Not taken care of, bees hives and ground bees everywhere we went. Tried to take some ute pictures…read morebut kept getting attacked by bees. So we left.

Great place to have a picnic. The sunken garden area is a little hidden gem in indiana. Areas to…read morewalk and eat. Disc golf course is nice too. Open pickle ball and tennis courts too. Wish there was something like this closer to Fort Wayne!

Come on, now. Is this park really located off of a street named Harry Baals Drive? Who came up with…read morethis? Are we being collectively punked? Honestly, the fact that Johnny Appleseed Park sits on Harry Baals Drive is probably one of the more interesting things about it, if you ask me. I never could find the Johnny Appleseed gravestone that the park is supposed to have. I drove all around! No gravestones to be seen. Oh, Johnny, where art thou? I ended up just parking and exploring the playground, dog park and the trails that go along the river. The river is a nice, scenic spot. I saw a boat launch along it, and a few people fishing. I stood on a deck that was located by the river, and just gazed out at the water. Fort Wayne has lots of water running through the city, and it was nice to enjoy some of it here at this little park. Johnny Appleseed Park is the site for the Johnny Appleseed Festival, which happens each year on the third full weekend in September. It's also a campground site, and has 40+ RV/camper sites, if you're into that sort of thing. Mostly, though, this is a nice community park and place to hang out and enjoy a little bit of Fort Wayne.

I'll definitely be back to camp! Such a beautiful park close to the river! The trees and memorial…read moresite are beautiful!

Beautiful park. We want to fish in the pond but don't catch anything. There were a lot of people…read morefishing that day. The park itself was pleasant except for the people passed out on a bench.

Lakeside Park is a park located in Fort Wayne. It is a very peaceful park to walk around with a…read morevast array of roses and fountains. I stopped at the park while visiting Fort Wayne and was very impressed. There was a lot of care that was put into these roses and it was such a treat to find at a public park.

We rented the Old Barn for our daughter's wedding reception. From start to finish, planning to…read moreevent, the staff was helpful and informative. The space was perfect for our 110 guest list. The kitchen and bathrooms were spotless. The space is large but not overwhelming. We also added on the Homestead for the bridal party to gather to get dressed and store their bags. It was perfect! Do not hesitate to tour the facility and see if it works for you!

My daughter rented the Old Barn for her wedding. She hired an approved caterer, from the list of…read morerequired caterers. Friday, the day before the wedding, she rented it for setup. Jenna, from the venue was on-site. I told Jenna that one of the two sinks in the men's restroom wasn't working. She came into the bathroom with me and wiped down the sensor, but it still didn't work. She said she would have someone look at it. Saturday, before the wedding, we went to the Old Barn for pictures. We left around 4 PM and my daughter told Jenna that the caterers were scheduled to be there at 5:00 and the wedding was at 5:30. We would be there after the wedding. A few minutes after 5, I got a call from the caterers. The venue was refusing to let them in because my daughter didn't have a member of the wedding party on-site. I started making phone calls and I spoke to the caterers and to Jenna and she informed me that not only did they require someone to be onsite, that person could not leave the premises. My brother ended up missing his niece's wedding ceremony because of this. While my brother was there, he informed Jenna that the one of the two sinks was not working. He was not aware that I had reported it the day before. Jenna told him "add it to your review" and walked away from him. My brother also asked Jenna why they required someone to be onsite when we used approved caterers and why it was never mentioned prior to 30 minutes before the wedding? Jenna told him it is in every contract. I submitted the contract to AI and it said there is nothing in the contract that states we must have someone there. On the contrary, it states my daughter was responsible for scheduling the caterers, which she did. She told Jenna at 4:00 PM the caterers were scheduled for 5:00 PM. Jenna never mentioned we had to be there. The caterers and bartenders apologized to us, several times and said they had never experienced that situation in the 18 plus years they have been working Salomon Farms. My brother asked for Jenna's supervisor, and he was eventually allowed to speak to Amanda. According to my brother, Amanda was rude and did not make any reference to being sorry for the situation or cared that my brother was missing the ceremony. This place wasn't cheap but my daughter loved the location. We spent a lot of money to be treated like crap by Jenna and Amanda and my brother missed the ceremony due to poor communication and lies. Very disappointing. In the greater scope of things, it was a wonderful service and we had a wonderful time, it is just beyond our level of understanding how this happened and how the site did not express an iota of compassion for the situation. They claim it was in the contract by I searched the contract and AI read the document and neither of us could find it. So thank you Jenna, Amanda and the Fort Wayne Park District for a stain on what was otherwise a wonderful day.

I do not recommend this campgrounds to first time camping or inexperienced drivers…read more Adequate campsites, some are just ridiculously tiny even for an experienced driver and a small camper. Very clean and well maintained. Our site is on a slight slope but driving around this morning before all the Friday guests checked in I would say that most of the sites here have some grade but nothing a little bit of blocking won't fix if you can get into the spot. Cell signal I use the one that starts with a "V" is adequate for calls and some data, not sure that streaming a movie during the daytime would be great but music last night streamed just fine. The trails here are nice, well maintained mostly easy, clearly marked and less than a couple miles although the Bloodroot trail is about 12 miles and moderate. We hiked a couple short trails today without any complaints. If you are camping in the back of the modern (electric only) it's a good hike to the trail heads but there are ample places to park if you have the ability to drive to the trail head. The marina "store" sign said is closed this late in the season but about a mile or so down the road is a bait shop with most of what you might have forgot, grocery about 12 miles, American Legion about 20. It appears that DNR goes home at dark and there is no quiet time. 3AM dogs barking loud music and screaming drunks. This park is known for this sort of thing so I was surprised when speaking with a representative of the parks department earlier in the week and they boasted about all the changes that have been made in the recent year. I can say is take your chances. Use special care when booking your campsite especially if you are over 25'. Camp here during the week and pull out before the circus arrives. Otherwise this camp grounds is an epic fail and an embarrassment to the Indiana Department of Natural Resources due to the lack of adequate law enforcement in the evening and night hours.

