I really enjoyed my visit to this park. First, I don't think many people know about it and so I…read morehad the entire park to myself. I was able to grab one of the limited street parking sites on Bunch Blvd near the north entrance to the park. Second, there was a small plaza with informational signs describing the park, the folks involved with getting it built, and general wetland information that was brief, but helpful. Next, most of the pathway for visitors is slightly elevated on a boardwalk. Even though there was disturbance in the area during the construction, the wetlands have now recovered and the elevated trail makes for easy walking without damaging the surrounding wildlife. The rest of the trail is equally broad and hopefully gives good enough views that visitors won't wander off into the prairie area of the park. Note that during my visit, the wetlands appeared mostly dry but green. About half way through the trail, a large wooden shelter was constructed with a slightly elevated observation deck that offers great views over the lowlands of the park. There are more benches available there and lots of shade in an otherwise open area of the park. I really appreciate that the area has been preserved as a beautiful green area that can accommodate both humans and nature. Review #1053

I thought that General Pulaski Park was one of the nicest parks in Anderson. I pulled into the…read moreparking area on the east end and immediately noticed the walking trails (paved) and pond. Next were the shelter and playground on the left of the drive. On the right side on a small hill was located multiple tennis and basketball courts. To the west was a baseball diamond. The maintenance crews were busy trimming and mowing which made my visit a bit shortened, but I was glad to see the park getting plenty of attention. The only negative I saw was that the permanent restrooms had experienced some vandalism; still working, but signs of damage to the walls and attempts on the plumbing left me shaking my head. But overall, the park had a lot to offer, particularly for those with an interest in fitness. Plenty to do and not too crowded. Review #1093

FABULOUS atmosphere and views! We enjoyed our dinner and the views we had of the sunset.read more

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!

Great experience! Todd was super easy going and was willing to make the boat ride customizable.read more

Captain Todd knows his stuff and loves to teach. You'll be sailing on the first lesson on…read moreDauntless, a 28-foot vessel. The school is associated with NauticEd.org, a sailing curriculum which offers international certification. Besides the weekly classes and sunset cruises on Geist Reservoir, Todd offers opportunities to sail on the Great Lakes, in the Caribbean and in Europe. You'll have so much fun, you'll forget you're a student.

Ok, this is the pond at the end of an ancient irrigation ditch....And yet, it's a seminal Ball…read moreState hangout... Yeah, it's full of turtles and catfish and even crawdads...and yeah, lots of ducks and canada geese means lots of poop, but the uni has actually landscaped around it pretty well... and its a nice area to talk a walk almost any time of year (well, assuming you know what Indiana weather is like). In the summer you'll see girls sunbathing and can reminisce about college days gone by...

This is a fantastic 4.9 mile loop trail for a day hike. I don't normally give much credence to…read moretrail difficulty ratings in the Midwest, but the "expert" trail definitely isn't easy on foot (I imagine it would be super challenging on a mountain bike). The trail weaves through old timber, dipping and diving between marshes that flank the White River. The trail actually divides at various points into easy, intermediate and expert legs. To get the full 4.9 miles, you have to take all of the expert loops, but they are the fun ones anyway. The trail was not heavily trafficked, even on a beautiful Saturday afternoon. The loop is one-way traffic, so you won't likely see anyone else unless you overtake them or vice-versa. That also means no turning back once you start. Take water and a snack. The full 4.9 will take over 2 hours to hike. Also, with all of the marshes, there are lots of bugs in the summer months. Make sure to apply plenty of deet.

My review isn't going to do this place justice, so just go visit for yourself and experience the…read morehidden gem that is the Taylor Center of Natural History. At this Hamilton County park, you'll learn about the indigenous people who lived in this area of Indiana before you did. There are recreations of their dwellings, and informative signs that tell you a bit about who they were and what they did, and lots of interactive outdoor exhibits for you to explore. And by you, I mean kids -- this is a great place to take kids to learn about Indiana history and archeology. There's lots of outdoor space to explore. When you're ready to explore indoors, inside the Taylor Nature Center there are displays with animal skeletons, replicas of indigenous tools, a replica of a canoe and more things to learn about. The nature center also has bathrooms and water fountains (and nice air conditioning on hot days!). This park has an easy walking trail that goes through the park. It's very wide and smooth, and seems good for strollers and wheelchairs. You'll see lots of native plants and trees on your hike around Taylor Nature Center of Natural History. Hamilton County Parks offers lots of different classes that meet here at the Taylor Center. I visited once for a class about food forests, and we walked around learning about all of the edible plants that lived on the property. It was very informative and enlightening. Check their website for other classes and activities, like seed collecting, festivals and more. This is a great park to visit to learn more about the indigenous people of Indiana. It's also a great park to bring kids -- especially kids who need to move around and discover things for themselves, because there are lots of opportunities for discovery here.

Such a very cool and random place! We were camping at White River so we thought we should come…read morecheck this out. Super friendly people, awesome artifacts and tidbits of history and some very nice trails to check out!

This park has a lot of potential, but as of the time of my visit, was a little lacking on…read moreamenities. The park is located along the Cardinal Greenway Trails just north of downtown Muncie. The actual park has some newly seeded lawn area with a small plaza area with decorative arches and some seating. The area to the north of the park along the trail has an excavated area to hold water runoff which could make a nice pond to look at, but with the recent dry spell, was looking not so great. Along the trail just north of the park is an old steel bridge spanning the river. It would have been nice to see a kiosk telling the history of the bridge, but the only kiosk I saw was covered with graffiti and didn't address the bridge. It is apparent the park is getting attention with the landscaping going on. I just wish they would take the next step of adding some trees and a kiosk for information. Review #934