City officials and neighborhood leaders on Saturday marked the opening of Riverside Adventure Park in Indianapolis, a newly completed portion of Riverside Regional Park that officials said has received more than $36,000,000 in improvements since 2019.

The ceremony highlighted amenities completed in the park's first phase, including a pavilion, plaza, playground, outdoor exercise equipment and “over 4 miles of newly paved trails,” speakers said. Officials said the phase was funded in part through the Circle City Forward initiative and philanthropic support from the Lilly Endowment.

City official, speaking at the ceremony, said, “We've seen over $36,000,000 invested just in Riverside Park since 2019, and that is all thanks to our Circle City Forward initiative and, of course, our philanthropic partners at the Lilly Endowment.”

Vapo Soleil, president of the Indianapolis-Marion County City-County Council, said the new features are intended to increase connectivity and community access. “But what we see here, the trails, the playground, the pavilion, are more than physical assets. They're the result of listening to neighbors,” Soleil said. He described the phase as representing “more than $13,000,000 in investment made possible through the Circle City Forward initiative and the Lilly Endowment.”

Long-time Riverside resident and former parks manager Tony Johnson, who retired from the city in March, said the project fulfills elements of the 2017 Riverside master plan and provides green space and trails that were previously lacking near downtown. “This project provides over 4 miles of trails within the Adventure Park,” Johnson said, adding the park will accommodate walking, running, biking, dog-walking and family activities.

Adele Stokes, speaking for the Riverside Civic League and the Riverside Riders, read remarks from the group's president and said the neighborhood is proud to celebrate what she called “the revitalization of our neighborhood's most historic parks.”

Phyllis Boyd, director of Indy Parks, placed the opening in a broader city parks context, saying the Riverside work is part of a larger capital program. “This project is part of a $140,000,000 investment across the park system,” Boyd said, and she thanked community members and philanthropic partners for their roles in planning and funding the work.

Speakers said additional phases are planned for Riverside Regional Park, including an archery range and a nature center, but provided no firm dates for those future amenities. The ceremony included references to other completed projects at Riverside, including improvements to the Taggart Memorial Amphitheatre and the new Riverside Promenade, and to trail connections such as the Central White River Trail.

Officials credited community engagement with shaping the park's features. At the ceremony they repeatedly emphasized resident input and partnerships with philanthropic groups as central to the project’s planning and funding. No formal votes or other council actions were recorded at the event.

The new Riverside Adventure Park is aimed at increasing recreational access on Indianapolis’ near Northwest Side and is one element of ongoing investments in the city’s park system.