Master Plan Vision
Lions Park has been Zionsville’s “back yard” for nearly a century—a setting for both personal milestones and community celebrations. This master plan sets a bold, long-range vision to guide the park’s evolution over the coming decades, ensuring it continues to strengthen community connections and enhance the health and well-being of all who visit for generations to come.
The park will remain—just as it has for the past 70+ years—the home of Zionsville Little League, while also adding new amenities for teens, adults, and seniors and upgrading existing infrastructure, fields, and play areas. Near-term priorities focus on activating the newly acquired five-acre parcel with nature-based features and flexible greenspaces for everyday use and community events.
Lions Park will continue to be a welcoming, multigenerational hub where everyone feels at home.
A. The Great Lawn
The Great Lawn is envisioned as the park’s everyday hangout and big-moment backdrop—a broad, flexible greenspace designed for almost anything. Think of it as a welcoming “backyard” where neighbors can gather, relax, and play.
Planned as a large, open lawn, this space will comfortably support both informal recreation and community events. On a typical day, it’s a place for tee-ball practice, pick-up games, a blanket picnic, or tossing a frisbee. When the community comes together, the Lawn can transition to host larger activities—seasonal gatherings, small performances, or other special events—giving Zionsville a versatile outdoor room that adapts to the moment.
By keeping the space open, accessible, and easy to use, the Great Lawn will encourage everyday activity while providing the capacity to celebrate as a community.
B. Nature Playscape
The Nature Playscape is envisioned as a new way to play in Lions Park—an inviting, nature-based environment that encourages self-directed exploration. Instead of traditional equipment, kids rediscover play through climbing, balancing, building, and imaginative problem-solving.
Designed with natural materials, the Playscape will feature climbing logs and boulders, sand areas, small obstacle routes, and spots for fort building. These elements let children of different ages and abilities create their own adventures, fostering confidence and collaboration while keeping play flexible and open-ended.
Beyond fun, the Playscape helps kids reconnect with the outdoors and learn about local ecology—getting hands-on with textures, materials, and seasonal change.
C. Shelter House Plaza
The Shelter House Plaza reimagines one of Lions Park’s most historic spaces. Anchored by the Shelter House—the oldest structure on the original parcel that has served as a host for graduations, birthdays, and other community milestones for decades—the new plaza expands those gatherings with a larger indoor–outdoor setting that’s comfortable, accessible, and ready for today’s park life.
Soft decomposed-granite paving and ADA-accessible concrete walks create a casual setting beneath mature trees. Movable café tables and chairs, paired with comfy Adirondacks, let visitors linger, watch a baseball game, or catch their breath after a pickleball match. Overhead string lights extend use into the evening and brighten shorter fall and spring days. As part of the long-range plan, the plaza functions as a welcoming multi-generational social hub—respectful of its history and designed for everyday enjoyment with durable, accessible features.
D. Pollinator Paths
Pollinator Paths are envisioned as a calming loop of soft-surface nature trails that weave around the Great Lawn, inviting visitors into native prairie, wildflower, and woodland areas. These routes offer an easy way to step off the main green and immerse yourself in changing textures, colors, and the quiet activity of bees, butterflies, and birds.
Along the paths, small “nodes” provide intimate places to pause—simple pull-offs with Adirondack chairs and picnic tables tucked into the landscape. They’re ideal for resting in the shade, watching wildlife, or enjoying a quiet lunch without leaving the heart of the park.
These pathways will encourage everyday wandering and quiet pauses—an unpaved counterpoint to the park’s more active areas.
E. Improved Creek Access
A key component of the master plan delivers on a top community priority: creating easier, safer ways to see and reach Eagle Creek—expanding everyday connections to the water while safeguarding its shoreline and habitat.
Ecologically sensitive upgrades would add a range of ways to experience the water: new access points for wading or touching the creek, designated areas for bank and fly fishing, dedicated spots for launching kayaks, and a series of elevated overlooks for wide, unobstructed views.
