Anderson Park is a 7-acre park in Plainfield with its primary feature being a skate park that's…read moreopen seasonally (April-October). The skate park can be reserved. The park opened in 1983 and is named after Frank Anderson, a longtime park employee and foreman. I always kind of chuckle when a fairly modest park is a "memorial" park. I'm thinking Hummel and Swinford got better deals. There's a decent amount of greenery here with trails, shelters, and picnic tables. The park is considered pet friendly. While I no longer skateboard (both age and disability), I did when I was younger and during good weather it's a blast watching kids of all ages boarding in the park. The skate park has ramps, grind rails, ledges, bowls, and is easily great for beginners and experienced boarders. I'd say the skate park seems a little better maintained than the overall park, however, it's also a much newer feature. There's not much else to be said about this relatively small park. It's best for those wanting to take an easy walk or those wanting to try some not so easy skateboarding. If you're looking for many other features, I'd likely check out one of Plainfield's bigger parks.

Sitting on only 7 acres, this park is Plainfield's smallest park, by far. The State of Indiana…read moredonated the land to Plainfield a few years ago. The city named the park in honor of Frank Anderson, a 27-year park employee and foreman. There is really no parking for this park outside of the roundabout located in the front of it. However, The much larger Swinford Park, which it is connected by a pedestrian walkway that crosses South Center Street. It is also connected to the nearby Hummel Park via a walkway that winds south along South Center. The park is home to a decent sized picnic shelter. But since I visited the park in the winter, there were no picnic tables under there. They were removed for the off-season. You will also find an "OK" fitness trail with equipment and directions on how to use said equipment. There is a push up station, and a sit up station, to name a few. Being such a small park, there is a lot of green space with benches places around to sit and relax. I did not see any playground equipment or restrooms, but if that is what you are looking for, you will find that and much more right across the street at Swinford Park. This is a what you see is what you get kind of park. There is not much to it. The main draw for this park is its skate park, which is open from Aril through October. It is a very nice skate park and can get packed. The only other utility I see of this park is its pavilion and green space. It would be a nice semi-secluded place to host a party or special event. The field, which is in good shape, could be used to run around, play catch, have a soccer game, fly a kite, or have a football game.

This is a small pocket park located in Cumberland and was dedicated in 1999. It does not have a…read moredesignated parking lot. So, I was able to find a spot on the side of the road to park in and visit the park. It also does not have a bathroom, but there is a port-a-potty nearby. The park is fenced completely fenced in has a grill that is off by itself, a small patch of green space that you could play catch or have a picnic. The park has a bank of toddler/traditional/ADA swings, a small playground area with a tunnel and a medium sized jungle gym with slides, a tunnel bridge and a rock climbing wall. The equipment is in decent shape, but one of the swings is missing off of the bank. You will find a picnic tables under a shade tree and a few benches at the park, one of which overlooks the play area. The park also has a less than half basketball court with a rim that appears to be about 7 or 8 feet high. I finally found a court that I can dunk on. Anyway, the court is decent and is perfect for a little one to shoot around. It is not a very good court to run a game. In the back corner of the park you will find a small memorial to notable Cumberland residents. A ceremony honoring those citizens is held annually at the park. This is decent park, but definitely not a destination park, and is used primarily by families in the nearby neighborhoods, which explains the lack of a parking lot. It seems to be adequately maintained, but does not get a lot of use. I was teetering between at a 3.5 rating, but felt that the park was closer to a three than a 4 due to lack of amenities.

Honors Park in Cumberland is one of the town's newer parks. It's practically the definition of a…read moreneighborhood park with a focus on playground equipment for smaller children and a fenced in perimeter to keep those same children safe. The playground equipment is your basic equipment - swing set, slide, stuff to climb on. While someone in a wheelchair could technically wheel to the area, this is not an accessible park. The best feature of Honors Park is its memorial monument area. The monument is engraved with the names of Honors Park honorees - the recognition honors those who've contributed to the growth and welfare of the town of Cumberland and specifically cannot include active politicians. Honors Park has the usual greenery that you'd expect. While it's not a fancy park, Cumberland takes their park areas seriously and Honors Park is no exception. It's beautifully green, well kept, and the playground equipment is in good condition. While it's far from a destination park, it's a nice neighborhood park for those in the area.

This park can be accessed from two entrances. One send you through a neighborhood and the other…read morethrough an apartment complex. I came through the apartment complex. It is located in the shadow of Greenwood High School. the park has two decent sized parking lots, one at each entrance. It also has a poorly maintained sand volleyball court. The playground is not much better. It has a couple of swings and a small jungle gym with 3 slides. There is an adequate bathroom facility at the park, but they request that you be prepared and bring your own sanitizing and hand washing supplies. The park has a covered pavilion with picnic tables under it and grills nearby that can be rented for events. There are also picnic tables placed across the park grounds. The park's soccer field is huge and well maintained. It can be used for football, batting practice, playing catch, or just lounging. There is another field that has a chain-linked backdrop that can be used for kickball, t-ball or other similar activities. This seems like a cool park to bring your four legged friend. They provide poop bags, it is not very popular and very quiet. I enjoyed my visit to this park, but do not think that it will be one of my go-to parks. It has a lot of amenities to offer, but I did not see a jogging/walking trail. I see this park as more of one that you visit if you are in the area or live near by.

