This memorial is located at a beautiful location that spans the area over the White River between…read moredowntown Muncie and the wooded Minnetrista. Although the span is lengthy, the walking/bicycling portion of the bridge has great views for visitors as well as periodically spaced enlarged areas where memorial granite pieces have the names of former police and firefighters who have passed in the line of duty. At the time of my visit, the memorials were limited to the southern end of the bridge and hopefully, not need to expand beyond that. From the west side of the bridge you can see the mini dam that breaks the water, creating a small waterfall effect across the river. Review #937

One of two parks dedicated to local area firefighters is located on Hoyt Avenue across from…read moreFirestation No. 3. The triangular park has a memorial section sponsored by the local firefighters union which has flags, a paved and engraved setting, and several adornments like miniature fire hydrants and bald eagles. There is also a miniature statue of a fireman rescuing a child on site. There are some shade trees and a bench on either side of the memorial. Review #928

Just south of the colorful Cornerstone Park on Madison is Fireman's Park (one of two parks…read morededicated to firefighters in Muncie). The park has lots of shade and some benches for visitors to rest on and enjoy the quiet setting. There are a few firefighter themed pieces located on the block: One being a large bronze plated stone and another being a table covered with firefighter symbols. The park has paved paths weaving through the block, but does not have designated parking available for visitors. Review #932

Doesn't the name Minnetrista make you think that you'll be visiting a place with puppets? Like…read moremarionettes, right? Well, I hate to disappoint you, but there are no puppets or marionettes here. But there is an exhibit dedicated to Ball jars. Fun fact: Minnetrista was created by the Ball family, who created Ball canning jars, which you can learn about here. They are also the "Ball" behind Ball State University, which is located in Muncie. I had no idea! You will learn interesting facts like these, and others about this area of Indiana, at Minnetrista. The main museum itself is a bit small, and part of it is conference and meeting rooms. But the museum is just one part of Minnetrista. This is actually a 40-acre campus with gardens and paved trails. As you stroll along the grounds, you'll come across some houses. Some of the houses are part of Minnetrista, and you are welcome to pop inside and check out what's going on. What's going on in one of them is an exhibit dedicated to Bob Ross, the painter. At the Bob Ross Experience, you can step inside the historic home where The Joy of Painting was filmed, and see some of the actual filming equipment and art supplies that were used to create the television show. It's sort of surreal that Bob was painting his happy little trees right here in humble Muncie. Some of the houses that you encounter are not a part of Minnetrista, but belong to IU Health or other entities. It's not really clearly marked on the houses which is which. I'm sure if you consulted a map, it might tell you! I consulted no such map, and I was just walking around blindly. I visited during the late fall, when it was cold and the gardens were dormant, for the most part. But I bet this place is amazing in the spring and summer, when everything is in bloom.

Minnetrista is an event center and museum that was built in 1988 by the five Ball brothers. The…read moremodern center is part of a complex of museums and gardens on the former Ball property that sits across from the White River in Muncie. There is an admission fee to visit the galleries of $15/adult and $12/child, but the ticket grants admission to the other museums and garden as well. During our visit, we saw the Narwhal exhibit, which is a small exhibit dedicated to narwhals. A curator greeted us at the entrance and was available to answer questions. My granddaughter is a narwhal fan enjoyed the interactive displays. We also visited a special children's exhibit called Good Night Forest. Again a curator welcomed us and invited us to build a backpack and enjoy the nighttime activities set up for the kids. My granddaughter loved the firer fly dance, wandering through the dark forest listening for animals and the shadow puppet show. There were fun and educational activities suitable for all ages. We also visited a permanent exhibit describing the Ball Store History. I liked seeing all the vintage items and describing them to my granddaughter. We also toured a display for a local artist competition. The staff is super friendly and engaging. The center is immaculate and accessible. There is plenty of parking in their dedicated lot. Minnetrista is a great legacy from the Ball family to the community. Exhibits change and can be found on their website. I highly recommend a visit if you like art and history.

