Wednesday, January 27, 2021

Playgrounds and Parks In Carmel, Indiana

This week's travel post is part two of a series of our visit to see our grandchildren in Carmel, Indiana.  If you missed last week's travel post where we visited Coxhall Gardens, you can find it HERE.

This past summer we spent a week with our grandchildren in Carmel, Indiana.  We spent a good part of our week visiting an assortment of parks that the little ones would enjoy, but the adults found them just as much fun as the kids!

One of the best parks we went to was Central Park.  It is a 159 acre park that has six miles of trails that wind through native prairies, wetlands, and woodlands. It also has a fantastic futuristic playground called Westermeir Commons. This playground is nestled into a hill with 25,000 square feet of play space. It is wheelchair friendly so children with all abilities can enjoy it.  A colorful, soft outdoor safety carpet covers the entire play space.  

Below Alethea and I are playing "Airplane".  She loved running up and down the small hills.


The Commons area also offers a picnic area, outdoor classroom space, restrooms, an open meadow, a lagoon, and a boardwalk.


Like I said earlier, us big kids enjoyed playing on this playground as much as the little ones.  Below is my son flying in circles on one of the playgrounds equipment.

There is also a splash pad adjacent to the playground.  The splash pad is designed to match the nature surrounding it.  There are spray features and geysers resembling cattails, flowers, and animals.

After we played a bit, we headed out to check out the lagoon.  A beautiful, wide paved trail meanders through a meadow and alongside the lagoon.


A boardwalk takes you over the lagoon so you can get a closer look at all the waterfowl and cattails.



It is so fun to be walking on top of the water on the boardwalk.  We thought the bridge looked so pretty and interesting, we continue our hike to see what lay ahead.




This pretty photo was taken from the top of the bridge.


My family:  Ashley in the front, with her hubby and dad pushing Atticus in the stroller.  My son Jordan is standing on top of the bridge and Alethea is with him, but is too short to be seen.

Underneath the bridge...what a photographers dream, eh?  I have so many photos of Alethea following her Uncle Jordan from behind.  Such a cutie pie!


Another "park" we went to isn't a park at all, but just a fun spot in downtown Carmel.  It was our first night in Carmel and after a long eight hour drive we deciding to spend our evening taking a walk.  Downtown Carmel is only a short walk from my children's old apartment.  Here there are lots of posh restaurants and shops, but also plenty to entertain the kids too.  My husband and son enjoyed a game of ping pong while Alethea looked on.



Atticus enjoyed playing on the playground equipment.  What a handsome boy he is turning out to be!



My husband and I are not ones to sit on a park bench and watch the kids play.  We always get right in and join them!  I think the grandkids really enjoy having Grandma & Grandpa play on the equipment with them.

Alethea loves to climb and here she is right at the top!  I love the safety netting.


And finally, just a quick photo of Grandpa with his grandson.  This adorable picture was taken at my son-in-laws school.  Jason gave us a tour of his office and his school, and we stopped a bit to let the kids play on some equipment while we were there.


 Playgrounds have sure changed a lot since I was a kid.  "In my day" a playground consisted of a singular metal slide, some swings like the ones pictured above, monkey bars with concrete underneath, a seesaw, and maybe one of those spinning circular things if you were lucky.  Yet, I remember we loved it!  We never saw ourselves as disadvantaged and I don't remember anyone getting seriously hurt.  My have times changed!  I can't even imagine growing up with the playgrounds kids have today.  I wonder if they realize how spoiled they are?  ðŸ˜€

Have A Great Day!  Amy

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30 comments:

  1. Oh that looks fun! Sometimes you just wish we were kids again!

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  2. It is amazing how some of these playgrounds are put together nowadays! I remember rusty equipment on pavement from when I was a kid!

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    1. Yes, it is amazing. Sure wish we had these type of playgrounds when we were kids.

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  3. Wow, what a fabulous place. That playground is like heaven even for adults!!!
    XOOOX
    Jodie
    www.jtouchofstyle.com

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  4. That looks like such a cool trip. Very nice.

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  5. What lovely playgrounds! it's nice you have been able to spend that time with your grandkids! we have loved the summer school holidays too as mum and I have taken the kids out exploring often - there are a lot of great places to explore and if we pass a new playground the boys have fun checking those out too! :) We are lucky to have so many nice ones near us :)

    Hope that your week is going well :)

    Away From Blue

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    1. That's great you get together so much with your mum. Thanks for visiting!

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  6. It looks like you had such a great time!! I love your outfit!! Those shoes are so cute! Hoping you have a wonderful day!!

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    1. I did! Thank you! The older I get the more I wear sneakers, especially when I play with the grandkids.

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  7. I love an old-fashioned swing. Still do.

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  8. Thanks for sharing your beautiful pictures. They made me smile. My travel is null because of the virus, and I miss it so much. I'll be so glad to be able to get on the road again. Have a great week-end.

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  9. These looks like such fun playgrounds and park! Love that there is a lagoon and trails at the first park! And a ping pong table in the city would be so much fun!! They need to add those to more cities!!

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    1. Yes, these affluent communities sure have a lot to offer.

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  10. What a fun place for the ever-moving little ones! Ah, to have their energy again *sigh*

    It's so great to see your link at 'My Corner of the World' this week!

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  11. Such nice photographs. Everyone looks happy. Wishing you many more days of love and fun with your family.

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  12. That playground looks amazing. Such beautiful pictures.

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  13. A fantastic place for a family adventure! Memories to cherish!

    Blessings!
    ❤️carmen

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  14. We all need a push out the door to be our best selves in this pandemic!

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