On any given day in Plainfield, Indiana, you will find people out of doors. Walking, running, or biking on the Vandalia Trail, enjoying a round of golf at Oak Tree Golf Course or pushing their kids on the swings at Hummel Park are common sights around town. Conveniently located near Indianapolis, Plainfield residents can find a variety of great, family-oriented activities right in their own backyard. With so much to offer, Plainfield real estate is a great investment in your family's future.
Plainfield's town fathers have done an amazing job in the past decade to build up Plainfield's parks offerings. The town's parks department oversees nine different parks including a skate park, a sports complex, and an aquatic center. The Al & Jan Barker Sports Complex has three football fields, 13 soccer fields, and five baseball diamonds including one that is fully handicapped accessible available for spring, summer, and fall youth sports. Conveniently located on the west side of town, you can spend your summer evenings watching kids play baseball, eating popcorn, and chatting with your neighbors, even if their kids are on the opposing team.
Hummel Park is the crown jewel of the parks system. It is a place where the entire community can convene on a Sunday afternoon for a round of Frisbee or for a spectacular fireworks show on the Fourth of July. The park spans 205 acres on the south side of Plainfield. The park has several miles of walking, biking, and hiking trails. They recently added a splash pad to help visitors beat the summer heat and are working to add a natural play area on the west side of White Lick Creek. Along with extensive playground equipment, several shelter houses, public grills, and a gazebo make the park a great place for a family gathering or a birthday party.
Plainfield is close enough to the Vandalia Trail that many residents can reach it easily on foot, by bike, or even by horseback. The trail spans 17 miles from Hendricks to neighboring Putnam County along the former rail line. Residents of both counties use the trail year-round to enjoy the scenery and keep fit.
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Throughout the year, Plainfield's families have plenty of opportunities to gather as a community. The Plainfield Chamber of Commerce hosts a weekly farmers market near the old downtown area at the Plainfield Friends Meeting Quaker church. Vendors include local farmers and crafts workers who sell a wide variety of produce, meats, and crafts each Wednesday evening.
Every summer, Plainfield families head over to St. Susanna, the local Catholic parish, for its annual festival. Your children can enjoy the carnival atmosphere while you kick back and relax, sampling some of the best international food in Plainfield. Have some cotton candy, buy a ticket for the reverse raffle, and you just might go home the winner of a new car, donated each year by Andy Mohr Ford.
The best community festival in town is the Quaker Day Craft and Community Festival. Plainfield was originally settled in the 1800s by a group of individuals who shared the Quaker faith. The Quakers still have a meeting house in the older part of town along Main Street and their name has stuck with the community. On the day of the festival, you can head downtown with the kids and watch a typical small town parade replete with the local fire truck and marching band. The Friends Meeting House will serve up typical festival food -- pulled pork, pork chops, sloppy joes -- this is Indiana after all, and no festival is complete without roasted or pulled pork. Choose some local crafts from the crafts fair or try your luck with the photography contest. Either way, the festival has something for everyone in your family to enjoy and remember.
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In any small town, you will find your usual complement of Mexican or Italian restaurants and maybe even a Chinese buffet. Plainfield's international community have pulled out all stops when it comes to food. El Cerrito, a locally owned Mexican restaurant, serves up the best salsa in town while next door India Bistro offers a large lunch buffet every day. If you are new to Indian cuisine, their buffet is a great place to start. Highly rated on Yelp! with 4.5/5 stars, the buffet allows you to sample a wide variety of vegetarian offerings without making a commitment to any one dish. Come back in the evening to try the chicken tikka masala. You will not regret it. East Asian food is at the forefront at Asia Wok where your family can enjoy a great lunch special. For a fun dining experience, try Akira Japanese Steakhouse where your food is cooked tableside by an excellent chef.
What's a weekend morning without pancakes? Flapjack's has several choices for you from traditional pancakes for the kids or potato pancakes for the parents. If pancakes are not on your weekend to-do list, head across the street to the Oasis Diner. A true Fifties-era dining car, the Oasis is open for business near the White Lick Creek Trailhead. They serve up generously portioned breakfast skillets along with the Indiana diner staple, the jumbo pork tenderloin sandwich.
Plainfield has a great mix of housing. Older renovated homes line Main and Center Streets giving you a glimpse of what Plainfield looked like in its earliest days. The neighborhoods that lie in the heart of Plainfield offer shaded sidewalks, an abundance of ranch homes, and a true community feel. Newer condos and luxury homes are available along the south side of town. All of these homes are located within the award-winning Plainfield Community School Corporation.
