Had a great time with the grand kiddos. Only reason I didn't give 5 stars is because of the mess in…read morethe latrines.

I like hiking. A lot. And I like hiking at new and different places…read more Charlestown State Park is....okay. They have some really nice trails, spread out and across a large area. There is plenty of parking. And I believe that camping is an option. You have to pay to get in, which is fine. But I am highly annoyed that out of state cars have to pay more. Once when I went though, it was in the off season and there was no one working at the entrance gate. We were hoping to pay with a card, and it appeared to be an honor system for paying the $9 on days when the park is open, but no one is working. I was enticed by the promise of Rose Island ruins (a former amusement park/resort. Not actually an island). But as interesting as it sounds, it was disappointing. It has been all cleaned up and sign-ified and it is more meh than I had hoped. I would probably come back more often if it was more like $5 to get in. But with Louisville's copious parks, state and otherwise, and Bernheim about the same distance drive, I'm inclined to stay on my side of the river.

Beautiful park! Great lake for fishing and kayaking! We camped at their cabins, small and very…read morebasic but exactly what we love! We're usually tent campers. We love basic. It was nice to have AC in August heat though! We didn't put our air mattress on the bed platform because ours is a queen, not a full. It was also nice to have our air mattress closer to the AC unit! Picnic table outside, works great for our family. We were basically in the cabin to sleep. Bring bikes, kayaks, air mattress, coolers, bedding..... Shower houses and restrooms are decent but can be a walk from your cabin, depending on where you're located. This cabin is the "Persimmon" cabin. We like seclusion, so it worked perfectly for us!

Offers up lake front lots, kayak launchable and very relaxing. Nothing but trolling motors and…read morelots of bank fishing. Large beach area, shower is a must after that swim. Friendly frequently driving by DNR staff. Clean hot shower. Clean restrooms. Plenty of trails, beautiful water lilies in bloom this visit near North boat launch. Very enjoyable spot.

Excellent spot for birdwatching. Cormorants, great blues, gulls, and egrets guaranteed. Have also…read morespotted eagles, hawks, orioles, and ospreys.

Your first stop, when visiting the Falls of the Ohio State Park, should be the Interpretive Center,…read morewhich is basically like a mini museum full of exhibits and information about the area, past and present. The Interpretive Center is great for kids, because there are a lot of hands-on activities. Theres an admission fee to enter the Interpretive Center, but it doesn't cost anything to park and walk around the outdoor area of the Falls of the Ohio State Park. Walk on the fossilized rocks, peer out onto the Ohio River and over to Louisville, and enjoy being by the water. Just don't collect any rocks or fossils -- there are signs saying to leave everything where you found it. I do think it's worth it to go into the Interpretive Center, though. There's an interesting piece of artwork on one of the walls of some of the trash that was collected along the Ohio River. It's arranged nicely and looks beautiful, but it's a testament to all of the garbage that people mindlessly leave around that end up in our waterways. This was a quick stop on our visit to southern Indiana, but I definitely think it was well worth it. If you're in the area, this is definitely a place to visit.

Attended a silent meditation retreat on a Saturday in November for approximately 4 hours and found…read moreit to be a phenomenal recharge. This is only my 2nd time being able to grab a spot over the past few years, as this is only an occasional offering thus far. I hope it will become a more regular event on the calendar. We arrived to check-in around 8:30 AM and were done by 12:30 PM. The event included silent meditation, chair yoga, mindfulness (including mindful eating exercise), music and singing, sound bowl and chanting, a lesson reading, and a walking meditation on the WBG property. This is a great introduction to a wide variety of experiences for someone who would like to determine what is appealing in practice. The couple who led the event were terrific and I will sign up for this as often as possible. Highly recommended!

Wonderful spot! I'm happy that it's coming along. Currently at 4 stars, but I can't wait as the…read moregardens continue to build out the place. I've been to botanical gardens in other cities where the community and local officials don't dedicate resources to it. I'm not sure of the entire breakdown here for funding but I do know they'll obtain a round of funding, build out, and repeat. In the future, this botanical garden will rival some of the best in the country. I don't even think 25% of this place has been developed yet. On the last visit, it was for the holiday light decorations. We got super lucky, arrived, and within 20 minutes it started snowing. It made the experience so worth it. Out of other holiday happenings around town, (Light up downtown, the mega caverns, etc etc), I much preferred this even over all the others. The light decoration isn't the largest but I still think it's worth it. Kids will love it and as long as you're not a grumpy gus(No offense Gus) of a human being, you should have a good time. The gardens part through the spring and summer is also fun but limited. Again, it's going to take time as the years go by but the botanical gardens definitely adds something to the city of Louisville.

