One of the great benefits of living in the Valparaiso area is the variety of facilities that are available to keep active during any time of the year.
Do you like baseball? Valpo offers over 15 baseball, softball, and tee ball fields through the Parks Department and Valparaiso Americans. Do you like golf? Valpo has two public golf courses, two country club golf courses, and several others within a half-hour drive. There are driving ranges at Zao Island and Creekside, practice greens and Creekside and Forest Park. Creekside also offers a three-hole course and an indoor swing facility!
No matter your interest, it is great to see that the community provides facilities and opportunities for even the less celebrated sports. If you like the martial arts, we have at least four in town, and the Parks Department even offers T’ai Chi classes. Gymnastics, dance, or cheerleading? You can head to Lisa’s or Horizon, among other locations in town.
When I was growing up in town, there were two places to play basketball during the winter outside of school: The Boys & Girls Club and the YMCA, and both required monthly, albeit inexpensive, memberships. Now? You can go to The Courts of NWI here in town or out to The Fieldhouse in Merrillville, and pay a couple of bucks to play all day long.
And it isn’t just the facilities, it’s the opportunities. All summer long there are training camps, summer camps, and instructional programs, geared toward swimming, running, golfing, playing basketball, baseball, football, volleyball, anything.
It is clear to me that the city, people, and organizations around Valparaiso understand the importance of providing sports, activities, and programs for the youth in town. It’s great that the city, the Parks, and the people offer facilities for all sports around town.