What a wonderful find! We enjoyed an easy hike on the 4.3 mile Sycamore Trail (loop) and can't wait…read moreto come back to enjoy the others (see map). These trails are accessible by bike & walking - dogs also permitted on leash. There are also several of foot traffic trails throughout the park (see 2 page brochure/ map). Fishing* camping (by reservation), and day shelters/Picnic areas are also available. *permit required. Cost is reasonable for a day pass at $7 per vehicle or you can get an IN Annual State Park Pass for $50 (2021). The trails and park appeared well maintained, the park was beautiful, and we look forward to many adventures to come!

We came here on a whim to see how it was. We usually go to a different state park and this one has…read moreblown it way out of the water. The camp grounds, the family cabins, and DNR staff are so so nice. The park itself is beautiful. They are pet friendly as long as they are leashed, and you can even have them in the cabins. Will definitely be coming back.

This is a great asset to Evansville. This is one of the oldest old growth forests in an urban…read morecommunity. Great hiking trails along the Wabash and Erie Canal, a great nature center, and a maple syrup festival. I recommend getting the family membership.

There are two things we look for when we travel. 1) Brewhouses and 2) Parks. We found both in…read moreEvansville, and Wesselman Woods is an amazing place, even though our visit was cut short. It's a bit off the beaten path, as you have to go through a residential area and then past another park/sports complex, but it's worth the drive. The parking area is next to a community recycling center, which I think is appropriate because anything that's returned there isn't getting put in a landfill or thrown out into the wilderness. When you enter the park there is a heavily-treed path you follow to the Visitor's Center. For being located near a large city you'd think that the park would be pretty open...exposed....but that's not the case. This park is SO green and you can't even tell where the Visitor's Center is until you're almost directly in front of it. That Visitor's Center has quite a few displays (plant and animal) for you to peruse before you go out into the wilderness. The part I liked the best was the curved display that looked out onto an area that a variety of birds frequent, along with informational plaques. I could have spent hours in that room alone. The cost to walk the trails is $5 per person. We were advised that we should apply some mosquito repellent because it had rained pretty heavily during the previous couple of days and, as a result, the mosquitoes were pretty thick. Well, I'm here to tell you, "the mosquitoes were pretty thick" doesn't even come close to describing the density of the mosquito population that day. Nowhere Near. What started out as about a 1 1/2 to 2 mile walk turned into a quickly paced just-short-of-a-run 20 minute journey through what I'm going to call the Mosquito Jungle. These little buggers weren't just everywhere, they were EVERYWHERE, including places they shouldn't/didn't have the right /I never gave them permission for. It was crazy. We spent more time swatting these bastages than we did anything else. My wife and I took turns covering each other's back. While we DID apply more than enough repellent, these were the most defiant insects I'd ever seen. They were flocking to us like pre-pubescent teen to a Justin Bieber concert, and all we did was walk through the door. What we were able to see of the nature preserve was beautiful. The trails are very clearly marked and directional signs are never too far out of sight (which came in handy as we tried to frantically find out way back to non-mosquito-infected territory), and the trails themselves were very well maintained. The next time we're in Evansville we plan visiting again (hopefully NOT after a monsoon) so we can take our time to better enjoy the plant and wildlife without being attacked. It really is a beautiful place.

Wonderful break for my kiddos as we were driving cross country! 20 minutes off my route I- 64 BUT…read morethis place was quite AMAZING!!! I have never seen a park quite like it! And free!!! Kudos!!!!

There are great walking trails with lots of dogs. There is a huge children's playground located at…read morethe park. Depending on the day and time it can either be super crowded and over run with cursing children without adults. We almost witnessed 9 years olds getting into a physical fight. The park is so large and has so much potential it is just not well kept or monitored.

This woody park provides a lot for a small town. Well maintained throughout, it offers several…read morepicnic shelters of different sizes, has multiple playgrounds with different features, has excellent ball fields, and offers a simple swimming pool. A paved trail, with a picturesque covered bridge, circles a fishing lake.

I love this park it is so pretty.I love feeding the grade.It is such a good place to take your…read morekids.overall all it is an amazing environment and Entertaining place

What a great park! I'd never been to Owensboro before and just came to try Fetta Pizza which was…read morerecommended by locals. Kudos to Owensboro for creating such a nice area on the river. Fun shops and restaurants and the park is so creative. Awesome for families and everyone. Indy should steal this developments ideas for its White River.

Smothers Park is a beautiful and clean family park. There are activities for all ages of children,…read moreand plenty of places for parents to sit and enjoy the view. There are bridges, a hollow tree, a climbing wall, a large slide, and plenty of places to play hide and seek. This park and the Riverwalk are my favorite places in Owensboro.

I wish I had photos to post. This place incredibly gorgeous!! Great place to wander, take photos,…read morefor kids to explore. If we lived here I would visit often. Very peaceful. There is a self pay/donation box at the gate which is very reasonable.

We are staying in Marion while in the area to run the Shawnee Marathon. We were looking for a park…read moreto explore and do an easy walk the day before the race and found this listing. These gardens are in the backyard of a guys house. It's easy to miss the drive off the road and we ended up turning around and coming back. When we arrived a man came out to greet us and offered to make change if we didn't have exact change. While the gardens are nice, many free parks are much larger and have more to offer. There is a fee of $2 per person and it is relatively small. We walked the entire loop and it was 0.3 miles. There are some interesting rock arches and the flowers are pretty, but the pond was murky. I guess if you didn't have anything to do, you could visit this place, but I would not recommend making a special trip.

