du Vaisseau-d’Or Park

Le vaisseau d’or

Ce fut un grand Vaisseau taillé dans l’or massif:
Ses mâts touchaient l’azur, sur des mers inconnues;
La Cyprine d’amour, cheveux épars, chairs nues
S’étalait à sa proue, au soleil excessif.

Mais il vint une nuit frapper le grand écueil
Dans l’Océan trompeur où chantait la Sirène,
Et le naufrage horrible inclina sa carène
Aux profondeurs du Gouffre, immuable cercueil.

Ce fut un Vaisseau d’Or, dont les flancs diaphanes
Révélaient des trésors que les marins profanes,
Dégoût, Haine et Névrose, entre eux ont disputés.

Que reste-t-il de lui dans la tempête brève?
Qu’est devenu mon coeur, navire déserté?
Hélas! Il a sombré dans l’abîme du Rêve!

Émile Nelligan (1879-1941)

This park is named for Québec’s famed poet Émile Nelligan, who at age 20 was committed to the Hôpital Louis-H.-Lafontaine, now named the Institut universitaire en santé mentale de Montréal, and which is located across from the park. 


It’s too bad that it was such a windy and gloomy day when we visited, because the playgrounds are so colourful and shiny, and the splash pad is BEAUTIFUL!
This large park underwent a 1.5 million dollar renovation in 2013 and now boasts an outdoor gym, pétanque, two playgrounds, a beach volleyball court, all new benches and picnic tables, and a chalet. We found street parking near the toddler section of the park, made our way through the open gate, and set about exploring! 
The play structures by Playworld are whimsical and full of details. It’s a castle. No, it’s a forest! From the binoculars, to the adorable window ledge, and the “find the treasures” panel, there’s a lot to explore. With stairs, a rock wall, a bridge and three different kinds of slides; kids can go up and down trying it all out. Nearby are six baby swings as well as a horse spring rider. The only fencing is along the road and the rest is open to the park. 
Past a trio of picnic tables is the chalet with bathrooms and an exterior drinking fountain. The doors were all locked when we were there around 10am, and there were no posted hours. BUT, it was really early in the season, so it may have better hours in July-August. *see below

The splash pad with products by Aquajeux is impressive with its giant ship masts, and gorgeous figurehead. There are water cannons (sea monsters!) for spraying your sibling, cute starfish ground sprayers, and a ship’s wheel (porthole?) to run through. It’s really quite impressive, I just wish the video did it justice!

On the other side of the splash pad and right beside Rue Trianon is the play area for kids 5-12. There’s a large bank of adult swings, and intricate and interesting play structures. There are ropes and roots and tree branches to climb, high twisty slides, and steps to cross. Just beside is Jambette’s slightly frightening-looking Xyrä with his spidery legs and buggy face, an overhead spinner, and the nauseating (but fun!) Revo rotating ring. 

Things to note:
-The splash pad water is on from 8am-11pm.
-According to the city the summer bathroom hours for this park are:
Lundi au vendredi – 10 h à 20 h 30
Samedi et dimanche – 10 h à 18 h

-All the play areas are in full sun, though there are some mature trees scattered around the park that should provide some shade.
-There is some fencing by the road, the rest is all open.
-You can find the splash pad hours HERE. Scroll allllllll the way to the bottom. The water is on into early September.
-The playgrounds are really far away from each other, and on opposite sides of the splash pad. If you have kids who want to play in different areas, you’re going to be doing a lot of back and forth. 

Parc du Vaisseau-d’Or – Mercier-Hochelaga-Maisonneuve from StrollerMom on Vimeo.

Feature
Toddler park (2-5)
Fenced toddler park
Baby swings
Big kid park (5-12)
Big kid swings
Parking lot
Street parking
Shade
Water fountain
Picnic tables
Benches
Seasonal Bathrooms
Green space
Soccer fields
Baseball field
Tennis courts
Basketball
Splash pad
Pool
Reduced mobility swings
Dep nearby

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