The Nina Mason Pulliam Ecolab is a 75-acre natural habitat on the campus of Marian University. It's…read moreopen to Marian students and the Indy community. The Ecolab is a highly biodiverse area with rare wetlands and threatened animal species. The lab works year-round to restore native wetlands, prairies, and forests on the property. The Ecolab offers field trips to students from grade 6-12 offering interaction and lessons from Marian environmental experts. Upper level high school students can participate in research projects and Marian undergrads have the opportunity for paid internships. The Ecolab hosts several collegiate level research projects. The ultimate goal of the Ecolab is to encourage all of us to become better environmental citizens. We want to instill a love for nature into the hearts of Indiana's future leaders: students. We offer a one-of-a-kind field trip system to 6-12 grade students where they will learn concepts from local environmental experts at Marian University. Upper level high school students also have the opportunity to experience the rigor of college-level curriculum and participate in active research projects. For current Marian undergraduate students, we offer paid internships through our decade-old internship program. The Ecolab also hosts several collegiate level-research projects from various Marian professors and students. We do all of this to fulfill the mission of the EcoLab: to create more and better environmental citizens. All age are welcome to visit and the Ecolab is active on social media. They also host educational events around theyear. The area itself is definitely not what I'd call wheelchair friendly (there is actually a non-stair way into it, however, even it's not easy. I definitely only got a small sampling of the experience. However, being someone who thrives on trying difficult things I at least had to experience it. The Ecolab has multiple trails (very short). It strikes me a lot like the Pogue's Run Arts Park because it's VERY natural in its setting yet also close to a highway and you pretty much hear the highway wherever you go. Yet, somehow, it's still remarkably peaceful. Be aware the mosquito presence is also high. The trails do have benches for seating and there are port-o-lets available. Beautiful experience, however, those with significant mobility challenges may want to skip this one as it's difficult and has some definite risks to it. Overall, I'm still glad I visited.

Can I give 3.5 stars? Because this is place I would need it. On the positive there's an endless…read morenumber of trails (especially when using the connected trails at Cold Springs School), water access, an outdoor classroom, and plenty of maps. On the negative? The steps to get down to the trails are very scary and without a railing, there's some old structures that appear to be a holding place for junk (or the Blair Witch set), and the highway noise from 65/38th is quite loud on the north part of the property. I did like it because we were literally the only people there. The other question is, how do you find this place? The entrance is from Marian University. The most northern road where all the buildings are is where you'll want to turn (just before the sweeping turn on Cold Spring). Guest parking is on top of the hill along that road (theres a permit parking lot adjacent). A brick path leads to a garden area, turn left at the bushes, and follow until you see the signs. Then it's downhill on the rickety steps!

This is not really a park. But for the purpose of the review. I will call it a pocket park. It…read moredates back to the 1920s, is very small and is in the middle of a road in a residential area. There is a lot of trees in the park, which really works out on a sunny day, providing lots of shade. The park has come landscaping, paved walkways, and some benches. It main feature though is the Memorial Sundial that honors the organizations that made it possible, as well as the first black Indianapolis police officer to be killed in the line of duty, William Whitfield. The Park was originally named Watson Park, after the owner of the development, Watson Hasselman. I guess they did not like Hasselman. Anyway, the park's name was changed to McCord Park in 1970, in honor of Robert McCord, a local resident who who personally took care of the park for 20 years. I do not see much utility for this park. I just ate my food on the bench. The most use I see the park getting is from people from the local neighborhood walking their dogs through it. Also, the sundial and park in general was in need of a little attention. The grounds could have used a bit of landscaping and the dial is starting to show signs of wear and tear and being exposed to the elements.

This small park is a neighborhood gem with quite a history. Not only was it maintained by Robert…read moreMcCord during the sixties who was a local gardener, but it also features a Memorial Sundial in honor of a fallen policeman. The park itself is located between Central and College Avenue on the north side of 36th Street. It's triangular shape comes from being wedged into a space where Watson Road angles off of 36th. There are trees and flowers that add to the peaceful nature of the park. In the center of the park is a large sundial dedicated to Officer William Whitfield who was killed in 1922. Officer Whitfield was the first African-American Indianapolis Police Officer killed in the line of duty. Sadly, his murder was never solved and he was buried in an unmarked grave. But in 1998, review of records uncovered this tragic oversight and IPD honored the officer with a full honors funeral at Crown Hill Cemetery. Review #506

