Tour of the Vigo County Parks- George and Ida Smith Park

The next stop on our tour of Vigo County Parks for National Parks and Recreation Month is… George and Ida Smith Park! Or as some would refer to it as, Prairieton Park. This cute neighborhood park is located in Prairieton on Highway 63. It was donated to the department in 1976 in memory of George and Ida Smith by their daughter. It boasts a basketball court, picnic area and playground. You’ll have to check out this quiet park next time you’re in the area!

Tour of Vigo County Parks- Prairie Creek Park!

The first stop on our tour of the Vigo County Parks this National Parks and Recreation Month is… Prairie Creek Park! We’ll start our journey in the south and make our way north through the county as we highlight our parks, their amenities and some of our amazing parks professionals.
When most folks think of Prairie Creek they automatically think of maple syrup and groves of old Sugar Maple trees because that’s what they’re most famous for. Outside of maple syrup season, this park has a lot of other great things to offer! March through November 3 you can camp in one of our 2 primitive, 26 electric or 15 electric/ direct water hook up campsites. Most of the sites in our quiet campground back up to the woods and with nearby hiking trails for daily adventures!
Speaking of hiking, we’ve got 7 different trails for you to explore during your visit, including the Elliott Woods Trail in the Elliott Woods Nature Preserve! There’s plenty of wildlife to see, birdwatching to do and great fishing to help you relax and unwind. For the sports enthusiast in your life the park offers a baseball/ softball diamond, basketball goals, horseshoe pits, outdoor exercise equipment, a soon to be refurbished tennis and pickleball court and coming soon disc golf! Of course we also have several playgrounds for the kiddos as well.
Prairie Creek is a hidden gem south of Terre Haute for those looking to get away from the hustle and bustle of town. It has a little bit of something for everyone so be sure to stop by and visit it soon!

Final Master Plan Public Meeting Reminder

Our final public meeting is TONIGHT, June 27th at 6 pm in the Vigo County Council Chambers. Your chance to participate in our Master Plan Survey is coming to an end as it closes SUNDAY, June 31 at midnight. If you are unable to do so at home you may take the survey on an iPad provided at the meeting tonight. We also want to remind folks that our parks include:
Fowler Park
Prairie Creek Park
Hawthorn Park & J.I. Case Wetlands
Griffin Bike Park
Ruble Park
Dewey Point/ Bicentennial Park at Wabashiki State Fish and Wildlife Area
Markle Mill Park
George and Ida Smith Park
Lee Fields Park
and the R. Kermit Flesher Memorial State Nature Preserve
If we do not own that park we are unfortunately unable to include it in our Master Plan or our Survey.
We thank you for your time and input!

Fowler Park Beach Open

The water main leak has been repaired quicker than we anticipated so the beach at Fowler Park is now reopened! Thank you everyone for your understanding.

Beach Closed

Due to a water main break, our beach at Fowler Park will be CLOSED next week on June 24, 25 and 26. We will need to close that half of the park to repair the water main including the beach and Shelter B. We apologize for the inconvenience and thank you for your understanding.

Master Plan Survey and Public Meeting Reminder

We are halfway through June so we want to remind everyone that our Public Survey for our 2025 – 2029 Master Plan is still available through the end of June for you to take. It is linked for you below, if you do not have internet at home to take it you can do so on an iPad available at our final public meeting on June 27th at 6 pm in the Vigo County Council Chambers. We also want to remind folks that our parks include:
Fowler Park
Prairie Creek Park
Hawthorn Park & J.I. Case Wetlands
Griffin Bike Park
Ruble Park
Dewey Point/ Bicentennial Park at Wabashiki State Fish and Wildlife Area
Markle Mill Park
George and Ida Smith Park
Lee Fields Park
and the R. Kermit Flesher Memorial State Nature Preserve
If we do not own that park we are unfortunately unable to include it in our Master Plan or our Survey.
We thank you for your time and input!

Master Plan Survey and Public Meeting Reminder

We have a very busy month coming up this month in the parks, but we want to take a moment to remind everyone that our Public Survey for our 2025 – 2029 Master Plan is still available through the end of June for you to take. It is linked for you below, if you do not have internet at home to take it you can do so on an iPad available at our final public meeting on June 27th at 6 pm in the Vigo County Council Chambers. We also want to remind folks that our parks include:
Fowler Park
Prairie Creek Park
Hawthorn Park & J.I. Case Wetlands
Griffin Bike Park
Ruble Park
Dewey Point/ Bicentennial Park at Wabashiki State Fish and Wildlife Area
Markle Mill Park
George and Ida Smith Park
Lee Fields Park
and the R. Kermit Flesher Memorial State Nature Preserve
If we do not own that park we are unfortunately unable to include it in our Master Plan or our Survey.
We thank you for your time and input!

Master Plan Public Meetings

 The Vigo County Parks and Recreation Department has started the process of planning and writing our next 5-year Master Plan for 2025 – 2029. We invite the public to provide their input on our park successes over the last 5 years along with what they would like to see out of the parks in the next 5 years. The first public meeting will be held Monday, May 13th at 6:00 p.m. at Fowler Park in the Log Barn and the second public meeting will be held June 27th at 6:00 p.m. in the Vigo County Council Chambers at the Vigo County Annex. There is a survey, link provided below, for the public to participate in. This can be completed on your own or there will be tablets at the public meetings for people to take the survey on then. For any questions they can contact the office at 812-462-3392.

 Survey:

Master Plan Public Survey 

Master Plan Public Survey

The Vigo County Parks and Recreation Department has begun writing our 2025-2029 Master Plan. As part of that process we have created a survey for the public to participate in so that you can provide your input in what you would like to see out of our parks in the next 5 years. There will also be a chance for you to attend a public meeting with the first being on May 13th at 6 p.m. in the Fowler Park Log Barn. As you start your survey, please keep in mind that our parks include:
Fowler Park
Prairie Creek Park
Hawthorn Park & J.I. Case Wetlands
Griffin Bike Park
Ruble Park
Dewey Point/ Bicentennial Park at Wabashiki State Fish and Wildlife Area
Markle Mill Park
George and Ida Smith Park
Lee Fields Park
and the R. Kermit Flesher Memorial State Nature Preserve
We thank you for your time and input!

 

Full Time Maintenance Specialist/ Park Ranger position Hiring!

In addition to our seasonal positions, we are also hiring a Full Time Maintenance Specialist/ Park Ranger!
This position will be responsible for completion and supervision of projects, repairs, and general maintenance within the Vigo County park system while also responding to needs and providing security within the system. You will be rotating between the parks and working a Wednesday- Sunday evenings schedule. For more information please call 812-462-3392 or visit vigoparks.in.gov to apply!
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