It’s easy to miss the entrance of Hal Warheim Park if you’re walking through the Belknap neighborhood of the Highlands in Louisville. Nestled between two houses in a residential neighborhood, the entrance looks like it could just be someone’s driveway. But if you look closer and decide to follow the little unassuming path, it will lead you to a tiny public park called Hal Warheim Park, and it looks like something out of a storybook.
The park’s namesake, Hal Warheim, created the park 12 years ago in an area overcrowded with brush, garbage, and unwanted rubbish. After clearing the one-acre area and dragging all the junk out, he began to transform it into the peaceful public space that it is today.
When you first enter Warheim Park, you’ll be greeted by a small statue of a bear wearing overalls and holding a welcome sign.
The winding sidewalk that leads you to the play area is tree-lined and dotted with little sculptures, as well as shady nooks with benches.
Once you reach the play area, there are swings, slides, and monkey bars, just like any other park. However, the large gazebo is what will catch your eye. There’s a bridge that goes over a small rock bed from the gazebo to the play area.
Next to the bridge, there’s a sculpture of a troll. He once started out as just a stump, but has since been carved into what he looks like today, and has even gained some color.
Besides the troll, there are several other sculptures in Warheim Park as well. There’s a large frog that kids often climb all over, an owl, a totem pole, and several others. The sculptures were created by a local artist named Joe Autry. A few trees fell in Warheim Park due to storms a couple of years ago, and Autry transformed the fallen trees into works of art.
Often referred to as "the secret garden" or "the secret park," Warheim Park is a perfect example of the potential that comes with unoccupied spaces, no matter how small they are.
The entrance to the park is located on the 1800 block of Overlook Terrace in Louisville.
Has anyone ever stumbled upon this secret park?
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