I'm a big fan of parks and playgrounds, so I'm very glad that Commons Park exists. The playground…read moreat Commons Park has the biggest climbing spinner that I've ever seen on a playground ... and my children and I have been to a lot of playgrounds! It could easily fit a whole classroom of children on it. The playground also has a huge geometric climbing system; a huge play structure with a bridge, steps and a climber; slides; swings for all ages; and lots of opportunities to climb and get the wiggles out. The playground area is padded with soft tiles for easy landings. One of the best features of Commons Park is that this park is completely fenced all the way around. This helps to give parents with kids who like to dash some peace of mind. And not only is the park fenced, but the park is small enough to see where your child is wherever they are playing, as you sit at any of the benches that are placed around the park. This park also has an area where you can play table tennis (bring your own paddles and ball!), as well as a barbecue grill. Commons Park has a lot going for it. And I'm glad that this space is being used as a park, instead of what it used to be (apparently, this space was the site of a motorcycle gang). The downsides of this park -- which sits in a residential neighborhood -- is that there isn't a designated parking lot for the park. Parking is on the street. The other downside is that there isn't a bathroom or water fountain. So parents and caregivers of young children: Plan accordingly!

This is a very nice park. It is relatively new, opening in late 2018. It is very neat and clean and…read morehas newer/modern playground equipment. It is a very colorful park, which is good given the lands history. They have park benches and a grill. There is a cement ping pong table, a huge jungle gym , cargo nets, ropes, a large merry-go-round, two sets of swings, a beehive climber and other equipment I do not know the name of. The ground of the playground is covered in the rubber surface that is popping up at most newer playgrounds. Your kids will love this park. The park does not have a private lot, but there is free street parking available on the street bordering the park. The park is relatively small, spanning about a quarter acre. The playground is fenced in, which is good because it it right off of a busy throughfare. Kind of keeps the little ones corralled in. There is only one way in and one way out. There is no restroom facilities or water, so plan accordingly. The park was once the site of the Outlaws Motorcycle Gang clubhouse before the city took over the property after its seizure by federal authorities. This is a very nice park. I had past the park a few times and it was packed. I really like it. It can definitely entertain the little ones for hours. It is surely worth a visit.

Bravo to the American Legion for transforming this space with a nice memorial garden, rock art and…read moreparking for the Big 4 Trail Head. The lilies were in full bloom and the plants were lush during my visit. A nice stone arch marks the entrance to the garden with brick path. Inside, the path winds through the circle, past four stone pillars. The simple limestone pillars are marked "courage", "sacrifice", "patriotism" and "freedom". A wall circles the garden and is suitable for sitting and enjoying the garden and day. The trail is a short paved walk down the hill. Five parking spaces are available including one accessible space. The walkway is accessible as well.

Cute little walking trail in a great location. Essentially connects to Zionsville's Rail Trail for…read moreeasy access. Has a few parking spots and everything is always well kept up.

I have visited Carter Station several times while walking the Big 4 Rail Trail. The 20 acre park…read moresits off the trail and holds a pond, paved trail around the pond and nine parking spaces. Vegetation around the pond is natural and a bit wild. A single bench sits on the west side of the pond. The pond is home to many species of birds. I saw red winged blackbirds, ducks and heard wrens during my walk this morning. The property was donated to the Town of Zionsville for use as a park by local businessman Robert Carter. I would not consider the space as a destination park. The park is a good place for a short walk with a dog or a run through. I saw evidence of fishing in the pond. The walkway and parking are accessible. There are no restroom or other amenities.

I like that Zionsville has set aside property as green space, but listing it as a park is a bit of…read morea stretch. It seems to be nothing more than an expanded area of the hiking trail. There is a paved parking lot and within the 8 acres, there is a nice pond. The area seems to be maintained and clean, but it doesn't seem like much of a park. Maybe my expectations were raised by it being listed on the Parks & Rec website, but there just isn't much here to make it worth stopping by unless you are already at the trail. Review #643

I've been spending a lot of time in Hendricks and Putnam counties as of late. As I drive through,…read moreI'm intentionally stopping along the way to enjoy both counties. I'd always been intrigued by this small community park not far removed from the town square in Danville. Jack Willard Community Park is only slightly bigger than a pocket park. It's a one-acre community park intentionally designed with a firefighting theme and named after Jack Willard - Danville, Indiana's first fire chief. The park was a collaboration of Danville's Rotary Club, parks department, and fire department. This is a controlled entry park - an approach that enhances safety for the park's targeted audience of smaller children. There's gating all around it - a nice feature considering the park is also within the block of US 36. The playground is small, fairly simple, but it's also very nicely done and well-maintained. There's a table for parental supervision. There's places to park around this park or you can park at the nearby town square. It's not really an "accessible" park in any real sense, though I felt like some degree of inclusion would be possible. It's also close to the actual fire department, intentionally, and I've always found public employees in Danville to be quite friendly. Given the small size of this park, there's no other features - no performance areas, sports fields, or anything beyond a small, super easy path to walk around the park. The path itself is definitely wheelchair friendly. Whenever I check out parks or public art, I check out the late Yelper Ken N's reviews as these were a strong focus for him. When he reviewed the park, it needed some love. It's definitely gotten some love since that time and is an improved park that really isn't a destination park but a unique park in this pleasant Hendricks County town.

