- Content brought to you by -

Worth the Drive: Highland Park in Kokomo

If you’re looking for a park that has it all in Kokomo, you’ll find it at Highland Park, the oldest and most historic park in town. This 80-acre park is truly worth the drive, and is a little less than an hour from Indianapolis.

Highland Park
Highland Park Zip Line
Highland Park Zip LIne
Highland Park in Kokomo

Playground Features

Highland Park keeps true to its history throughout the park, and you can see signs of that with the playground, which includes both new playground equipment as well as vintage metal equipment. The playground has something for all ages, with a merry-go-round, zip line and lots of opportunities to climb and take (safe) risks. Slide lovers will enjoy all of the different slides at the playground: tunnel slides, twirly slides, and even a wavy slide. 

Highland Park Slide
Highland Park Playground
Highland Park Playground

The toddler area of the playground is located close to the big-kid playground, and includes lots of fun features for little ones, including a fire truck jungle gym and several other playground structures. The toddler area is completely fenced in, which makes it a nice place to let your child play while keeping them always within sight.


RELATED ARTICLE: Indiana Playgrounds Worth The Drive


 

Other Park Features

Highland Park also has a lot of open space that’s perfect for picnicking and gathering, including sheltered picnic tables and restrooms nearby. Sports fans will find four full-sized tennis courts that can convert to pickleball courts, basketball courts, a horseshoe pit, and a baseball field at the back of the park.

Courtesy of Greater Kokomo Visitors Bureau

As you walk around the park, you’ll also notice a bridge nearby. Howard County’s last remaining covered bridge, The Vermont Covered Bridge, is located in Highland Park, and is a piece of Kokomo history that you don’t want to miss seeing.

Courtesy of Greater Kokomo Visitors Bureau

Highland Park Visitor’s Center

Make sure to stop at the visitor’s center located in Highland Park to see Old Ben, a taxidermy steer that is reported to be the world’s largest steer. (Old Ben was even featured in Ripley’s Believe it or Not in 1968!) The visitor’s center is also where you’ll find the giant  Sycamore Stump, which is estimated to be more than 500 years old, and at one time, stood 100 feet high before storms brought it down. The tree has been measured to be 57 feet in circumference at its base.

Courtesy of Greater Kokomo Visitors Bureau

City of Lights Display at Highland Park

During the holidays, Highland Park lights up with City of Lights, a holiday tradition that started in 1993, and now consists of more than 50 light displays. The lights typically turn on after Thanksgiving and stay on all season, and visitors can drive through the display every evening through the end of the year.

More Info

Highland Park is located at 1402 West Deffenbaugh Street in Kokomo. Find more info here. 

Comments

ON STANDS NOW

From our Sponsors