Last year we bought our girls scooters for the holiday season, which seemed a little crazy in the middle of winter, but the first day of spring was not too far away and we were ready to try out the Skatepark in Plainfield.
With all of the amazing, FREE and low- cost opportunities our local parks give us, we wanted to compile a list of possible gifts for all ages, seasons, and budgets to help you get the most out of our local parks in Hendricks County.
If you shop with Amazon, please use smile.amazon.com and select Parks Foundation of Hendricks County as your nonprofit to give back to. Your donation will help us add even more amenities to our parks and park programs. Thank you!
To see a list of parks in Hendricks County, Banning Engineering has compiled one for us here: https://banning.maps.arcgis.com/apps/MapJournal/index.html?appid=cc2633008c584f16a7c9978947eb34ee
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- Scooter, skateboard, inline skates, roller skates
Anderson Park, Plainfield
We were surprised to find this skate park has many elements for all skating levels. - Sled or snow tube
Ellis Park, Danville
Washington Township Park, Avon
Hummel Park, Plainfield
Our friends at Visit Hendricks County have a great blog post about this with details. - Hiking boots or hiking stick
All of our parks have wonderful trail systems. If you would like to try some unpaved trails, head to McCloud Nature Park, Sodalis Nature Park, Pecar Park, Blanton Woods, Washington Township Park, Arbuckle Acres, or Williams Park. - Donation to Parks Foundation of Hendricks County
Consider a meaningful gift to the park lover in your family, friend or coworker. We fund projects all over the county to enhance the experiences at our local parks. https://pfohc.org/donate/ We’ll even send them this sticker to proudly display. - Things to Explore
Give a gift that encourages exploring a new park or seeing your neighborhood park in a different way! Some ideas are Binoculars, Geocaching Kit, Bird, Tree, or Wildlife Guide, Camera, Walkie Talkies, Backpack, and Nature journal. - Fishing Pole and Tackle
There are many great spots for catch-and-release fishing at our local parks. Some favorites are Avon Town Hall Park, Sodalis Nature Park, Pecar Park, Hummel Park, and McCloud Nature Park. In June, many parks host a free fishing day for kids! Find more information about fishing rules on the DNR website: https://www.in.gov/dnr/fishwild/2348.htm - Remote Controlled Car
Did you know Avon Town Hall Park hosts an RC Track? My husband has already added RC cars to our girls’ lists this year. Shhh, don’t tell them. - GoPro (or generic version)
Have an aspiring YouTuber in your family? A GoPro camera is durable for those trail hikes and can even get wet while creek stomping at many of our parks. It’s a great way to gift them technology that gets them outside exploring! - Telescope
We love this idea for many ages, but especially teens and adults. It also makes a great gift to enjoy free Astronomy nights at McCloud Nature Park and Pecar Park held throughout the year. - Sleeping bag, tent, backpack
With Pecar Park opening this year, so did camping opportunities! Memorial Day through Labor Day you can tent camp right here in Hendricks County. This park also has a nature center, playground, hiking trails, and fishing.
Also, McCloud Nature Park hosts a Family Campout once a year with naturalist-led activities.
- Scooter, skateboard, inline skates, roller skates
What would you add to this list? We hope this encourages you to give gifts that get people out into our parks all year long.