Indy Parks and Recreation provides parks, greenspaces, trails, and recreation opportunities for Marion County residents and visitors. The agency offers 216 parks, 11,254 acres of greenspace, 130 playgrounds, 155 sports fields, 153 miles of trails, 23 recreation and nature centers, 20 aquatic centers, 22 spray grounds, 13 golf courses, and four dog parks. Indy Parks also provides a range of sports, art, education, and recreation programs and more than 2400 programs throughout the year.
Learn about the history of parks in Indianapolis
Mission, Vision and Values
Indy Parks Mission
To provide enriching experiences for all.
Indy Parks Vision
Healthier lives, inspiring experiences, and vibrant communities.
Indy Parks Racial Equity Statement
Indy Parks will be a leader in making Indianapolis a vibrant and healthy place to live by applying a racial equity lens to future planning that better reflects the multicultural community we serve. We are committed to providing equitable and inclusive access to programs, services, amenities, and greenspaces. We strive to identify and invest in a more equitable workplace culture by focusing on policies and practices including budget allocation, procurement, partnerships, hiring, employee training, and advancement.
Indy Parks For All
Indy Parks is committed to welcoming all residents and families and will continue to reflect on and reevaluate all programs, services, and amenities to ensure they are accessible for all. After several internal evaluations, which included providing opportunities for all staff to give feedback, here are some key accomplishments we have reached so far:
Staff engagement
- We invested in diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) training for all Indy Parks staff, including part-time and seasonal employees, to ensure that our team is equally committed to and understands our department’s DEI goals.
Recruiting new talent
- We expanded recruitment efforts while evaluating current staff pay structure through the City’s Compensation Study.
Equitable pay
- We increased wages for lifeguards, food program coordinators, and day camp counselors to attract more applicants and work towards equitable pay.
Budgeting for equity
- We allocated $100,000 to create two new outreach positions, which will expand Environmental Education and Arts programming to more Indy Parks facilities. Another $80,000 in contract funding was allocated to enhance equal access to programming.
Using data
- We utilized available tools to evaluate program inventory to ensure all residents have equal access to our offerings.
Program fees
- We continue to review and update fees and charges for admissions and programs at all of our parks. We increased funding for and promotion of scholarship opportunities to subsidize costs and make camps and pools more accessible.
Ongoing Efforts
We are moving into the next phase of our DEI journey, which involves taking a deep dive into our department’s policies, practices, procedures, and services to evaluate them through a DEI lens. We have created a DEI committee and two subcommittees that are working to evaluate our hiring and interview practices, while exploring our community engagement practices. We are working to collaborate with outside agencies, such as the National Recreation and Park Association, the Indiana Park and Recreation Association, and the City of Indianapolis’ Racial Equity Core Team to streamline reviews of best practices, identify resources to continue training, and understand how other cities and agencies are addressing racial equity and DEI initiatives.
To view the Indy Parks DEI Road Map, click here.