Walk was fine, I always give nature 5 stars so the government doesnt try to destroy it. Next time I…read morewould park by the ball fields instead of driving all the way around to the main entrance.

I was excited to explore Howell Wetlands as I've never been to a park with these connected trail,…read moreboardwalk, and bridge systems -- it was very cool and so enjoyable. While the wetlands are on 28 acres, most of the time you can see signs of "non-park" things -- like homes, a road or park, or the waste water treatment plant. I say that not to deter people from coming, the walk through nature is extremely enjoyable, but only that I expected to feel more "let's hope I don't get lost" moments. I walked around 2.5 miles in total. The trails overall loop and connect together but due to high water some access wasn't available. It was fun to explore how these connected, venturing from A to B to C and seeing point B again if you looped back a different way. You'll walk around a field to get to some connecting trails (like spokes on a wheel). There aren't too many trail signs but there are some wildlife signs explaining local inhabitants you might see. The signage is in need of repair, damaged by sun & some vandalism, but the boardwalks/ waking paths are well kept. The nature sounds were absolutely lovely -- lots of birds, swans, and a pair of beavers. Dogs are allowed and while I love bringing our doggo on walks, I'm glad to have left her home this time only due to the mud/ it allowed me to explore more without worrying about her. There are not paved pathways in-between boardwalks/ bridges so accessibility is limited to 1-2 of the boardwalks by stroller or wheelchair right off the parking lot (depending on weather/ wetness). There is not an admission fee to get into the park and there are at least 2 access points. The side on Tekoppel street had ample parking which looked relatively new. I actually didn't see anyone else while I was there, except a photographer and two cars that pulled in while I was leaving.

I was looking up things to do in the Carbondale area and this place caught my eye. I don't have any…read morekids nor am I one but I had to visit the park and I got to hear the story about how this park was built and how it came to be. This park is very well kept! I've never been to an active park that is so well maintained and the fact that it has no graffiti on it! This park is so Interactive and I thought it was convenient that it had porta potties next to it as well. Even the ice cream man came by to visit. Plenty of great Interactive things that check out that are one-of-a-kind like climbing got a dragon and even the playground is big enough for grown-ups to walk around without actually it's time to climb on stuff. This place was like walking into a Renaissance fair , I highly recommend checking this place out!

This is without a doubt one of the top parks that my kids have ever been to. When you step into the…read morepark you see sculptures of wizards, knights, dragons, and fantastical creatures. It is like stepping into a Dungeons & Dragons story. The highlight thought is without a doubt the castle. There are ramparts, hidden armories, gargoyles, coats of arms, statues and a whole menagerie of fantastical creatures. I had to tear my 5 and 3 year old away from it. It could have kept them busy for hours. There is also a touching backstory to the park. It was founding in memory of Jeremy "Boo" Rochman who died in a car crash nearby. He loved fantasy and his family set up the park in his honor. The park is privately funded, and can accept donations through its website. So if you do stop in and enjoy it, please make sure to support the park.

Swung by here on a whim. Was not expecting much other than a quick little side excursion that would…read morewaste some time, and have some good sights. It was an awesome little stop that turned into a multi hour adventure! First off, there are play grounds for kiddos (or adults) on the grounds. Several places to camp or picnic. A nice lake for fishing and sign seeing. And several little trails to hike. But the best part of this place is the John James Audubon Museum. 100% worth the stop. The building is absolutely beautiful in and of itself. The inside houses a museum and learning center. The museum might be "dry" for anyone not interested in nature or birds, but is houses and tells the story of John James Audubon and his life. You will see several important artifacts from Audubon himself, as well as see original drawings of animals from his collection. There is tons of great information to be found in this little museum. If you plan to read all the plaques, you could easily spend a couple hours here, but it's a three roomed museum that you could walk through fairly quickly if you don't take the time to read. However, I highly suggest taking the time to stop and read the information from a very important person in our natures history.

Past 11 pm and they are still going with karaoke and shouting in the middle of the campground, wish…read morethere had been a warning of events when reserving a site since it's quite loud and I have little kids. Campground is clean and nice but maybe call first about events before booking if you're looking for a peaceful evening with nature.

It's a decent park nothing special but it is well kept and safe never had an issue hereread more

Gregg Park is a really nice park with a wide variety of amenities to choose from. You can tell it…read morewas a planned park because it has such a nice layout. Near the entrance on the south side of the park is a huge playground with multiple pieces for kids to play on. Visitors can simply park along the road that loops through the park so they can park near the amenity that interests them. There are horse shoes pits, pickle ball courts, a paved walking trail, a shelter and a pavilion (with its own playground), an amphitheater, and on the northwest side, Rainbow Beach swim/splash park with its own parking! And just in case that sounds crowded, there is a large green area with mature trees in the middle of the park that allows people to mill about or for kids to run and play their own games. The park is clean and well kept too! It might be nice to have some additional benches and picnic tables for those not needing to rent an entire shelter, but other than that, the park seems to have the makings of a fun day. Review #2980