Bryan Park

There is a reason this park has perfect ratings … Bryan park just screams «BLOOMINGTON». It’s clean, safe and always has something going on. I’m being serious …9÷10 times I’ve been to this park someone is either walking a tight rope, doing tai chi, or actually having a picnic … It really makes me take a step back (in life) and just enjoy being outdoors and part of a great community.
I love taking my kids to this park. They have a fenced in playground made for smaller kids and then a 2^nd park right down the hill for bigger kids, which I might add has had a few upgrades since last year… Bye bye muddy playground *
Along with the basketball court, volleyball pit, softball field, tennis courts, track around the entire park, Bryan park is also know for its pool and slide … This is a great spot to go to in the summer time … Cheap and entertaining .
Oh, and last but not least … Bringing it back to community… They do so many events here, movie in the park, concerts in the park, beer events, kid activities … It’s just an all around great spot in Bloomington for EVERYONE !
I will also add they have clean bathrooms …

Great park! Nice 0.8 mi loop to walk/​run. Good workout set up as well. Tennis courts, pool, baseball, kid play area…

Great community park with something for the whole family!

What a great public pool! Husband and I went after a day of hot work in the yard. We didn’t get there until an hour before closing, but the $ 2.50 per person was reasonable enough that we still wanted to go. When we got there, we were greeted in the lobby by two smiling teens working the front desk. They were very polite and nice. There are complimentary storage bags at the front desk for your bag or back pack, just ask.
The pool facility was remodeled within the last 10 years, and it shows. The pool is a huge T shape, with a longer top. There is one reserved lap lane and I noticed a «crane» type device for patrons who may need assistance getting in and out of the pool or for theraputic use. There were also… WATER SLIDES! Two of them are the twisty turny kind, but to use them, you actually need an additional wrist band, which costs $ 2 more per person. Worth it, but we didn’t get it this time. The kids AND adults really seemed to enjoy these. There was also a diving board and another slide, available to all, that go into the diving well. This particular slide is pretty intense. You go out about 2 feet then straight down. I only tried that once :)
There is also a separate area for very young children called the «Limestone Lagoon.» It’s basically a wading pool with some water fall structures. I think there was a concession stand but it didn’t appear to be open when we were there. And there’s a stand with free sunblock, provided by the hospital. Very convenient.
Over all, the pool was busy, but large enough that no one felt cramped. It was also very clean and well maintained. There were at least 4 life guards that I saw on duty, too. We will definitely be going back!

This place is huge! Pretty much everything that anybody or anybody with an animal… or even an animal would want in a park is here! Lots of open grassy space to lay around, throw the frisbee around, or do whatever it is that you want to do in the grass — and you’ll have room for it. We even spotted some LARPers doing their thing in the park! Awesome! The shelters seem to fill up quickly so make sure you reserve one before hand. The bbqs are in great shape and are easy to use. Awwwwww yeah.

Bryan Park is where it’s at. I grew up a few blocks from a big park like this, and until now my nostalgic romanticism of said park has not allowed me to deem many other parks as superior. But I’ll be damned if BP is not one of the best spots in Bloomington — yeah, I said it.
The loop around the park is perfect for a walk with your sweetie/​bestie/​pup/​damn self. There are plenty of wiiiiiiide open spaces for you to get your zen or nap on. Water features include a pool (Drool in the Pool, a dog-​swimming event at the end of the summer is one of my favorites) with a couple of slides and a creek running through the middle of the park. As the other Unilocalers mentioned, there are plenty of playgrounds, ball diamonds, tennis/​basketball courts, and sand pits. I’m pretty lazy, so I just like to watch. I’m not sure if that’s encouraged at the pool, though.
Anyway, lots of parks have things to do at them. But what I like best about Bryan Park is its utilization by the parks department. Weather permitting, there are FREE concerts and movies running nearly year-​round, as well as cultural events and garage sales, etc. A schedule of events can be found here:
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Normally I don’t write reviews for parks, but this is such a fantastic community spot, I want to spread the word! Though there are many events that held here, an example of one event that I attended in the fall was their free «movies in the park» event.
What you can find here: a paved walking/​jogging trail (just under a mile loop), an outdoor community swimming pool, a baseball diamond, at least 3 kids playgrounds, several full sized fields, pavilions, public tennis courts, exercise stations (pull-​up bars and the like), and a lovely little creek which you can admire from benches.
Who you can find here: soccer players, families on a walk, joggers, bike polo players, little kids playing, college students looking for a place to unwind, LARPers (look it up), swimmers, tennis players, etc. There is something for everyone!

A fantastic neighborhood park. Open spaces, summer movies in the park. Let your kids (and dogs) run wild. Actually, about the dog thing: they’re technically supposed to be leashed, but early in the morning and evening, it essentially becomes a dog park.
I used to tromp through the park every morning back when I was in grad school. I still miss the crayfish volcanoes in the middle of the fields.
I hope any kids reading this appreciate the quality of this park. I live in the SF Bay area now (and used to live in LA) and I always thought that parks were the domain of sorry-​ass punks that didn’t know how to do anything, so just went around shooting and mugging people.