It has been nine years since my original review of Indiana's longest rail-trail, the Cardinal…read moreGreenway. Despite the popularity of Central Indiana's Monon Trail, the Cardinal Greenway is a much longer trail at 62 miles of paved trail and another 15 miles of road that many bicyclists use (from Gaston to Jonesboro). I just finished the Cardinal Greenway yet again for one of my Tenderness Tour events, an annual long-distance wheelchair event that I use for fundraising and outreach. As is nearly always the case for me, I started at the Sweetser Switch Trail in Sweetser, Indiana, a smaller trail that leads right into the Cardinal Greenway. My review is based largely upon my experiences as a wheelchair user on the trail, though some of my insights will universally apply. As someone who enjoys long distances, the Cardinal Greenway is ideally suited for a 2-3 trek. It's a mostly wheelchair friendly trail, though some with upper body weakness may struggle on some of the inclines. I will also note that while the Cardinal Greenway tends to have a decent number of trailheads with portable toilets, some of these are surrounded by gravel and may be more difficult to navigate for wheelchair users. \Additionally, multiple parking areas had clearly marked accessible parking yet were either only gravel or had a surface that was so uneven you'd be a fool to try it in a wheelchair. So, a little advance planning is probably a good idea for wheelchair users. Fortunately, the Cardinal has a good team behind it and it's fairly easy to get accurate info. I'd originally given the Cardinal Greenway a 4-star review precisely because of some of my accessibility concerns. I'm increasing to a 5-star this time around because, quite honestly, accessibility has improved over the years and I've simply fallen in love with this trail. It's a fun mixture of city and rural sections. If starting in Sweetser, the lovely Sweetser Cafe is directly off the trailhead and a great place to stop for breakfast/brunch or a drink (before 2pm). In the rural areas, you can go for miles without seeing more than a few people. The Marion section, which goes directly through the more urban parts of Marion, still seems to be under-utilized but is honestly a lot of fun. It looks a little rough, however, I've never had a single issue wheeling through Marion. As you move out of Marion, you start to experience the country area and, of course, once you hit Gas City you either decide to try the bike trail (not advised for walkers...minimal shoulder and occasionally busy traffic) or pick up in Gaston. I loved the Gaston to Muncie stretch and it takes you through downtown Muncie. The trail's main office is at Wysor Street in Muncie, an area I was told isn't the greatest but looks deceptively calm. Again, I had no problems at all but staying aware is important. I will note that the Wysor Street Depot is a beautiful historic landmark that serves as the Cardinal office - yet, it appeared they've reduced their hours. After Muncie, you have a fairly significant period of a modest incline. It was an exhausting stretch for me that ended in Losantville. This is a particularly long stretch and those who want to do an overnight will probably leave the trail in Losantville and stay in Winchester. Losantville to Richmond is, with a couple of exceptions, a pretty nice downhill. Among the three major cities on the trail, I was most impressed with Richmond's care for the trail with the exception of the ending D Street Trailhead that is located in a hard to find and rather run down area a few blocks from City Hall. The trailhead itself is nice and I found several nice people upon my arrival, but the area itself just seems an odd place to end such a wonderful trail. I've always loved this trail and the people I meet along it. The Cardinal Greenway is in the Rail-Trail Hall of Fame (as is the Monon) and continues to get even better every time I ride it. The restroom situation, in particular, has really improved and over 20 trailheads now have a restroom option. If you're looking for a modestly challenging and scenic trail, the Cardinal Greenway is a tremendous option and easily within a couple hours of Indy even at its most distant point in Marion or Richmond.

My husband and I recently biked the cardinal greenway and had such a nice time. We parked at the…read morestop in gas city and it had a nice lot and bathrooms. We rode north 10 miles and back. The trail is Good despite a decent amount of bumps which can be rough in a road bike. The bridges and scenery were great though. Fun ride!

