure if the vibe is like that every day, or if it was special for the 4th of July, but I'll definitely be back because of it. A problem at a lot of public pools is that the lifeguards are constantly blowing their whistle at misbehaving swimmers, but everyone seemed to be obeying all the rules at Ellenberger which allowed me to read my book in peace. Big, clean pool, not crowded, super friendly lifeguards, music, no constant whistle blowing gave me a chance to read, nap, and swim. The perfect 4th thanks to Indy Parks!

I live not far from Indy's Ellenberger Park, an Irvington landmark designed by George Edward…read moreKessler and opened in 1909. This makes it one of Indy's oldest public parks. The pool opened in 1930 and in 1962 an ice rink was installed. The park encompasses 42 acres and includes two playgrounds, sand volleyball courts, tennis courts, football/softball/baseball areas, and has played host to the popular Irvington Farmer's Market. It's also a popular spot for Indy Parks concerts. Those into geocaching should note the park actually is host to multiple individual geocaches. The park is actually surprisingly undeveloped. It has rolling hills, a popular spot for winter sledding, and a good amount of the park doesn't even have sidewalks. It's remained quite natural over the years with lots of mature trees. As a wheelchair user, of course, this can be somewhat frustrating given that a certain amount of development is needed to be accessible. While I love Ellenberger Park as a place to visit, there are geocaches I can't reach and places where I risk tipping over if I venture to them. Trust me, I've done it more than once. The park is close to most Irvington area restaurants along with the adjacent Pleasant Run and nearby 10th Street. The Park is named after John Ellenberger, whose family owned much of the land in the area and who'd been generous with the community and had often let residents use the land. In fact, there was controversy when the park was "officially" established as it required a tax hike. People couldn't figure out why they were being asked to pay taxes for something they'd already been using for free. But, they did. The park temporarily changed names, but residents again protested and it returned to Ellenberger Park as it has been since the early 1920s. Ellenberger Park lacks sheltered picnic areas and public restrooms. There was talk of creating more parking, but it would have cost the sledding hill and that was too steep a price to pay (Sorry, couldn't resist). The ice rink was closed in 2009 due to needed repairs that were deemed too expensive. Even the ball fields don't have seating with them. Ellenberger Park is that rarity - a rather large park more focused on nature than activity. While I can't quite go a 5-star because of accessibility issues and some general upkeep concerns, it remains a place I visit often.

Avon Town Hall Park is an 83-acre park established in 2002 in Avon, Indiana, a small suburb of Indy…read morelocated just inside Hendricks County on the westside. Being right next to Avon's somewhat newer town hall, this park definitely goes all out with amenities - an 18-hole disc golf course (elevation issues for those with disabilities), a Bocce court, three bodies of water (9-acre Town Hall Park Lake, a small pond to the east of the lake, and 3-acre Sycamore Lake), paved trails, picnic tables, ping pong tables, playgrounds, restrooms, shelters, AND the only free, public outdoor radio control race track in Hendricks County! The bocce ball court is located along the path connecting the park to the Kroger Shopping area. NOTE: Balls are not provided. Take your own balls. (He says with a slightly naughty grin). Fishing is allowed, however, Avon Town Hall Lakes are catch and release only and do require a state fishing license. No nets are allowed. Swimming, wading, ice fishing, and ice skating are not allowed on the ponds. The "200 Years" sculpture was commissioned or the bicentennial. If you know my work on children's issues, you can probably guess that I would appreciate the park's "Angel of Hope" memorial dedicated to parents who have lost children. It's a memorial I find myself visiting any time I'm in Avon (which is less often these days as I'm down to one surviving family member, but most of my family lived in Putnam County just west). I do find that sometimes Avon can be a bit slow to clear brush from the trails, a fact that can be difficult for wheelchair users. However, for the most part I'd easily call the trails wheelchair friendly. I'd just be more careful during Fall and Winter months especially. Parking is super easy here, shelters can be rented, and the playground areas are always kept clean. Avon is a lovely little community and this park really reflects the pride they take in their community.

I enjoy taking walks here whenever I'm in the area. You can get a good amount of steps in, either…read moreby walking straight down the path (I usually start near the playground by the PD) or by doing a couple of laps around the lake. It's usually not too busy, which makes for a relaxing walk.

During a recent visit to the Haughville area, I stopped by this six-acre park located on Indy's…read morenear westside. This park has existed since 1922 and gets period upgrades. Currently, it's got a splash pad, playground, shelters, and basketball courts. This is the definition of one of Indy's more residential parks. You'd never drive out of your way to visit Haughville Park, however, it's settled well within this neighborhood and serves the neighborhood well. There's an obvious section great for play, however, there's also a nice section where adults can relax with mature trees. There's also a restroom facility that is fairly well maintained. While the park has seen some issues with crime, it's near a police station and this does help amplify the safety factor. All the way back to Mayor Hudnut, plans have existed to really upgrade the park. Generally, it seems to be a popular space for neighborhood groups to help out. You can also see the work of Lilly employees in upgrading the park (including the photo with a mural I included with this review). This is your usual "dawn to dusk" park. Police at least try to enforce that pretty consistently. Overall, this is your fairly average neighborhood park. Parking is decent and it's well situated in the neighborhood. There's zero reason to go out of the way to visit here, however, for those who live in the area it's a solid if unremarkable neighborhood park. While i often wonder about the name origins for Indy's parks, in this case it's super obvious as Haughville has existed as a neighborhood since the 1830s with parts of the neighborhood on the National Register of Historic Places.

