Swimming and water would be ranked at the top of most people’s fun summer activities. As a child it was the long lazy days hanging at the lake beach near my home that made summertime my favorite time of year. I learned to swim there, first in the shallows and then braving the over the my head depths to reach the floating dock anchored about 60 yards out in the lake. I still remember the excitement of reaching that dock the first time.
In Indianapolis, there are many opportunities for water adventures, even wild water parks and lake swimming. Packing a picnic lunch and snacks makes a day at the pool or beach a truly affordable way to make summer memories for your child that will last them their lifetime.
Indy Parks and Recreation operates 19 family centers around Marion County. You can check online for these locations. The newest is Windsor Village Family Center which opened early this spring.
If you want a more exotic waterpark experience, you can travel a short distance to Plainfield’s Aquatic Center and Splash Island adventure. With three acres of fun you can spend time in Castaway Bay, visit the tropic themed Splash Island with waterslides, or visit Guppy tank, a children’s pool with palm tree showers and whirlpools. The park also includes a six lane competition pool and two one meter diving springboards.
In Carmel, you can visit the new Monon Center with a wealth of family activities including an Outdoor Aqua Park and Indoor Fitness Center. Days passes are $8.00 for kids, $13.00 for adults, or a pass just for the Outdoor Aqua Park for $8.00 and $5.00.
North of Indy, you can find Forest Park Aquatic Center for a wonderful family swimming day at a very reasonable rate in Noblesville’s Forrest Park. Set in the center of the park, you can spend time swimming, get your hand stamped and go out to have a picnic lunch in one of the park’s many play areas, and after playing on one of the large playgrounds, go back into the pool to cool off before heading home. It’s what we used to too and it still works 25 years later!
South of Indy, the Franklin Memorial Pool features an Olympic sized pool with diving well, 160 ft. water slide, tot pool area, water basketball and a new splash pad area installed this summer.
If you desire to have a fun swim experience at a lake, then Eagle Creek Park in Indianapolis offers one of the most affordable and convenient experiences. For $3.00, a child can spend the entire day at the swim beach, although with so many fun activities in this 3400 acre city park, they’ll probably want to check out some of the hiking, paddleboating, fishing and other great family activities. Our grand-daughter is finally old enough to go with us to Eagle Creek, a park that our family used to visit every summer. Eagle Creek is on of the nation’s largest city parks and they have a wide variety of special programs occurring throughout the year.
Other Indiana special swim places
For our family, summer was never complete until we traveled to Indiana Dunes Beach and spent a weekend camping and swimming in Lake Michigan. It’s almost as good as going to the ocean. There were some years, when the park needed some TLC, but recent federal grants have cleaned up the park and the beach and it’s once again a real treat to spend the day there, hiking the sandy dunes, building sandcastles, and chasing the waves in and out. We add to our collection of beach glass every year, by getting there early and doing a bit of beachcombing in the morning, and then as the day heats up, it’s sun and sand and water.
Water, sun, sand, and swimming all combine to create summer adventure for your child and your family this year. Take the day off for one of these mini vacations. When our children were young we didn’t take long week vacations, but divvied up our weeks with these mini day trips or overnight journey’s to state parks and beaches. Almost all of Indiana’s State Parks offer some form of swimming, either on beaches or in pools.
Enjoy summer!
