‍ Geist Waterfront Park is SO much more than a beach!…read more If you haven't been yet, add this one to your summer playground list because there are multiple playground areas, a beach, walking trail, and tons of ways for kids to play! ‍ BIG Pirate Ship Playground * Huge pirate ship * Rock wall * Rope climbing * Lookout area * 2 slides Toddler Playground * Double slide + regular slide * Fully enclosed so little ones can't easily wander or fall out * 3 adorable rocking critters And there's SO much more: 4 different types of swings 2 spinning pieces of equipment Tall rope-climbing pyramid Turf ground 3 mini shelters + 1 large shelter Lots of benches for parents Shipwreck Sand Playground * Small boat * Water feature * Digger * Wooden table + chairs * 2 little houses * Driftwood climbing structure Parent perk: Bathrooms are located at the front and there's an adult-size changing table! Beyond the playgrounds: * Swimming access * Non-motorized boat launch * Dock access for kayaks, canoes & paddle boards in season * Seasonal concessions stand GOOD TO KNOW: Geist Waterfront Park is FREE for Fishers residents and FREE for everyone during non-peak hours. During peak hours, 1-6 PM Saturdays & Sundays, as well as Memorial Day, Independence Day & Labor Day, it is $25 per car. Geist Waterfront Park -- Fishers, IN If your kids love boats, sand, and climbing, this one is a must! ‍

What an awesome park with a beach and playground on Geist Reservoir! The beach area is huge and…read moreperfect for kids to play in the sand and water and sunbathing. The mesh walkway is thoughtful for strollers and wheelchairs. I saw people swimming laps and kayaking in the lake. Lifeguards were on duty. The playgrounds are fun with a sand area that the toddlers love. The larger playground has a ship theme with lots of climbing structures. I saw plenty of shaded seating for parents near the playgrounds. The amenities are abundant with restrooms, snack bar, lifeguards, outdoor showers and lots of picnic areas. Individual pavilions are available for private family functions. I even saw lounge chairs for sunbathers available. The landscaping is immaculate. Parking is abundant and there was no charge to use the facility. Walkways are accessible. This is one of the nicest parks in the area. Bring the kids, sunscreen, towels, water and picnic supplies.

I took my dog here for a trail walk. Unfortunately, there was construction going on so we mostly…read moreended up on the Nickel Plate trail instead. Despite the unforeseen detour we enjoyed visiting the creek and the parts of the trail we could. There are lots of bugs in the woods near the creek but other than this I recommend visiting. It's very peaceful.

Cheeney Creek is a nice nature area just south of downtown Fishers. This area features paved and…read morenature trails with tall trees to keep things cool in the summer. If you prefer to walk/hike in the shade, Cheeney Creek is a good place to visit. The trails aren't particularly long, clocking in at around two miles. There is more to see with the nature trails since they run adjacent to a large pond. There are several spots and a dock that are ideal for fishing. Cheeney Creek was moderately busy during a weekend visit. I ran into a few folks here or there and some bikers, but that's about it. Afterwards you can take a short walk or drive to 116th street for some refreshments.

It's a little bit rare that I discover a spot previously unknown to me, however, this was the case…read moretoday when I visited Oliver's Woods Nature Preserve. I was between tasks near Castleton and decided to do a Yelp search to see if I could snag a review or two during my free time. As is often the case for me, I searched for "parks" and Oliver's Woods popped up along with a review from the always dependable Nicole S. It's amazing to me that I've driven by this preserve many times without realizing its existence. In fact, even while looking for it today I drove by it a couple of times before realizing the place where I needed to turn. It's not particularly well marked from River Road. As it turns out, this is part of its charm. Oliver's Woods Nature Preserve is a 56-acre preserve owned by the Central Indiana Land Trust. It includes 16 acres of woods, 37 acres of prairie-savanna restoration, and a mile of White River frontage. As is true for most preserves under Central Indiana Land Trust, Oliver's Woods is fairly light in development but a fairly nice effort toward some ADA accessibility is noteworthy. It's not perfectly accessible but, let's be honest, nature seldom is perfectly accessible. As Nicole S. notes, this is a rather sublime weaving together of urban and nature. In fact, I really expected this to be more like a pocket park considering it's situated so close to an office park, apartments, and a nearby shopping center along with the highway. Remarkably, this is simply a well preserved area of nature amidst it all. In terms of accessibility, the accessible parking is by the Daugherty house. Oliver Daugherty, who passed away in 2009, donated the property to Central Indiana Land Trust and some unexpected funding received allowed for increased development of it in 2017. The accessible parking spot allowed for access to a .6 mile trail made of crushed gravel. I'm a wheelchair user and had no issues with it. However, it's worth noting that parking in the usual parking lot is more difficult because the gravel isn't quite as crushed. While the preserve is open daily, there are specific times when a volunteer docent is available to give a tour of the preserve. There is a canoe launch available for any craft legally allowed on the water in the city of Indianapolis that you can carry to/from the river from the drop-off area in front of the Daugherty House. The southern half of the Town Run Trail Park also runs through this property with an agreement that was made between Indy Parks and Daugherty himself. Volunteers have helped plant native trees and plants and to remove invasive species. "This special care is allowing native species like wild ginger, Virginia bluebells, waterleaf, wild hyacinth and trillium to flourish," according to the CILT website. Because this is so wooded and you are along White River, seeing wildlife is also a strong possibility. This is not a "recreational" preserve other than the ability to launch a canoe. This is a wonderful preserve for enjoying nature, appreciating White River, and enjoying a short but nicely done trail. There are signs around the preserve explaining the preserve (including at the Daugherty House). Quite honestly, I'd have loved living here. I saw one other vehicle while I was here, though I never saw the person associated with that vehicle. I did hear traffic and the highway, though on a warm and sunny Fall day it all felt really perfect. Now that I know this is here, there's no doubt I'll return!

