One of my favorite little hidden parks. Peaceful, never busy, and thoughtfully wheelchair…read moreaccessible. Perfect for all ages

There's something about neighborhood parks - quiet, easily accessible and not too crowded. I got…read moreout on a good weather day today and enjoyed a good 1 hour walk around the different trails. There's a football field with small bleachers and a variety of different plants, flowers and pathways to appeal to senses of all abilities. And I was so impressed with the set up. There's small bridges dotting the park and a kids play area. There's a couple entrance points so it isn't confusing if you don't get through one. There was limited foliage with the time being December nevertheless it was a breath of fresh air getting out!

This is a small pocket park located across the street from the Lapel City Hall. It has a small…read moreparking area, a small gravel path a features a bulldog statue in front of a couple of flag poles. The Bulldog is the local high school's mascot, if you were wondering what the connection was. There is a bench in the park to sit and relax, along with a share-a-book box and another bench under a pergola. The park is well maintained and is a nice welcome for visitor's coming the city. This is definitely not a destination park, but is a nice welcome into the town. It lacks many of the amenities I look for in a park and is very small. It could, however, be an ok place to visit if you are in the area looking for a place to hang out or find yourself with some time to kill.

Main Street Park (also known as Bulldog Park because of the school mascot statue on the southeast…read morecorner) is a nice addition to the downtown area of Lapel. There is nice landscaping including a pergola with a bench on the property. A gravel path extends through the park and there is a gravel parking lot on the west end. Flowering plants have been added for color as well. The park seemed well maintained. Review #1156

This is a small park located on the outer edge of Garfield Park by the IFD Station 29. It is a…read morememorial to the memorial to the 387 Marion County veterans that lost their lives in WWI. I was created in 1920 and originally had planted 387 trees, one for each veteran that was killed during the war. Today, the memorial consists of a sign explaining the memorial significance and stairs leading to a plaque with the names of mothers who had children that served in WWI. There is also a rock with a plaque dedicate to Alice French, founder of the American War Mothers. It is a nice and simple memorial that is well maintained. It is not very peaceful being next to a firehouse and right off of a main drag. There is really no easy place to park here. I just pulled over to the side of the road and visited the memorial. I was there for about five minutes or so. There is no place to sit here and not much to see, so I do not see this being a long stop.

Along the Monon between 64th and 66th Streets in Broad Ripple is a stretch of land between Cornell…read moreAvenue and the trail that has been landscaped and designated as the Bill Brink Memorial Garden. Brink was a naturalist and nature photographer who contributed to the conservation of central Indiana. After he passed in 2011, locals decided to build this nature park which was completed in 2014. The park includes native plants and some of the flowers that attract local pollinators. The park also has a gazebo with information about the park and Brink. The gazebo is named after Tom Revard who was one of the key players in getting the city to acquire the land rights to the Monon rail line so that it could become a popular hiking & biking trail. Revard was an advocate for bicycle safety and served as safety director of the trail. I would have liked to give this garden a higher rating, but like many other memorials around the state, there was a lot of effort put into creating the space. Sadly, there doesn't seem to be the same amount of energy into maintaining it. There are numerous bare spots in the lawn and since there doesn't appear to be any watering, the rough summer has allowed some of the grassy areas to brown. Review #1177

No playground! Let's just get that out of the way right now. My children believe that all places…read morethat call themselves "parks" should have a playground, otherwise it's false advertising. I don't agree, but you should know up front that this park doesn't have a playground, so you can set your child's expectations where they need to be. What Beckenholdt Family Park does have is lots of walking paths that meander around a beautiful pond. There's also a wooden deck and lookout tower, which when you make it to the top, you can see the whole park. (The lookout tower is also wheelchair accessible, which is cool.) The lookout is what actually caught my eye from the road. I saw it and slammed on my breaks, did a U-turn and headed toward this park that I had never heard of until today. A good portion of the park is dedicated to a fenced dog park called Rovers Run Bark Park. The dog park has a few obstacles, but mostly lots of grassy areas to run. There's also a gazebo-type sitting area for the humans. Next to the dog park is a rainbow bridge -- literally, a bridge that's painted rainbow colors -- called Baker's Rainbow Bridge, for people whose dogs have died. The owners can place their lost dogs' collars, ID tags, photos and other mementos all along the bridge. I have been in my head a lot lately, with my feelings heightened and right at the edges, so seeing this rainbow bridge, with all of the photos and collars attached to the bridge, made me cry. There was just so much love there. It's making me want to cry again just writing about it! What a nice gesture for the community. Luckily, a dog from the dog park sensed that I needed to snap out of it, and ran over to bark at me. I'm so glad I stopped at this park! It wasn't a planned part of my day, but sometimes the unplanned things are just what you need. It was nice to walk around and enjoy the sunshine at this beautiful place.

