My husband and I stumbled upon this park as we were waiting for our food order from Toasty Arepas,…read morewhich is around the corner from this park. Optimist Park is a really functional and awesome park. It looks fairly new, and I discovered that it was built in 2017. It has a wading pool AND a "real pool" where you can swim laps. Both pools have lifeguards. It has a play structure with swings and slides. It has a rink where you can skate in the winter, which is converted into a basketball court in the summer. There are tables with built-in chess/checkers boards. There are ping pong tables. There's open green space, benches and picnic tables. There are painted hopscotch patterns on the ground, as well as an alphabet wheel (I'm thinking to teach kids the alphabet (?) but maybe there's some sort of game of which I am not aware, lol). It's such a great community park. It's in a part of town where the average household income is less than the national average, and crime rates are higher than many other parts of Ottawa. I am happy to see that there is a park like this in this neighbourhood. This park is in fact a lot nicer than many parks in more affluent neighbourhoods in Ottawa. The pools have lifeguards who are municipal government employees. There also appeared to be a building there staffed by either City employees or perhaps volunteers from the Optimist Club that maybe ran some programs (sorry, I'm not really sure, as I didn't fully check it out). I wholeheartedly support programs that reach out to youth, especially at-risk youth. It was Frederick Douglass who said "It is easier to build strong children than to repair broken men" and I believe that this is so true. I feel that the city planners did well with Optimist Park.

I used to love taking my niece here No matter what time of…read moreyear 5 stars would have been reasonably clear But renovations have ruined it now, I fear Where children used to play in the sand Now sawdust and cedar chips cover the land Wanting to modernize, I understand Even the new Jungle Gym was poorly planned It takes up just so much more space And isn't ideal for kids young in age My nephew still small wanted to play But now I can't follow to keep him safe. Used to have a tall, big beautiful slide Replaced with a short one from narrow to wide It looks cool, but not practical if tried With 3 spaces at the end, but still only one at a time? Used to have more open space for kids to run And the water station in the sand pit is questionably dumb We'll hit up another park next time we come They've changed it all up, we just didn't have as much fun. ----------- Installment 26 poetry reviews So, for a nice hike with the dogs (off leash even allowed at points) this park is still an excellent waterview/access place for adults, teens and sports. But the kid's part of this park took a huge turn for the worse. I duno what they were thinking when they redesigned this big #parkFAIL. However, the splash pad area is still a good option for kids on a hot day. I'll give it 2.5 stars, generously rounding to 3, for still being a useful and pretty park in some respects but hafta dock them serious points for ruining the kid's park. Also Stanley Park/New Edinburgh Park ?? Figure out what it's called guys. It can't be both...can it??

This is easily the best off leash park close to downtown. Far away from any traffic, this peninsula…read morestretches into the Rideau River, and provides ample room to chase balls, sticks, and other dogs, who come here in droves. Easily one of the more popular parks in the area, in the summertime it's not uncommon to see 20-30 dogs here at peak times, between 4 and 6pm, later when the summer sun is up late. Lots of regulars, and friendly people/dogs Even though the rules clearly block off the water from dog access, there's a gravel beach where dogs will swim and frolic in the water, seemingly without impunity. It seems to be a tolerated access point, and I've never had anyone have any issues in the 4 years I've used this park. Only issue I have ever had is with sharing the neighbouring bike path with cyclists. Many hardcore riders use this path, and can get upset when they are doing 60kph past the dog area and animals wonder into the lanes. Plenty of on street parking on Stanley Avenue, and also near the children's park at the east end of Stanley. Make sure to leash your dog from this lot and along the access path until you get out in the open.

UPDATE: Oct. 23, 2022 - the park is now open to be used fully…read more ORIGINAL REVIEW: This new park is almost ready to be used by the kiddos and I'm looking forward to having my little one use it one day. It has fun musical themed playground equipment, swings, a sandbox, a pavilion, a half-sized basketball court and a little hill that will eventually be good for sledding in the winter. It's a nice addition to a new neighbourhood. The constructors planted a bunch of trees around the park, so that will be great for shade once they grow bigger. I would have given it 5 stars if it had some sort of water play area for the summer.

Four Seasons Park is a community park in the Riverside South neighbourhood. It is definitely not a…read moreplace you would travel across the city to visit, but if you happen to be in the area, it has a lot of good features. It has a tennis court, a basketball court, a baseball diamond, 2 play structures, a splash pad, some park benches, 2 picnic tables under a gazebo, open green space, and some hills that would be good for tobaganing. They also have a small parking lot with free parking. My husband and I were in the area running some errands and we stopped at a nearby restaurant for takeout and looked for a park nearby for a picnic and found this one. It served our purpose :)

What a large and beautiful park in the middle of Gatineau. My husband and I got some takeout at…read moreKantin Bistro on Eddy and went to Parc Fontaine to eat our food on one of the picnic tables to enjoy the unseasonably warm weather we were having in November. We had so many picnic tables to choose from! They have ping pong tables at this park. And a funnel ball setup. Lots of open green space. Some swings and play structures and even a swimming pool. What a great park to have in the city. Definitely a great place to enjoy your lunch outdoors when the weather is nice.

My park series continues!…read more St. Luke's Park is an urban park in downtown Ottawa. It has a paved part with benches and a funky looking metal art structure and then there's a fenced off section that has a play structure for kids with a slide and swings. There's also a basketball court, a tennis court and a wading pool. Great for those living in the area. Interested in more parks in and around Ottawa? Check out my park series: https://www.yelp.ca/collection/fhwH7F0hdh8_PpmaXsHSmw?utm_content=Collections&utm_source=ashare (48)

Wow, I had no idea there was such a large and cool park not too far from my home. When you see the…read moresignage on Reid Ave and just peek down the path leading to the park, it seems small, but don't be deceived, it is huge! It used to be a farm with a farmhouse, but was converted into a park in the 1940s however, the original farmhouse still stood on the land until 2017, when it was turned into a lookout point. Some of the original walls were preserved and educational plaques were erected describing the history of the farm and the park. There is so much open green space. There's also a basketball court, multiple play structures, swings, a fitness structure with chin up bars and parallel bars, benches and picnic tables (some of which are under gazebos), and a wading pool. Dogs are not allowed near the play structures, but they are allowed everywhere else in the park. The park is next to the Elmdale Lawn Bowling Club. There's a small parking lot next to the lawn bowling club. This is a park worth traveling to from other parts of the city, in my opinion. Looking for more parks in Ottawa and surrounding areas? Check out my Park Series here on Yelp: https://www.yelp.ca/collection/fhwH7F0hdh8_PpmaXsHSmw?utm_content=Collections&utm_source=ashare

Glabar Park is a neighbourhood in Ottawa, but there's an actual park called Glabar Park too…read more(obviously in the Glabar Park neighbourhood). It's a tiny park that is just open green space. There are no play structures. It's mostly just for dogs or for throwing around a frisbee or activities like that. There are a few benches, but no picnic tables. It's like a little island of green space filling in a small crescent (Rozel Crescent). I would love to live across a cute little park like this. Kind of a boring park, but aesthetically pleasing, lol. Street parking only, obviously, haha.