Arrondissment: La Cité-Limoilou
Address: 250 Boulevard Wilfrid-Hamel
Nearest bus stop: Centre de Foires (bus 802)
Parking: Free car parks (when there are no events in the ExpoCité). P6 is the closest.
Playground surface: Synthetic
Age range: 18 months-5 years; 5-12 years
Swings? No
Sandbox? No
Splashpad? Yes
Swimming pool? No
Toilets? There are toilets in the nearby Grand Marché.
Picnic tables? Yes
Other facilities: 4.5 metre climbing wall.
What I liked: This brand new, $2 million playground, opened in July 2020, was designed to be like an adventure course in the treetops, inspired by Peter Pan, and it is very impressive. I particularly liked its spongy, absorbent synthetic surface. In fact I wish all playgrounds had the same - and not just because of its ability to cushion falls. It was a relief to let Penelope crawl around on the ground without worrying about her eating sand or wood chips.
There is plenty of seating around the playground – picnic tables, Adirondack chairs – in the shade of hundred-year-old trees.
The new Grand Marché is a few steps away if you feel hungry or thirsty. (My husband Matthew recommends the lobster roll from the Gaspé-based fishmonger Délices de la Mer).
What I didn’t like: It’s always busy and crowded, with long lines of children waiting at the top of the main structure – 6 metres up – to use the tube slide. Personally, I would hate being stuck in there for any length of time, especially on a hot day. Just looking at them made me feel a bit claustrophobic. But that’s me. I was also a bit disappointed that it didn’t have more for toddlers. Sebastian was knocked over by older children several times.
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