Stewardship goes hand-in-hand with access. Along the creek edge—especially near the new Eagle Creek Trail—the selective removal of invasive species will open vista lines, support native habitat, and improve safety. Together, these enhancements invite everyday moments at the water’s edge, from quiet wildlife watching to paddle-ready adventures.
F. Hillside Seating Terraces
Hillside Seating Terraces are envisioned to turn Lions Park’s natural grade into an asset. Much of the park sits 10–15 feet below the Village within the Eagle Creek floodplain; stepping the slope into small, comfortable terraces creates places to gather while fitting the landscape rather than fighting it.
Positioned in select locations, the terraces would offer great sightlines for spectators at Fields #1 and #2 and provide casual spots to pause between games. They also reduce mowing on steep banks and help manage erosion—an attractive, low-maintenance solution that keeps slopes stable and usable.
Integrated carefully into the hillside, the terraces would be arranged around mature trees to protect root systems and preserve shade.
G. Turf Play Mounds
The turf play mounds embrace a favorite, long-standing park habit—kids sprinting up, sliding down, and looping over small hills—by shaping that energy into a safe, intentional play zone. Instead of temporary dirt piles near Field #4, these rolling forms turn everyday motion into play that’s designed to last.
Set immediately beside the existing tot lot and the future Nature Playscape, the mounds create a connected hub for families with children of different ages.
Simple by design and durable to maintain, the mounds encourage unstructured, repeatable fun that builds balance and confidence without complicated equipment. Clear sightlines help caregivers keep watch, and the terrain offers a playful break when ballfields are busy—an inviting, always-ready landscape that turns open space into a magnet for motion.
H. Hammock Grove
The Hammock Grove turns one of Lions Park’s greatest assets—the mature tree canopy—into a peaceful place to unwind. Framed by old-growth shade and natural breezes, it offers an easy way to enjoy the park’s ambiance while giving visitors a cool retreat on warm days.
Located near the creek, the Grove will feature purpose-built hammock stations with dedicated attachment points—spaced to protect trunks and root zones and avoid impact on the trees. Stations will be arranged in small “pods” for social lounging as well as a handful of solo spots for quiet time.
Settle in, listen to the creek and birds overhead, and take a break between ballgames or bike rides. Simple, low-maintenance, and comfortably shaded, the Hammock Grove adds a calm, nature-forward experience to the park.
I . Native Prairies
Surrounding the Great Lawn, a mosaic of native prairies and wildflower plantings will bring seasonal color, texture, and movement to the park’s edges.
Beautiful by design and practical in function, these low-maintenance landscapes form a soft buffer between activity zones and nearby properties. Deep-rooted plants help stabilize soils, filter and slow stormwater, and provide space for water to soak in after heavy rains—reducing runoff while keeping the park resilient and easy to care for.
Ecologically, the prairies and wildflower areas boost biodiversity and support vital habitat for pollinators like bees, butterflies, and moths, as well as songbirds and beneficial insects. The result is a living landscape that changes through the seasons—educational, habitat-rich, and as useful as it is beautiful.
Zionsville Little League Improvements
Zionsville Little League has called Lions Park home for more than 70 years—and it will remain so as the league looks ahead. Throughout the master planning process, the Zionsville Little League has been busy at working making improvements to the existing baseball and softball facilities to enhance both play and the spectator experience. Recent and ongoing improvements include new scoreboards and dugouts, lighting upgrades, a full reconstruction of Field 1, vending machines, synthetic-turf batter’s boxes, and expanded Wi-Fi. The Lions Club will continue partnering with ZLL to ensure league play is fun, safe, and welcoming for players and fans alike.
New Scoreboard - Field #4
Field #3 (softball) Improvements
New Dugouts - Field #1
Lighting Improvements
Enhanced Scorekeeping Technology
New Vending Area w/ Enhanced Hours
New Scoreboard - Field #3
Enhanced Wi-Fi Access
Reconfigured Field #1 w/ New Dugouts
Synthetic Turf Batter's Boxes on all Baseball/Softball Fields
