LONG LIVE OUTDOOR PLAY
  • Long Live Outdoor Play
    • FAQ
    • Favourite Links
    • About Me, Jennifer
    • About Valerie
  • Our Reviews
    • Playground Reviews >
      • Top 10 Infant & Toddler Friendly Playgrounds
      • Top 10 Accessible Playgrounds
      • Top 10 Parks with Shade
      • Canada's 150 coolest playgrounds
    • Splash Pad Reviews >
      • Top 10 Splash Pads
    • Skateparks
    • Indoor Play Reviews
    • Ontario Ice Cream Shops
  • Maps
    • Splash Pad Map
    • Desktop Playground Map
    • Indoor Playground Map
    • Ice Cream Trail Map
  • Our Adventures
    • Activities and Bucket Lists
    • Ice Cream

Durham region
​playground reviews

Garnet B. Rickard Rec Complex Park

5/13/2022

0 Comments

 
Picture
Area: Bowmanville (2440 Highway 2, Bowmanville, ON)

Age Range: recommended ages 5 and up

Parking:  large parking lot at the recreation complex

Ground Cover: mulch

Main Equipment:
  • 4 slides
  • 1 spinner
  • 1 rock and rope climbing wall

Accessibility Features: none

Facilities/Other:
  • 2 fully lit baseball diamonds 
  • Carson Elliott Skatepark behind one of the ball diamonds

Surrounding Park Area: A large green space between the two ball diamonds

Seating: none at the playground, some picnic tables in the trees beside the park

Shade: none over the playground

Overall assessment: A park that is great to play tag at because there is enough space to run and enough things to climb on. Perfect to burn off energy while waiting for siblings or parents playing at the local ball diamond. 
0 Comments

Avondale Park

8/31/2017

0 Comments

 
Picture
Area: East Courtice

Age Range: 18 months and up

Parking:  some street parking on Avondale Drive

Ground Cover: mulch

Main Equipment:
  • 5 slides
  • 2 swings
  • 2 infant swings
  • 1 rock climbing wall
  • 2 fireman poles (1 is toddler sized!)
  • 1 standing spinner
  • 1 sitting spinner

Accessibility Features: sitting spinner, talking tubes

Facilities/Other:
  • Splash Pad 
  • 2 Tennis Courts

Surrounding Park Area: A green space with a circle of sitting boulders between the playground and tennis courts

Seating: 1 park bench facing the playground by the larger play structure, 4 park benches under the shade structure, rounded hills of interlock bricks along the playground fence, and sitting boulder area beside the playground

Shade: none over the playground itself, but some over the interlock hill from the surrounding trees, shade structure over 4 park benches, and surrounding tree shade behind the playground

Overall assessment: We like that there is a fence along the back of the playground that runs along Avondale Drive so it's easier to watch running toddlers at this park. When we visited the smaller play structure tube connecting both halves was not there (we assumed damaged and was removed for safety) but each half still had climbers or stairs and a slide so it was fun to explore and use. The best part about the toddler play structure was the miniature firepole! Our preschooler knew exactly what to do and dared to approach and reach out all on her own to slide down it (see video below). The interlock hill along the fence of the playground reminded us of parks we visited in Japan because it had many toddlers crawling up and exploring balance on the bumpy surface. This is a great park to spend a picnic at because of the adjacent soft surfaced splash pad.
0 Comments

West Side Park

7/9/2017

0 Comments

 
Picture
Area: Southwest Bowmanville

Age Range: infant to 5 yrs

Parking:  
Weekdays: some street parking on West Side Drive (opposite side of the street from the park)
Weekends: large parking lot at Dr. Ross Tilley public school on West Side Drive

Ground Cover:  sand

Main Equipment:
  • 2 infant swings
  • 3 slides

Accessibility Features:  none
​

Facilities/Other:
  • see West Side Park Splash Pad post
  • 1 Soccer Pitch

Surrounding Park Area: green spaces, fields, and large shady trees

Seating: 2 park benches between the park and splash pad

Shade: shade structure over both park benches, some shade in surrounding trees

Overall assessment: A little toddler park next to a small splash pad post.
0 Comments

Walbridge Park

6/28/2017

0 Comments

 
Picture
Area: Newcastle

Age Range: 18months and up

Parking:
Weekdays: very limited street parking during school hours
Weekends: plenty of parking at the Newcastle Public School lot

Ground Cover: mixed sand

Main Equipment:
  • 1 swing
  • 1 infant swing
  • 3 slides

Accessibility Features: none

Facilities/Other:
  • see Walbridge Park Splash Pad post
  • 1 soccer field
  • 1 basketball court

Surrounding Park Area: open green space and some surrounding trees

Seating: four benches facing the playground, additional benches around splash pad area

Shade: none over the playground itself, small shade pavilion over one bench facing the playground, surrounding trees providing some shade

Overall assessment: A great park for a day trip because there is a splash pad and plenty of weekend parking with the school lot right next to it. Invite friends to meet you at this park!
​
0 Comments

Orono Park

8/6/2016

0 Comments

 
Picture
Area:   Orono

Age Range: 2 to 12 years

Parking:  parking lot off of Princess St & Leigh St

Ground Cover: sand

Main Equipment:
  • 2 swings
  • 2 infant swings
  • 5 slides
  • 1 rock climbing wall
  • 3 teeter rockers

Accessibility Features: none

Facilities/Other:
0 Comments
<<Previous

    Categories

    All
    Accessible Ramps
    Accessible Station
    Accessible Swing
    Ajax Playgrounds
    Artificial Turf Field
    Brock Township Playgrounds
    Brooklin Playground
    Clarington Playgrounds
    Dinosaur Dig
    Fireman Pole
    FIT Park
    Hanging Umbrella Spinner
    Infant Swings
    Merry Go Round
    Mulch Slide
    Music Station
    Obstacle Course
    Oshawa Playgrounds
    Pickering Playgrounds
    Racing Slides
    Road Trip Parks
    Rock Climbing Wall
    Rope Climber
    Rubber Surface
    Sandpit
    Saucer Swing
    Scoop Digger
    Scugog Township Playgrounds
    Teeter Totter
    Themed Park
    Tire Swing
    Toddler Park
    Toronto & GTA
    Track
    Trampoline
    Uxbridge Township Playgrounds
    Washrooms (seasonal)
    Whitby Playground
    Zip Line

    Archives

    July 2018
    June 2018
    September 2017
    August 2017
    July 2017
    June 2017
    August 2016
    June 2016
    May 2016
    September 2015
    July 2015
    June 2015
    May 2015
    April 2015
    September 2014
    August 2014
    July 2014

Durham Region Playground Reviews

About
​Contact
​​FAQ
© COPYRIGHT 2015. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.
  • Long Live Outdoor Play
    • FAQ
    • Favourite Links
    • About Me, Jennifer
    • About Valerie
  • Our Reviews
    • Playground Reviews >
      • Top 10 Infant & Toddler Friendly Playgrounds
      • Top 10 Accessible Playgrounds
      • Top 10 Parks with Shade
      • Canada's 150 coolest playgrounds
    • Splash Pad Reviews >
      • Top 10 Splash Pads
    • Skateparks
    • Indoor Play Reviews
    • Ontario Ice Cream Shops
  • Maps
    • Splash Pad Map
    • Desktop Playground Map
    • Indoor Playground Map
    • Ice Cream Trail Map
  • Our Adventures
    • Activities and Bucket Lists
    • Ice Cream