Sweet walk down memory lane to read my old "pre-children" review of this park now that we have a…read more3.5 year old and 9mos.old in the house. This park ended up being quite the refuge during COVID and a daily spot for my son and his nanny. From the covered seating area with outdoor grills to the playscapes for various ages, there's a little something for everyone here. Not to mention the adorable Northside Lights festivities featuring Santa each year for the neighborhood celebration.

For sentimental reasons alone, I'm inclined to offer this Old Northside park a five-star rating…read moredespite minor reservations around accessibility. Shawn Grove Park is managed by the Old Northside Foundation. Located at 1401 N. Alabama, the park was created to memorialize 24-year-old Shawn Grove, a Riley Hospital nurse who was shot to death outside a nearby Jack's Pizza while resisting a purse grab. I'm not sure you could better honor a nurse than to create a park such as the Shawn Grove Park. It's got two playgrounds - one is considered a toddler playground and is fenced in and the other is for older kids. This is definitely a small park - I'd say it's slightly larger than a pocket park, however, it's definitely not a destination park. It's a true neighborhood park that's ideal for gathering and ideal for small children. It's well-maintained. Parking around here is fairly easy (a bit tougher for wheelchair users since it's primarily street parking and the street is a bit narrow). The surface in the toddler area is fun and seems to be designed with toddler safety in mind. It's sort of comprised of mosaic rubber bits. There's swings and slides older kids. There's a covered area with picnic tables, bike racks, and fun rides. I don't get to the Old Northside a whole lot, but as someone who's been a lifelong activist in violence prevention this is a place I stop whenever I do. I'm grateful that even after all these years it continues to be well-maintained. In terms of my minor accessibility concerns - these would be the difficulty of street parking, the slightly uneven surface, and the lack of adaptive features. However, curb cuts are solid here, the features are simple enough that they'll work with a lot of kids (with supervision), and there's too much to love about this park to give it anything less than five stars.

River Heritage Park is a hidden gem in Hamilton County. The Park borders the White River…read more Yesterday, was our first visit and we had a beautiful cool day to walk the trails and explore. The trails are totally accessible with parts of the trail covered with a soft matted material for easy walking/running. Along the trail are a number of colorful play structures with a zip line as a highlight for the kids. My favorite part of the mile plus hike were the scenes and overlooks along the White River. The river was crystal clear and picturesque. We found some evidence of the recent flooding throughout the park. The woods were filled with birds and native trees. We saw large turtles and fish in the river. Benches, picnic tables and information placards are along the trail. A beautiful old silo stands at the trail head along with a picnic pavilion and amphitheater. A playground with plenty of covered seating and a pair of volleyball courts stand near the parking lot. A small set of restrooms are available. Construction by adjacent Citizens Energy is somewhat distracting, but should be temporary. Signs indicate that the Park will begin a new phase of growth after the work is completed at Citizens. We found plenty of parking. The park is well worth a visit and should be spectacular when the leaves start changing color soon.

River Heritage Park in Carmel sits right along the White River and is SO much more than just a…read moreplayground. There's one main playground with: * Swings * Climbing structures * Spinning equipment * An interactive game on a rubber surface * Two shaded picnic tables But here's where this park gets really fun Take the hard, rubberized trail through the park and you'll find three mini play areas scattered along the trail. And THIS is where you'll find the zipline! I've checked out a lot of parks around Hamilton County, and this is one of the longest and fastest free ziplines I've found. There's also a slide just past the zipline, and if you keep walking, you can make your way to White River overlooks. A few things to know: The main playground doesn't have much shade There is shade along the trail Bathrooms are available The rubberized trail is smooth and much easier on your joints than mulch or uneven trails It's basically a playground + mini playground adventure + scenic walk + White River views all in one. And did I mention the zipline is FREE?!