This park is mainly athletic fields with a small playground area for kids. There are volleyball…read morecourts (sandy), soccer, and baseball fields. There is a shelter with a grill available. There is even a permanent restroom open during the summer months. The park is located just west of US 31 at the end of a short road that leads south from Smith Valley Road. There are signs that warn about No Vehicles allowed, but if you slow down, you can see that they say No Vehicles allowed off road, so it is okay to drive back. One of the nice things that coincides with the park is a trail that leads to other parks in Greenwood if you like hiking or biking. You can catch the near the entrance to this park. Tip: Avoid going here during rush hour. Smith Valley gets a lot of traffic and turning left to head west when leaving could take a long while. Review #545

This park is off of the beaten path. It is a nice park that is well maintained. It has a large…read moreshelter with picnic tables under it and a couple of grills just outside of it. There are some restrooms located in the small building that is connected to the shelter and you will find an empty cement slab just off of the shelter. The park features a white gazebo that I do not see having any other purpose other then photo ops. Additionally there is a fire pit and grill in the green space on that side of the park. On the other side of the park is a smaller shelter with picnic tables under it and a grill just outside of it. Parking spaces are not marked very good at this park, but there are more than enough places that you can find to park. I ended up parking between the playground area and small shelter. The park is home to a decent playground area which is lined with wood chips and has benches along its perimeter where parents and caregivers can sit while their littles play. The playground's center piece is a huge jungle gym with a bunch of slides, and bridges. You will also find a smaller jungle gym here a few slides, tunnels and a small canopy. There is a huge canopy in that area without anything under it. Other of the parks playground equipment includes a bank of toddler/expression swings and another bank of traditional/ADA swings. The equipment is very nice, looks relatively new and is in great shape. The entire park is well maintained. The park has a decent amount of well maintained green space around that would be suitable for picnics, playing catch, or a soccer/football game. Just be aware that the much of the green space next to the playground area is private property and is marked as such. Even with out that large plot of land, the park has more than enough green space for you to have fun on. This hidden gem of a park, may not be a destination park but is worth a visit if you are local or in the area.

This park can be found one block north and a few blocks west of the stop sign in Clayton. This six…read moreacre park appears much larger because there is private property connected to the park with a lot of lawn. The actual park has a large shelter (which can be rented) and a smaller shelter back by the playground. There are some mature trees on the southeast corner, but not what enough to call a woods. There has been a recent addition of a gazebo which makes for frequent photographs. A parking lot exists next to the large shelter and a small driveway leads back to the smaller shelter/playground area. It doesn't have lines drawn for parking spaces, but is wide enough to turn your car around if you decide to park there. Review #808

Although there isn't much to look at yet, this park has a lot of potential and should be a place of…read moregreat benefit to Franklin as years go by. South of downtown (in a space across South Street from the cemetery), three blocks of lawn with a few mature trees have been planted with numerous trees and had trails put in to wander through. Though most of the trees are relatively small now, I can see this being a tremendous wooded area with room for each tree to grow while offering shaded paths for visitors to wander. Currently, there are just a few parallel parking places on the north end of the park along South St. One of the amenities that has been added is the addition of a Story Walk along one of the looping trails in the middle block. As you walk along the trail, there are numbered stands that feature the pages of a story. I am not sure how often the story is changed. To add a bit of color, islands of flowers have been planted along the trails to break up the green lawn. I hope I live long enough to see this park reach maturity and take advantage of the clever idea of this park. Review #1004

I live not far from Indy's Ellenberger Park, an Irvington landmark designed by George Edward…read moreKessler and opened in 1909. This makes it one of Indy's oldest public parks. The pool opened in 1930 and in 1962 an ice rink was installed. The park encompasses 42 acres and includes two playgrounds, sand volleyball courts, tennis courts, football/softball/baseball areas, and has played host to the popular Irvington Farmer's Market. It's also a popular spot for Indy Parks concerts. Those into geocaching should note the park actually is host to multiple individual geocaches. The park is actually surprisingly undeveloped. It has rolling hills, a popular spot for winter sledding, and a good amount of the park doesn't even have sidewalks. It's remained quite natural over the years with lots of mature trees. As a wheelchair user, of course, this can be somewhat frustrating given that a certain amount of development is needed to be accessible. While I love Ellenberger Park as a place to visit, there are geocaches I can't reach and places where I risk tipping over if I venture to them. Trust me, I've done it more than once. The park is close to most Irvington area restaurants along with the adjacent Pleasant Run and nearby 10th Street. The Park is named after John Ellenberger, whose family owned much of the land in the area and who'd been generous with the community and had often let residents use the land. In fact, there was controversy when the park was "officially" established as it required a tax hike. People couldn't figure out why they were being asked to pay taxes for something they'd already been using for free. But, they did. The park temporarily changed names, but residents again protested and it returned to Ellenberger Park as it has been since the early 1920s. Ellenberger Park lacks sheltered picnic areas and public restrooms. There was talk of creating more parking, but it would have cost the sledding hill and that was too steep a price to pay (Sorry, couldn't resist). The ice rink was closed in 2009 due to needed repairs that were deemed too expensive. Even the ball fields don't have seating with them. Ellenberger Park is that rarity - a rather large park more focused on nature than activity. While I can't quite go a 5-star because of accessibility issues and some general upkeep concerns, it remains a place I visit often.

