This is a nice park. The playground is big, and there are a number of fun things to play on/with,…read moreincluding slides (multiple), bridges, a rock wall, tunnels and more. It's all very colorful and fun. There's also a splash pad with multiple water features, and it's located in a nice shady spot with benches all around. Shade! Around a splash pad! This seems to be a rare thing nowadays, but yes, there is shade here. As a parent, that's probably what I like this park: There is always somewhere shady to sit or stand. This park also had a gigantic roofed overhand area with benches for big parties. When we visited, there was a church party going on. There is also a little rain garden on the outer edge of the park, which was a welcome sight. I love when parks make the effort to incorporate native plants into their park spaces. It doesn't go unnoticed, and it's greatly appreciated! Potawatomi Park is directly outside of Potawatomi Zoo. The two share a parking lot, so it might be a drag to find parking on busy days.

Went to a picnic in this park. Big grounds and lots of room for multiple groups to have picnics…read more Also right next to the zoo in case you want another activity to do. Bathrooms are kind of far away depending on where you are at the park.

Leeper Park always reminds me of Will. And kind of of Sheila, but mainly of Will. Will was sick…read more Esther and I visited him. Often. We got stuff from his apartment when he was in the hospital. This was long before Will moved to Philadelphia. This was long before Erin O. met Will. This was long before Erin O. told me about meeting Will, which wasn't long after Erin O. told me about meeting Aaron. I think Erin O. thought I was trying to set her up with Aaron, but I wasn't. Or maybe Aaron thought so. Aaron is Canadian and that's awesome. I was sort of trying to set Erin O. up with Will, but it didn't take, and that's fine. All of this was long before Erin O. married Jose. The park is spectacular. You can drive through it. You can feed ducks. It goes on and on, kind of like a September to remember, though not quite like a December to remember. Visit this park. Please. I will next time I visit South Bend with Esther, which could be in September. Or October. Hopefully, it will either be unseasonably warm or unseasonably cold. South Bend is best when the weather's not like it's supposed to be, either way. And when I lived in South Bend, I used to wonder whether Leeper park would have leepers if it had sand. You know, leepers, like in the Legend of Zelda? But those are leevers, and I made a mental fool of myself in my own mind for years.

Leeper is nice...the park os situated on either side of 31 on the south side of the bridge. There…read moreis a tennis complex on one side, where they offer an excellent and affordable childrens tennis program, as well as tennis for adults. It was recently remodeled and is in great shape. Near the tennis complex is a playground, a duck pond and some picnic tables. Across 31 there is park with a raceway island and a small beach. Its a nice place to take a walk and popular for salmon and steelhead fishing in the fall. Theres a garden and a log cabin replica on the east side of the park as well. The river in this location is fairly shallow wth rapids, my kids like to wade in the shallows when the water is low.

Beautifully laid out. A great addition to downtown South Bend. It has nice clean bathrooms on…read moresite, places to sit with great views of the river lights at night.

The University of Notre Dame is up to its old shenanigans again. Unless you didn't know, although I…read moreand thousands of loyal Notre Dame fans associate the university with the City of South Bend, Indiana, the university actually lies just to the north of South Bend. It's in unincorporated St. Joseph County, Indiana, and its official place name and mailing address is Notre Dame, Indiana. What does this have to do with Seitz Park? I'm getting there. Let's start with the shenanigans. The South Bend neighborhood immediately south of the university's main entrance was much more rustic and worn down when I was a grad student there. All the lots were small, and most of them had modest one- and two-story single-family houses, which were mostly built in the 1930s and '40s and were largely affordable. Sometime in the late 2000s, Notre Dame started buying up these properties, both those that were empty lots and those with houses still standing, and building McMansions on the sites. This has greatly changed the character of the neighborhood. Sure, it looks "nicer," if you can call it that, but no one who could afford to live in the neighborhood before could afford any of these new gigantic residences. Supposedly, they were built in order to attract faculty members to Notre Dame, but gentrification is usually all about the money, and I'm sure Notre Dame ended up making a killing through the gentrification of the Northeast Neighborhood, even if it lost money in the short term. Again, what does that have to do with Seitz Park? Well, Seitz Park has been closed since 2019 because the University of Notre Dame wanted to diversify its renewable-energy portfolio. Notre Dame offered the City of South Bend at least $1 million toward the reconstruction and improvement of Seitz Park, with the City of South Bend agreeing to close the park while Notre Dame spends $27.1 million to construct hydroelectric turbines beneath the park site in the river. The park was supposed to be closed for a year, but four years later, the city is still waiting for its public space back. All 2.5 megawatts of the new electricity generated by the project will go to Notre Dame (seven percent of its total usage); South Bend won't get a single watt of electricity when all is said and done. Mind you, this is city property within the City of South Bend proper. As usual, Notre Dame uses its considerable money, clout, and prestige to throw its weight around, and God forbid South Bend should have any say on what Notre Dame does on its own property. I hope the park returns soon. The Riverlights Light Forest was pretty cool to see, both from within the park itself and driving across one of the nearby bridges. The fish ladder is also a must-see--hopefully it will remain, and the new power plant won't kill too many fish.

First time went here. A lot of very nice flowers. The staff and services are great. Will…read moredefinitely come back here again to see more nice flowers

Love this place. The plants were beautiful and it's a great place for portrait photography or…read moreweddings! It can also be a great place for families to learn about different plants or to take a stroll when it's cold outside. Great in the winter and the summer months.

In 2004, this mini park/plaza was rededicated as Jon Hunt Memorial Plaza to honor a man who had…read moreserved the city for 28 years. Located across from the Morris Performing Arts Center, the plaza is all that is left of a failed downtown shopping mall. Now, the plaza has brick paths that wander through the trees and gardens. There is a fountain directly across the street from the arts center. There is a plaza within the park that is also paved with bricks and has picnic tables for folks downtown to take a break or enjoy a meal. And the park area has four public art installations: Violin Woman by Harold Tuck Langland 1982 City Garden by Richard Peterman 2011 Guitar Man by Richard Peterman 2009 and Trilithon by Robert Kuntz 1974 The art is quite diverse and yet it fits in nicely with the gardens and fountain. It is just a well kept, relaxing space for visitors to enjoy. Review #3106

Great little park to go walk the trails. There are huge hills that make great sledding adventures…read morein the winter. They have a few playgrounds and picnic area for your enjoyment pleasure.

Ive taken the kids here for hiking too many times to count. We have seen deer, turkeys and on…read moreoccasion a fox- which seems strange considering that its surrounded on 3 sides by residential and industrial areas,of South Bend. They have updated the signage on the trails recently , and the playground equipment is fairly new as well. Disc golf is fun and challenging. The nature center is a little dated...but my kids are too old now to want to go inside anyway. There is quite a bit of standing water in the woods, mosquito repellant is highly recommended. The bike trails are across the road from the main park.

This trail follows the east bank of the St. Joseph River. Sidewalk makes it easy to walk/run on the…read moretrail. Scenic views of the St. Joseph River. Connects to other areas like Howard Park. Very enjoyable walk here in this trail. Great dog walk also.

Peaceful nice long walk, my pups loved it! It follows along the river and goes through so many…read moreareas of South Bend