Area: South Whitby

Hours of Operation: June to September from 9:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m., weather permitting

Age Range: all ages 

Parking: small parking lot off of Portage Trail (intersecting with Channel Drive)

Ground Cover: cement

Main Equipment: 

• multiple spray posts
• in ground water jets 

Accessibility Features: wheelchair accessible

Facilities/Surrounding Park Area/Other:

• see Portage Park post 
• seasonal washrooms (portable - from May to first week of October, 9am to 9 pm)

Seating: 3 park benches beside splash pad in shade pavilion

Shade: shade structure over three park benches between playgrounds and splash pad, some shade in the surrounding trees


Overall assessment: Enjoy a day trip to this splash pad with a toddler play structure, larger play structure, plenty of swings, lots of picnic spots (bring your own blanket), and seasonal washrooms. There is more than enough parking to meet up with friends, play tag through the trees, half court basketball, or baseball. 2018 UPDATE: This is now our favourite park for our toddler as the splash pad is easy to navigate and the new rubber surface at the playground is perfect for the little one! The sad thing to note is that last year the cement on the splash pad was freshly painted but it seems that already it has worn off and this year it looks run down a bit, but that didn't stop the kids from having fun! We also added a video!

Area:  Northwest Ajax

Hours of Operation: June to early September (weather permitting), 7 days/week (9 a.m. to dusk)

Installed: 2018

Age Range: all ages

Parking: some street parking on Horne Ave

Ground Cover: cement

Main Equipment: *button activated

• 1 umbrella soaker
• 2 water blasters 
• 1 spray frog
• multiple in ground fountain jets with different settings and heights

Accessibility Features: fully accessible

Facilities/Surrounding Park Area/Other:

• see Horne Park post

Seating: 1 picnic table in shaded pavilion, lots of seating along the rock wall edge of the splash pad

Shade: none on the splash pad, but right beside the splash pad there is plenty of shade from the trees

Overall assessment: A great addition to the splash pads in Ajax. It is the perfect spot for a short picnic and cool off, and has a great playground right next to it. The variations of the in ground water jets are really neat and you just have to wait for them to come on to see how they start short or tall and then change as the time elapses. If you sit along the rock wall don't worry you will not get wet as the water stops right before it reaches the wall.  You can check out our video below to see it in action!

Area:  East Courtice

Hours of Operation: end of June to late August from 10:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m., weather permitting

Age Range: all ages

Parking: some street parking on Avondale Drive

Ground Cover: soft rubber

Main Equipment: *button activated

• 1 tall spray post
• 1 spray arch
• multiple in ground fountain jets

Accessibility Features: due to the concrete lip on this splash pad there is only one location it is wheelchair accessible 

Facilities/Surrounding Park Area/Other:

• see Avondale Park post

Seating: 1 park bench facing the splash pad

Shade: none on the splash pad, but right beside the splash pad there is plenty of shade from the trees

Overall assessment: We made it finally to the last splash pad voted on our top 10 list for 2017 by you! This is a great splash pad with plenty of places to picnic and spend an entire afternoon. The spongy rubber surface makes it perfect for those just learning to walk as well (although watch out for the concrete lip surrounding the entire area). 

Area: Uxbridge

Installed: 2014

Hours of Operation: May to September from 9:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m., weather permitting

Age Range: all ages 

Parking: large parking lot at the Uxbridge Arena and Recreation Centre right at the splash pad entrance

Ground Cover: cement 

Main Equipment: 

• 3 bucket dump that spins!
• 1 large moose that spits water and has a rainfall under his belly
• 1 bear holding a fish that spits water
• 1 spray arch
• 3 small spray critters (turtle, butterfly and ladybug)
• 1 spray bubble post
• multiple in ground spray jets and fountain style jets!

