Transforming a century-old golf course into a multi-functional public park requires more than redevelopment—it demands visionary landscape architecture, interdisciplinary collaboration, and a deep understanding of place. Riverside Adventure Park in Indianapolis exemplifies how landscape architects can lead integrated teams to reimagine single-use land into inclusive environments that support recreation, community gathering, and connection with nature.
From putting greens to green spaces
Established in 1900, Riverside Golf Course was one of the oldest municipal courses in Indianapolis. The city offers over a dozen municipal courses, and while open to the public, these outdoor recreation spaces typically cater only to those interested in the sport of golf.
Indy Parks recognized an opportunity. Fueled by a mission to provide enriching, safe, and accessible experiences for all, Indy Parks led a park master plan process in 2017 for all of Riverside Regional Park. One of their goals included providing access and diversifying program elements in Riverside Park’s 900+ acres, serving both as a regional destination, while serving the neighborhoods that surround the park. The community supported this vision; public feedback reflected a strong desire to reimagine the area beyond a single-use sport.
Through the master planning effort for the regional park, the concept for Riverside Adventure Park on the nearly 200 acres of the former Riverside Golf Course, emerged: an inclusive, multi-use green space celebrating Indiana’s beauty and four seasons of outdoor fun. Proposed amenities included mountain bike trails, fitness areas, playgrounds, an archery range, toboggan run, and more. In addition, Indy Parks envisioned a wetland mitigation bank and nature center to encourage education and connection with the environment.
Community comes first
In 2019, V3 joined the Riverside Adventure Park effort to advance the master plan into schematic design, leading an integrated team of landscape architects, natural resource scientists, engineers, planners, and community partners. Our reputation for working in natural resource-dense environments, our ability to integrate water into public spaces, and experience in constructing wetland mitigation banks first brought us to the project. Early investigations revealed that the site’s gravelly soils were not suitable for the proposed wetland mitigation bank, prompting a landscape‑led reevaluation of how the land could best serve ecological function and community use.
We conducted extensive research into the site’s history to understand how the land had been used over the past century. While the area brought enjoyment and opportunity to some, there was also segregation and cultural tension that had kept many away. Understanding this history reinforced our responsibility to approach design as a tool for reconciliation—ensuring the new park was welcoming, inclusive, and reflective of community voices historically excluded from the site.
To build trust and unification for the project’s vision, we worked directly with community, and followed the lead of our community engagement partner Groundwork Indy, conducting extensive outreach and engagement. These efforts took place at the height of COVID, so we used the only safe places people could gather—the great outdoors—to showcase what was possible for Riverside Park and to share how the land was quickly transforming after being maintained as a golf course for the past century. We hosted bike tours, art installations, food trucks, outdoor performances, and more to help build excitement and a different perspective of what the site could be, all while talking with community members to understand what they hoped to see in their future park. These efforts directly informed the design framework—prioritizing flexible outdoor spaces, minimizing ecological disturbance, and shaping a park that evolved from community values rather than prescribed programming.
Places designed for people
With this vital feedback in hand, our team got to work, designing a park that offered new amenities while holding on to its natural beauty. Many residents had never visited the site before – once they had, they wanted to preserve as much of its natural beauty as possible. Guided by community feedback and ecological analysis, we concentrated development along the site’s edges—preserving expansive open landscapes at the park’s core for immersion in nature, environmental education, and unstructured discovery.
Five activity zones were developed for Riverside Adventure Park: wetland education, winter recreation, adventure recreation, river recreation, and nature engagement. Each of these areas were organized through a landscape‑led framework that integrates seasonal use, hydrologic systems, and user experience across the expansive site.
The project’s first phase improvements were completed in 2025 including stormwater management, trails, picnic areas, restrooms, signage, parking, and more. A new adventure playground and outdoor fitness zone were also introduced. These infrastructure investments were intentionally designed as placemaking elements, ensuring that trails, stormwater systems, and site access enhance the park experience while reinforcing long‑term environmental resilience.
Future phases will bring even more amenities, including the first archery range in the Indy Parks system and a nature center that explores the story of water and our symbiotic relationship to this precious resource.
V3’s landscape architects are passionate about connecting people to nature and each other, making Riverside Adventure Park a dream project.
“This project pushed our team to think beyond conventional park design and embrace the full responsibility of landscape architecture—as integrator, listener, and steward of place. Through collaboration and community partnership, Riverside Adventure Park is becoming a catalyst for meaningful connection between people, history, and nature.”
Sarah Hurt Evans, PLA, ASLA, Midwest Landscape Architecture Group Leader
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