Stroll Through A Tropical Oasis In The Midwest At Indiana's Overlooked City Park

When you're visiting Indiana, you might be there to check out the famous Indianapolis Motor Speedway or the Children's Museum of Indianapolis, which is one of the best children's museums in the U.S. You may also want to take a tour of the city's multiple microbreweries, as Indianapolis is one of the best cities for beer aficionados. However, you shouldn't skip some of the city's quieter attractions, like Garfield Park. 

Garfield Park is the oldest public park in the city, as it was established in the late 1800s. Famed landscape architect and urban planner George Kessler designed both the Conservatory and the Sunken Garden. Kessler also helped create a system to connect parks throughout Indianapolis. The park is tucked away in a residential neighborhood around four miles from Mile Square, the heart of Indianapolis. It's also about a 20-minute drive from the Indianapolis Airport, which has the best customer service in North America.

The centerpiece of the park is the Conservatory, which first opened in 1916. Visiting can make it feel like you're on a miniature tropical vacation while still in the Midwest. Right outside the Conservatory is the Sunken Garden, which was opened the same year and has a European vibe.

The 10,000-square-foot Garfield Park Conservatory is like a tropical rainforest. There's a waterfall cascading into a koi pond, along with displays of fragrant flowers, lush ferns, palms, and even coffee and cacao plants. It's kept warm year-round, so it's a particularly nice escape from the cold in the middle of winter when it can get down to below freezing.

Outside the Conservatory is the Sunken Garden, which is three acres of manicured gardens styled after formal gardens in Europe. They've been kept much the same over the years, staying true to George Kessler's vision. While the Conservatory is a great visit any time of the year, the best time for the Sunken Garden is in spring and summer when many of the flowers are in bloom — the tulips, which they're known for, typically bloom in spring, and the large fountains in the center of the garden get turned off for the winter. Another thing to keep in mind when you plan your visit is that both the Conservatory and Sunken Garden are closed on Mondays. Garfield Park also has playgrounds, pickleball and basketball courts, horseshoe pits, walking trails, an amphitheater, and the Garfield Park Arts Center. So if the weather's nice, it can be a place for a whole day of family fun.