FISHERS, Ind. – Several Hoosier families soaked in the sun on Memorial Day took a nice swim at the Geist Waterfront Park.

The brand-new beach officially opened up on Memorial Day Weekend. Plenty of people visited on Saturday and Sunday, but the park was the busiest on Monday afternoon while the weather was clear and sunny.

 “You could spend an entire day with your family and not run short of things to do,” visitor Paul Creasey said.

Creasey came to the park along with his kids and friends of his own. Monday was his first time at the park, and he said it was a great time watching his daughter swim all around.

“She just loves splashing in the water, man,” he said. “You can’t beat that. You can’t beat that.”

Creasey said he thinks the park will add quite a bit to the Fishers community. He said he looks forward to coming with friends and letting their children play all summer long.

“They get to have a lot of fun with each other, and that’s just awesome for a dad to be able to spend time with a buddy of mine from college and watch our girls grow up together,” Creasey said.

While Memorial Day marked a first-time visit for some, others were already on their second visit to the park.

“It’s our second time,” brothers Benjamin and James Griffin said. “We came here yesterday and immediately got all these toys and supplies and then we just came here.”

The duo said they enjoyed swimming in an area larger than a pool, but they also had fun building sand castles.

“It’s a wonderful park,” their mother Karen Griffin said. “It’s just beautiful. Feels like you’re at the beach but you’re really here in Fishers.”

Griffin said she is thrilled to have a park like the Geist Waterfront Park so close to home.

“It’s so nice to have this so close by and it’s nice to be able to access the reservoir just to hang out with the family and go swimming and just spend the day at the beach,” she said.

Park operators are also excited to see everything in action.

“This is the culmination of years and years of planning and lots of teams and efforts to bring this vision to reality,” said Jake Reardon McSoley, the Director of Recreation and Wellness for the City of Fishers. “So it’s great to see so many smiling faces enjoying this amenity today. We’re looking forward to the days and the weeks ahead.”

The park is free to fishers residents, but people from outside the city will have to pay $50 for parking. The city says non-residents can still get in free if they ride with fishers residents, get dropped off or walk or bike to the park.

The beach season will run from Memorial Day to Labor Day, but the rest of the year it will still operate as a regular park.