How to describe this park…hmmm
If you took the story of Little Red Riding Hood, a bunch of other fairy tales, the game Candyland, memories of your best picnic, and tossed them all about in your mind while thinking about a park design, you’d end up with this enchanted forest of a playground. Without the nasty wolf and all that nonsense.
This park has been completely renovated and redesigned and is just utterly, wonderfully cute. Like, I stopped and was all “Eeeeee, it’s just SO. CUTE!!!”
It’s full of colour throughout, has delightful details, giant gnomes for selfies, community garden containers, a central area with cheery picnic tables, beautiful NBA basketball court (really!), a joyful splash pad, fantastic landscaping, and three play spaces for kids of varying ages.
And we tried it all!
Toddlers 18 months-5 years have a play structure with stairs, a bridge, stumps and logs to climb over and through. In the wood chips are a couple of baby swings.
Toddle over to the 0-2 section and there’s the super cute and scaled down Nook from Landscape Structures with its “doorbell”, mirror, windows, bells and marbles to touch and turn. In the sand are mini mushrooms which could be seats, or sand tables, or a spot to lean on for a nap.
Over in the 5-12 year section older kids will like the challenge of the tall cable climber (mine pretended they were groundhogs poking through the holes), the stand-up spinner, tall slide, and climbing the rock wall. We took a few minutes pointing out the little critters on the wall, and then “Oh!” came across a live cicada hidden among them. Quite the find.
Kids can also spin themselves green in the saddle spinners, and use the two adult swings.
And then…There’s the ridiculous splash pad. Ridiculous, as in, it’s just so cute, with such great attention to detail both in the Waterplay products, and the wonderfully painted surface. Follow the giant footsteps to the gently spraying rocks, stand under the dripping mushrooms, and try and squash the ants before they get to the picnic blanket!
One sensor works the whole area and many of the sprays are gentle and engaging for even the youngest Waterplayers.
If you want to extend your outing, right around the corner (and in front of where we parked) is the ice cream shop Archicrème, Le Toasteur Villeray for breakfast, or Café Perko for your caffeine needs.
Go a couple of blocks and you’ll be at another of our favourite splash pads: the lovely parc de Normanville.
Things to note:
-The splash pad water is on from 9am-11pm. Touch the sensor on top on the post (beside the gnome!) to start the water sequence.
-The park is fenced, but has no gates.
-There are good sight lines throughout the park and to all the different areas.
-A drinking fountain is available beside the basketball court.
-The park is mostly full sun, with a bit of shade around the edges. It will be a while before the trees grow to any helpful height.
-Watch your head on the baskets near the middle of the court. They’re in a tricky spot.
-Street parking is available nearby, but as always, read the signs!
