Visits to the Oakhurst Mansion and Gardens are part of the Minnetrista complex of activities in…read moreMuncie. The Oakhurst Mansion was built in 1894 by George and Frances Ball in the Arts and Crafts style. The Balls were avid readers and created the Blue Book of Canning, that teaches food preservation. This remarkably maintained house is open for self guided tours. The interior contains all original woodwork, trim details and some furniture. Family history is abundant throughout the home. My granddaughter enjoyed the interactive activities throughout the house, especially canning in the kitchen and creating a family tree. Immaculate gardens surround the house. The garden is filled with oak trees and other dense hardwoods. Paths meander through the garden. There was one clerk present during our visit that checked us in and invited us to explore the house and grounds. She was friendly. Admission was included in the $15 tickets that we purchased at the Bob Ross Experience (but can also be purchased on line). There is ample parking in the lot northwest of Oakhurst. Accessible ramps are located at the east entrance of the home. They are opened Wednesday - Sunday.

The campus of Minnetrista is beautiful! My sister and I often drive here and park to start and end…read moreour run from the campus. There are nice paved paths that easily connect to the Cardinal Greenway or just a short jog to the White River. The paths through Oakhurst Gardens are not really long enough to do your full run, but they are a nice little detour from typical sidewalks! I would highly recommend the garden paths for an easy stroll on a nice day. This is a safe and free area to enjoy a nice walk. Even in February the gardens are well kept and the ornamental sidewalk designs provide enjoyable scenery. I am looking forward to going back as spring awakens the blooms in the garden. Another plus about parking/visiting this area for a walk or run is that the Minnetrista museum building is unlocked during business hours and you can sneak in to use the restroom!

Canan Commons Park is located in downtown Muncie practically across the street from Courtyard by…read moreMarriott and Horizon Convention Center. Established as part of the Muncie park system in 2010, Canan Commons includes a stage for performances, open space for gathering and informal recreation, and lighting that includes solar panels and wind turbines. Canan Commons is a community gathering space that hosts movies, music, the biannual Arts Walk, Muncie's community Christmas Tree, and the city's New Year's eve ball drop. There's free street parking to the east and west of the park. There's a garage next to Courtyard, however, it's only free for guests. Canan Commons is a fairly simple park. It's mostly a green space, though it has hosted some cool concerts including Pokey Lafarge and the Muncie Three Trails Music Series. The park is named after former Muncie Mayor Dan Canan, a popular three-term mayor whose family has long contributed to the community. Easily within walking distance from the Courtyard, Canan Commons also offers easy access to downtown Muncie restaurants and shops. While it's not really an upper-tier park for me, it's an enjoyable place that I visit during nearly every visit I make to Muncie.

This is a great little park. The playground equipment is all brand new. It isn't a big park, but it…read moreis great to have something this nice so close to our house.

I would give this park a 3.5 stars if I could…read more.. The park is a little nicer than most of the neighborhood parks I have visited. There is a playground, a basketball court, a couple tennis courts, and seating for picnics and benches for watching the kids play. There is also a soccer field in the back. But after street parking on the east side of the park, I was able to see some signs of wear and tear on the playground equipment. One slide looked like it was rusting/peeling and that can be trouble if not taken care of. I don't think it was bad enough to keep kids off the equipment, but shows that the pieces have been there awhile and could use some attention. Another negative is that there isn't a shelter for the eating area. So, if it rains, your plans are all wet! The good news is that the mature shade trees did offer protection from the high heat on the day of my visit. I saw an elderly couple sitting there and they didn't seem concerned about the temp. Not bad, but not a great "must go" kind of park for the area. Review #1058

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

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!

This park seems like a relatively new park in appearance. It is split in half by 2nd street with…read morethe northern half having the majority of amenities. There you will find a nice playground, some paved paths, and a splash park. On the south end there is greenspace and some shade structures. What is lacking here is parking for visitors other than the folks who live nearby (the buildings look like condos.) Parking in the nearby lots require permits. There is very limited street parking on 2nd though I didn't see anyone utilizing that small stretch of curb. Although there is water on site for the splash park, I didn't see any restrooms either. So, the park seems to be intended for those nearby residents/tenants, but not so welcoming for others. Note: I also didn't see any plaque about Mr Thornburg which I looked for since it was a "memorial" park. Review #929

I have very mixed feelings about this park. The park itself…read moreis large and expansive with playground equipment, walking & bike trails and a lovely creek running it though it, a renovated train bridge that is now available as part of the bike trail. The sad part was lots of gang tagging on the concrete and we saw drug needles in the grass by the train bridge. While in the park, a friend text me and said, "You are not from the area. Be careful." Ouch!

What a waste. This is one of Muncie's largest parks and even the City's website describes the…read morelatest improvements as removal of a hazardous playground and removing a little league ball field with a bad fence. Really? There has been so much neglect that even the City lists an outdated location (a section of Broadway Ave was named after Dr MLK Jr. quite awhile ago.) But it is still a large green park that some folks care about. I saw a city worker spraying weeds in near 90 degree heat. The park was pretty well groomed and free of trash. There is a relatively new playground and a basketball court. I even saw a two lane soap box derby hill/track, but wonder how much use that space has today. I would like to see the city put some effort into rethinking the use of the space. Maybe it should become a mostly nature park with hiking trails....there is plenty of room. Until then, it has some rentable shelters and adequate parking...and a lot of greenspace. Review #1051

This park may be headed towards being a 5! There appears to be obvious signs of improvement as the…read moreplayground area has new equipment located near the community center (an older playground is still standing to the north end of the park near the baseball field.) A number of wooden shade structures have been erected around the playground looking as if they are new. They don't actually offer much shade, but look like they could add tarps or something to offer a little bit more. Maybe some vine plantings will be added. There was an area that looked as if heavy equipment were clearing the space for further construction. I didn't see any indication what would be going in, but it shows that the park is getting attention. It was well maintained and seemed to be clean. I didn't see any restrooms other than what may be inside the center. I parked along the street, but there was a lot at the center as well. Review #927

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

This beautiful corner park has a great location overlooking the White River on the north side of…read moredowntown Muncie. The perimeter of the park is lined with shrubbery and grasses with a few maturing trees for a limited amount of shade. There are sectioned wooded back drops that have become covered with green vines that add to the circular shape of the park. In the center is an art installation called "Nightsong" by Joe Beeler (1998) which features a lone Native American seated and playing a flute/recorder type instrument. The character is seated on a block with images carved into each of the four sides of the block. Beyond the statue, the sloping lawn is open until reaching the paved path that encircles the park. Review #936