A solid nature park to walk my dogs. The trails are usually well-kept, and it's never overly packed…read morewhen I'm there. We're able to get a good amount of walking in without getting bored, which I really appreciate. A peaceful spot for a steady, enjoyable walk.

The Town of Plainfield has successfully recovered this land from The Indianapolis Airport Authority…read moreand are making some very welcome improvements. I love the new name, Echo Hollow. Perhaps it honors our precious endangered Brown Bats, who have taken up residency in our little forest? I am extremely excited to see all the changes being made in my favorite little spot to connect with nature and wear out my elderly dog. Watching the new walkway being built that will allow us to walk out over the marsh and the pond keeps bringing me back with amazement.

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

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

Only walked once a long time ago..... Beautiful scenery and…read morevery relaxing Ready to take my Dog and do it again Soon

The Big Walnut Nature Preserve is a remote preserve in Putnam County overseen by the Indiana DNR…read more The preserve is bordered on the east by Big Walnut Creek. Three historic covered bridges cross over the Creek within the boundaries of the preserve. We drove through the preserve from north to south to explore the three bridges. We walked through several points and saw lovely wildflowers, yellow swallowtail butterflies, and heard many birds and cicadia. A densely wooded natural trail on the north side of the preserve loops from a parking lot over to the creek and back. The trail passes interesting geological features and a scenic overlook. Hikers must ford wet areas/streams at several points to complete the trail. I recommend wearing boots and bug spray. Admission is free to the preserve. I saw two parking areas on the northwest corner of the preserve. One offers portable restrooms. The parking areas are gravel with enough space for a dozen cars. Mobile phone connectivity is spotty to non-existent. The trail is not wheelchair or stroller friendly. We had no cell phone reception on the trail. In general, the preserve is primitive and natural.

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!

White River State Park is one of the most popular parks in the city, and for good reason! The…read morenickname for it is Indy's backyard. With riverfront and canal-front trails, a pedestrian bridge to the zoo, proximity to the city, and the amphitheater, so much goes on down here. Over the years, my favorite special events have been the food truck festival and the solar eclipse festival. The area is kept to be pedestrian friendly, with parking being underground to the park and wide walking and biking lanes. During warmer weather, I often see a hotdog vendor for a nice and easy lunch. There's lots of sculptures around the park too, which helps to keep things scenic. There's also a huge lawn space for running around.

Beautiful greenspace on the outskirts of downtown all along the White River, as the name implies,…read moreand the canal. Lots to see and do, or just relax, enjoy a little nature, walk or run along the water, enjoy all sorts of trails, enjoy some of the public art hidden here and there, have a little picnic, whatever you feel like. There is an outdoors concert venue, a souvenir shop, the zoo, various museums, such as the Eiteljorg, the Indiana State Museum and such. You can rent multi-seat bikes or a segway and cover more ground. Go and discover.

Park is very clean. Plenty of room for birthday parties or other events. The trail is well kept…read moreand has restroom. Plenty of children's recreation equipment. Highly recommended.

This park, although located nearest to Cumberland, is across the Hancock County line and has a…read moreGreenfield address. Located along Buck Creek on the far east side, the park is sponsored by the Lions Club. What makes this park hard to review is that it appears to be undergoing a transformation. I didn't see any master plan kiosk that would share the vision, so I could only go by my own observation where some of the equipment looks much newer than the pieces in the back. There also appears to be new bridges that span the creek and there is straw spread along the paved walkways that looks like they are trying to grow grass. But at this point, there wasn't much green poking through. There are a couple shelters and two playgrounds, a volleyball court, a basketball court, and pathways that run by the creek. Like many of the parks I visited today, the recent rains had created a high water problem and much of the park was a bit squishy if you got off the paved paths. So, for the pieces that look new, I am encouraged. But some of the older pieces, including the shelters, could use some attention and use of the park is definitely subject to water levels of the creek. Review #779

We really enjoyed our visit to Tarkington Park! The big draw for me was Teas Me Community Cage…read morebeing right there, and I must say, it was fantastic to have an iced tea while in the sunshine on a sunny day! My mini BFF enjoyed the younger area--the small slide, the tunnels, the little hills. There are so many cool aspects of this park to climb, swing, jump, crawl,spin, and even make music. Next time I'm in this part of town, I'll be happy to stop by again!

My Realtor group assisted with cleaning the park today for Earth Day. We made a difference in four…read morehours. I can't believe how different the park looks. I stopped to grab lunch at Teas Me afterward. I forgot to take before and after photos.