Don't overlook the Muncie Children's Museum--we played for over 3 hours and still weren't ready to…read moreleave! Think less traditional museum and more imaginative, hands-on pretend play. A massive upstairs train room A giant bird's nest to climb into A water table with three unique play features An entire pretend-play town with everything from a veterinary office to a marsh A dedicated toddler area An ant maze ...and so much more! Admission: $8 per person (ages 1-100) Hours: * Wednesday-Saturday: 10 AM-5 PM * Sunday: 1 PM-5 PM The museum participates in the Access for All program, offering reduced admission and discounted memberships for qualifying families enrolled in programs like SNAP, WIC, Medicaid, and HIP. Bonus savings: * Find a $1 off general admission coupon online (valid for up to 4 people; cannot be combined with other offers). * Kids who complete the coloring page available at admission can redeem it for a free sand jar from the gift shop. A few things to know: * The building is older, but they're continuing to add new exhibits and experiences. * Only parts of the museum are stroller and wheelchair accessible. Before or after your visit, walk just two blocks to The Caffinery--one of my favorite kid-friendly coffee shops, complete with a play area for little ones.

This place is fine. It isn't an Indianapolis, or an Ogden Utah Children's Museum but this one was…read morefine, especially for a small community and for the price of entry. If it's raining outside or your kids are bored, give it a go.

During my recent cross-state Tenderness Tour event, I had the pleasure of traveling by wheelchair…read morethe full-length of three Indiana trails - the Nickel Plate, the Cardinal Greenway, and this trail - the White River Greenway in Muncie. It should be noted that there are multiple trails that go by White River Greenway, not surprising considering the White River is a long river in Indiana and an ideal location for a walking/bicycling/wheelchair friendly trail. This trail, which connects to the Cardinal Greenway and is run by the Cardinal Greenways organization, is a just shy of 5.6 mile trail that is a beautiful weaving together of urban trail meets natural pathway. The White River Greenway in Muncie has a couple obvious places where you can easily park and tie into it - the Historic Depot area that serves as the Cardinal Greenways headquarters and Westside Park. The trail itself meanders its way through multiple Muncie area parks including Westside, McCulloch, and Tuhey. The trail is asphalt throughout, though it's worth noting that it does have some hilly areas, especially around Westside Park, and there are sections of the trail where you will actually need to cross streets. One of the true delights of the trail is that it crosses the campus of Minnetrista Center. an educational, arts, historical facility with a children's garden, nature preserve, and a focus on East Central Indiana life. It was once a Ball family estate (think the Ball jars). They are pretty famous in this area and have a wide variety of places named after them. I mean, seriously. Ball State University anyone? It's not uncommon to see wildlife on the trail, though it's typically in the form of birds, such as herons, and geese were prevalent on the Westside Park section of the trail. When you arrive near the parks, you can also access a variety of recreational equipment, shelters, picnic areas, etc. The folks at Cardinal Greenways take great pride in making their trails ADA compliant and, indeed, the White River Greenway is no exception including a wetlands area. However, you should know there's no actual restroom facilities on the trail - there is a public restroom in the Cardinal Greenways office that is just off the trail. The day that I wheeled the White River Greenway it was a rainy mess as Indiana got hit by the post-hurricane rains. The inclines near Westside Park are just steep enough that someone with a weak upper body or any other type of mobility issue may not want to travel the trail without a partner. While you are never actually right next to the water, thus, the risk of actually falling in is minimal, you should know that there's no real barriers other than grass between the trail and the river. It's quite beautiful, but it is a river. Additionally, while I had no issues with the geese it's well known that geese can be a bit attitudinal at times and appropriate precautions should be taken - mostly, it seemed, if you leave them alone they'll leave you alone. This wasn't quite a 5-star trail to me, but it is easily a 4-star trail. The trail itself is ADA compliant, though it's occasionally steep inclines may keep some from doing the trail independently. For a trail that's actually within the city, you can't get much more beautiful. As is true for most trails, motorized vehicles are off limits but this trail is walker, bicycle, stroller, and for the most part wheelchair friendly.