Brookside Family Center

Beware of local Thugs.

I have recently found this park. My wife and I moved to Irvington last November and I am so excited to be close to this park; mainly for the disc golf course. The course is lacking in clear markings. But, where it lacks, it makes up in just plain fun. There are a great variety of shots to make and all different kinds of terrain; some tight, some open.
Also, I am looking forward to going here to sled with the family! The hills here are perfect for sledding, and I am sure they are unmatched by any other park in Indy!
Although it is in a rough part of town, I have seen football leagues starting practice with a large number of kids and parents. There always seems to be someone walking, biking, balling, or playing disc golf. I have also seen and talked with a parked police officer on the grounds each time I have gone.
If you are looking for a map for the disc golf course and have a smart phone, I have marked the tee and pin locations within the PinDrop app. Just search for Brookside Disc Golf course.

There are 2 things Brookside Park has that most of the other city parks don’t have:
A HUGE sledding hill. I would argue it’s the best free hill in the city.
A really big disc golf course with all sorts of wacky challenges.
The main park building is historic. When I look at the outside of the building: twin staircases at the back, giant trees, decorative masonry… I wish some wealthy do-​gooder would stumble upon this park and restore it to its former glory. On the inside, it’s in pretty good shape. There’s a wood-​floored basketball court on one end with bleachers and a mezzanine and a room with a stage and small kitchen on the other end. Upstairs there are meeting rooms and the basement (super freaky) is used for storage and in case of foul weather. Some of the cool interior details have been lost over time to improvements but you can still see the good bones of this stately building.
There’s a pool – one of the bigger ones in the IndyParks system, I think. A curving slide empties into the kind-​of-​deep-​end. There’s also a fairly large splash pool with fun equipment. This is one of the parks with «water chairs» which are wheelchairs that go in the water. The locker rooms are pretty big with plenty of room to change and shower post-chlorine…but they are showing their age. I think the lifeguards at this pool are especially well-​trained to deal with emergencies because this is one of the 2 city parks where camps for disabled kids are held every summer, all summer long.
Brookside has walking trails that go all the way around the park and there are multiple parking areas as well as a handful of distinct picnic areas. There’s kind of a football or soccer practice field down in the flood basin, a «real» athletic field and 2 baseball diamonds as well as a playground, tennis courts, a couple basketball courts, and multiple playgrounds.
The disc golf course is huge. There are baskets mounted on opposite sides of the levee, at sharp angles, behind trees, up hills… it’s a real challenge, and it’s a LONG course! If you haven’t played here yet, what are you waiting for? The course was not particularly well marked the last time I played (but there are markings), but you can find maps online which will help you out. Most of the pads/​tees are concrete and most of the baskets/​goals have been duct-​taped with bright colors to help you see them. It’s easy to miss a hole or two.
Here’s a link to a helpful DG website:
When Brookside has come up in conversation, I’ve heard «Didn’t someone get shot there?» several times. My answer is «Probably,» but see, that person wasn’t playing disc golf or working as a camp counselor or taking her kids to the pool or sledding or walking while her kids pedaled on tricycles. I’ve never felt unsafe at this park but I also wouldn’t roam around alone. The people I’ve interacted with have been overwhelmingly positive and friendly. Lock your valuables in your trunk, be smart, and have a great day at the park. (There’s some gang graffiti – Latin Kings, I think.)
If you’re thinking to yourself «Where on earth is this huge city park?» It’s 5 – 10 minutes from Mass Ave and Irvington and about about 5 miles south of Glendale off Keystone/​Rural. You’ve probably now realized why a wealthy do-​gooder has never stumbled upon it.

Visited Brookside Park for the first time to play disc with fellow Unilocaler Carl B. The course is poorly marked, but luckily Carl had been before and served as an excellent guide!
I enjoyed the park very much and I look forward to future visits hopefully cooling off in the pool after a round of disc golf!
If Kris P. reads this… you were right.