Accessibility Features: wheelchair accessible

Facilities/Surrounding Park Area/Other:

• basketball net in the back parking lot pavement
• amphitheater beside the splash pad
• closest playground is Quaker Trail Park (a 5 minute walk away) **review coming soon

Seating: 6 picnic tables in the shade pavilion, multiple park benches around the splash pad as well as retaining wall rock seating

Shade: none over the splash pad, shade pavilion right beside the splash pad

Overall assessment: This is one of the best splash pads we have been to in Durham Region! It is so unique with the animal theme and spray jets! Also the random movements and power of the in ground spray jets and fountains themselves brings excitement and anticipation to the kids at play because you never know which ones will shoot out next, or if the fountains will be small or large! A couple of the smaller spray critters weren't operating when we were visiting, but that didn't impact the fun at all because there are soooo many other ways to enjoy the water! We will definitely make a day trip back to Uxbridge for this splash pad again! There are two sensor activation posts, but we couldn't tell which post activated which water features because the other kids were constantly ensuring they were always activated hahaha. There are no outdoor washrooms, but we imagine you could use the rec centre facilities if needed.

Area: Toronto East 

Address: 2000 Meadowvale Rd, Toronto, ON M1B 5K7 
Website:  www.torontozoo.com/
Cost*: (*as of 2017)

• 2 & under - FREE
• 3-12 yrs - $19/child
• 13 yrs+ - $29/person
• yearly memberships are available (please check their website)

Parking: $12* per vehicle (*as of 2017)
Hours of Operation for Splash Island: (zoo hours differ, please check their website) 

• Jul 1- Sep 4 - 10:30 am – 6:00 pm daily
• Sep 5 - Sep 10 - 10:30 am to 5:30 pm weekends/holidays

Age Range: all ages 

Ground Cover: cement  and recycled rubber

Main Equipment: 

• multiple bucket dumps
• multiple spray arches
• multiple spray animals (it's Canada themed!)
• 4 slides (2 larger tunnel ones that are monitored by staff for safety)
• multiple in ground jets
• and more!

Accessibility Features: wheelchair accessible (including a ramp to the two larger tunnel slides)

Seating: multiple muskoka chairs around the pad area, a rock wall also provides seating, or the grass if you bring a picnic blanket 

Shade: none over the splash pad, some shade in surrounding trees, over chairs and around rock wall seating


Overall assessment: Included with your zoo admission, it just makes sense to pack a picnic and make the zoo a day trip with splash pad fun!  This splash pad is spread over two acres and is Canada themed with a map at the entrance that lets you mix learning with fun. I do suggest kids wear water shoes here as some climbing equipment can get slippery and bare feet and flip flops will certainly cause some falls. We like the fact that there are washrooms and change rooms on site, a staff member at the gate to ensure those entering the area are bringing in children (yeah, sorry no cooling off for adults only), there are staff manning the two taller tube slides to ensure kids are properly spaced out for safety, and that there are lockers on site (bring your own change). Instead of using lockers, I just loaded everything into a stroller with my newborn and followed our toddler around the splash pad.

Yes you can navigate the entire area to stay within eyesight without getting too wet! A few gusts of wind and I got a little 'spritzed' with some water and mist, but it actually felt nice since it was so hot the day we visited. The only thing I suggest for parents is to wear flip flops (ooops I made the mistake of only wearing sneakers and my socks were wet by the end of the afternoon).  Now  we make sure to pack our water gear every time we go to the zoo just in case we feel like cooling down at the end of the day!

UPDATE 2018: with a second kid in tow who is mobile, it is definitely way easier to have one adult following and watching each child. I don't think I would take both kids with me by myself to this splash pad as even though there is only one entrance and exit, it is so large I can't possibly keep an eye on both kids through the throngs of people and spraying water. Our little toddler (she can be called that now that she is just over one year old I guess) loved the puddles by the turtle and spitting frogs (near the back of Splash Island).  Seating is still a challenge but if you don't mind sitting in the sun, there is always room at the back by the turtle area.