Hohlt Park is sort of the unofficial park of the Rocky Ripple area of Indianapolis. Bordered by…read moreWhite River and the Canal just north of Butler, Hohlt Park is located 8 blocks west of 52nd and Meridian. Sadly, I'll admit I didn't even really know about it until friends played a concert here. With space donated by the Hohlt Family, this is a pretty simple neighborhood park with playground equipment, a dome climber, a merry-go-round, and a field that often plays host to small concerts/musical events. Additionally, of course, Hohlt Park hosts the Rocky Ripple Festival. Additional facilities include sports fields, a shelter with picnic tables, and lots of greenery. This is by no means a high-end park and it's certainly not one I'd go out of the way to experience, however, if you're in the area it's a great place to stop, rest, play, or enjoy a picnic. Overall, I'd probably lean more toward a 3.5 here, however, I do think this park serves the Rocky Ripple area well and it's reasonably well maintained - so, I'm going with the 4-star. As a matter of note, this park does not fall under Indy Parks. When I was here, I encountered a handful of people who were friendly and the park was clean and felt safe to me.

This is a medium sized neighborhood park, spanning about 6 acres. It has a small amount of parking…read moreavailable in a grassy area and one odd thing that I noticed is that there are not any trash receptacles in the park. The park has been known to hold community special events such as the Rocky Ripple Festival. The park has a nice pavilion with picnic tables under it and there is also a decent sand volleyball court with bleachers next to it. You will find a lot of green space here that is suitable for field sports such as football and soccer, or having a picnic, playing catch, or flying a kite. The park's playground is on a bed of wood chips and has your traditional equipment such as a merry go round, toddler and traditional swings, a 4-way see-saw, and a medium sized jungle gym with slides (straight and spiral), climbing nets and monkey bars. The park just recently replace it old dome climber with a new crab trap play structure. It is very nice. I found the park's picnic tables very neat. It looks like the legs were made from small tree trucks. They are pretty cool if you ask me. The park seemed pretty well maintained, especially considering there was not a trash can to be found and the amount of grass that has to be maintained. This is a nice park, but I will be the first to admit that is not a destination park and finds most of its usage from people from the adjacent neighborhood that live within walking or biking distance. It is a very nice park if you live in the area or just visiting the area and looking for a playground or place to hang out.

Beautiful modern playground…read more Better suited for older kids who can play more independently, but younger kids have options also!

A very modern playground is always nice but I miss the nostalgia of the simple slide and swings…read more Speaking of swings- they have none so that makes me dock them. They have swinging benches but that's not the same to a kid. They have a bigger kids area and a little kids area. My toddler enjoyed the little kids area. The playground is close to the little creek area so keep close eye on the kiddos.

I love Pendleton Falls Park. Nature here is sacred and a sight to behold. However, The Pendleton…read morePride Festival wants to use this park every October for their Queer Festival. There are Drag shows and sex toys sold by some vendors in tents. They try to say it is Family Friendly. I guess that depends on your point of view. Other festivals they have here seem to serve a purpose, like selling crafts and home-made goods. I just wish Pendleton Pride would put their Festival on elsewhere. It distracts from the nature that God intended the Park to be. I am surprised the Park Board here thinks most residents want a Festival like that here.

Fall Park is a beautiful retreat in the heart of Pendleton with a rich history. According to…read morehistorical plaques, indigenous people found refuse in the beautiful natural falls. Early settlers moved to the area in 1818 and harnessed the energy of the falls for milling and other uses. A cannery and quarry thrived on the banks of the beautiful creek. After which the area became a neglected dumping grounds. In 1919, a local business man had the vision to clean up the property and turn it into a park. Today, the park is beautiful with a massive modern playground, restroom facility, picnic pavilions, paths along the creek and naturally terraced falls. The quarry was turned into a lovely little pond complete with a folk art lighthouse. A quiet war memorial stands on the north side of the pond. I enjoyed my walk through the manicured grounds with gardens and shaded by large trees. Plenty of parking areas meander through the park. Fishing is permitted in the stream. The park is now host to annual events. This is a fabulous community park with beautiful natural elements, great facilities and a little history.

