PARC LOUIS-LATULIPPE

Arrondissment: Les Rivières

Address: 620 avenue Plante

Nearest bus stop: Labranche (buses 64 and 65)

Parking: Free street parking

Playground surface: Wood chips

Age range: 18 months-5 years; 5-12 years

Swings? Yes - 4 for babies; 5 for older children

Sandbox? No

Splashpad? Yes

Swimming pool? No

Toilets? No

Picnic tables? Yes

Other facilities: Basketball court; ice rink

What I liked: This is a small but fun park close to the Fleur de Lys shopping centre. The playground structures are right next to each other.

What I didn’t like: The little house next to the playground (see photo below) is just decorative. You can’t actually play inside it.

PARC DES BRUMES

Arrondissment: Les Rivieres

Address: 6920 Rue des Brumes

Nearest bus stop: des Branches (buses 281, 381, 581)

Parking: Yes with a large parking lot

Playground surface: Sand; wood chips

Age range: 9 months and up

Swings? Yes – 2 for babies; 4 for older children

Sandbox? Yes

Splashpad? Yes

Swimming pool? No

Toilets? No

Picnic tables? Yes - but not many.

Other facilities: This park actually has 3 separate playgrounds. Please see photos for all playgrounds. The boat has the sand and the other 2 have wood chips for a “floor”. There is a lot of grass and shade area which makes up for a lack of picnic tables. There is also a nice wooded area and some walking trails for those kids who like to adventure in the woods a little to play and explore.

What I liked: Almost everything about this park. Although the boat seems focused on maybe 4 and up, there is a lot of safety things in play to allow smaller children to enjoy this play space. I like that there is more then one park which allows the chance for your child to not get bored as there is 2 other playgrounds to explore.

What I didn’t like: Lack of picnic tables and bathrooms.

PARC BLEU

Note: I’m not actually sure what this park is called. It’s part of the larger Parc de l’Escarpement, which covers 99 hectares and also includes Parc des Brumes. On the Quebec government website, it’s called “Aire de l’Islet-de-la-Montée”, while on Google Maps, it’s simply labelled “Parc Bleu”, I guess because all the playground equipment is blue, but I don’t think either of those are its official name. A sign near the playground said that it was actually called “Something des Sept-Coeurs” (I couldn’t read it properly because it was partially covered by COVID-19 posters). Anyway, it’s just up the street from Les Galeries de la Capitale, in a quiet, pretty residential area behind Le Mesnil medical centre.

Arrondissment: Les Rivières

Address: The Quebec government website says it’s located “entre les rues de l’Islet et de la Montée”. I parked on rue de l’Islet.

Nearest bus stop: de l’Islet (buses 82, 185, 382, 582, 803, 982)

Parking: Free street parking (maximum 90 minutes)

Playground surface: Wood chips; astroturf

Age range: 18 months-5 years; 5-12 years

Swings? Yes - 2 for babies; 2 for older children

Sandbox? No

Splashpad? Yes

Swimming pool? No

Toilets? No

Picnic tables? Yes

Other facilities: None

What I liked: The castle! Even though most of it isn’t suitable for children under 5, they can still have fun banging the drums and ringing bells at the base of the structure, or looking for the hidden objects in the treasure hunt. This playground is used by the Lebourgneuf branch of the Petite École ABC English immersion daycare, so they will find many English-speaking friends to play with.

What I didn’t like: The toddler section is really basic compared to the castle. The splashpad is activated by a sensor that is too high for many children to reach, so you (the parent) will probably have to press it for them, getting soaked in the process.