I’m not sure a splash pad has ever made me smile and laugh as much as this one.
We’ve seen a LOT of splash pads, but this one at Parc Lalancette might be THE most creative design we’ve had the pleasure to splash through.
“Look at that GIANT magnifying glass! That’s cool. Oh, really large ants. This grass is really big. Neat. Ooooooooooooh, now I see it, brilliant!!!”
Obviously, I’m not as observant as my kids, or am lacking imagination, as it took me a good 10 minutes until I finally realized that we were basically IN “Honey, I Shrunk The Kids.”
“OH! We’re tiny! We’re IN the grass! We are one with the ants!”
Ya, it sort of blew my mind. The kids were delighted (as we’d recently watched the movie), and both gave me a withering look because it took me that long to figure it out.
I’m getting less cool by the day.
Surrounded by cozy lounge chairs and picnic tables, the large splash pad by Waterplay Solutions has dripping and spinning flowers, the misty magnifying glass to dance through, a water blaster (for aiming at your brother and then listening to his screams), all sorts of ground jets (which I inadvertently managed to stand right over while videoing, yoiks!), interactive ants (step on them, do it!), and the beautiful Flutter butterfly and its tipping dew drop. Even the drain covers are gorgeous! It took us two laps around until we found the “on” button, which is on the ground near the butterfly and turns on all the sections.
A semi-circle of tall blades of grass makes for a quieter spot for those who want to sit among the bubbling flowers and leaf stools, or run their hands through the itty-bitty meandering “stream”. I don’t know about your kids, but mine LOVE running water and manipulating the flow by sitting and making dams, or just quietly watching leaves float away.
There’s no fencing, but the water area is pretty much in the middle of the whole park, and far from any streets.
This whole park has undergone an overhaul (you can read more about it HERE. We re-visited in the fall of 2018 to see the newly redone playground, and check out the very cool and original TrekFit fitness equipment.
The woodsy play equipment is suuuuuuper fun and original. In the big-kid area is a large play structure “cabin” with loads of ladders, stumps, logs to cross and climb slides, monkey bars, and signs to read. There’s a stand-up spinner in the wood chips, and six adult swings.
The nearby toddler section has another cute structure with (steep) stairs, a boulder climber, stumps to jump across, and slides. In the sand is a small rope spinner and two baby swings.
A lovely change from the dismal play equipment that was there previously!
Things to note:
-I didn’t wander up to see the chalet, but you can see pics and read more about it HERE and HERE. There are washrooms, a shower(!), and equipment rental. It’s also accessible.
-For the dog park rules and regulations, info is HERE. It’s on the corner of Hochelaga and Nicolet.
-Interested in what’s going on in the park? It has its own Facebook page!
-The sequels to Honey, I Shrunk the Kids are NOT as good as the original.
-Street parking is, as always in Montreal, a pain in the ass.
Parc Lalancette – Mercier-Hochelaga-Maisonneuve from StrollerMom on Vimeo.
I’ve been making my rounds through different splash pads in the greater Montreal area, and this one is probably my favourite to far. My 1 year old absolutely loved it. She did trip on the little stream a couple of times but I see it’s potential for when she’s older and can watch where she’s walking. A nice amount of shade.