Riverside Park
One of Indy’s oldest parks with wide variety of activities
Located just five miles from downtown Indianapolis, Riverside Regional Park offers 861 acres (that’s larger than New York’s Central Park!) filled with amenities including an indoor family center, boat launch, river views, playgrounds, basketball, tennis courts, an outdoor pool, horseshoe pit, shelters for gatherings, golf, and more. The Riverside Adventure Park portion of the park includes nature trails as well as a skate park, velodrome, and BMX track. With the river flowing through its heart, Riverside Park is surrounded by rich history with the historic Riverside neighborhood to the east and the campus of Marian University to its northwest.
Park Location
2420 East Riverside Drive, Indianapolis, IN
Full Park Details
All IndyParks properties are open sunrise to sunset every day. Hours of individual facilities or ticketed venues or activities may vary.
Family Center Hours:
Monday – Friday, 11:30 am – 8 pm
Saturday, 10 am – 4 pm
Sunday, closed
Park Activities
Athletic Fields & Courts
Fields and courts for sports.
Boat Launch
Paved boat ramps for boats on trailers.
Canoeing/Kayaking
Formal or safe informal places to paddle from.
Family or Recreation Center
An indoor facility for recreation and community programming.
Family Friendly
Fishing
Safe opportunities to fish from shore.
Golf
Public or publicly-accessible golf course with riverfront views.
Nature Trails
Trails designed for walking in natural spaces.
Picnic Areas
Designated picnic tables or shelters.
Swimming Pool
Indoor or outdoor public swimming pool.
Progress Updates
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2023
In 2023, the Lilly Endowment awarded $80m for improvements across the Indy Parks system, including several major grants for White River-adjacent parks. Holliday Park is receiving $4.5m for playground and signage improvements, walkway upgrades, and gazebo maintenance. Major Taylor Skate Park, part of Riverside Regional Park, is receiving funds to expand and add lighting. Riverside Park itself is receiving $11.55 in new funding (on top of $6.5m previously committed by the City) to build a new playground at the Taggart Memorial, upgrades to the soap box derby track, and new sidewalks and nature trails in the new adventure park portion of the park. Southwestway Park received $1.25m for a new comfort station, expanded parking area, and playground.
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2023
The historic 30th Street bridge in Riverside Park is currently being rehabilitated and restored, including wide promenades leading down to the water’s edge.
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2022
A new rock ramp dam structure in Riverside Park now replaces the Emrichsville Dam which collapsed in 2018. The rock ramp dam offers a safer and more ecologically friendly alternative to low-head dams.
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2021
In 2021, the Taggart Memorial Amphitheatre in Riverside Park opened. The restored historic Taggart Memorial serves as the backdrop for community programming from Indy Parks and is home to IndyShakes, an outdoor Shakespeare company.
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2021
In 2021, the Riverside Adventure Park plan was completed, repurposing the former Riverside Golf Course that had been taken offline a year earlier as part of implementation of the broader Riverside Park Master Plan, completed in 2018. Funding for initial projects in both parks has been committed by the Circle City Forward program.