Don't blink too much when you are in the area or you just might miss this place. This is a small…read morepocket park located in the heart of downtown. The garden had a lot of trash on the ground during my visit and was no very well maintained. There were not many live plants/flowers to see. I will give the plants and foliage a pass because I visited during the winter, but the trash should be cleaned up. They may want to consider planting a few year-round plants as well. Just my two cents. The park has a few benches in somewhat of a semicircle to sit on. The benches are around a peace pole, which contains hundreds of prayers for peace inside. The outside of the pole has phrases like "May peace prevail on Earth" and May Peace be in our Homes and Communities." This park was dedicated to youth who've lost their lives to violence, hence its name. It is intended to inspire peace and tranquility. It is advertised as a perfect escape from the hustle of Downtown, but it is very close to an extremely busy intersection, so it is hard to leave the big city atmosphere. There is metered street parking on the streets surrounding the garden and nearby. This garden is not a destination spot though and is something that you either stumble across or go to on your way somewhere else.

On the triangle shaped corner of Indiana Avenue and Senate, a beautifully landscaped pocket park…read moreoffers a space for visitors to contemplate peace and what they can do to promote it. The park has a center circle filled with shrubs and a multi-sided post that has peace blessings written on it. Inside are hundreds of peace prayers. The shrubs are surrounded by a concrete circle lined with benches and large pots for plantings. Because of the triangle shape, there is room in the park for more landscaping including a small tree and more colorful shrubs. Just a nice place to sit and relax with some shade from the nearby building. This is another one of Indy Parks' pocket parks with a theme. Review #3298

This park is operated and maintained by the Heartland Crossing sub division, but appears to be open…read moreto anyone. It has a huge parking lot for you to park. It is also co-located with the sub-division's pool, which you have to be a resident with an access card to use. The park has a decent shelter with picnic tables under it. There is also a very nice sand volleyball court there too. It is one of the better courts that I have seen in a park. At the far end of the park are two tennis courts. The courts themselves will do and are adequate, but there are some huge cracks in the court that you can see they have tried to repair. The courts will do for a nice neighborhood game though. The park's full basketball court is pretty good. One end of it looks like it was flooded though and has a lot of mud/dirt build up. There is a small playground area that has some nice equipment that includes a jungle large gym with slides and monkey bars, a bank of traditional swings with an ADA swing, a small bank of toddler swings, and a small accessible jungle gym. I know, it sounds like a lot, but it isn't. It is a relatively small area. This is a very nice park, especially considering that it belongs to a sub-division. The residents of the sub-division are fortunate to have this park. It is a park that you would consider driving to.

The park, primarily intended for the residents of Heartland Crossing, has a lot to offer visitors…read more There are sports fields, a swimming center, small playground, a shelter, and a paved walking path that links to trails. The parking lot is paved and is close to the areas of interest for smaller kids. As is a problem with most newer parks, the availability of shade is limited to the shelters. I also didn't see restroom facilities anywhere near the sports fields. Review #638

I gotta agree with my buddy Ken N. (RIP) about Miller Park: It's a solid three stars. It is fine,…read moreand I'm glad it exists, but this is definitely not a destination park. But if you're in the area and need a space to enjoy nature and some old-school playground equipment, Miller Park is your place. This park is located just off a main street in downtown Clermont. It's kind of small and tucked away. There are five parking spaces perpendicular to the street, right in front of the park entrance. And if there are six cars that want to park at Miller Park? The sixth car will be S.O.L., because there are only five parking spaces, like I said. I didn't see any other parking. I visited the park during the late spring, when the plants and greenery were poppin' but before the maintenance crew had a chance to come by and tame it all. The grass and weeds were tall and scratchy. Is there a maintenance crew that comes by and tames this park? Who knows. This might be the way Miller Park is all year round. It has that vibe. The playground is all vintage playground equipment: there's a vintage merry-go-round, vintage riding toys, vintage concrete turtle. The swings are the most modern part of this park: Among the vintage swings, there's a single, red plastic baby swing. This park also has a shaded picnic area with four picnic tables, a walking path that leads to a bridge, a creek that actually looks perfect for creek stomping, and lots of greenery and nature everywhere. This park does not have a restroom or water fountain. However, this was a very peaceful place to hang out. There were birds everywhere, chirping. This is a nice, little old-school park, just don't expect lots of modern amenities and entertainment.

