Pretty park for families with a ton of facilities, but not so good for taking pictures.read more

Join the river in meandering through the variety of experiences at Central Park! Whether arriving…read moreon foot, bike, or auto, spend a while enjoying this newly renovated downtown Mishawaka gem. Stroll through taking in the sculpture scenery on your way to the giant riverside trees. Marvel at the mini stone house overlooking the stone waterway. Sidestep the suspicious waterfowl and ducklings, dancing around their "sidewalk decorations". Plenty of running paths will keep you busy for at least a 5K. Varying scenery will keep the boredom at bay. Play a little tennis or basketball on the park's outdoor courts. Parking is easy onsite, and more street parking all around the 13 acres. Those who live near downtown can head over with a quick stroll; the rest of us will find easy access like I will on my return visit.

My favorite park in the whole area, simply because the playground they have for the kids is HUGE,…read moreand they have padded area surrounding it. It's also right by the river, which is a nice view while taking a walk.

Merrifield Park is a unique park in the area. Not only does it offer a public swimming facility…read more(for a fee), it also has public ice skating (you have to enter through the park's admin building to gain access.) The rest (north side) of the park has several shelters, a large elevated playground with towers and slides, and a public access ramp to the river. The grounds were in great condition other than it could use a bit of watering on some of the lawn areas. Lots of parking and open space for running around or organized games that need space. I also noticed a lot of trees that had been carved into wooden sculptures left in place around the shelters. All have been coated with a rust colored treatment to preserve the images. Most feature some type of animal though one has a female image with the word Princess carved at the base. It's a nice park if you have a specific interest in swimming or skating, or just strolling along the river. Review #3101

This Pool is not friendly the Rec people are very unfriendly and rude. I paid the membership and I…read morewas getting my daughter ready and evidently I didnt sign the members log fast enough. I was talked down to in front of my daughter. Here is what happened!! I've belonged to Blair Hills swimming pool for 3 years and last year this woman was not friendly to me or my daughter. Suffice it to say I thought it would be better this year but it wasnt. Evidently this woman us in the Recreation committee which I didnt know. I paid $350 and went yesterday and ssme woman verbally yelled at me as I was getting Jenna set up and I was going to show the lifeguard I paid the fee. This woman and a young blond demanded me to sign in but I had tol attend my daughter. Never once did they introduced themselves!!! She was horrible to me and my daughter. I advocated for myself which didnt work. She then leaves looks at me tells the lifeguard if there is any trouble to call her right away and looks at me directly. You all know I'm deaf and read people's lips she talked about me and my daughter to her blond friend and the lifeguards for 30 min.... Well I went today I got my money back and joining another pool. Do not join this pool they are not friendly or nice over there. I dont deserve to be verbally talked down to and demeaning and I was treated like a POS!! I have every right to defend and advocate for myself!!! Bye bye Blair Hills get come customer service you need it! Dont waste your money the people there are not worth it.

The Blair Hills Pool is actually two pools plus a baby pool. There is the main pool for kids and…read morefamilies, and a second pool that is adults only! If you want some peace and quiet, it is great. The guards are friendly and make an effort to know everyone. The people are welcoming. There are reasonable safety rules in place. The club building is brand new and has lovely, clean restrooms. There is an adjacent basketball court and playground.

Great health club right downtown. Friendly staff, good selection of machines & free weights, indoor…read morepool, sauna, indoor running track, etc.

Trainers. Plenty of equipment to use. Close to home. Pleasant , people are friendly. Child care .read more

Great place for the price. I love the lazy river to walk in. It's a little pricey for guest passes…read morethough, so like I couldn't bring my grandkids, at $11 each that'd be a weeks worth of food but for my husband and I it works!

This is an excellent place to take children of all ages for a day pass, or to invest in a…read moremembership for the whole family. The crew is helpful and kind, the programs offer a wide range of activities, and the membership is an amazing value. My family is here three times a week if possible.

