Holliday Park & Nature Center

We didn’t know the park was under construction when we went 2 weeks ago… which was awful for parking and exploring the ruins area. For such a large park, the parking was VERY limited plus one lot was under construction. As a first experience, I wasn’t impressed. We plan to try again later in the spring to see if we have better luck, but for now we weren’t blown away like all the other reviews.

This is one of my favorite parks in Indy! I come here often over the summer and bring my work kids to work on social skills. They have a huge playground, an awesome nature center that is very interactive. Within the nature center they also have a birdwatching room which can be quite therapeutic and a great learning experience for kids! the best part about this park is that there are multiple walking trails that lead into the woods and it’s just you and nature! Incredibly beautiful. And it’s all free to public! They also have food trucks come out in the summertime hosting different events and such.

always a good time when I visit this park. I came a little later today to lay a blanket down and paint. everyone is really chill and it’s great to see ppl in good spirits enjoying the outdoors.

Best park in town! Huge playground (almost too big). Nature center. Plenty of walking trails. Down toward the river. Open space to run, play and picnic.
Wish there were another real potty near the playground. But if that’s all that’s missing, doing great!

Hands down, THEE best park in Indy! Multiple playgrounds, trails that line the riverside, open space for picnics, play and peace.
My kids love the playgrounds here! The mature wooded area includes a toddler playground that is fenced in, one for older kids with a bunch of monkey bars and a 3-​level playground for the bravest of children. There’s also a cool climbing web made of heavy bungee-​like ropes, a small rock climbing wall, swings and a natural playground that consists of a large tree with large rocks around it. My kids like to pretend that the ground is lava, and they have to stay on the rocks at all costs. I love that; a space that encourages imagination and a connection with nature.
Attention trailblazers! There’s a couple really lovely trails on the river bank that provide stone steps, wooden bridges and muddy paths. I’d make sure you wear some good boots that you don’t mind getting dirty. Once you get down the trail, into the shelter of the trees, you almost forget that you’re in the middle of Indy. It’s the best way to breath in fresh air and burn some calories.
Recently, the park requested donations to keep Holliday Park open to the community. I can’t stress enough the importance of supporting our local parks for the generations to come. These trees and grounds are important to our heritage and our ecosystem. It provides habitats for a variety of local creatures, and wets destroying their homes by expanding and developing human conveniences. Don’t give in to corporate greed. Give your hearts to the parks.

Who doesn’t love going to grab some Sunday brunch in Broad Ripple and then driving a short 5 minutes away to go for a stroll in a free park?
My friend and I came here to check out the place since I had never been and wanted to take a break from a House of Cards binge session. I packed up the hiking gear, brought the hammock along, and away we went.
It was a good park. We went through the trails and played along the river bend. «Just around the river bend!!!» It took us about 5 minutes to get down to the river from the parking lot /​monument area and then about 10 minutes to get back to the lot. So, don’t expect to hike here, but rather take a brisk stroll through the woods.
That being said, I did like this spot. It seems like a good place to bring your dog (close to 75% of the people had dogs when I was there.). The monuments were being worked on or renovated or something, so I couldn’t stop by and see them as they were fenced off.
My findings: go here if,
1– you want to take a quick nature break, but nothing extreme,
2– you have children,
3– you have a dog, and/​or
4– you’d like to take a date here and have a picnic.
Good park, good views, good times.

Holliday Park a nice little nature nook getaway amidst the city of Indianapolis. It houses old ruins (randomly) and has one trail that butts up to White River.
Because the park is so small, it’s great for a morning nature walk, picnic, or afternoon with the family. The two large playgrounds and nature center make Holliday Park even more kid friendly.
I’d highly recommend the park for families, dates, or light walks. However, I wouldn’t recommend it to anyone looking for a hike. The one short trail only takes about 15 minutes to walk if you don’t stop to play in the river or climb on trees.
That being said, the waterfront is gorgeous and feels more secluded than some other White River access points. But, keep in mind that there are a lot of stairs involved in getting down to the waterfront so it may not be a great choice for the elderly or disabled.

When it come to parks and outdoor activities, I tend to see everything through the eyes of our kids. And, when it comes to Holliday Park, you can’t beat this truly exceptional place. Set within a secluded, posh neighborhood in Indy, this park is an amazing urban afternoon getaway for anyone with children.
The centerpiece of this park for us are the playground facilities. Three massive play structures dominate the center of the park. The diverse equipment has swing sets appropriate for a wide age ranges from a modest jungle gym for toddlers all the up to a castle-​like edifice for older kids.
The natural surroundings of the park are wonderfully quiet and peaceful with numerous paths and running trails that meander throughout the area. We didn’t get to spend much time outside the play areas, but the rest of the park seems beautiful and well-​maintained. Holliday Park is now on our family’s short list of stops for our frequent day visits to Indy.

Love this place! I go hiking here 3 – 4 times a week and it’s a nice weekday workout. I can get in a 30 minute to 1 hour hike with 21 floors climbed regardless of duration according to my tracker. I love that it’s easy to mix up the trails so that I’m not going the same route every time. My dog LOVES it here. The trails can be narrow and he’s not the best around other pups but we find it easy to maneuver around them. We plan to keep coming back for a long time to come!

This is a beautiful park with hills, trails, playgrounds, gardens, special «ruins», all above the White River.

As someone who spends a lot of time using technology both in my work and home life, visiting Holliday Park sans cell phone has become a saving grace. I love that it’s close enough to home to drive to in less than 15 minutes, but feels worlds away from the bustle of the city. The simplicity of hiking or walking the meadow is just what I need to balance out the stress of email, phone call, text message pandemonium.
There are enough things in the park to easily fill a whole day: hiking trails, picnic meadows, playground, a nature center, and so much more. The best part? It’s completely free!

