One of the best, easiest, most fun activities for families is taking a trip to the park to play on the playground. For kids, playgrounds are kingdoms full of imagination, exploration, adventure, and fun. For adults, a trip to the playground offers a chance to enjoy the outdoors and relax as the kids play. Families visiting Bloomington will be thrilled to know that we offer several incredible parks with amazing playgrounds — next time you're in B-Town with your littles, be sure to check out at least one of these fun-filled playgrounds.
Bryan Park
Bryan Park is a 33-acre park located just a few blocks south of the Indiana University campus and the downtown area. The park offers not one, not two, but three playgrounds that include traditional & accessible swings, various climbing apparatuses, multiple slides, and more.
Other amenities at Bryan Park include a community pool with waterslides and a diving board, a baseball field, tennis & basketball courts, three shelters, fitness equipment stations, and an open field space for play.
Lower Cascades Park
Lower Cascades Park is a secluded park tucked away just behind our Visitors Center! Located between the two north-most exits to Interstate 69 in Bloomington, the playground at Lower Cascades is one of the largest and most accessible in town. Playground amenities include play-castle structures, traditional & accessible swings, various climbing apparatuses, multiple slides, boardwalk bridges, and more.
Other amenities at Lower Cascades Park include picnic tables, two shelters, two baseball fields, and a nature trail that passes a waterfall.
Karst Farm Park
Karst Farm Park is a 120-acre park on the west side of Bloomington near the Monroe County Fairgrounds. The park, well-loved by locals, boasts four playgrounds. The biggest of the four playgrounds is referred to as "The Playscape," and it features a musical playground, traditional & accessible swings, various climbing apparatuses, tunnels, multiple slides, and is located right next to the splash pad. The smaller playgrounds feature many of the same amenities on a smaller scale, excluding the musical playground and splash pad.
Other amenities at Karst Farm Park include the Karst Farm Greenway and four shorter trails, a splash pad, a dog park, eight open-air shelters and an indoor shelter with a fully-equipped kitchen, a disc golf course, an open field space for play, horseshoe pits, a bike course, an athletic complex with fields for soccer, lacrosse, and other field sports, and courts for basketball, volleyball, pickleball, shuffleboard, and tennis.
Switchyard Park
Switchyard Park is a nearly 58-acre park in downtown Bloomington. The park offers an enormous playground at its south-most end that includes rock walls & hills, a wheelchair-accessible merry-go-round, tunnels, traditional & accessible swings, various climbing apparatuses, multiple slides, bench swings, and more.
Other amenities at Switchyard Park include a splash pad, a community garden, a dog park, a skatepark, a pavilion, an amphitheater, a picnic shelter, numerous fitness stations, a shaded bosque with bistro tables & chairs, a stage & performance lawn, as well as basketball, pickleball, and bocce ball courts. One mile of the B-Line Trail also runs alongside the park, and the Bloomington-favorite Food Truck Friday event gathers every week from April through October at the park as well.
In need of accessibility-friendly activities? Check out our Accessible Places in Bloomington blog.
