If you called for help from the trail behind Avon Town Hall, what would you call the place? For most of the town's history the answer was "Town Hall Park." Since this spring, the official answer is Blue Heron Park. Avon gave the parks new names mainly so that emergency responders and the people calling them use the same words for the same spot.
On March 18, 2026, the Town of Avon announced that the Town Council had approved new official names for several parks, trails and recreation facilities. The town tied the change to "enhanced safety and security plans" and said the names would help "when identifying exact locations during emergency response situations." The formal version, Resolution 2026-10, is dated May 12, 2026. It tells town staff to update official records, signage, maps, promotional materials and communications to match.
The town's announcement also admitted that "it may take some time to adjust." Here's the list to make that easier.
The full list, old name to new
| What it used to be called | Official name now | Location in the resolution |
|---|---|---|
| Town Hall Park | Blue Heron Park | 6570 E. US Highway 36 |
| Winton Meadows | Woodhaven Park | County Road 900 E. |
| White Lick Creek | White Lick Trail | Trail corridor |
| Burnett | Burnett Woods Park & Nature Preserve | 925 S. County Road 800 E. |
| Memorial Park | World War II Memorial Park | 9880 E. County Road 800 E. |
| Pickleball Courts | The Pickle Patch | 174 S. Avon Avenue |
| Avon Youth Sports Fields | Foundation Ballpark | 866 S. County Road 625 W. |
| Avon Adult Sports Fields | APEX Ballpark | 104 S. County Road 625 W. |
| Avon Indoor Facility | The Summit Indoor Training | 8109 Kingston Street, Suites 100-300 |
The ballpark names are the easiest to remember because they describe each field's role. The resolution calls Foundation Ballpark a "cornerstone" for youth baseball and calls APEX Ballpark "the pinnacle of competitive play," with fields for leagues and tournaments. The old labels were "youth fields" and "adult fields," and a dispatcher could only match those to a location if they already knew Avon.
Why a name matters more than a landmark
Saying "the park by Town Hall" works when the listener knows the town. It's less reliable when the person on the other end has to turn your words into a specific location quickly. The town's announcement links the naming directly to emergency response, and the resolution adds wayfinding and community identity as further reasons.
Blue Heron Park shows why a single name helps. According to the town's facility page, the property has about 2 miles of paved trails that pass a 9-acre lake and 4 acres of native Indiana prairie plantings. It also has an 18-hole disc golf course, a bocce court, an RC track, ping-pong tables, playgrounds, shelters and restrooms. A half-mile Story Walk runs from the park to the Avon Public Library. Someone on the far side of the lake is a long way from the Town Hall building, even though both are on the same property.
North Park Playground is one example of how this works. The town lists it as a subfacility of Blue Heron Park and places it off Ophelia Drive in the Stratford of Avon neighborhood. The town calendar uses "North Park Playground" as an event venue, with the 6570 E. US Highway 36 address. So a named area inside a named park lets someone describe their location more precisely than a single street address can.
The rest of the safety plan is still on paper
The new names were meant to be the first piece of a bigger system. A Parks and Recreation proposal for the White Lick Trail and the wider trail network describes four parts:
- Color-coded quarter-mile markers and trailhead maps, estimated at $3,500
- Colored stripes on the trail pavement to match the marker signs, estimated at $14,000
- Avon's first wireless, solar-powered Blue Light Emergency Tower, estimated at $4,500 to $20,000 for one unit
- Trail cameras, cost not yet determined and put off to a later phase
The proposal puts the "total possible project cost" at $37,500 and calls every figure a preliminary estimate. Final pricing depends on the project being approved. The first emergency towers would go at the ballparks and at what the document still calls "the current Avon Town Hall." The proposal's later sections describe grant applications, sponsorships and quotes as next steps.
In the town documents we reviewed, we found no record that the markers, striping or tower have been funded or installed as of October 2026. That puts more weight on the names for now. Once the markers are up, a walker could give their color-coded trail section and quarter-mile marker. Until then, the most precise thing to say is which park you're in. The difference between "Blue Heron Park" and "Burnett Woods Park & Nature Preserve" can be the most specific location detail a caller has.
The town's own website hasn't fully caught up either. The Blue Heron Park facility page has the new title but still says "Avon Town Hall Park" in its description. Old names on signs, maps and web pages will probably take a while to disappear.
Burnett Woods is the one that trips people up
Of the nine, Burnett Woods Park & Nature Preserve is the hardest to find by name alone. The town includes it in its park list, but the facility page says the Central Indiana Land Trust owns and operates the 80-acre property. It has a 1.7-mile marked loop trail, open to the public from dawn to dusk.
Getting there takes a little local knowledge. The town places the preserve at the northeast corner of Dan Jones Road and 100 S. Parking is behind Light and Life Methodist Church, and you walk east from the church lot to the entrance, which is near the road behind the preserve sign. The resolution gives the address as 925 S. County Road 800 E. Knowing the official name plus the church parking detail is the clearest way to describe where you are.
Blue Heron Park has a few rules of its own. Its three fishing areas are catch-and-release, and you need a state fishing license to fish there. Swimming, wading, ice fishing and skating are not allowed. On the paved trails, leashed pets are welcome, owners must pick up after them, and waste stations are placed along the route.
Where the new names show up on this fall's calendar
The town's 2026 event calendar already uses the new names, so you'll see them on the season's events.
| Date | Event | Where it's listed |
|---|---|---|
| Oct. 10, 2–4 p.m. | Apple Mash Dash 5k Walk/Run | North Park Playground |
| Oct. 10, 4–8 p.m. | Harvest Hayrides Festival | Blue Heron Park |
| Oct. 30, 10 a.m.–noon | Town Hall Trick or Treat | Avon Town Hall |
| Nov. 21, 9 a.m.–3 p.m. | Avon United Methodist Church Holiday Craft Fair | 6850 E. US Hwy 36 |
| Nov. 28, 4–6 p.m. | Avon Tree Lighting & Carriage Rides | Blue Heron Park |
The Town Hall Trick or Treat on Oct. 30 is free and takes place inside Town Hall. The town lists programming for toddlers and young families, plus sensory-aware options. The Holiday Craft Fair at Avon United Methodist Church is just down US 36 from Blue Heron Park. Visit Hendricks County's listing mentions indoor booths, handmade holiday items, local vendors, authors and snacks.
The Nov. 28 tree lighting is listed as free. The town's event listing still says "Details coming soon," so check it closer to the date for the carriage ride schedule. As of this writing, the December page of the town calendar shows no Parks and Recreation events.
The park itself may change too. The town's budget-change summary includes a plan to "renovate and expand playground at Blue Heron Park," but it gives no cost or timeline. You can read the full list of renamed parks in the town's March announcement and the wording of Resolution 2026-10 on the town's website.
At Dyer Creek Property Group, we keep track of changes like these because they affect how Avon works day to day, from which trail is closest to which neighborhood to what the town is planning for its parks. If you have questions about the Avon area, or you want to talk through a move near one of these parks, please reach out. We're glad to help.
