Community Park Playground- Parksville

We've never been to Parksville before but this weekend we managed to sneak away from Victoria and finally got a chance to check out some of the things that Parksville has to offer. I'm not going to wax lyrical about the beaches and fantastic family friendly places to stay or visit, instead I'm going to do what this blog is all about and talk playgrounds. Well, one in particular- the Parksville Community Park Playground, located right on the water in the centre of town.

This park offers an almost bewildering array of playground equipment and without spending an hour documenting everything with a clipboard and pen I can't possibly list it all. I will, however, give a good overview. If you're thinking of going here and wonder if there is something for your child, I'm pretty sure that there is, although because the playground is more old than new and on a sand base, it's not very accessible and would probably not be ideal for kids in wheelchairs. There are facilities such as washrooms, drinking fountain and a food concession, which I expect are seasonal.

Located in the community park, there are large grassy areas, picnic tables, shady places to sit and the whole park goes right out to the beach and the sea. We have reviewed a few parks with glorious views and this is one of them, although because the playground is set back somewhat it doesn't reap the full benefit of the location so take a few minutes to walk out to the water and take it all in.

The playground equipment is a combination of old and new and looks like they have added to it over the years. Alternatively, they might have gone to a used-playground-convention...if there is such a thing...and bought a surprise bag and then planted it all down in the one park. There are literally restored vintage pieces here. There are a bunch of old metal bouncy things with restoration plaques on them, there are old fashioned diggers, a funky old fashioned merry-go-round and an array of old school metal climbing frames. There are some really interesting pieces here but they almost get lost in the sheer numbers. Mind you, with the number of kids around, it's probably a good thing. Our kids favourite climbing frames were the helicopter and the airplane.



There are some small scale climbing structures for the toddlers, and then there are several bigger ones that would suit all ages, but especially big kids. There is a multi plastic tubed slide feature that seemed to be the most popular and there is also a huge long continuous play style structure on the far side away form the parking behind the zip slide. Because, of course, there's a zip slide there too. Oh, and did I mention the water park? This large long climbing frame is a really good one for kids who like to climb because it offers a number of different climbing options to get from one end to the other, starting with low ramps and ending with a weird sort of climbing web hanging basket that I saw a few kids attempt but everyone gave up, not quite sure how to approach it.

There is too much to review the water playground in here so follow the links for more about that. In fact, there's so much here that I will leave the photos to speak for themselves. This playground is not the most glamorous around but it's got a lot to offer, especially when you figure in all the facilities around.

Paradise Park Playground- Esquimalt, Victoria

Paradise Park playground is tucked into a small fanced park on Paradise Street between Lyall and Head. AND, it's really a toddler playground. It's older and a little worn and not very glamourous but our 1.5 year old LOVES it.

There is one main oversized plastic climbing structure with three slides. There are tiny little swings that look like they've been leftover from the 70's- one toddler and one big kid and then there are a selection of bouncy things, an old fashioned digger machine and a tunnel. I forgot to check if the calling tubes work, but there's a set of them too.

On a sandy base, this playground is safe, small and has benches for resting parents to relax on. There are no facilities or shade and the parking is street parking. There is come grass to play on too. If you want to go somewhere low-risk where your little ones can have fun, this is a great playground and it's popular for an out-of-the-way spot too- I had to return twice before I could get a photo without kids everywhere. If you want to make a day of it, the end of Paradise Street hits Head right where the West Bay Waterway path runs and so you can walk or bike along that for scenic views and sightings of birds, boat planes and if you're lucky, maybe a ship or two!

Rudd Park Playground- Victoria

Rudd Park is one of those parks that you could drive past over and over and never really have any reason to stop- unless you play baseball, play soccer, have a dog, or of course, want to visit their playground. Located between Irma St and Whittier Ave, and Harriet Rd runs a long the far end.

The playground is an older construction with wooden beams, metal bars and plastic trim. There are two structures, one for small kids that features a ramp, low turret with two platforms, two activity walls a short plastic slide and two toddler swings.