This cute park is in excellent condition and has my favorite features - a locked gate and fence all…read morethe way around. The controlled access means that you can be especially aware of strangers coming and your kids can't just wander off into traffic. Plus, it's next to a firehouse and kids love fire trucks! Play equipment over a soft base, a table with a cover over it for the parents to sit and watch. It's got it all. [Review 1302 of 2024 - 179 in Indiana - 22325 overall]

What a great place! The first 10 minutes on the path are fairly residential, but after that you…read morewalk into beautiful trails and nature! Definitely a hidden gem!

I admit that I've passed by this site a number of times, not knowing what it was. What started out…read moreas a parking lot for the south end of the Big 4 Rail Trail has turned into much more. The site has two prominent pieces of art including a mural of a flowing creek that seems to flow onto the sidewalk. The mural, on the south side of the public restroom building, was completed in 2023 by artist Blice Edwards. If you look at the mural face on, the building seems to melt into the natural background. The mural was made possible by the Zionsville Parks Department. There is a second piece of art which is a sculpture called Wingz by Mark McGarvey. This towering sculpture was also completed in 2023. The "wings" move gracefully, almost flapping, with the breeze. Zionsville really needs more public art so this is a wonderful addition at the south entrance to town. The public unisex restrooms are really nice for Trail users or people out walking. There is natural prairie landscaping around the park. The small site is pristine and has 17 parking spots including 2 handicap spots at the front. I'll be using this new entrance to the Trail. I recommending stopping to enjoy the art.

When the late Yelper Ken N. first reviewed Windsor Village Park as part of his passion for…read moredocumenting Indiana's parks and landmarks, it was a sad little park. It's improving. This is a relatively small park at five acres. It houses a family center that was established in 1953 and was renovated in 2009. The family center is a 12,000 square foot center that has a fitness room, game room, computer lab, multi-purpose room for rental, outdoor basketball court, indoor gym, patio, seating, and the park includes a covered shelter with short trails. This is definitely a residential park, and the neighborhood around it is definitely dense in population. The park has a food pantry every Thursday from 1-3pm. You can also now play pickleball here. Oh, and the park has a splash pad for the kids. This is definitely not a destination park, however, it serves the neighborhood well. Around 2024, IU Health made a donation that helped to provide some upgrades, safety improvements, and improved trails. If you're in the area, it's a park worth visiting and it's nice to see the improvements from back when Ken N. first let us know about the park.

Potential. There is a lot of potential at this park. There is a community center built in 2009…read morefor indoor activities including pickle ball. There is a really nice basketball court. There is a decent playground, open space, and a shelter on the west end of the park. But the parks department website says the community center is closed until further notice. The splash park is a concrete slab with a pole sticking out. And on the west end of the park, houses on each of the corners are boarded shut. Although that doesn't mean it is unsafe, it does make me take caution, especially if I had a child with me. So, my advice is to watch the website for updates and hopefully, Indy Parks will come up with a plan to re-establish this park. Review #629

I am torn between a 3 and 4 star rating on this one. I really love the idea that this man-made…read morepark was designed to create a functional wetland to catch runoff water from when the creek overflows AND provide a habitat for animals in an area that is seeing more and more development. I like that they have built an elevated boardwalk that allows the visitor to navigate one side of the wetlands from the parking lot to the gazebo on the north end without disturbing the area. They've even added informational plaques on the boardwalk that talk about how the wetlands work and the types of animal life they hope to attract. I think this would function much better if they had allowed more space. The limited size is less likely to attract animals like fox and muskrats when so close to a major highway on one side and housing on another. There are wooded areas behind some of the houses that from the air might seem to connect to Cool Creek Park, so I am hopeful that the space will succeed. The other problem is that building a space that is designed to flood suggests that the parking area should have been built up so that cars can park where there aren't puddles in the gravel. I was the only visitor while there and was able to find a spot that was dry, but it did take some navigation to work over to the elevated boardwalk. Review #766

Sometimes, you just gotta walk. Even though the temperatures are in the 90s, and there's a heat…read moreadvisory, and you forgot your water bottle, and you're not wearing appropriate shoes. Sometimes, walking just needs to happen. Luckily, when the mood struck me to get out of my car and walk, I was close to the Anna Kendall Trail, which meets up with the Midland Trace Trail by Quaker Park. There were no signs to indicate that the trail I was walking on was the Anna Kendall Trail. All of the signs referenced the Midland Trace Trail, so I think AKT is just a small portion of trail that eventually becomes MTT. You feel me? Who the heck knows. Does it really matter? Apparently, there is an Anna Kendall Creek and an Anna Kendall Drain, which I saw as I walked along Anna Kendall Trail. Can we just have a moment of reflection for Anna Kendall, who is such a rockstar that she managed to attach her name to a trail, creek and a drain? May we all be blessed with such notoriety in this lifetime.