I would give a few more stars but i am beyond ticked that the city of Valpo charges admission for a…read morecity park.

Decent facilities needs some updating. Could use a off leash dog area and walking path.read more

This is the classic Japanese-style garden. It was a gift from Mishawaka's sister city, Shiojiri,…read moreand unlike anything else in the city. Upon entering the park, one will notice how this garden sends off quite a different "vibe" than western-style gardens do. Typical of Japanese design, it was thought out quite a bit, and there is a reason behind every little detail within. Every changing month seems to bring its own charm to the park. An excellent park to go to for feeling closer to both God and nature. This has got to be the loveliest acre of land in Mishawaka.

This park celebrates the sister city status of Mishawaka and Shiojiri, a city in Nagano, Japan…read more Niwa is Japanese for garden and this park takes on many of the characteristics of a Japanese Garden. Some of those characteristics include: Water - renewal and calm Stone - longevity and forces of nature Yukimi-gata Lantern (a snow lantern) Bridges The park has all these but the water/pond which would ideally contain fish /koi. Of course, the weather here would necessitate wintering of the fish elsewhere, so it is probably a cost management issue. The park is well kept and is filled with plants, small trees, and gardens. There is also a bronze sculpture to the right of the entrance that commemorates the relationship between the two cities. Review #3099

I thought this was a great park! There's a beach, zoo, and more…read more The beach was beautiful! The boardwalk was nice to walk along the beach. Plus there were lots of picnic and seating areas. The parking is nice and there's plenty of it. But I ended up having to pay twice since each lot had a different zone code even though we were in the same park.

Ideal late summer beach! we found free parking, decent washrooms, plenty of space with a nest…read morelittle lighthouse instead of the awful cooling tower. Surprisingly shallow for a ways out, water is cool in mid September but comfortable.

Nice park with children's playground. In the winter you can rent skis for cross country skiing…read more Beautiful trees & trails. Bird feeders with lots of bird species.

Stopped here to check out the winter scenery. There was not enough snow for cross country skiing…read more Want to go back when the conditions are right. Nice park but a little out of the way for me. I am sure it looks totally different every season. Walked by their bird feeder and spotted a few unique birds. It was a nice nature reset.

This is a very nicely kept area. Very relaxing walk, beautiful flowers and greenery. It took about…read more15-20 mins to walk around the park.

This was a beautiful Botanical Garden! There was plenty of street parking right in front of the…read moreentrance. The property was full of beautiful flowers, lush greenery, and bright colors. There was so much to take in! It's a great place for a photoshoot, relaxation, or just enjoying nature! There were a few groups relaxing around the gardens on benches or in the gazebos. Over the small bridge was a stream and a small pond with koi fish & turtles. I wasn't able to see any of the fish in the pond. The water was pretty murky, but a few did pop up. I was able to spot a few turtles! I had a fun time exploring the botanical gardens. The property was very clean and well maintained. It was extremely peaceful & a nice escape from the normal day to day to experience nature's beauty!

This place is surreal. A true blessing to have within 15 mins of Purdue…read more You can see Wolves, Bison, Foxes, turtles, you name it. Everybody who works here is super sweet and very knowledgeable. I am blown away with my experience and cannot wait to come back in the fall!

I guess I expected something different from Wolf Park, so I was slightly underwhelmed. But I think…read morethat's my own fault. My life motto is to approach everything with low expectations, and I think my expectations were very high for this animal sanctuary. That's not to say Wolf Park isn't cool. It is. The tour guides are very knowledgable and engaging, you learn a lot about wolves, there are some neat things in the gift shop, and it's nice to know that there's a sanctuary in Indiana that cares for these canine creatures. The wolves were mostly sleeping and behind fences, and we had to stand way far away from the fences, so it was difficult to see the wolves, most of the time. Mostly, it was a lot of walking and looking at the animal enclosures during the one-hour tour. But we did learn a lot about wolves and animal conservation, which was nice. There are also buffalo and fox here, but we didn't see those, either. I guess your mileage may vary depending on how active the animals are on the day that you visit. Because the tour is a lot of talking and walking and not a lot of seeing of wolves or touching things, I would say that this experience is better for adults and older kids. There was a young child in my group, and he was trying to climb the fence and then melting down by the end of the tour. Parking is in a gravel lot, but there seemed to be plenty of spaces. There are also restrooms on site.