Sometimes you just need to take a freaking walk…read more I've been on a health journey for the past few years, and I am trying to change different habits and my default ways of dealing with stress, anxiety and all sorts of emotions. I used to stress eat. When the hamsters were running wild and free inside my brain, I would head straight to the fridge. Now, I go for a walk... and it's glorious. Today, I needed a walk. It was the end of my work day and I wanted to clear my head and burn some calories. I work less than 10 minutes from Beckenholdt Park, so I left work a few minutes early and headed to the park. I keep my ruck pack in my trunk, so I was all set. I arrived at the park around 4:00pm. It was cool and overcast, but a great day for a walk. I have been to this park multiple times over the years. I have taken my kids fishing in the small pond and have walked laps around its trails. Today, I threw on my ruck sack, put in my earbuds, and started walking. There is something special about moving your legs and listening to good music. Neutral Milk Hotel danced in my ears as I walked laps around the pond. While this band might not be for everyone, I feel like nature parks like Beckenholdt were made for folksy bands like Neutral Milk Hotel. Listening to folk music and walking in nature-- that's a great way to slow down those hamsters! Beckenholdt Park isn't the largest park. There are no playgrounds. But it is a great nature preserve to take your family and your dog. Or to simply go for a nice walk around the pond.

Beckwith Memorial Park falls under the umbrella of Indy Parks and is located in what is known as…read morethe Martindale Brightwood neighborhood. The park was established in 1970 and is a smaller park at 5.24 acres. It's pretty much the definition of a residential park - it is located between the Blackburn Terrace Housing Development and the Wheeler Boys & Girls Club. For those who know Indy history, this park is named after Frank Beckwith, an Indianapolis attorney and civil rights advocate whose parents had grown up as slaves. He became the first African-American to run for President in a primary. The park is pretty simple, though it is pretty well maintained. It has playground equipment, football fields, basketball courts, and a shelter. As Ken N. noted, this is really most logically accessed through the housing development - and, yes, there are still speed bumps galore. I was only here briefly as there's simply not a whole lot to do. It's not a destination park. It's genuinely developed to serve this neighborhood - and for the most part, it seems to do that well. I have a similarly designed park not far from my home, however, the park by me is a little bit too hidden for my liking. This park has strong visibility so that parents can keep track of their kids. Overall, this is a solid mid-range park that serves its neighborhood well. However, for those seeking a more destination park or a park with more features this definitely isn't it.

This park is one I would like to give a higher rating, but because it is located where the only…read moreaccess is by going through an apartment complex loaded with speed bumps every 100 feet or so, I found it easier to get lost than to find the park! I was driving around 30th and Keystone and couldn't find an entrance from either main street, so I angled northeast on Baltimore Avenue and drove by the main entrance to the complex. I saw 32nd and turned toward the direction of the park and got caught in the maze of turns, angled buildings and bumps. (I would hate to have to get out of here in a hurry!) Anyway, I found the park and it appeared to be in good condition with new basketball courts, a playground and a single shelter. There was a large trash spill from one of the trash barrels, but that should be an easy fix for the parks department or the neighbors. But I have enough trouble dodging potholes so going through the endless speed bumps make me think I would rather move on to one of the other parks unless I lived here. Review #693

Relaxing,well kept property and playgrounds for a neighborly feel…read more No recent pics to post.