The bigger kid structure features climbing platforms, two slides- a wide metal and a curly plastic, two big kids swings and a bunch of older-school metal climbing options. This is all on a base of sand that is sculpted out of an enormous grassy area. There are a couple of old fashioned digging machines and a seesaw.

There are washrooms and picnic tables and shade close by. Street parking is easy and there is a parking strip on Irma very close to the playground. This is not the most exciting of parks but has good solid facilities which are in good condition.

Summit Park Playgrond- Victoria

Guest review by Cheryl

Perhaps it is the isolation that has allowed Summit Park Playground to keep its older equipment. The modest sand-covered area boasts a swing set (two big-kid swings and two toddler swings), a mid-height metal slide and a set of monkey bars that my daughter refers to as a rainbow climber. There is a bench nearby on which caregivers can sit (more or less in the position from which this photo was taken). The playground is in the midst of a Garry Oak meadow so in the heat of the summer there is plenty of nearby shade and wildflowers to investigate. Access is easiest from Blackwood Street off Summit via a paved, stroller-friendly path but there are other walking paths in from other streets (we generally approach from Finlayson, up a steep incline). There is limited street parking available but it is possible to park on Blackwood.

The fact that the equipment looks like it has been there since the 1970s doesn't mean it is in disrepair. On the contrary, this playground seems to be well-maintained with minimal graffiti -- surprising given that when we've been there toward the evening there are often groups of teens gathering in the area and there is plenty of graffiti around the nearby communication tower. I almost hate to review this little park because it reminds me so much of parks of my childhood -- I worry that by publicizing it, the City will at once realize they've overlooked it and replace everything. While this is not the best park for very small children (my daughter is 8), the old-school equipment still allows for physical exploration and imaginative play and the surrounding area is full of plants, bugs and birds to investigate.

Lochside Park Playground- Cordova Bay- Saanich

Guest review by Mack

Lochside Park is located on Lochside Drive just near to Mattick's Farm and on the edge of Cordova Bay Golf Course. This is a very special playground - it's one of the few that has one of those funny digger things which my little boy REALLY loves. If you haven't encountered these before, they are essentially a mechanical digger, but thankfully without ignition or wheels. You use two levers on either side to operate the digger part, pick up sand (that inevitably forms the base of the parks in which they are installed) and then dump the sand. Sounds pretty rad? Just imagine how rad it would be if you were three years old.
Apart from that, it's a nicely kept park. The aforementioned sandy floor, plenty of swings (baby and child x2 each), a good climbing/running frame/slide contraption with 2x metal slides, and is really close to the Lochside Trail - so it's in a beautiful area. Surprisingly, though, it's often very quiet - I've never really seen many people using it when I've been there. Maybe because it's a little hidden away...? Either way, well worth going a little out of the way for a visit, particularly if you have a little man or two scurrying around the house with a bucketload of energy to expend and a love of diggers.

Fern Street Secret Playground- Victoria

So I got a hot tip from a very excited friend who told me about a secret playground that was hidden off Fern Street which runs between Begbie and Fort. Well Ms M, it's not secret anymore! I don't know what to call this playground because it has no sign and it doesn't appear on any of my maps. Anyway- you can take walkways from Fern St or Chestnut St or you can take the drive-with-no-name that runs off Fern.

This playground is in a little square of park overlooked by condos and apartments and it features one large, worn structure on a bed of sand. A's aversion to sand has grown to the point where he turned his nose up at the playground and stalked the parameter like a tiger. Well, a small defenseless, stripeless tiger that's scared of sand, ants and beetles.

The structure has wooden ramps that lead to several platforms of different heights that are connected by a plastic tunnel. There are a lot of playgrounds around the city that are very similar to this but this one is bigger and a little more interesting. For example, it's got enough platforms at different heights to make it that bit more interesting plus it's got one of those sweet little picnic tables built in which get me every time.

There are a variety of things to climb and hang from including a rope wall, a ladder of things that look like handcuffs and there's a curly plastic slide for a quick, staticky escape. There are also a range of activity wall features such as match-the-picture-cylinders though sadly this era of playground has become dated and the activity wall features that are on newer structures around town outshine these. A did sample the swings that accompany the climbing frame- the usual double toddler, double big kid swing combo. There are not really any other amenities here though I'm thinking there was a drinking fountain but that could just be my over-active imagination playing up.