This is a very good park to visit and spend time. It has a little bit of everything. You do have to…read morepay an entrance fee during the summer months. There is ample parking once you get in though. The park has a little lake that you can swim in (if a lifeguard is precent). Around the beach/lake is a walking path, that does get a bit narrow in some parts. It is paved and well maintained. There is also covered pavilions around the park there are 4 decent sized ones with grills. One even has a patio that overlooks the beach/lake.In addition to the large and medium sized pavilions, there are a few personal sized ones scattered about the park. At the front of the park is an adequate baseball field. It is well groomed and ready to play on. Next to the ball field is a full basketball court. It is nice and has a smooth new looking deck. The rims are in good repair and have adjustable heights. I would love to shoot a few airballs here. In the back of the park is a dog park that is basically a fenced in area with a bench placed in there for you to sit and watch your pooch frolic. Behind the entrances to the lake is a sand volleyball court that needs a little TLC. The net was down while I was there, but did not look like it would take much to get the court back up and running. The park has two playground areas. The bigger of the playground areas is next to the baseball field. It has some pretty updated and newer equipment including, see-saws, merry go rounds, rock climbing walls, swings, rocking animals, a saucer swing and slide. The ground is covered in wood chips and has rubber mats in high traffic areas such as under the swings. The playground is very impressive. The other playground is by the lake entrance and is ok, but not as nice as the one on the other side. It has a set of the older style swings and a small jungle gym with a slide. Both play areas are accessible though, which is cool. I really like this park and was surprised that this is the first review. You can spend an entire day here and not even know it. There is a lot to do and it is a very relaxing place. It is well maintained and has a friendly staff. definetley a must visit.

Beautiful clean park! Nice neighborhood, very well taken care of and the equipment was very fun for…read moremy kids!

Awesome park for hiking, horse riding, and camping. My favorite is the fire tower! When open, you…read morecan climb to the top for great views. Signage at parking area indicates if the tower is open or closed. The park roads are well maintained and bathroom facilities available throughout. The park charges an entry fee in-season.

This review is for the campground!…read more Well maintained sites. Wooded. Private if on the exterior - highly recommend. Bathroom is not nice but not gross. Friendly campground attendants. Pack bug spray! I'll return to actually explode the park. We did off-site activities this trip!

ed to rent the old Hoosier wagon wheel provillian because our little ones could play on the…read moreplayground. I do not know who decided to tear down the old playground area and build this dumb unusable playground for little ones did not have little ones or anyone in mind. It's so unusable now you never see anyone using it. Bring back the swings and jungle gym, make it where kids will and can play on and have fun

Good park Pool is clean…read more Bathrooms are eerie Fun for kids and adults Lots of stuff to do

We rented the Rogers Pavilion at Highland Park for our family reunion in August. We booked it about…read morea year in advance since we have our family reunion every August, and we wanted to make sure we could get the date we needed. The pavilion was around $250 for pretty much the entire day, which I thought was a great price for the amount of time and space you get. We really like this park because there's plenty of space and lots of parking. There's also a playground directly across the street that's suitable for kids of different ages, along with a basketball court. The pavilion itself has plenty of tables and chairs, you just have to set them up yourself. There's also a small kitchen, which is very convenient, along with two gender neutral restrooms on each side of the kitchen. The only downside is that the grill provided with the pavilion is a little bit of a walk from the indoor area. There's also another covered pavilion with seating between the grill and the Rogers Pavilion. There happened to be another event going on there during our reunion. It didn't interfere with our event, but of course, having the entire area private would have been even better. I really like this pavilion and think it's a great place to host an event. There's plenty of space, lots of parking, and activities for all ages. I'd definitely consider renting it again for future family events!

Highland Park is a huge community park in Kokomo with lots of green space, recreational spaces and…read morea historic covered bridge. What I like best about the park are the mature trees that provide lots of shade. Some of the trees are over 400 years old. There is a huge colorful playground with climbing structures, swings and slides. The base is a mix of mulch and soft matting. Benches line the area for parents to sit and watch kids . (The equipment could use a good cleaning from the trees.) There are two ball diamonds with bleachers within the park. A beautiful stream that meanders through the park attracts fisherman. Tree-covered picnic areas are scattered along the creek. The Vermont Covered Bridge spans the creek and is open to pedestrian traffic. There are restroom facilities near the playground. There are several parking areas throughout the park and you can drive along the creek. Highland Park is a great place to bring the family.