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West end fun

“Why are these parks so popular?”

“Because it’s a nice day.”

It’s true. Today is a gorgeous summer day and lots of families are out splashing around. (Great to see the splash parks being used, but it takes longer to snap photos of splash pads without getting anyone in the shots.)

We managed to visit three splash pads out in the west end: Carp Water Splash Park, Brookshire Park in South Marsh, and Walden Park near the Kanata Golf and Country Club. Wow, they have some nice splash pads.

What was your favorite part? read more

Queensway Park Splash Pad

There’s lots to like about the splash pad at Queensway Park in Gloucester.

  • There are two giant posts with buckets at the top that continuously fill up and dump water on the people below. (They have something similar at the Brewer Park splash pad. It’s like Great Wolf Lodge, as our two-year-old would say.)
  • There are three spouts in the ground that shoot up a single stream of water each.
  • There’s one water spout in the ground that sends up a water fountain

We really liked how this splash pad and park is surrounded by forest. Sure, it’s behind the Telesat buildings and the Queensway, but if you park on Aurele, you have to walk through the forest to get to the splash pad. Plus, if you continue through the forest behind the splash pad, the path comes out at another park.

Even though the nearby play structures are simply okay, I really like the splash pad at Queensway Park in Gloucester. read more

Cyrville Park Splash Pad

The Cyrville Park splash pad is the second stop of the evening. It’s just around the corner from Stonehenge Park in Gloucester.

Don’t be tricked by the close-up photo of misty goodness. This is another basic splash pad, although it does have a cool trough that we’ve never seen before.

  • There’s a basic wooden post. Push the button and water sprays out. Period.
  • There’s also a red trough with a water pump for kids to play with. The plug for the trough doesn’t seem to work, but you can pump water and float things.

We liked the pirate ship play structure beside the water park. It’s like a smaller version of the pirate ship our friends showed us at Millenium Park in Orleans. (Unfortunately, the Cyrville Park ship structure has been vandalized with spray paint.) read more

Stonehenge Park Splash Pad

There are several splash pads that live just behind the Horse who Lives on Innes Road.

The splash pad at Stonehenge Park in Gloucester is closest to the pasture at Apple Saddlery, but this water park is pretty basic:

  • There are three spraying fountains that spring out from the ground
  • The start button is on top of the silver post.

Usually after we check out the splash pad, we play on the slides at the park but the only play structure nearby was for older kids. Our little pre-school toddler couldn’t climb the ladder to get to the slide, so off it was on our adventure.

When Mommy decides to go splash padding, she really goes all out. Personally, I was getting a little worried that we wouldn’t be able to hit all 90+ splash pads in Ottawa. After all, it’s almost August, FutureShop has already started it’s “Back to School” marketing, and we haven’t hit a quarter of the splash pads yet. (The splash pad at Silverbirch Park is number 17.) read more

Silverbirch Park Splash Pad

We took our seven month old cousin splash padding’ with us today. The splash pad at Silverbirch Park is a three-star: fairly basic, but functional and fun?

  • The giant red circle has five nozzles that spray a wall of mist to run through.
  • On one side of the red circle, there are three water fountains that shoot straight up from the ground.
  • On the other side, there is a cluster of six nozzles that spray up another water fountain.
  • There’s one grey button on top of a yellow post that turns everything on in this water park.

It was our cousin’s first splash pad ever, so she really just watched from the sidelines as my daughter and I splashed around…

My favourite part is the giant red circle of happiness that sprays refreshing misty goodness as you run through it. I think my daughter preferred washing her Dora sunglasses in the fountain after the water pressure dropped. read more

Charing Park Splash Pad

After dinner, we checked out the splash pad at Charing Park out in Nepean, Ottawa.

It’s one of the old-school wooden-post splash pads like Aladdin Park or Kaladar Park, so there’s not much to say:

  • There’s a wooden post in the center of a concrete circle.
  • Push the button on one side of the post and water sprays out of the other three sides.
  • Repeat.

As far as wooden post water parks go, the one at the Charing Park splash pad is okay. (It’s nowhere near the coolness that you find in splash pads like Brewer Park or South Nepean Park. After all, it’s a wooden post.) Once you push the button, the water sprays for some time (unlike some other older parks where you have to hold the button in.)

Overall, if you’re looking for a good splash pad in Ottawa, I’d probably give this one a pass. There’s a play structure beside the splash pad, but it’s an older play structure as well without some of the bangs and whistles of the newer play structures. read more