state parks project, part 8: white river

We have a mixed review on Indiana's (possibly the country's?) only urban state park. I suppose we should start with the good: It was beautiful. We walked over a pedestrian bridge with a median full of sculptures, over a bunch of really nicely maintained paved paths, and along a canal. We really enjoyed the view of the downtown area, and it was fun to be in a relatively quiet oasis right in the center of it all. The boys got to see ducks up close and personal, appreciate a ton of art, and even have an impromptu dance party on a terrace.

The downsides, though, are pretty big ones. First, there wasn't much nature to be found. I suppose that's to be expected in a major city, but the boys were bewildered and disappointed that it didn't feel like a state park. For me, the biggest downside was that so much of the park was so expensive. Within the park are the Indianapolis Zoo, the NCAA Museum, the Indiana State Museum, and other attractions ... but nothing a family of five could do for less than $100. If you look at it in Chicago terms, it was basically the Museum Campus with a side of Lincoln Park Zoo. To me, expecting families to shell out a bunch of cash to see things in artificial settings just runs counter to the whole idea of state parks, which I view as natural areas set aside for the public to enjoy for a small operational entrance fee. This was more like ... well, you can enjoy the walkways, but if you actually want to go into any buildings, it'll cost you.

The other problem, and this is purely logistical, is that the only available map was an illustration, done cartoon-style, with no clear markings for how to get around or where to park. We drove around for a while before we finally gave up and parked in the zoo parking lot, then it still took another 15 or 20 minutes before we could actually find a path that didn't lead straight to a ticket counter. It was more than a little frustrating.

I hate to give a state park a thumbs down, but I think this one is really at the bottom of our list. And probably not on the return list, unless we decide we want to make a special trip to the zoo at some point.

 

See also: SPP1, SPP2, SPP3, SPP4, SPP5, SPP6, SPP7.