Large neighborhood park with lots of use in the summer evenings…read more Nice newer play equipment including some accessible equipment. Street parking only. Nice gazebo & picnic tables for parties, cookout, etc. Small outbuilding with bathrooms (didn't check them out on our visit). Lots of younger kids playing basketball on our visit. Lots of room to roam. Not a fenced park but the traffic on nearby streets was very minimal and quiet.

Well cared for city park. Right off Riverside drive with off street parking available. Features…read moreswings, tire swing, merry go round, soccer nets, basketball court, and the star attraction - a sitting zip line. Perfect green space for flying a kite or playing games. A nice family friendly park! Cons: this park has no sitting areas. We brought our lunch and since no one was here we used the merry go round as a picnic table. Also no trash cans, so there was some trash around.

Small block park with newer Playground equipment a d some green space. Some parking available…read more Usually no one is there.

The pool is great. It is a great size, very large. The depth of the pool separates the kids from…read morethe adults. The diving boards offer options of platform of spring board. Even if jumping in isn't your thing it's great fun to watch the people that do. There is full sun on the pool deck all day and the kiddie pool has shade to sit in. The concession stand is slow and doesn't look clean even from the outside. The locker/bathroom is a run through experience. I would NEVER take off my shoes in there. The smell is bad, the trash has been full and there is an industrial trash can pushed in to fill next. The showers are dingy and they creep me out.

This is one of my favorite places to go for a swim during the summer when I don't feel like driving…read moreall the way to the beach. What stands out to me about Merrifield pool is its size. It's pretty large compared to some of the other public pools in the area, and also their amenities. They have a kids section that of course is very shallow, however their adult section is definitely for adults and not for the faint of heart. They have three diving boards called towers that are of different heights. The lowest diving board is almost to the ground, the other diving board is of a standard height and tallest diving board (tower) is about one story tall!!!!!! It might even be taller. I still haven't mustered up the guts to dive off the tallest diving board, and don't know if I ever will. A person can purchase a membership but prices vary, however aren't expensive. All in all merrifield pool is very well kept, family friendly, and is a nice place to go and hang out for the day. I always have a good time when I go there.

This park is gorgeous (even though there was a lot of construction going on along the south side of…read morethe park.) What makes this park on the low side of the river so stunning is the series of irregular shaped terrace steps that the millrace of the St Joe River flows over to head downstream. All along the park there are tiny waterfalls while appearing nearly flat. The area along the river has paved walkways and is landscaped with trees and a small hill. On the east end of the park is a large sculpture by Jan Martin (2004) called River Shards that makes for a cool accent to the plaza where you can relax and enjoy the sight and sound. This is a must see if you appreciate a marriage between art and nature. Review #3089

Family friends are important…read more There's family, of course, and no matter how much you may hate your family, they're ultimately all you've got. OK, that's kind of an overstatement, but as you grow older, you'll probably eventually either regret drifting apart from family members or wonder what kept you apart in the first place. If you're lucky, like I am, you'll recognize early just how important family is. There are friends. Good ones are like great books in that they're extremely rare and no matter how long it is between visits, you'll always feel comfortable, like you're right where you belong. Other friends are more situational. They serve a specific purpose at a specific time, and when that purpose is spent, you must decide whether to stay in touch or to allow time and circumstances to separate you. Family friends are different. They're not family, but you can't get rid of them like you can past-their-expiration-date friends. Yes, you can ignore them, but unlike family and friends, they don't usually hold grudges. They're connected to you, but they're not related to you. They were there before, and they'll be there in the future. If you don't invite them to your kids' weddings, they won't hold it against you. They'll still let you stay over when you're in town for an interview or some other such ridiculousness, and you'll stay up too late talking. Beutter Park is like a family friend. It doesn't feel as comfortable and magical and raw as childhood, but it sticks in your mind, not like regret, but like something or someone you miss and know or at least hope you'll visit again one day. Soon? Maybe. Family friends brought me and my dad here. It was warm and sunny but not humid. In other words, the weather was perfect, and that's so unlike Michiana in the summer. We strolled past sculptures and talked about first cars. I had heard many of the stories before, but that didn't bother me. I can stand repetition among family friends; I don't know why.