Holliday Park

So beautiful! Some mucky terrain in the trails going nearer the water so wear shoes that can get mucky! Really nice observation spots sprinkled all around! The Rock Garden closest to the Nature Center and The Ruins is so enchanting! Great spots to sit and rest all over! The playground area was bustling with kids on a Saturday afternoon! If your looking for a more quiet serene nature experience, I recommend early mornings and/or weekdays! Update........ Had such a great day recently at Holiday park. Did much more exploring while also creating a meaningful hiking experience and work out! We love the paths closest to the water. The deer tracks,racoon tracks and all the clam and snail shells really transport you!

What a lovely experience. The ruins were gorgeous, the hiking trails were top notch and the water was so clear down by the river. My kids enjoyed the play area. It was a great time for our entire family.

Neatly preserved historical Ruins and statues that I have visited for over 5 years now. The woods are colorful. Picnic benches but also the perfect spot for a genuine quilt picnic! Grounds work does a wonderful job with florals and foliage. Plenty of parking throughout park. Nature center is very informative and fun for kiddos. The playground was remodeled and is a mom of 4s dreams! The trails just beyond the playgrounds area are full of scenic nature views with trails that eventually have water access in some spots. I have taken several photography clients session here over the years and it's still one of my favorite Indy Parks!

I really enjoyed my short visit to Holliday Park. For me, the best part was the short hiking trails leading down to the river and that area. Nice woods, well-maintained trails, and some nice views. The nature center seemed more promising than it was, as it turned out to really just be a small kids' play area and a lot of offices. The ruins were intriguing, but the actual history was less interesting (though weirder) than I imagined. The kids' outdoor playgrounds looked like they're probably great, but I wasn't there with my kids. So, overall the hiking trails were the best. Very peaceful, only a handful of other people on them, and beautiful forest.

The Ruins at Holliday park is a beautiful and unique sculptural installation that should not be missed by anyone visiting Indianapolis. Thanks to the genius of local art legend Elmer Taflinger, the Indiana limestone entryway of the demolished St. Paul Building in New York City was preserved and brought to Indianapolis to be the centerpiece of an installation that also includes a semicircle of Doric columns, an arc-shaped pool, and a triumvirate of limestone monoliths that display the first line of the Constitution. The statues above the entryway are the work of Austrian sculptor Karl Bitter and originally depicted men of three different races struggling to support the skyscraper towering above them. The skyscraper, of course, no longer exists but the strain in their bodies and faces is still masterfully displayed. My only regret is that the Ruins was not placed in downtown Indianapolis where it could have gotten the recognition and appreciation it deserves.