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 SAINT-SACREMENT

Arrondissment: La Cité-Limoilou

Address: 1360 boulevard de l'Entente

Nearest bus stop: M-Bourgeoys (buses 79, 807, 907) on Chemin Sainte-Foy

Parking: Free street parking (1 hour maximum)

Playground surface: Wood chips

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

Swings? Yes - 6 for babies, plus an Expression Swing (parent-baby swing); 4 for older children

Sandbox? No

Splashpad? No

Swimming pool? Yes with slides and a paddling pool.

Toilets? Yes

Picnic tables? Yes

Other facilities: Football (soccer); ice rink; petanque terrain; skate ramps.

What I liked: We discovered this playground by accident while waiting for our car to be repaired at Kia. I had to push the babies in their double stroller up a steeeeeeep hill to get there from Boulevard Charest, but it was worth it! As soon as I saw it, I knew Sebastian was going to love it because it has two of his favourite things - a fire truck and a bus stop. I thought it was very cute how the manufacturers have given the equipment a personal touch - the bus stop says “Place d’Youville” and the bus number was the 807.

What I didn’t like: I didn’t have a chance to check out the equipment for over 5s, which is on the other side of the community centre and the swimming pool, but it’s worth noting that if you have a baby/toddler and an older child, you won’t be able to keep an eye on both of them at the same time here. Update: The older part of the playground is not very good.

PARC DU MUSÉE

Arrondissment: La Cité-Limoilou

Address: 255 Grande Allée Ouest, Québec, QC G1R 2H1 (beside the Musée national des beaux-arts)

Nearest bus stop: Buses #11 stops in front of the park, and buses #800, 801, 807 stop just a few minutes walk away.

Parking: Free parking in nearby streets (limited to 90 minutes Monday-Friday, unlimited evenings and weekends) or paid metered parking on the Plains of Abraham.

Playground surface: Wood chips.

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

Swings? Two for babies, six for older children.

Sandbox? Yes - with lots of shared toys in it.

Splashpad? Yes - nothing fancy, but kids love it! There’s benches for parents to sit on while their kids play in the water.

Swimming pool? Yes - outdoors. It's unheated and small, but great for a quick dip.

Toilets? Yes (handicap accessible)

Picnic tables? Yes.

Other facilities: Pétanque (form of lawn bowling) and 1.4 kilometre gravel and paved paths, where parents and kids can walk, run, bike, or scooter, safe from traffic.

What I liked: I love everything about this park. There are both toddler and bigger kid playground equipment, which is well designed so that toddlers can’t access the big kids’ equipment without having the appropriate climbing skills. There’s also a large climbing rope structure, a type of merry go round" kids can hang from, a huge sandbox, and of course lots of swings. There is ample shade and lots of benches and picnic tables for parents to sit on. It’s big and well spaced out, and in my experience kids don't get bored as there’s lots to explore. The splashpad and pool are a wonderful bonus!

What I didn’t like: It’s a popular park, so it can get busy at times (daycares frequent it during the week, families late afternoons and weekends), but since it’s so big there’s room for everyone. There’s only one bathroom so there’s often a line.

Overview of playground equipment and swings ↓

Playground equipment for toddlers ↓

Playground equipment for older children ↓

Climbing rope structure and "merry go round" ↓

Sandbox ↓

Splashpad ↓