250 Pine Lake Avenue,  La Porte, Indiana 46350 | ph: 219-326-9600    Home

Tot Lots  |  Fields  |  Park Facilities  |  Fee Information  |  Location of Parks

    There are a variety of Parks, Fields, Tot Lots and facilities available to suite every need. Reservations for Cummings Lodge or the Picnic Shelters may be made for family or business occasions. Boating facilities including slip and row boat rentals are available. See Fee Information above for rental rates and details.                                                                  Back to Park Department

 
    Kesling Park is located on the southern edge of  the community.  It started with a small two acre land donation, and has since grown through additional donations by the Kesling family to the present day size of 90 acres. The park was developed in three phases through the use of park and recreation grant programs. Today, residents from all of LaPorte enjoy the modern facilities.  Active recreation includes ball diamonds, tennis courts, outdoor racquetball courts, play grounds, volleyball, basketball, tubing hill, soccer and fitness trails.  For the passive recreational users, Kesling Park offers picnic facilities, community playground, walking trail and a nature trail.

 
   Soldiers Memorial Park, dedicated in 1928 containing 556 acres, serves the population of northern Indiana and southern Michigan.  It is the largest city park and widely known for its forested beauty, water sports and organized recreational activities.  The park encompasses all of Stone Lake, 140 acres and all but 628 feet of shoreline. Also the park provides a variety of active and passive   recreational activities including  swimming, playgrounds, softball, volleyball, cross-country skiing, fishing and boating.  Within it’s gently rolling terrain, the property is approximately 85% woodlands and water.  Access is available to Stone Lake, Pine Lake, Crane Lake and Craven Pond.  Nature trails have been developed through a stand of native trees, allowing environmental education opportunities.  Soldiers Memorial Park is also the site of the Park Department office and maintenance facilities.

       Fox Memorial Park, originally started in 1911 with only 15 acres,  has grown today to 170 acres of scenic beauty.  In the early 1900’s flowers, shrubs and trees were planted to further beautify the hills of mature oak, hawthorn and wild apple.  The entire park was landscaped and strolling paths developed.  Fox Memorial Park includes Clear Lake, which encompasses approximately 100 acres of the total park. Today, Fox Memorial Park can be considered one of LaPorte’s finest parks.  It still contains much of its scenic beauty.  The trees planted in the early 1900’s have matured to provide that scenic environment.    Active    recreational     facilities have been developed at the park as the demand for such activities have increased.  The park offers ball diamonds, play grounds, picnic shelters, fishing, boating, and new for the 2002 season the Thrills ‘n’ Spills Skate Park.  The passive activities include trails, picnic facilities and the bandshell for special events.

     Lindewald Park is considered La Porte’s first park.  A parcel of land, 9.4 acres on Lower Lake, was purchased in 1890.  The original parcel contained a notable grove of white oaks, of which a few stands of this native timber still remains.
     The park today is a popular site for family reunions and picnics.  Facilities include picnic shelters, play ground, restrooms, ball diamond, volleyball courts and twelve lighted horseshoe pits.

     Allesee Park is a six acre neighborhood park on the south side of the city.  It was developed adjacent to a housing subdivision to provide recreational facilities to the neighborhood.  Facilities include a ball diamond, basketball half-court, volleyball, play ground, multi purpose fitness trail, shelter and a restroom.  Allesee Park has suffered over the past few years due to vandalism, but thanks to a $43,000 donation to the Park Foundation  in 2000 by the Allesee family, improvements were made.

     Kiwanis-Teledyne Park is a small park located on the eastern side of Pine Lake and located at the intersection of US Highway 35 and State Road 39.  The two acre park was formed in 1965 as a training exercise by the National Guard while conducting a dredging operation on a lake channel.  In 1981, a land donation of 2.5 acres doubled the size of the park.  The local Kiwanis Club was responsible for the initial development of the park with a fireplace and picnic shelter.
     In 1990, with the assistance of an Indiana Waters Grant, Kiwanis-Teledyne Park was renovated with new facilities including entrance drive, parking, restrooms, picnic shelter, walkway to the lake and floating piers.

     Koomler Park covers four acres in southern La Porte.  It was initially a play area developed by the federal government in the 1940’s for children of the workers at the Kingsbury Ordinance Plant.  In 1962, this land was transferred to the city for exclusive use as a park. Today, Koomler Park serves the residents of Maple Terrace and offers a ball diamond, basketball, volleyball, play ground and restroom facilities.

     Rumley Park is a four acre neighborhood park that was purchased and developed entirely with federal funds in 1980.  It was actually a replacement park for the former Marquette Park which was located four blocks away.  Marquette Park was a piece of donated land that was unsuitable and unbuildable for a park. This neighborhood park offers basketball, tennis, play ground, picnic facilities, restrooms and fishing.

     Ben Rees Park is a 1.5 acre parcel that is half of a square block located near the Civic Auditorium.  The park was the site of the Fourth Ward School in the early 1900’s.   The school was demolished in the 1920’s and the property was donated to the city in the 1940’s.  The park was named in honor of Ben C. Rees, a local attorney and school board member. A new playground and gazebo shelter was installed this spring through the help of community volunteers and contributions.  A walkway, drinking fountain, and basketball court are still in the planning for this neighborhood park.

     Warsaw Tot Lot is a small play ground of less than one acre in size.  The triangular piece of land was donated to the city in 1946 and was developed in 1980 with funding from a federal grant.  The fenced park offers open space and play equipment for the neighborhood children.

    Monroe Tot Lot is a small play ground, approximately one acre in size, that was offered to the Park Department in 1970 to be used as a tot lot.  The park is located on the southern edge of La Porte and serves the residents of Monroe Manor housing development.  The partially fenced park contains play equipment and was developed with general park funds.

     Clarke Field is a two square block area of six acres that was a donation to the city in the late 1930’s.  The park is generally surrounded with tall, mature fir evergreen trees that provide a buffer for the adjacent residential areas.  The main recreational usage at Clarke Field are two ball diamonds.  The shelter/restroom building is old, poor condition and in need of replacement.  The park also contains volleyball, basketball half-court and a play ground. 

     Jaycee-Whirlpool Field is the result of cooperation between the public and private sector.  In 1975, the Whirlpool Corporation entered an agreement with the Park Department to lease the land, approximately six acres, for one dollar per year for use as a park.  The park has been developed through a joint effort of the Whirlpool Corporation and the LaPorte Jaycees.  Presently the park consists of two ball diamonds and a parking area.  Future plans for the park may expand to a picnic area and play ground.

     Scott Field was the result of another land donation of a developer.  Originally, in the layout of Scott’s Second Addition, five acres in the middle of the new housing development was left as a neighborhood play area.  The land was donated to School City of LaPorte in 1923.  It wasn’t until 1952 that the Park Department entered a 99 year lease, for one dollar per year, with the school corporation.  The park is in the planning stages to undergo major rework.  The restroom/shelter building has been removed.  A neighborhood meeting was held with surrounding residents to determine the future of Scott Field as they would like to see it.  The result is a planned renovation program of the park that will include a shelter, restroom, tot lot, play ground, ball diamond, open play, half-court basketball, and picnic facilities.