When I ask local parents and kids which parks in Indy they recommend, every single one says Holliday Park! We finally had to visit after hearing so many times how great it is, and it’s true — Holliday Park is great. We mostly stuck around the gigantic playground and the nature center this visit, but we could easily spend all day roaming and discovering everything this park has to offer.
The nature center was a cool (literally — the air conditioning felt great) place to hang out and learn about local animals, plants and insects. There are costumes to dress up in, games and blocks and toys to play with, animals to watch and even weird scents to smell (skunk weed — ew!).
The playground is divided into three parts: two big-​kid playgrounds, with a little-​kid playground in between both. There are lots of benches to sit at under nice shady trees, and picnic benches scattered around the periphery. The playground has everything a kid could want to play on: swings, slides, a rope jungle gym, tunnels, a fort, stairs, bridges and more.
There are lots of walking and hiking paths, too, with views of the river.

Favorite park in Indy. The trails are incredible and this place is absolutely stunning in the fall. I grew up hiking these trails and even got my senior pictures taken here. This place is the best escape from daily life and it is absolutely free.
There is also a massive playground with really unique features such as wooden huts, massive trees, and a large spider web contraption that they can climb. It’s every kid (and adult’s) dream.

I love this park. It is my favorite Indy Park. When my older (adult now) kids were young, we went here to hike and climb on the rope jungle gym. Now I have two toddlers again and we headed back to the park. They still have the hiking and the rope thing, but they’ve added three playgrounds as well. One is designed for young toddlers, the next for older, but still young kids and the final is tall — three story — and for the older kids. But they are all sturdy enough for all ages — even adults.
Additionally there is a lot of open ground for football, running around, etc. great park!

Trails and plants/​flowers — a getaway to nature within the city. Sitting here listening to the babbling brook is so relaxing! You can also sit inside the Nature Center on a comfy couch and watch the birdies play and feast and hear them over the speakers.

After hearing about it and having driven past it countless times, I finally decided to stop on a drive to downtown with my brother. I was so surprised that so much nature was almost right in my backyard!
We didn’t really know what to do so we started hiking down a small path and found ourselves in the woods and eventually made our way down to the river. It was so peaceful and a great place to get away from the hustle and bustle.
We took a peak inside the nature center where two separate events were being held. There’s also a small discovery area for kids that’s pretty interactive. Puzzles, costumes, and learning, all rolled into one.
I’ll definitely be back to explore more! It will be gorgeous come fall!

Wow. I’ve known about this place for a while but never found the urge to get off my duff and go check it out. Now that I have a 2.5 yr old daughter I’m out of excuses.
Excellent, excellent park. Did I say excellent? Playground equipment galore for all ages, paved trails, wonderful rock garden and the trails down to the river along with lookout points are great. Convenient resting spots, water fountains and bathrooms somebody needs to get trash cans down by the trails. Boo to the hilljacks who litter, you suck.
Please open up the ruins, I can’t believe anybody would be dumb enough (who knows) to spray paint them during the day. C’mon they’re ruins! Anyways donate money to them as they are trying to raise 2 million for something who knows, all I know this is an Indy treasure. Let’s maintain it.

Got dogs? Go here.
There are trails back behind the playground equipment and the parking lots that will take you to some very beautiful places. Trails are gravel or dirt and may contain stones for steps or wooden steps and bridges. It’s wide enough that you don’t have to worry about tight spaces or having to pass multiple groups of people when it’s busy.
My pups love this place because the trails are surrounded by tall trees that keep everything shaded when the sun is out. And if you don’t have dogs, you will still enjoy the uniqueness that is Holliday Park.

I’ve lived in Indianapolis for over 8 yrs and just now discovered this park. This is a completely hidden gem! I was browsing some lists of parks and things to do around Indy on a lazy Sunday and saw this park on the list. I was intrigued by both the awesome, former building sculptures called «the ruins» as well as the supposed ~3−4 miles of hiking trails. The hubby and I wandered up to the Ripple region and discovered Holliday park firsthand. The trails are tucked away in the back of the park, and curve around in the old beautiful woods. The trails have nice wooden paths and bridges here-​and-​there, and we only ran across two people the entire time while on the trails. There is access to the river, which meanders through in a way that dogs can play around in the shallows. Completely fun place for a pooch! If you have offspring, the playground is enormous! I was wishing I was 10 yrs old again so I could play in that set. Everything is nicely shaded as well, so bring a blanket, sit, and relax! Only bummer is the restrooms — I only saw porta-​pots — ick. There is also a small nature center, but it wasn’t open when we happened to be at the park. Excellent place — check it out!

Little did I know that this park was literally a mile away from my home. Lovely! I took some time on a Sunday to visit Holliday Park on my own. It was one of those days that required a break from work, a break from people and a break from reality in general. Taking a walk/​jog/​run through the park is the perfect remedy. As I pulled into Holliday Park I noticed that there was absolutely no entrance fee. Perfect. Though I already have purchased my Indiana State Parks pass for the year, it’s always a nice relief for something to simply be «free.»
The paths in the park were gorgeous. There was a nice playground for families to take advantage. All in all — a great spot for fun. Parks are perfect for someone of any age, and that’s why I love them so.
As I was walking around, I HAD to make sure I stopped to look at «The Ruins.» Apparently in the 1950’s, the St. Paul Building in New York City was torn down to make room for a more modern skyscraper. The St. Paul Building needed a new home. There was a competition held and the winner would be given the sculpture. Holliday Park won. :-) It 100% reminded me of the ruins in Rome — and that in itself made me enjoy the park even more. I’m proud to know Indianapolis cares about history just as much as I do. Thank heavens.