Accessible fall fun downtown Noblesville

Know Before You Go

Downtown Noblesville has a free parking garage found on the Corner of 9^th and Maple Street. You can park for up to 4 hours for free. There are a handful of accessible spots around the square that have a 2-hour limit on weekdays from 9 a.m.-5 p.m., with no restrictions on the weekends.

Last weekend I had the opportunity to visit Noblesville’s Fall Fest which takes place around the historic downtown square. This festival is an opportunity for kids (and adults!) to wear their Halloween costumes and trick or treat around various businesses on the square. It was a fun and lively event which included live music and food trucks.

I was able to get to most of the tents that were set up except for a few that were only able to be accessed by going through the grass.

DORA (Designated Outdoor Refreshment Area)

The first place I went to buy a drink was The Nesst. They are one of several restaurants that take part in DORA. You can find a full list, plus the parameters of the DORA at noblesville.in.us. There also three types of stickers placed in the windows of downtown businesses. These stickers show if a restaurant takes part in DORA, if DORA drinks are allowed inside a store, or not allowed.

The Nesst has a wheelchair accessible ramp at their 9^th street entrance. This entrance does not have an accessible button, but one of their staff came out to greet us and hold the door. The bar was just inside of that entrance with a space where I could wheel up to order my drink. While the countertop was not an accessible height, I was still able to talk with the bartender. They have designated cups for the DORA drinks.

Fall Fest was crowded, so it was tricky to navigate my wheelchair with the crowds while holding mine and my husbands' drinks as he pushed me. Luckily, there were some roads blocked off around the square, so it made for a wider space other than the narrow sidewalks to roll around and enjoy our drinks.

It was new to us to be able to go in and out of participating stores with our drinks. There were many people taking part in the DORA that evening.

The other spot we got a drink to go was Bar Ellis. They have a designated area that you can just walk right up to the bar from the street. That area does have one step up, but right next to it is their main entrance, which has a ramp for easier access. The door does not have an accessible button, but again, staff was there to greet and hold the door for us.

As I have mentioned before in my review of downtown Noblesville, many of the businesses do not have accessible entrances due to their historic nature. There are a few that have portable ramps that I have used. Read more on downtown Noblesville accessibility.

Restrooms

There is a public restroom on the south side of the square in the alley next to Bar Ellis. There is not an accessible button to get into the restroom. Once inside, there was an accessible stall in the men’s and women’s restrooms. I was also able to roll under the sink to be able to easily wash my hands.

Overall, it was a positive experience taking part in Noblesville’s DORA. Noblesville has plans to widen their sidewalks as a part of their Embrace Downtown Noblesville project, which will help everyone, including wheelchair users.

I also had a chance to visit the Noblesville Farmers Market in Federal Hill Commons over the weekend. It did not hurt that the weather was gorgeous! A tad warm for fall, but nonetheless a stunning day.

The market runs on Saturdays May-mid October. It is open from 8 a.m.-noon.

Know Before You Go

Before heading out to the market, I checked out the map for parking which I found on NoblesvilleMainStreet.org. The farmer's market is just one of many Noblesville Main Street events to choose from.

ADA parking is available in the Federal Hill Apartments Parking Garage found just off Logan Street next to Federal Hill Commons. There is also ADA parking in the Green Room parking lot on the east side of the market. This is a small lot and is where I parked that day.

Market Accessibility

Getting from the lot to the entrance of the market was a breeze. The area was all flat, and I rolled right into the market. It is a spacious market with sidewalks all around that make it very accessible. Although crowded, it did not feel like I was constantly dodging people in my wheelchair thanks to the wider sidewalks in the park.

Rolling up to the different vendors was also easy to do. There were some vendors that were set up at the edge of a grassy area. Some of them had put down mats to make rolling up to pay a little easier in the grass.

Near the playground, there were a few tables for dining. I noticed one table had a space for a wheelchair to be able to roll up to.

Restrooms

There are accessible restrooms in the parking garage. There is a nice ramp that is available directly next to the farmers market for easy access to the restroom. Again, no accessible button on the door to the restroom. Inside there is a large accessible stall.

The Noblesville Farmers Market is my favorite one that I have visited so far in Hamilton County. I appreciated the ease at which I was able to navigate the space and noticed several people with various disabilities doing the same.

The relaxing live music made for a very peaceful morning loading up on some farmer’s market goodies. I will be visiting again next year for sure!