Residents hope for improvements to Ideal Beach in Elkhart County

ELKHART, Ind. -- Wendy Cruz has lived in Elkhart County her whole life and has been working to draw awareness to Ideal Beach, hoping that businesses, Elkhart residents, and the City will work together to get it back to what it used to be.

Cruz says the beach used to have a water slide, kiddie pool, and mini golf. Now, she says there’s fewer things to do.

“It's really just the beach area and the concessions. The staff are great. We'd just like to see it put back to where it was. And I know the community is behind that,” said Cruz.

A city official with the Parks and Recreation Department says the space also has pavilions, a playground, and kayak/canoe rentals.

Cruz hopes businesses and people can utilize the space more for events and wants more people choose to cool off here versus another body of water. She wants to see Ideal Beach ‘come back to life’.

“I believe if this is a community thing, then the community needs to come together as well. We can't just depend on the city, the state, and the county for everything we want. So, if the community can help out and local businesses can come out, then that would be more beneficial and quicker than anything,” said Cruz.

She says people should reach out to their city council members about Ideal Beach.

If people or businesses want to rent out the space, they can contact Elkhart City Parks and Recreation.

The property is run by the city, so ABC57 reached out to the City of Elkhart for comment.

An official with Elkhart City Parks and Recreation says they realize how important Ideal Beach is to the community and they purchased additional land in 2024 as part of a strategy for long term development for Ideal Beach. They say they are working to figure out the best path forward and are committed to keeping the beach operational.

ABC57 also received a statement from Elkhart Mayor Rod Roberson:

“Our approach to all of our parks has been intentional and strategic,” said Mayor Rod Roberson. “My administration has made significant investments across our parks and will continue to do so as resources allow. Ideal Beach is an important part of our overall parks ecosystem.”