This park is huge covering about 42 acres. It dates back to the early 1900s. It is a nice park,…read moreespecially for walker/joggers. There is adequate parking, especially by the pool. The park has a very nice paved trail to run. It trail is pretty flat and is rock/dirt. There is also more woodsy trails available to hike if you so desire. That trail runs along a small creek. Additionally, You will find benches and picnic tables scattered across along the trail across the park. I did not see any restroom facilities around the park. I did however, see a few porta-potties. The park's tennis courts (2 sets of 4) are in need of repair. The nets are decent, but the courts themselves are ragged. It has a unique set up, The fence is tall in the back and short on the sides. It makes it easy to watch, but I can imagine some balls sailing over the fence. The park is home to a huge green field that is well maintained. There is where you will find a football field, or at least two opposing goal posts and two baseball/kickball fields. Those fields are the pure basic and they do not offer many amenities or features. The field can be used for activities such as playing catch, frisbee, soccer, kite flying, and field hockey. It was surprised to see that the park had an aquatic complex, however, it is not operational and was empty. It does look like it has a lot of potential though. There is a small playground at the park that consist of a swing set with an older set of swings and an accessible jungle gym that has parallel bars and slides. The ground is lined with wood chips. The park is also home to a sand volleyball court and some of the most bold squirrels I have seen. They are not afraid of people at all. The volleyball court is decent, nothing special. The Irvington Farmers Market, day camp, community water gun fight and some concerts are hosted here. It is a nice park to play sports or workout. The playgrounds are a bit lacking and would probably not be as fun for kids.

This is strictly a nature park. The park has nothing to offer outside of trails, a bridge, fields,…read moreand a creek. The park has an adequate parking lot that is easily accesible. There is no paved path to get to the park from the parking lot and you will have to trek a little hill. The parking lot serves as the trail head to the Worthsville Road Trail and there are plans to connect the park to the trail system at Central Nine Education Center. There is a bridge that is covered in graffiti. I am normally not a graffiti person, but the artwork gives the normally average bridge some personality. This bridge is not complete and consists of only beams. It can be used to cross over the creek, but it will take some skill. If you are not feeling adventurous and want to get over to the other side there is another dirt bridge, a little further down that you can use. The park sits on 10 acres and has about 5 miles of trails. It is a wide open park and in addition to the creek, you will see a small little island that serves as home to some ducks and fields of bright yellow flowers. It is a low maintenance, low risk park that lacks a playground, bathroom, or other amenities, but it still works. With this park, it is what it is.....a pure nature park. The trails are ok, but the grass is tall in some places. I guess it has not gotten enough traffic trampling through ye. This is not a destination park, but a place to go to get in touch with nature. Its trail system also has some value. The parking lot has lighting and the park is relatively new and does not get many visitors (They do not even have a sign up yet). I guess that it is so new that the word has not got out yet.

I'm really starting to appreciate nature and hiking. This park is a nice spot for a peaceful walk…read more I visited with my son to enjoy some quality time and nature, and it's conveniently close to our home. It wasn't very busy the day we came. The park has shelters and multiple walking trails, which gives you options depending on how far you want to go. I noticed people taking family pictures at this park. One of the highlights was the water along the trail which adds a really pretty, calming touch to the scenery. The weather was decent temperature but a bit gloomy the day we went, and there were a lot of leaves on the trail. We didn't check the map and just kind of winged it, so parts of the trail were hard to follow because the leaves covered the path, but it wasn't an issue. Overall, we enjoyed the walk, the quiet surroundings, and the chance to bond while taking in what nature has to offer.

Southeastway Park is a hidden 188 acre treasure in the southeast corner of Marion County. The Park…read morehas trails through sycamore filled woods, picnic areas, a large playground and a naturalist center. Best of all, the park is free. The park maintains several natural habitats including a pond, wetland, prairie and Buck Creek. The setting is perfect for bird watching, hiking, running, walking the dog or enjoying a sunset. The six shelters can be reserved (rented) for parties, meetings, picnics for $135 for residents of Marion County or $160 for non-residents. The naturalist center/classroom can also be reserved during certain months. There are lots of picnic tables available on first come basis. There is a bathroom facility available in the warmer months. The naturalists run special educational programs throughout the year including summer day camps for the kids, a bug festival, maple syrup tapping in late winter and hayrides in the fall. The Park will be hosting eclipse viewing on April 8. I was visiting the Master Naturalist Class, a but also took my dog on a nice walk. The park is open dawn til dusk and worth a visit. Plan on spending a couple hours. Be sure to bring your bug repellent.