Fishers, Indiana – On Memorial Day, several Indiana families enjoyed a relaxing swim at Geist Waterfront Park while basking in the sunshine.
On Memorial Day Weekend, the newly constructed beach made its grand opening. On Saturday and Sunday, there were a lot of visitors, but on Monday afternoon, when it was beautiful and clear, the park was the busiest.
“You could spend an entire day with your family and not run short of things to do,” visitor Paul Creasey said.
Creasey visited the park with his children and his own friends. He said he had a terrific time watching his daughter swim all around on Monday, which was his first visit to the park.
“She just loves splashing in the water, man,” he said. “You can’t beat that. You can’t beat that.”
According to Creasey, the park will significantly improve the Fishers neighborhood. He expressed excitement about visiting with friends and watching their kids play all summer long.
“They get to have a lot of fun with each other, and that’s just awesome for a dad to be able to spend time with a buddy of mine from college and watch our girls grow up together,” Creasey said.
Some people visited the park for the first time on Memorial Day, while others had already been there twice.
“It’s our second time,” brothers Benjamin and James Griffin said. “We came here yesterday and immediately got all these toys and supplies and then we just came here.”
Both constructing sand castles and swimming in an area larger than a pool, according to the couple, were enjoyable activities.
“It’s a wonderful park,” their mother Karen Griffin said. “It’s just beautiful. Feels like you’re at the beach but you’re really here in Fishers.”
Griffin expressed her happiness at the proximity of a park-like Geist Waterfront Park to her home.
“It’s so nice to have this so close by and it’s nice to be able to access the reservoir just to hang out with the family and go swimming and just spend the day at the beach,” she said.
The park staff is eager to observe everything in action.
“This is the culmination of years and years of planning and lots of teams and efforts to bring this vision to reality,” said Jake Reardon McSoley, the Director of Recreation and Wellness for the City of Fishers. “So it’s great to see so many smiling faces enjoying this amenity today. We’re looking forward to the days and the weeks ahead.”
Residents of Fishers are entitled to free admission to the park, but visitors must pay $50 for parking. The city claims that non-residents can still enter for free if they travel with residents of Fishers, are dropped off, or travel to the park on foot or by bicycle.
The beach season will last from Memorial Day to Labor Day, but the park will continue to function as usual for the rest of the year.