Tolmie Park Playground- Victoria

We stumbled across Tolmie park after taking a wrong turn and finding a dead end to turn around in and it led me to question if wrong turns always led me to playgrounds in the past? I seem to stumble across them all the time these days and maybe it's because I am on the lookout for brightly painted bars and sunlight on metal slides......or maybe I am just getting lost more.

Anyway, Tolmie Park playground is one of the typical 'well equipped but nothing special' playgrounds that seem to populate Greater Victoria. I am sure that it's well used and well loved and there were certainly happy playgrounders (I had to squash the urge to call them clients for a moment there) running around when we were there.

The park itself runs in a strip of grass between Saanich Road and Savannah Ave on Leslie- which breaks for the park in dead ends on both sides. There is plenty of parking on the Saanich Road side and a little parking on the other side, which is nearer to the playground. On a sandy base, there are two big kid swings, two toddler swings, a high hanging ladder, a digger machine and a climbing structure. This features several wooden platforms with a few climbing options, a short straight plastic slide and a higher curly plastic slide. Like I said, nothing outstanding to report here except for the fact that playgrounds like this remind me how lucky we are to have so many, and so good that one like this just seems 'normal'. In some parts of the world, in some parts of the country kids don't have these things. Better go before I go off on a tear-jerker?

Wark Common Playground- Quadra Village, Victoria

Wark Commons is a tiny little piece of land at Kings Ave and Wark St, that has obviously been built and maintained with love. With a wrought iron sign and gardens around the edges, half of the common is taken up with a playground, the rest made up of grass and trees.

For a small playground, the climbing structure is surprisingly big. It is in two main parts linked by a climbing bridge and features wooden ramps, a tunnel, a couple of towers, a variety of things to climb up and a plastic curly slide. Separate from the climbing frame there is a single swing combo- one toddler, one big kid and the whole lot is on a sand base. This is obviously a playground with local regulars and on a sunny afternoon you'll find a few sunbathers lounging on the grass.

There are not any other facilities here but because the playground is smack dab in the middle of Quadra Village it's easy to park, find washrooms and if you need a pick me up you can go next door to Cafe Fantastico where you'll find debatably the finest coffee in town.

Sundance Elementary School Playground

Sundance Elemantary School playground is on Bank Street tucked between Leighton and Oak Bay Ave, and it's awesome. Old-School Awesome. If you don't like old-school, don't even think about going there because I'm pretty sure that there has been no new equipment here this side of the eighties, possibly even the seventies. This playground could be right out of my childhood, except that it's on sand, woodchips and grass rather than concrete.

It may be old, but it's in great condition. It's design and look are outdated but it's not that faded-in-the-sun outdated that you see in the plastic playgrounds around town. before we go any further, this is a playground where you need to watch your little kids more closely because it was not designed with the safety features that we are used to today, and frankly, I am on the fence about whether this is a good or bad thing.



The playground has many features. The ones that immediately catch the eye are the three metal climbing frames- one rocket ship, one dome and one square cube-ish-laddery one. There is also a main log and metal climbing structure- which is probably the newest part of the playground. In my excitement to photograph the other features, I completely neglected to get photos of this one- but it's is plain, solid and has a few frills, climbing bars, a pole and a double metal slide. There are two toddler swings, two big kid swings, a swinging trapeze-like bar and swinging Olympic-style rings.




If that is not enough, there are some odd extras that you don't notice straight away. For a start, there is a long jump feature- a concrete running path with a sandpit at the end which I tried out several times before coming to the conclusion that flat slip-on shoes are not conducive to long jumps. Then, there are the strange little poles with balls on the end that I think must be for leap-frogging. However, there are 8 of them all in an-almost square and it makes me wonder if the school once had a leapfrog team that did mass group leapfrogging displays.



There are no public facilities in this playground but there are good grassy areas to play on, decent shade, nice rocky outcrops to scramble and climb on and if you like the old-school equipment then this is your dream playground.

