| Southwestway Park | |
| Type: | City park |
| Location: | 8400 Mann Road, Indianapolis, Indiana |
| Coordinates: | 39.65°N -86.242°W |
| Area: | 487.5acres |
| Operator: | Indy Parks and Recreation |
| Open: | All year |
Southwestway Park is the third largest park in Indianapolis, Indiana. It is located at 8400 Mann Road[1] in the southwestern section of the city and covers approximately 587acres on the west bank of the White River, bordered on the north by Southport Road, on the west by Mann Road, and extending south past Ralston Avenue.
In the late 1950s and early 1960s, the Indianapolis Parks Department began efforts to develop large regional parks in each quadrant of Marion County. To that end, it obtained of farmland between Mann Road and the White River, of which were developed in 1968 into a 9-hole municipal golf course.
In 1968 the city bought an additional on both sides of Mann Road north of the golf course. At the time it was anticipated that the area would continue to be used, as it had been when privately owned, for off-road motorcycling; however, environmental concerns prevented that from happening. In late 1984 the city obtained another between Mann Road and the White River north of the 1968 purchase. The total acreage at that time was including the golf course.
By 2004, the golf course, now known as Winding River Golf Course, had been expanded into an 18-hole, par-72 facility with a driving range, covering . The park itself contained .
Finally, in 2002, the Indianapolis Parks Foundation and the city together bought north and adjacent to Southwestway Park and along the White River, bringing the total size of the park and golf course to .
Southwestway Park contains some of the most outstanding geological features in central Indiana. Some of the most notable features include:[3]
A pair of bald eagles have hatched young near the White River in Southwestway Park.[4]