Our favorite state park in Indiana. My friends and I camp here for a four day weekend at least…read moreonce a year, and sometimes visit for just a day hiking trip and picnic. The campgrounds are excellent, especially Taylor Ridge. But be aware that you need to make reservations ahead of time, especially if you are planning a fall camping trip. Campsites sell out early. Shower rooms are decent, not wonderful. But satisfactory for a campground. Quiet hours are strictly observed, and the park rangers will pay a visit to your campsite if you aren't quiet after 10:00 pm Once we received a visit from a friendly park ranger when we were playing cards around 11 pm. We hadn't realized that we were being noisy at all but the ranger advised us that sound carries throughout the campground. Hiking trails range from easy to moderate. Trail maps are available are the trails are well marked. You will likely see deer and raccoons when hiking the trails. Some members of our group enjoy mountain biking too.

Brown county is a must go spot for Fall and beware everyone goes there for Fall! Last weekend was…read morevery crowded taking about 30 minutes just to cross the entrance. Past the crowd, the views were everything! It was eye candy and so worth the traffic, wait time and people. The park itself is very huge and has a couple entrance points and is well maintained. We hiked the Straul Lake hike and it's an easy 1 mile hike which had exceptional views- I just couldn't stop looking! The lookout points are another easy way to stop and click pictures, enjoy the views and just relax. Beware that internet depending on your provider can be hard to find. All in all brown county is a name for a reason. So worth the hype!

Hands down the BEST place to stay in brown county with a friendly, knowledgeable, and skilled…read morestaff. The grounds are clean and they offer a lot to enjoy. They're my favorite place to visit in the area. Outstanding grounds and above and beyond staff.

I had a blast here playing paintball. I called ahead, made reservations, they told me when to get…read morethere for our 1pm start time. We had 20 people and they were so organized. When we got there, we followed the signs to paintball. We went into the place that looked like it would be the office, it was. We made sure everyone signed the waiver, a few of us wanted overalls. We got everything done and we were ready for our safety / procedure instructions. After that, we started the paintball fight! We split in two teams, the teams were mixed each session, we played about 6 rounds with 3 different games and then it was time for us to head home - we could have been there longer, but we had a schedule to keep. Overall - it was a fun time for everyone.

If you want to be imprisoned in your recreational vehicle, then this is your place to be. Not…read moreenough space between sites or comfort. They're all about making money and not about the comfort of their customers.

Under new ownership and new name, Friends O Mine rv park. Now has the Good Sam endorsement. Clean,…read morequiet, on-site active management. Highly recommend staying here.

We had the best weekend getaway here and are so happy to have found this spot through a friend of a…read morefriend. This forest has many camping sites, but they don't let yo reserve any before arriving. Our friend recommended arriving before 2pm to hopefully get a spot. We arrived then on one of the busiest most beautiful fall weekends and scored the LAST spot. Woohoo! We were allowed two tents on our camping spot, which came with a bonfire set up and cooking rack. There was a wooden bathroom only a few steps away and a lake within walking distance as well. The bathrooms didn't have sinks, but there was a water spigot down the road if needed. Most people camping here came for four or five days at a time and had awesome RV or airstreams set up on their camping sites. Therefore, most people went to bed quite early and we weren't bothered by anyone being too loud. Everyone had great fires going and we liked not being the only ones out here. The building where you pay for your campsite also had $5 log bundles you could buy, so we got a couple of those. There were tons of sticks and leaves around that we used to build up our fire as well. This spot is only a fifteen minute drive from Nashville, IN, so is such a great spot. Go check it out!

This review is specifically for the Jackson Creek trail…read more Overall rating: DNR - Do Not Recommend! Sure, there are some scenic views but the trail is pretty poorly marked. It is an "interpretive" trail but the interpretative markers don't have any description. Let's hope you took a picture of the map at the trail head! This could be a lot nicer with some TLC.

What a great spot! Feels like a million miles away from Bloomington. So calm and peaceful…read more We enjoyed the well marked hiking trails. Would love to return and get out on the water!

Visiting Griffy Lake was one of my favorite adventures while in Bloomington for a fall weekend…read moregetaway. It's a scenic, windy drive to the lake with a large parking lot. It even looks like you can rent kayaks and boats here. We followed the boardwalk path and enjoy sitting on the bench admiring the fall foliage before following the path through the woods and marsh area. On a Sunday morning, there were families and dogs walking through the trails.

