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If you are anything like me, you spend too much time staring at your screens, both at work and at home. As we head into the fall season and the weather migrates into the 50-70 degrees Fahrenheit range, this is a great time of year to make a conscious effort to put down your devices and enjoy the many beautiful outdoor spaces Indiana has to offer.
Studies have shown that spending time in green spaces—even urban green spaces—is linked to a host of benefits. Being in nature lowers stress, improves mood, increases attention, and makes us more empathetic individuals. And none of that even touches on the fitness benefits that come with regular walks or hikes.
In short: Spending time in nature is good for our mental and physical health. The good news is that you don’t have to do it every day to reap these benefits. Even two hours a week can lead to positive outcomes.
Fortunately, every corner of our state boasts wonderful green spaces, from local playgrounds to state parks like Fort Harrison, Turkey Run and Mounds. One of my favorites is The Virginia B. Fairbanks Art & Nature Park in Indianapolis. This free-to-visit 100-acre park was recently named one of the 10 best sculpture parks in the United States, and if you have not been lately, it is worth exploring.
Richard M. Fairbanks, founder of the Richard M. Fairbanks Foundation where I am president and CEO, was a longtime supporter of Newfields. While the land used to create the Fairbanks Art & Nature Park was gifted to the then-Indianapolis Museum of Art in 1972, it wasn’t until a $4 million grant from the Fairbanks Foundation in 2001 that plans for the park started coming together. To date, the Fairbanks Foundation has awarded a total of $25 million to support the park’s programming and infrastructure.
The Fairbanks Park is named for Richard M. Fairbanks’ second wife, Virginia, who was a lover of gardening and an active member of both the Indianapolis Garden Club and the Garden Club of America. The park has a strong commitment to preserving nature. For example, the 1.8-acre Wild Birds Unlimited Native Pollinator Meadow, the largest of its kind in Indianapolis, contains more than 80 native species and nearly 50,000 individual plants.
That nearly 2 acres is just a small part of what I enjoy about The Virginia B. Fairbanks Art & Nature Park. The primarily wooded trails are peppered with interactive sculptures, inviting you to engage, explore and simply spend time in nature.
This past April, Newfields completed a new project: a parking lot to better serve visitors to the park. While that might not sound exciting, this is a game-changer for access. The new lot triples the number of available spots while also offering ADA-compliant spaces, making it quicker and easier for everyone to enjoy all the park has to offer. If you haven’t visited recently, this fall is a great time to stop by The Virginia B. Fairbanks Art & Nature Park and check out all the recent additions.
It can feel difficult to “get away from it all,” especially when you live and work in an urban environment. With only a little bit of planning, each of us can carve out a few hours each week to explore one of Indiana’s beautiful green spaces. Undoubtedly, we will all be happier for the break from our ever-present devices.•
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Fiddian-Green is president and CEO of the Richard M. Fairbanks Foundation, whose mission is to advance the vitality of Indianapolis and the well-being of its people. Send comments to ibjedit@ibj.com.
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