PARC NOTRE-DAME DE FOY

Arrondissment: Sainte-Foy-Sillery-Cap-Rouge

Address: 771 rue Jacques-Berthiaume (off Chemin Sainte-Foy)

Nearest bus stop: Ch.-Martin/1424 (buses 13, 107, 807, 907)

Parking: Free street parking (2 hours maximum). There is also a small free car park for users of the Centre de Loisirs.

Playground surface: Sand; wood chips

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

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

Sandbox? Yes

Splashpad? Yes

Swimming pool? Yes

Toilets? Yes, but only when the Centre de Loisirs is open.

Picnic tables? Yes

Other facilities: Baseball field, basketball court, petanque terrain, ice rink, tennis courts.

What I liked: This is our local park, so we go there all the time. Sebastian particularly loves the splashpad, which has a little water course for boats.

What I didn’t like: Nothing.

PARC NOIREFONTAINE

Arrondissment: Sainte-Foy-Sillery-Cap-Rouge

Address: rue Noirefontaine

Nearest bus stop: de la Sapinière (buses 14, 15, 215, 915)

Parking: Free street parking

Playground surface: Sand; wood chips

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

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

Sandbox? Yes

Splashpad? No

Swimming pool? No

Toilets? No

Picnic tables? Yes

Other facilities: None

What I liked: At the end of 2015, the Quebec government invested $637,000 to create or renovate a number of playgrounds in the arrondissement of Sainte-Foy-Sillery-Cap-Rouge. This was one of them. (If you’re interested, the others were Doré, Plateau, Saint-Michel, Anse de Sillery, Fort, Malraux, Bélair and our local one Notre-Dame-de-Foy - but I haven’t had a chance to visit all of them yet). It is one of the prettiest parks we have been to so far, bordered by woodland on one side. The railway-themed play structures have interactive panels with real train noises, which is something I haven’t found anywhere else.

What I didn’t like: Nothing.

PARC SAINT-DENYS

Arrondissment: Sainte-Foy–Sillery–Cap-Rouge

Address: 2770 rue de la Picardie (sort of behind Place Laurier)

Nearest bus stop: None but it’s not far from the busy bus routes of Chemin des Quatre-Bourgeois or Boulevard Laurier.

Parking: Free car park

Playground surface: Wood chips

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

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

Sandbox? Yes

Splashpad? No

Swimming pool? Yes but it is currently closed for renovation until next year.

Toilets? No

Picnic tables? Yes

Other facilities: Basketball court, football pitch, ice rink, tennis courts.

What I liked: Quiet, plenty of shade.

What I didn’t like: Nothing.