Pemberton Park Playground- Oak Bay

Pemberton Park is at Richardson and Gonzales in Oak Bay and you can find their playground on Richardson, opposite Lawndale Ave.

There is one main play area (on sand)with separate swings- the usual double big kid and double toddler combination and the toddler swings go nice and high, unlike some which have low top bars and short chains. If 'A' had had his way he would have stayed in the swing all day when we visited Pemberton Park. Whoever made this type of playground must have had a large contract with Greater Victoria City for a while because there are so many around that are almost interchangeable and this is no exception; the tower, the plastic curly slide and the wooden ramp. This one has a sweet little touch- a mini picnic table and benches built into the climbing tower and the friends that we visited this park with says that her daughter likes to have pretend tea parties in there.



Whether it's unique or not, I like finding playgrounds like this. There are good grassy areas around, benches, and surprisingly there are washrooms too. Parking was easy on Richardson and there are also lots of shady areas in case it's too sunny for you and your little ones.

Victoria West Park Playground- Esquimalt

Victoria West Park is sandwiched between Wilson St, Bay St and Esquimalt Road and semi-obscured by a cultural centre. There is an exciting looking little playground squatting there which 'A' points to every time we go past. We finally visited it and as it turns out, it's not actually that exciting.

Victoria West Park Playground is a pretty bog-standard Victoria playground. On sand it's one of those wood and plastic, slightly faded, slightly graffiti-tagged with some climbing options, a tower, a plastic curly slide and a tunnel. There is an old-school metal seesaw and a couple of swings set away from the main play area. Parking nearby would be easy, there's lots of grass but there are not a lot of facilities and frankly, I don't have a lot else to say.

Other than this:

You're pretty spoiled for choice when a playground like this is 'bog-standard'. It's well kept, and has good safe play options. I might not like sand...someone else might not like old seesaws, 'A' might not like the odd beetle or two that might occasionally scuttle around........but we're lucky to live somewhere with so many good play options for our children and writing this review today reminds me of just that.

Alexander Park Playground- Fernwood, Victoria

Sandwiched between Bay St and Walnut St at Oregon Ave there is a little park - not much more than a grassy field, called Alexander, where someone builds amazing things when it snows. Winter 2008/09 there was an igloo that almost made me swerve the car as I drove past it looked so good.

Over on the Walnut St side of the park is a playground. It's not a big flashy affair, and it suffers from the usual fading in the sun/grafitti tagging but it's got some decent equipment and it is usually occupied.

There is one main climbing structure with a few climbing options, a tunnel, a high tower and plastic curly slide. There are swings, both toddler and big kid, an old metal seesaw, a bouncy animal and a huge bouncy double thing which I am going to have to come up with a better name for! All of this is on sand.

There are no facilities here, which is always 50/50 with a park this size but there is also not much in the way of any frills: not much shade, no picnic facilities and when I go there I always feel that the playground, and the whole park in fact, is slightly neglected.

lambrick Park Playground- Gordon Head, Saanich

I've heard a fair bit about Lambrick Park in Gordon Head and how much people enjoy it so it was on our must-see list. I was a bit surprised when I drove up and this was it.

The Playground basically consists of a tall metal slide, a 'climbing car' and four swings- one toddler and three big kid. This is all on sand and underneath nice shady trees. Lambrick Park itself has a lot to offer, playing fields, courts, the Gordon Head Rec centre and of course the kind of facilities that go with it all.

I am of the philosophy that any playground is better than no playground but there are better ones around Victoria, even around Gordon Head, (such as Blair though no facilities and not a lot of shade and Sierra- again no facilities). The phrase 'fun is what you make it' pops into my mind when I see a playground like this because it may not be big and flashy but to some kids and probably some mums and dads, it's probably the best playground in the world.

Rainbow Park Playground- Swan lake, Saanich

You can find Rainbow Park Playground on Rainbow Street just south of McKenzie. The park itself is mostly a green field with some trees dotted around and considering it's close proximity to both McKenzie and the Pat Bay Highway, it's surprisingly nice. And it's neighbour park, Swan Lake Park is fabulous, though more like trails, ducks and wooden trestles than swings and roundabouts.