This park has many cool things to do. From the moment you pull into their paved parking lot off…read moreMichigan Street, you can see a lot of colorful options for the kids. A couple nice basketball courts are on the west side of the park near the police station. Just north of the lot is a splash park and permanent restroom facility. Farther into the park are shaded and lawn areas, a nice sized playground area, and the for north end has some mature trees for those who would like a little more peace and quiet. Review #656

This is a very nice garden with only a few amenities. It covers 20 acres and is located on the…read moreButler campus. It is definitely a change of pace from the hustle and bustle of college life and life in the big city. With that being said, it can be difficult to get to if class is in session and parking could be challenging. I do not know if I was supposed to, but I parked on the gardens's circle. The garden is located near the Butler athletic fields and track. The garden is well maintained and has benches placed all over the grounds. I really liked the garden's small lake with the fountain. Overlooking the lake is the Mrs. James Irving Holcomb Memorial Carillon Tower. It is an impressive tower sitting on a hill. You will also find a small waterfall, a gazebo, a poets corner (marked by statue of Socrates), a garden house (that is used for class on certain days and times), a 500-foot-long grass mall ending at a statue of Persephone in an octagonal pool, and canal. This garden is very chill and makes for a wonderful place to lay out a blanket and relax. It is a very calming place. The garden is also a walkers/joggers/bikers paradise. There is a very nice trail that runs along the canal and along the gardens perimeter. This is a nice place to just decompress. I recommend going when school is out because it will be easier to find parking and also less busy. Also, Spring/Summer time has the garden's full foliage and plants on display. I really enjoyed the this place and recommend that you check it out.

Holcomb Gardens turned out to be an interesting place too visit, and we got some nice pictures…read moreclose to the waterfalls :-) Tip: The path around the pond isn't handicapped friendly Like with most venues of this type, there are a lot of insects here, so it's a really good idea to bring along some bug spray. Admission here is free, and spending some time in the Gardems can be quite enjoyable :-)

This is a small pocket park located in Cumberland and was dedicated in 1999. It does not have a…read moredesignated parking lot. So, I was able to find a spot on the side of the road to park in and visit the park. It also does not have a bathroom, but there is a port-a-potty nearby. The park is fenced completely fenced in has a grill that is off by itself, a small patch of green space that you could play catch or have a picnic. The park has a bank of toddler/traditional/ADA swings, a small playground area with a tunnel and a medium sized jungle gym with slides, a tunnel bridge and a rock climbing wall. The equipment is in decent shape, but one of the swings is missing off of the bank. You will find a picnic tables under a shade tree and a few benches at the park, one of which overlooks the play area. The park also has a less than half basketball court with a rim that appears to be about 7 or 8 feet high. I finally found a court that I can dunk on. Anyway, the court is decent and is perfect for a little one to shoot around. It is not a very good court to run a game. In the back corner of the park you will find a small memorial to notable Cumberland residents. A ceremony honoring those citizens is held annually at the park. This is decent park, but definitely not a destination park, and is used primarily by families in the nearby neighborhoods, which explains the lack of a parking lot. It seems to be adequately maintained, but does not get a lot of use. I was teetering between at a 3.5 rating, but felt that the park was closer to a three than a 4 due to lack of amenities.

Honors Park in Cumberland is one of the town's newer parks. It's practically the definition of a…read moreneighborhood park with a focus on playground equipment for smaller children and a fenced in perimeter to keep those same children safe. The playground equipment is your basic equipment - swing set, slide, stuff to climb on. While someone in a wheelchair could technically wheel to the area, this is not an accessible park. The best feature of Honors Park is its memorial monument area. The monument is engraved with the names of Honors Park honorees - the recognition honors those who've contributed to the growth and welfare of the town of Cumberland and specifically cannot include active politicians. Honors Park has the usual greenery that you'd expect. While it's not a fancy park, Cumberland takes their park areas seriously and Honors Park is no exception. It's beautifully green, well kept, and the playground equipment is in good condition. While it's far from a destination park, it's a nice neighborhood park for those in the area.

This very small park is located in the vicinity of many other wonderful Greenwood Parks and in…read morewalking distance from the community center. It does not have any parking associated with it. I just parked at the community center and walked over. This park is two acres and is in a bad location. It is at the intersection of a busy street and a train track. It can get very loud there. The central point of the park is the gazebo, which can be rented for events. There are also a few park benches around the gazebo and a memorial to Genevieve "Genny" Worsham, a former Greenwood secretary and treasurer that passed away in 2008, off to the side. Additionally there is a path leading from the entrance to the gazebo that is lined with colorful tiles, which are neat. I did not spend too much time at this small park and given its location, I did not find it very relaxing or soothing. They is not much to do at this park outside of sitting on one of the benches and reflecting.

This two acre park is intended as a place for relaxation. I am not sure why it was named…read moreChildren's Garden because there are no activities for children to do here. There aren't even open areas for children to run. Instead, the park has a central gazebo with benches, a fountain on the west end, and a memorial to four term secretary-treasurer Genny Worsham. A paved pathway from the west end to the gazebo is lined with small mosaic tiles. A handful of benches surround the gazebo. Outside the paved area of the gazebo, a ring of shrubbery is set a few feet beyond. A small brick half wall runs along the north side of the park acting as a shield to the street. There is no specific parking but there are spaces across the street. Review #664