Adding this spot to the "best sunsets" list! This is for the Salamonie Lake State Park. It was a…read morebit tricky to find with all the construction going on. We actually went way out of our way before figuring out we just needed to be the "thru traffic" and drive through the construction barriers (okay to do to access park). To get to the lake, enter on the west side. It's a great beach area. I very much appreciated that they had the picnic area directly behind the beach (only steps away). This is great for families. You can set up a picnic area & watch the kids swim. They had outhouses available. No lifeguards on duty. Swim at your own risk. We stayed until dusk to watch the sunset. It's worth it! I enjoyed watching all the boats go by too. They have field areas for soccer, etc. and a volleyball nets, piers for swimming. And even a handicap accessible pier! The entire beach is accessible and easy to navigate. A few grills are available to use in the picnic area. There is also a skateboard park in the park but we didn't locate it. There's a marina and camping too. It's really a beautiful park! If you are looking for swimming, boating, or fishing - this is your place! Pack everything you need, because the park is very rural & the nearest store is a Dollar General about 20 mins away. With that being said, an cell signal was also hard to come by.

What an incredible play area. Turf instead of mulch, new and safe equipment, colorful and modern…read more Partially gated. Lots of visibility. Plenty of benches. Some most for cooking parents and kids alike on a hot day. Not particularly accommodating for furry friends, but a really cool free space for kids from one to twelve to expend some energy and make new friends.

I've been making an effort to experience my home state of Indiana a little more these days. From…read morestate parks to roadside attractions to smalltown diners, I've been trying to simply slow down and enjoy Indiana. Chain O' Lakes State Park is one of Indiana's state parks. Located in Albion, a small city of under 2,400 in northeast Indiana's Noble County (think Kendallville), Chain O' Lakes State Park has as its main feature, you guessed it, a chain of lakes. The park has a chain of nine "kettle" lakes (13 lakes total, 9 connected). Kettle lakes are glacial lakes that were formed out of melting ice blocks. Chain O' Lakes offers small boating, 23 miles of forested trails for hiking, a hillside family cabin, a Nature Center, campground, swimming beach, picnic shelters, and the historic Stanley Schoolhouse - a historic one-room schoolhouse. Chain O' Lakes has 426 campsites, 18 cabins, waterfalls, great fishing spots, and you can rent watercraft. This is far enough from Indy that I kind of recommend making it a weekend trip rather than a day trip. There's much to do in Noble County (which also has a decent-sized Amish community). You can canoe a great five-mile path through the park's nine connected lakes (This used to be an official "challenge," though I don't know if it is anymore). There are even canoe camping sites (more isolated than the traditional camping sites). Chain O' Lakes is one of Indiana's under-appreciated gems. It's definitely less accessible than some of the parks, though it has improved somewhat over the years. It's more rustic and natural. It emphasizes outdoor experiences and its just over 2,700 acres feel like you could just get lost in them. The park is only 19 miles northwest of Fort Wayne (Indiana's second largest city), however, it feels like a world away. As someone who typically goes to Fort Ben State Park, I have a major love for these parks where you get there and forget there's a world outside the gates. If you're not the camping type, I'd probably head to Kendallville rather than Albion for the overnight. However, Chain O' Lakes has everything from primitive to more comfortable camping. So, it's easy to find something that works. I hadn't been to Chain O' Lakes in a while. Returning, I was reminded just how much I enjoy the place and how relaxing it is. A few other basics - This is a state park, so there's a fee to enter unless you've gotten the State Park pass (which I recommend for Indiana's 24 state parks). Also, fishing requires the state license and it is enforced. Finally, a couple semi-fun facts. There's a "re-entry center" located directly in the state park with a capacity of 140 incarcerated individuals. It offers educational and treatment programs designed to help people transition into the community - it also helps maintain this park, Pokagon, and the surrounding communities. It's been here since 1967 (and yes, it is safe.). Chain O' Lakes State Park also hosts The HUFF 50k Trail Run/Relay, the 12th largest ultramarathon in North America. Doesn't all this make you want to visit? I'll admit that I tend to stick in the 4-5 star range for most state parks. I love them. In terms of accessibility, I'd go 4-star for Chain O' Lakes. Because it offers so much and is really under-appreciated (in my opinion), I'm bumping it up to 5-stars. The trails, occasionally accessible, really do require someone with mobility issues to have assistance and some simply wouldn't work. Word of caution, as well, with so much water you had best plan for mosquitoes. They can be really serious around here!

Great camping spot! It's always quiet and beautiful. The boat rental closes at 4 ( I couldn't find…read morethe hours) and we didn't know that and got there at 4:05 :( only downside. The trails are good and the Dairy Queen in town is always a nice backup if the hot dogs aren't enough for your hunger

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.

This is a large park in Kokomo that truly has something for everyone. We were originally drawn here…read moreby the largest sycamore tree stump that is on display and the largest steer that is not alive, but a stuffed version is on display. There is parking right next to these attractions and easy access for those who need it. They were both behind glass so the glare made it hard to see both, but they were amusing. Right next to the display was a playground suitable for all ages. The slide is a bit high, and it seemed old, but in good condition. There are also covered picnic tables in the area. Down the ways a bit in the park is a red covered bridge that was fun to walk through and take some photos with. Lastly, there is a large pavilion stage area what was having an orchestra concert, free to attend, and the audience was partially shaded with some picnic tables in the back as well.