Given that I am in a new town for a month, I figured I would explore my surroundings. My pup was…read moredue for a much needed long walk filled with sights and sounds to stimulate her senses as I was kind of cooped up in the house I was staying in in Saint Albans, Vermont. Don't get me wrong, there was a park or two in Saint Albans, but the major one (Taylor Park) was a bit of a walk aways. It was beautiful with a vast expanse of open land and they held a Farmer's Market there in the Spring, but it was at a distance from where I was, so I didn't frequent there as much. The park I am reviewing now is 9 minute walk from the apartment I am staying at. This park was absolutely amazing and rivals that of AD Barnes Park and Tropical Park in Miami, FL where I grew up but Riley Park is like ten times better! As I entered, I didn't expect much except some large canopy trees, oak trees, birds, and maybe on occassion running into some butterflies, and following down a winding path. As I kept moving forward, I first cane across some very well kempt tennis courts and it wasn't like one or two only but like 7 or 8 and on top of that they offer free tennis cardio classes on Sunday to the community. That was like the first tally mark in my mind in terms of Yelp checkmarks. The park itself continued to seem very clean. There wasn't a surplus of dog poo everywhere or debris or litter of any kind. I then happened upon some more greenery and then what I came to learn was a bike park. This was thee coolest thing I have ever seen at a park. Guests can practice for free I assume on the turf. What made it so sppealing to me was that the gravel itself was super new and dark and also well kempt. Whoever the custodians are for this park deserve to be recognized because this park is at least 40 acres I read online! So the bike park/ramps weren't the only astonishing thing abiut this place. As I made my way around, there was also this bridge that connected to another more elevated area of the park (so please be mindful if you are someone that has trouble walking up steps or hilly areas to be careful). It was a beautiful red bridge kind of like one you would see in the woods somewhere in New England. It sat atop a bumbling brook where moss, ferns, and probably some other creatures one can't see would traverse. Once yoh make your way across the bridge, there was an acquatic park, yes, an actually water park with a pool. If I recall correctly it is named The Kathy Dowling Acquatic Center but don't quote me on it. I didn't get a full view of it as I didn't know if I could bring my dog to that area, so I refrained as I wanted to abide by park rules/policies. I walked paat it but I could see a few large colorful closed tube water slide. The kid in me would have totally gone on one of those lol but I wasn't in proper attire to do so. Plus, I aas walking my dog. What made the walk more fun were the woodland type creatures I encountered along the way like the squirrels my dog would try to chase, some ducks floating in the pond, and dragonflies (as well as beautiful butterflies of course). I had to get a better view of the ducks because I love ducks, birds, penguins, blue jays, etc. They were all huddled and congregated together and I didn't wish to disturb them but it's been awhile since I have seen a majestic Mallard. There were some pretty tall trees in the area as well near that pond as well as a Rock Garden. I liked how they had descriptions of the various landmarks or designated rest areas as you mKe your way around the park. So by this point, I had almost made my way around the park. There were some playground areas for kids with swings and slides that seem like perfect play areas for birthday parties. I am sure they probably have some covered shelter areas to host parties as well or other types of gatherings. I am not sure if they would be free to use or cost money to rent. I passed by a basketball court as well. Another cool area that I had to take a photo of was the skate park. I couldn't believe they have one to use, and for free. Now I myself don't skateboard (I tried to many years ago as a kid but failed lol) but I just was so amazed that these places were available to use for free! My jaunt continued to another brook/pond area as my dog insisted on sniffing around there . She is mighty persistent and she must have really loved the park as she urged me to take her around it again for a second time This time though, I got to see things I didn't notice the first time and yes this was all on the same day. It was probably about a 45-60 min walk tops but I didn't mind as it wasn't super hot or raining and I needed the exercise. I used to walk around parks or grassy areas or jog a lot more and have stopped in recent years, but it was so nice to be in nature, I obliged. I noticed they had these signs with stakes in the ground called "postcards" where they would highlight a major milestone in the parks history. It was a nice added touch.

This park never gets old for us. We stroll through here a couple times a week since it's located…read morejust around the corner from our house in the Old Northside. From the little community library and changing flowers with the seasons to the sensory section of the park and fountain, it's a peaceful refuge in the heart of downtown. We like to sit on the bench and listen to the birds chirp. It's a very simple pocket park that is managed by the neighborhood foundation. Throughout the year, you'll find small events, neighborhood cleanups and engagement photo shoots taking place here. It's a perfect spot to take a book and read for awhile.

The park is located in a somewhat upscale neighborhood, the Old Northside Neighborhood. This is a…read morevery small park that is maintained by the neighborhood. It is decent and consists of a fountain, a sensory garden for the visually impaired and a gazebo. The walkway is mostly gravel around the park. Free street parking is available in the neighborhood that the park is in. The fountain was not operating while I was there, but it was full of pumpkins and looked very festive. There are benches around and just off of the fountain. The gazebo and decent sized and has seating. It is well maintained. The sensory garden sits in the back of the park and it is for the visually impaired. There is a nice bench back there too. The park is well maintained and sits between two houses. If you are not paying attention you could pass it. You will find some green space pockets at the park and there is a give a book, take a book kiosk in an old green newspaper dispenser. The park is home to special events, such as Plunder in the Park. This is a decent park for someone wanting to take a load off. It is not however, as peaceful as it is intended. There are many houses under renovation in the neighborhood and lots of construction nearby. On top of that, there was a lot of neighborhood dog barking going on while I was there. So, this park is not worth making a special trip for for definitely cool if you are in the area or live in the neighborhood.