This park is a decent sized city park. There is ample parking and they have a half and full…read morebasketball court, a playground, a covered pavilion with picnic tables and a splash pad. There is also a restroom facility that is open durning park season. The park is named after Bertha Ross, a woman that along with her husband created a kids neighborhood baseball league on that site to keep the kids off the street and give them something productive to do. The pavilion is a bit flimsier than other similar one, but is still nice and has a grill. It can host approximately 50 people. You can reserve the pavilion for special events. Otherwise it is a first come first served. The playground floor is covered with wood chips to cushion the little ones falls. They have some decent equipment. a set of older style swings, a cargo net tower, a saucer swing, and a jungle gym with a few slides coming from it. The basketball courts are nice and have the most bleacher seating that I have seen in a long time at an outdoor court. Both courts are also in good repair and relatively nice. Additionally, the half court appears that it can be lowered. there is lots of ope space at this park, but much of it is not flat and has hills ditches and gullyes. You could still find a solid spot to play catch, fly a kite, kick a ball around or have a picnic. This park is a solid park. However, it does lack a running trail, but you can make your own path if you wanted. It is also located right off of a main drag so it is not as not very calm or quiet. All in all I like this park, but probably would not make a special trip to come here.

Just a block south of Newfields\IMA is a very nice city park. With easy access from MLK\Michigan…read moreRoad, the park is a nice stop for walking among mature trees, taking kids to the splash park or playground, or shooting hoops on the courts. There is a single shelter with tables and near the splash park is a restroom. Nice to see a park with amenities. Parking is easy too with a paved area near the shelter and play areas. Everything seemed to be in good condition. Overall, it looks like a really nice place to try. Review #683

Local Mom Meet-Up Spot Check out Carey Grove Park ‍…read more Padded ground Playground for all ages with separate sides for younger & older kids (split by a fun music section ) A couple slide + swing options to keep everyone happy Workout equipment on both sides for parents Features a Pulse Tennis interactive game Small walking trail + open field for extra space to run Shade available around the sides Such a great, easy spot to meet up with other moms while the kids all play

This is an amazing park. It was originally opened in 1998, but was "fully reimagined" in 2020 and I…read morelove everything about this park.There is ample parking and a bike rack for those that ride in from neighboring houses. It is a very modern park that is lined with the rubbery surface that most of the new parks are using. It has a half basketball court with an adjustable rim. The court is in great shape and has a bench along the baseline for spectators to sit and watch. You will find a very nice paved walking/jogging trail that goes around the perimeter of the park, as well as trails leading to the park from nearby neighborhoods. The bathroom facility at the park is very well maintained and is one of the better ones that I have seen in a park. They serviced the restrooms and trash while I was there. The park has two picnic shelters with tables under it and one has a couple of grills just outside of it. The playground is awesome. It has top-notch modern equipment. One side of the playground area has a very nice large jungle gym with a couple of slides, one of which is a spiral slide. There is also a bank of swings with traditional and ADA swings, a spinning net sphere, a pull up bar, and an interactive light game. This side is intended for 5 and older, but my 3 year old spent most of his time over here. On the other side is play equipment for smaller kids. There is a bank of toddler swings, a small jungle gym with a tunnel and slides, a couple of see-saws, a modern merry-go-round, and an expression swing. In between both area is some picnic tables and percussion musical instruments. Both play areas have benches on one side of it for parents to sit and on the other side (outer perimeter) are some workout equipment between some more benches, under a nice shade bearing awning. The workout equipment is intended for those over 14 years old. The equipment happens to face the respective playgrounds, so parents can get their workout on while keeping an eye on their littles. On final feature of the park is its green space. There is a patch of grass that can be used for playing catch, soccer, football, or flying a kite. It can also be used for working out or having a picnic. The only downfall of this space is that it is like in like a little crater. So, it gets very soggy after rain and snowfall and takes a while to dry. I really like this park. My littles and I spent about 2 hours here. It is not very big, spanning 5 acres, but still has a lot to do. This is definitely a destination park and was well worth the 40 minute ride for me to get here.

A beautiful park located just off Main Street in Greenwood. Great walking trails, although not too…read morelong and some paths are hilly, but woodsy with a creek flowing next to them. Great playground, baseball fields, and newly renovated tennis and basketball courts.

Beautiful park with walking trails, playground, and sports fields. Walkers and bikers. Beware,…read morethere are steep grades, though they are marked.