So, speaking of playgrounds, this one is pretty good. You can park on Rainbow Street and if you get there early enough you can claim a spot of shade under one of the trees that is close to the playground. There are two climbing structures, a large one for bigger kids and a tiny little one-slide tower for the smaller kids. The big kid climbing frame has good climbing options including a wooden ramp with chain/wood supports to climb up, other climbing options and a separate 'thing' a sort of wooden platform with bars that one can climb on, linked to the main structure by one of those ladders in the air to hang from. The words aren't flowing today so forgive my vagueness.

There are two toddler swings and two big kid swings and the toddler swings are nice and high so that 'A' actually believed it when I told him that he'd be fired off to the moon if I pushed him any harder, which was just my way of getting out of pushing any more because my swing-induced repetitive strain was playing up.

There are no facilities here except for picnic tables and the whole thing is on a bed of sand. Oh! And there is another of those cool seesaws like the one in Sierra Park Playground except it doesn't seat four and it doesn't like my weight quite as much

Sierra Park Playground- Saanich

We went to Sierra Park today after receiving a hot tip and we will definitely go back again. It's a lovely park- surprisingly big with a tennis court, lots of grassy areas, picnic tables and a great little playground.

The playground is in two parts for big kids and smaller kids, both on sand. The smaller side has two swings; a toddler and a therapeutic. There is a climbing structure with a ramp, a double metal slide, a few bouncy animals and a digger machine. The big kids side has two swings, a plastic curly slide, a good range of climbing options including a sort of balance beam built into the middle of the climbing frame and a separate set of climbing bars. It also has a fabulous seesaw. We haven't seen a seesaw like this yet and it's the first one that I have come across that doesn't threaten to catapult 'A' into space the second I put any weight on it. PLUS, it actually sits four!

There are no frills in this park. When we were there it was the hottest time of the day and although there are trees around there is very little shade and the bits that there are would fill up pretty fast on a weekend. 'A' found a new thing to bother him today- hot sand. At least it wasn't beetles, ants, dogs, wind or loud noises. Sigh.

Memorial Park Playground- Esquimalt

Memorial Park is a well-kept, leafy little park situated on the Esquimalt Road. There are lots of trees, so lots of shade, benches, picnic benches, grassy areas to play on and a surprisingly large playground area. There are two main play areas the first with a larger climbing structure aimed at bigger kids. This has a high curly plastic slide and a double metal lower slide and there a small range of options for things to climb up and hang off. There are some old-school balance beams which 'A' is really into right now and the whole lot is on a sandy base.


The other main play area is aimed at smaller kids and as well as the small climbing structure with wide metal slide there are 6 bouncy or twirly things and a digger machine, all also on sand. Now here's the sign that we are getting blase about this whole playground thing.......I stopped writing down details and now I can't remember exactly the swing set up but I think that there were two big kid and 4 toddler but I may be wrong. There are swings there at any rate and 'A's little sister had her first swing in one which resulted in her letting loose her maniacal baby laugh which drew a small crowd.

The thing that differentiates this playground from others is that it has a boat in it. A real, metal life size boat, the MV Centennial, which the kids were loving. There is also some old artillery equipment around the park that adds to the military feel and hopefully those don't work otherwise expect to see overzealous ten year olds engaging in cannon fire on the news any day.

You can park on Park Terrace or we used the car park over the road at the mall but you're probably not meant to do that. I also didn't see washrooms but I am sure I'll be corrected on that one if there are some there. Overall this was a decent playground in a nice setting and we'd definitely go there again.

Ryan Street Playground- Victoria

Sandwiched between two parts of Ryan Street that don't meet (between Mt Stephen Ave and Cedar Hill Rd), there is a lovely little green space with one of those playgrounds lost in time. Actually, the bits of apparatus that are there are most likely just lost in grass rather than time.
There are rocky outcrops to climb on, trees and bluebells scattered around and hidden in the long grass there is a high metal old-school slide on sand, a seesaw on grass and then on the other side of the path there are two toddler and two big kid swings on sand. I have to admit that I relish finding oddball little parks like this one. I am not convinced that 'A' felt the same way though and he stood deliberating the long grass that he was going to have to wade through in order to get to the slide for some time before yelling "Pick me up".