What a pleasant surprise as many times as I have been to this area I never knew about this park…read more It's small but secluded and shaded for a nice walk in a wooded area with a a picturesque stream nearby. Great for those who want to walk their dogs or just to enjoy the serenity and peace and quiet.

Great park for walking trails and nature photography. Lots of birds and other animals in an urban…read moresetting.

TikTok really has opened my eyes to hidden treasures everywhere. I'm sure that I'm not the only one…read morethat feels this way. When you doom scroll, you come across many different places that are true hidden gems. Door To Nowhere, or Heigold House, is definitely an oddity and salute to the past. Some housekeeping, you know, things to know about this place. BE CAREFUL. This sits on a roundabout island with steady traffic. Be mindful to the traffic flow and businesses nearby (I parked at a nearby business off the road and walked over here). Be kind to the natural beauty that surrounds this. And most of all, be respectful. As I said, this sits on a roundabout with flowerbeds surrounding it. Whether you are facing front, as in looking at the front of the façade, or looking from the rear, please stay on the sidewalks provided. Take in the informational plaques as well. Built by Christian H Heigold, a successful stonecutter. Majority of the house was completed in 1853. Heigold was a master at stonecutting and completed the home with busts of Presidents George Washington and James Buchanan. Heigold was also a staunch opponent of the 'Know Nothing Party,' and anti-immigration political party and I would like to think that he built his house with all the busts was a big middle finger to those that were anti-immigration. This façade sat in what was known as the The Point neighborhood, which was favored by those that moved to the city from the New Orleans area. Once Louisville diverted the Beargrass Creek away from downtown, this place started to flood annually. Shifting people away from the neighborhood and then the Great Flood of 1937 happened. Slowly the city started buying houses and demolishing them. Ultimately using the land as a dump site. Then this façade was listed on the National Registry of Historical Places. Remained in that area which became Thruston Park. That is until a developer bought the land adjacent to this and build condos. They moved this massive beast, 70,000-pounds, across River Road to where it sits today.

Such amazing history, a must see spot ! Right off a main road but there is parking nearby !read more

I haven't been to McNeely in a while, probably since I was a kid but we have recently started going…read moreagain and it's definitely been enhanced! There are plenty of spots for fishing but some of them you will need to take a short hike down a gravel road. If you bring a wagon make sure it has bigger wheels but probably best to carry everything to make it easier. There is a fishing dock as well that's pretty big and most definitely is shareable with a few groups. The hiking trail that extends around to the dam is a fun walk since it goes in and out of wooded covering. Makes it great for sunny days as well. The playground is nice and maybe small to moderate size. There are BBQ stands to use and picnic tables. There are bathrooms but not very quick to get to from most parts of the park so keep that in mind. Great place to kayak as well! Great views and since the lake is narrow it makes it feel more like a river to go through. Super fun place! Glad to see them doing more work on it Only criticism is that there is lots of trash and even though it's the patrons fault, the park could do a better job at cleaning it up. Watch your little ones so they don't pick up pokey fish hooks or broken bottles.

Tiny park located off cedar creek road. You pull into a the parking lot and the road way is gated…read moreoff. So you park to the immediate left. The park itself features a small playground, a full court basketball court and lots of soccer fields. If you follow the concrete path near the parking lot towards the patio area and soccer fields you can follow that path around a short trail that eventually takes you through a gravel paved wooded area that runs along side the soccer fields. It leads back out to the road where it circles back to the blocked off road at the entrance. It's a giant circle. But it's a peaceful and easy trail. Overall solid little park and it's pretty close to my home. So I'll come up here and let the girls play on the playground. It's very rarely crowded. Most of the crowd heads to the larger McNeely Lake Park about 3 miles down the road as it has several massive playgrounds. So a lot of time when we don't want to deal with bit crowds I'll make the short trip here and let the girls run wild and blow off energy.

A great little park and a good place to launch a kayak from without paying a launch fee…read more I haven't done any hiking or anything else here except for start an afternoon of kayaking. My friend made the suggestion when we were looking for spot to launch that wouldn't cost $15/boat. The convenience of this cost savings makes up for the downsides. The two downsides are the small, tight parking lot and the long trail from the parking lot to the place where you can put your kayak in to the water. That second problem could be mitigated by the use of a hand wagon...we just need to get one. Ha ha! I am eager to explore more of the park on foot, but I can certainly guarantee I will be back here for more kayaking adventures.

Really cool park that is hidden in a neighborhood of Prospect!…read more I came with a few friends and we hiked the trails. It's not a difficult hike, but there are some hills, rocks, creeks. There are benches to rest on and swings too. I got a bit out of breath sometimes because it was a bit more strenuous than I anticipated. We saw lots of people walking their dogs, kayaking/canoeing. There used to be a waterfall you could check out, but it's not closed off since it's private property. You can park down in here in the small lot.