Tucked away just north of US 136 on Tansel Road is a small, densely wooded park. It conveniently…read morehas "nose in" parking along the street and a bench seat along the sidewalk near the entrance. The majority of the park is below street level with a creek running through the middle. On the south western edge is a shelter with picnic tables and a fire pit. Just north of that is an old school playground with swings and a spinning ride. There is also a pair of rocking horses. No towers or slides are present. A trail starts on the south side beyond the shelter and leads down to a small foot bridge that crosses the creek. The trail loops back to the street on the north side. This part of the trail is wide and is mulched. However, if you turn east beyond the bridge, the trail becomes narrow and somewhat overgrown with ground cover so that it looks like it stops. You can negotiate through the vinca, but I didn't find anything unusual worth traipsing along farther, so I returned to the lot. If you like shade and some old school equipment, then you will enjoy htis park. Otherwise, there are a lot more parks in the area to check out. Review #2768

At a recent Yelp Event held at Garfield Park, I had the pleasure of listening to Mark Bowell…read moreprovide an informational tour. Although we didn't get to see it that evening, Mark mentioned that there was a new children's park on the east side of the conservatory. The park was created in honor of Mark's beloved son Blake who passed away (I believe it was 2017) due to cancer. So, I made a point of stopping by about a week later to visit the children's garden and pay my respects. After parking in the lot next to the conservatory, I could see the arched entrance with "Blake's Garden" cut into the black metal. The park is arranged with a central paved area that features a pergola, some concrete seating, and a tribute sculpture called "Divine Light" by Kenzie Funk (2019). The concrete is surrounded by plantings arranged into unique themed gardens. There is an alphabet garden that has a planting for every letter. There is also a sensory garden that has plantings selected to represent the five senses. There are other gardens and small trees planted to the area. The overall effect is a spacious, yet welcoming place for children to look at a variety of plants and still have room to move about without getting muddy. If you are in the area, make time to check out this special place in the park. Review #2861

Excellent quick hike getaway in Avon. - no entrance fee or…read moremembership needed - easy to find right in heart of Avon no long trek - on-site free parking - deep forest & streams - secluded, no crowds - connect with nature - flat easy to navigate trail, short distances

This nature preserve has a lot of undeveloped potential. The land (83 acres) is forest with a…read moresmall creek running through it. The park has little information (no kiosk) but does have a sign asking visitors to wipe the soles of their shoes BEFORE entering so that they don't bring in seeds from invasive plants. The park entrance is at the southwest corner of the preserve (near the highway). From there, a trail leads back to the first loop (Blue) that covers roughly the middle third of the park. On the north end of the loop, there is a sign that directs you back to the entrance or north to the second loop (red) which covers the northern third of the park. Basically, the red loop covers the area on the other side of the creek. Both loops and the connector trails consist of moderate size trees with foot worn paths between them. A few wooden bridges rest on the ground to get visitors through the wettest areas of the park. The loops have very little elevation change so I would rate the hikes as easy to moderate. Although the preserve does not have its own parking, the neighboring church (to the west) allows park visitors to use the church lot any time other than Sunday morning. I can see not wanting to develop the land for visitors, but information about the parks plants and animals would be useful. Trail lengths and a map of the layout would also be helpful for first time visitors to plan their treks. Review #806

This is not a traditional park. It is more like a cool walkway or path. It is located between two…read morehouses. There is a bike rack, a chess board, a couple of benches and the center piece is a long archway with hearts all over it. People have written loving words on the hearts. The place is very colorful and artistic. The chess board is made from square concrete paving stones. There are no pieces to go with the board, which is understandable. I believe the designers were going for an Alice in Wonderland type theme, hence the checker/chessboard, the hearts, the colors and art work reflecting the passage of time like on the White Rabbit's watch. The area has a very nicely paved walkway which is about 80 yards or so. This is not a place that you would spend a lot of time, as it is intended primarily to be a path. However, it is a cool and unique place to pay a visit to if you are in the area.

What a clever idea…read more.. How about finding a way to make neighbors more accessible to one another by making use of space near the middle of a long block. This park extends from Parkview, across the alley to Randolph with a paved pathway for neighbors to cross through. It also gives the area a fresh look and a place to enjoy the natural settings (west half of the park) or to engage in something fun and whimsical (east half). The centerpiece is the long red and white pergola set on an angle to the street. Large red hearts are mounted on each side and on the top. I haven't heard back from KIB regarding the significance of the hearts, but I'm sure it's something clever. There is also a large chessboard and a bicycle rack, and benches on both sides of the park for relaxing. When combined with the nearby Commons Park and Westminster Greenspace, Willard Park neighborhood is becoming a more cheerful place to visit and is trending upward! Review #2305