Hollywood Park Playground

Hollywood Park is between Earle St and Fairfield Road and it's a nice little playground definitely worth a visit.

There are two parts to the playground which is on a sand base: big kid and smaller kid sides and there are grassy areas, picnic tables, washrooms and parking. The big kid side has a slightly older wood/metal & plastic structure with a choice of things to climb up and down though not tons compared to some of the newer playgrounds around Victoria. The curly plastic slide is a fast one and 'A's hair stood up on end when he got off it. I'd like to think that it was in sheer excitement but it was probably the static. There's a similarly static-inducing bumpy slide too, which 'A' refused a second trip down- take that as you will but perhaps it was something to do with the beetle languishing on the sand at the bottom.

The toddler side, which is built in the same wood/metal/plastic combination has a ramp, a platform area with some activities and a tower with a wide metal slide. 'A' stood lookout on the tower until a pre-school group barreled over and despite him frantically saying "Hi" to all the girls, he didn't succeed in making any new friends and was stubbed when one of the girls asked to hold my hand on the way down the slide. He informed me it was time to leave at that point and in my rush to obey I completely forgot to note how many swings there were. Oh the shame.

Beacon Hill Park (Cook St) Playground

Beacon Hill Park has two playgrounds, one near the beloved petting zoo and the other on Cook Street just south of Cook St Village.

The Cook Street playground is a prime example of a playground that is much loved, much used but that isn't going to score too highly because frankly, it's worn out. Before I start to get hate mail I should say that Beacon Hill Park is a lovely park and a fabulous resource to have in the middle of a city so I feel bad knocking it.

The playground is split into two parts for big and little kids. The side for smaller children is on a bed of sand and features a double set of swings- toddler and big kid, a climbing structure with two metal slides, a tunnel and a bouncy horse. When it was built, there is no doubt that this was an excellent structure but it's past its best and the slides are worn, the plastic sidings are faded and tatty and the metal has rusty parts. 'A' seems to prefer the big kid side in this playground but he is right on the edge between wanting things his size and the thrill-seeking of a climb on something that is a little too big for him.

The big kid side, which is on woodchips, is an older wooden structure in about the same condition. It features a ramp with rope to climb up, various other climbing places, a bridge, some things to hang from and, believe me here, the most static-y slide you will ever come across. Heed my warning, when you pick up your excited toddler from this rather fast yellow plastic slide, you will hear a loud crack, your child's hair will stand on end and your fingers will go numb for a brief moment.

On the big kid side there are also swings, a frail-looking seesaw and along with the picnic tables, water fountain and grassy areas, this playground, although in need of a face lift is almost never empty.

Blair park Playground - Gordon Head

Blair Park Playground is located at Blair Street & Carnegie Crescent in Gordon Head, Saanich. It's an unassuming little park, no facilities but nicely kept and the playground is surprisingly good for the size and unassuming-ness of the park.

On a sandy gravel (or gravelly sand base- depending on how you look at it) base, this playground is reasonably new and features a climbing structure with an assortment of things to climb and hang from, and with two metal slides, one quite high and one low and wide. There are four swings, two toddler, two big kid, though the big kid ones seemed wonky when I tried them out. There are another four swings set slightly away, like they've been shunned by the rest of the playground for being a bit too old or something.

There is a metal car feature which 'A' climbed into excitedly and out of pretty quickly when he realized that it really wasn't any more than a posh bench. Finally, da da daaa (that was a fanfare) there are two quite interesting and surprising features to this playground. The obvious one is the tall rope-strung roundabout thing. I'm going to call it a cone-rope roundabout. All I can think when I see it are unfortunate school kids being tied to it by more fortunate school kids and being spun around until their faces contort like they are on the wall of death rides at travelling funfairs. Mind you, I just re-read what I wrote and it didn't make it sound very nice but it is a pretty cool feature- and I do like roundabouts as you know. The second unusual feature is a balance beam. Never seen one of these in a playground before and I would like to make some witty comment about it but I can't think of any. I'm far too balanced today.......uggg.....