Oliver's Woods Nature Preserve is truly an urban oasis. You can see and hear the vehicles roar by…read morefrom I-465, just a short distance away. You walk through tall grasses as you walk past billboard signs. I love the city and I tolerate nature, so this place is a great combination of both for me. There are hiking trails here, but they're not clearly marked, so as we were walking and enjoying nature, we encountered several mountain bikers who raced past us. There must have been some sort of mountain biking thing going on, because there were a lot of bikers at the park. We must have been on the biking trail, because we didn't see any other walkers, just bikers. The path is super slim, so we had to duck into the brush whenever we saw a bicycler, which was every three to five minutes. Eventually, we headed back and found an actual walking path. All this to say: If you find a dirt path that is jutted, it's probably not the walking path -- it's the biking path. Once we found the walking path, it was very pretty and peaceful. The hiking / walking path will take you to the boat launch, where you can take your boat out onto the White River. It will also take you to the Daugherty House, which is a house that belonged to the original owner of the property, Oliver Daugherty. You can't go inside the house, but you can look at the outside, and there are signs and QR codes that give you more information about it. We found a lot of native plants here, including wild raspberries that were ripe and ready for picking. We also saw a beaver (!) and trekked across a stream that fed into the White River. This is such a cool place, and it's a true Indianapolis hidden gem.

Great place for adventure and activities for kids. They loved scout camp there. It's beautiful and…read moreclean.the climbing wall is great.

What a great program! Scouts have the opportunity to learn and be exposed to various outdoor…read moreactivities and the elements in a well maintained/balance wooded area. Troops have access to the property for beginning and end of the year activities. During the summer, the property host many scout groups for scout camp. There, each day is schedule out and includes events like cooking class, archery, rifle range and more. The staff that runs this program and volunteers in each group are amazing.

Hands down, the best campground on earth run by the coolest owner, Ranger Pete!…read more Zero hassles--just park, have a great time, then walk across the street to Ruoff/Deer Creek for the show, and walk back to party like you're at home. Sleepybear is #1!"

Best place to part/tailgate/camp for any show at "Deer Creek"!!!!! Great people, no hassles, easy…read morein and easy out!!

The Geist area has some amazing parks. Geist Park is one of them. The park is dedicated to the late…read moreCarl Verble, a former developer and resident of Fortville. I visited the park last week. The main feature of the park is the historic Bell Ford Covered Bridge, which opened last year. The bridge was moved from Jackson County and reimagined as a new crossing over Fall Creek on part of the trail system. The bridge and creek offer a picturesque backdrop for visitors. A set of trails moves along the creek. The creek attracts fisherman. I saw something new and impressive. The stairs leading down from the bridge had a slot for bike tires so skilled bikers could roll right down the stairs. The playground was packed with small kids. The climbing structure is awesome! The swings work for many different levels of skill. I particularly liked the covered bench seating for tired grandparents. I saw a pavilion with picnic tables and grills. Restrooms are available on the back side of the pavilion. The parking lot is large and accessible. The park is well loved yet still immaculate. I'd be here everyday if I lived closer.

Such a beautiful, scenic well maintained park 9 minutes away from the reservoir. We wanted to spend…read moretime at the reservoir but also spend some quite time with friends and Geist Park hit the spot! Clean park, well maintained shelter areas and a nice play area for kids. They also have restrooms which is always an added bonus. Decent size parking lot and pretty location!

The Christian Park MultiPurpose Room has got to be the most hidden gem for event rentals in…read moreIndianapolis. It was actually the original gymnasium for the park before they built a new one in 2004. The rooms is 55' by 30' with original wood floor in great condition. We used it for a little rollerskate photoshoot and the rental is only $45/hr! They have 90 chairs, fourteen 6' tables, five 8' tables, and 3 each of two different sizes of round tables. I want to host a kids birthday party here soon, but honestly, the vibe in the space is so good you could bring in a rental company to do fancy chairs and this would make a killer wedding venue, it's that good. If you also need a kitchen, you can add on kitchen rental for just $25 an hour. There also two small classroom spaces you can rent for 25/40 so you could have a getting ready space.

The owner of this company, Robbie, refused to honor vouchers that were bought from a radio station…read morebecause they had expired. They expired in October of 2021-clearly deep into the pandemic- He didn't offer any amount of anything for them. I told him we were uncomfortable going during the summer of 2021. He told me "The pandemic was over last summer" & I said "actually it's still going on"...He got super angry & through clenched teeth yelled to me "You shut your mouth!" Then turns to his staff & says "they're not going"

A couple Workers are extremely rude, this one older lady in particular is never kind. We always…read morehave an awesome time on the river but they do not give us a good jumpstart to our day