Paradise made it very easy for me and my family to set sail on Lake Monroe this summer. We had…read morenever been on a boat together before, and I was kind of wondering what I had gotten ourselves into when we stepped aboard. The thoughts running through my head included: How the heck does a boat work? How am I going to shuttle us along safely when I've never driven a boat before? And other anxious boating thoughts. But luckily, Paradise makes it easy to rent a vessel and take it out on the lake, even if you've never driven a boat before. First, when you book your reservation, you are directed to watch a long video about the dos and don't of boating on a lake. Then, the kind people at Paradise go over the rules again when you're there before you shuttle off. It turns out that boating isn't super difficult, as long as you follow some common-sense rules! And also, always wear a life jacket! We rented a pontoon, which is great if you have kids with you because this vessel has a canopy that provides lots of shade. Kids can't be in the sun all day, you know! The pontoons also have lots of storage space so you have places to put all of your snacks and extra supplies. We spent about three hours out on the lake, and by the end of the journey, I felt like I was almost a boating pro! Renting from Paradise was a great experience from start to finish, and I'll definitely be renting from them again the next time we want to spend time boating on Lake Monroe.

I have rented boats here every summer since 2019 (yes even in 2020). They provide two sizes of…read morepontoon boats and two sizes of Bayliner runabouts. They also have wave runners (jet skis) for rent. This year we are going all out and renting what they call a 35 ft Destination Yacht that handles 18 people. This "yacht" is two story, has a restroom on board, a wet bar, and a curved slide from the upper deck down to the right above the water. You can bring a grill on board if you like. They require you watch a video online about boat safety and take a test to record the results proving you watched the video. After three years of these tests I finally scored a perfect test score! The staff is always courteous, friendly and very helpful. The boats come fueled and clean. You do a quick walk around and makes notes of any prior damage so you don't get dinged. They always go through all of the features with you, tell you some tips for safe handling and take the time to answer all your questions.

What an amazing park! Gigantic play structure with multiple slides, swings, climbing, balance…read morefeatures, fire pole, nice seating for parents, and bathrooms.

This is a very nice park that is tucked away in Bloomington. There is limited parking available…read morespread across 2 lots and another lot with just handicap and 15 minute spots. I guess you can park along the road as well. This park runs along Old State Road 37, has a canal that runs parallel to it and has a lot to offer. They have a couple of very nice shelters with a bunch of picnic tables, a fireplace, and a grill outside of them. They are really nice and can be reserved. They also have a couple of playgrounds in the park. There is a small playground by the larger pavilion with a swing bank with toddler, traditional and ADA swings. The equipment sits on a bed of wood chips, has a large paved trail that runs through it, and picnic tables nearby. The second playground area is across the street and much larger. It has a large red play structure, a bank of saucer swings, a sit and spin, a small playhouse, a pyramid net climber, a bank of traditional and ADA swings and small play structure for little kids. The equipment is in great shape. The large play structure has a bunch of gnarly slides, some bridges, a pebble bridge, and can be accessed from a large bridge. The small play structure just has a couple of canopies, a bridge, and a slide. It is much less exciting than its larger counterpart. The area has picnic tables and a bunch of benches around for caregivers to sit while their little's play. It is lined mostly with wood chips, but has some patches of cement and rubber surfacing mixed in. There is a bathroom facility over in the area as well. You will also find a sand volleyball court here at the park. It is a decent court and I do not know how much use it gets. The park features paved hiking/walking nature trails that are pretty nice. It is a scenic park and has a peaceful feel about it (the further you get away from the main road, the better), and is very scenic and picturesque. Along the main road is a portion of the trail that also parallels the canal, where you will find a bunch of picnic tables that are visible from the road. The park is home to a couple of desolate baseball fields that look abandoned and is closed off. There is a modest parking lot attached to the fields, but it is gated and closed off like the fields. The fields have potential and appear to have been an awesome spot to play ball at one point. Anyway, this is a very nice, low key park that has a lot to offer. It is well maintained, picturesque and soothing. I can not think of many changes I would suggest for this park other than more parking. You could easily spend a half a day here and not even know it. I recommend spending some time here and checking this place out.

I don't live too far from here, and I love that this is so close. In a perfect world, it would be a…read morelittle easier to get to by bike or scooter. When you have to cross Leonard Springs and Bloomfield road, you have to be careful. So even though we live close, I drive there. One playground was updated recently, and has been very popular. It's very fun, especially for the younger crowd. There is a nearby walking path that loops around the small valley. It's great for kids who want to ride their bike or some other vehicle around. The larger and also fairly new play area in the rear near the dog park is also a winner. It's next to the water park, which is a bit of fun in the summer! As of now, there is currently a very large project that has been going or a while and has made parking here more difficult. I don't know what it' supposed to be, but progress is slow. There is also a dog park and a basketball court nearby. Lots of places to walk, and sometimes few places to park if soccer is happening. There are a lot of fields, and it seems to be THE place to play. The bathrooms have been well maintained, and shelters are available to rent. There is also a building that can be rented out for parties and gatherings. This is great, especially if it involves kids and you don't know how the weather will be. I'm glad we have this park!

Have to walk all the way across the whole park because only one bathroom is unlocked. Very long…read morewalk when your game is over by the elementary school and a child has to use the restroom.