Writing about Côte Saint-Luc parks always takes me a long time, because I end up google-ing and wandering around Wikipedia, which isn’t a bad thing because I tend to learn something along the way.
Before going to Rembrandt Park this spring, I’d read THIS article on journalist and city councillor Mike Cohen’s website. Seeing the swings in person, (they’ve been redone since 2008) and the plaque with their dedication “in memory of the children who perished at the Mauthausen-Gusen Nazi concentration camp in Austria” gave me a big lump in my throat. Especially when pushing my own child in the swings.
While we were at the park too early in the spring to see the water on, the products by Vortex includes ground jets and sprays and spinning flowers on a colourfully painted concrete base. There are quite a few picnic tables and benches on which to store your towels and 15,000 snacks, and the water area is just beside the toddler playground.
The toddler section is all on sand, and the equipment by Miracle Recreation is bright and clean and was just the right blend of easy/challenging for my 3-year old. There are no stairs, but he could climb the stepping stones, the ladders, and the angled rock-climbing wall up to the steering wheel and small double slides. Little kids can clang the ground-level bell, or crawl through the window, but you’ll probably have to hoist them up to the slide platform.
Two of his favourite spring riders were here (Flippo and Pokey the Snail), and unlike at some parks where they’ve been anchored WAY too high out of the sand, here he was able to climb on and off them on his own. We tried out the colourful baby swings, and then went behind the hedge to the big-kid park.
The climber from Landscape Structures has rings to hang from, monkey bars, the stationary cycler that is next to impossible to master, and a Cliff Climber with rope. In the surrounding sand is a small seesaw, and four big swings.
Various locations throughout the park are available for rental, including the lit basketball court, the chalet and the recently redone tennis courts. You can find more information on the city’s website HERE.
Things to note:
-The hours of operation for the splash pad are 9am-9pm.
-“The Rembrandt Courts are open 7-days-a-week from 9 am to 11
pm. The cost is $5/person 17 and younger, $6/person age 18
and older, or free with a Fun Card. Call 514-485-8912 to reserve.”
-Note that there is no fencing around any of the play areas or the splash pad.
-There are mature trees all around the park so you’re sure to find a shady spot to enjoy.
p.s. If someone could tell me what the concrete round basin thing (with the drain in the middle) is I’d appreciate it! We were like “hmmmm, weird skateboarding oval? A steep wading pool?”