This place has been a wonderful place to socialize the dog I rescued from the internet. It is…read moreessentially a large gravel covered lot with a few trees and blades of grass that get peed and pooed on every now and then. In season it has a water fountain for you, kids and a ground level spout for your furry one. As to expect there are people who coddle their dogs a little too much and pick them up extremely often who are likely broadcasting that they helicopter parent their children as well. But for the most part the dogs are allowed to go free and when good owners are around you can tell that the dogs pretty much police themselves. My dog has not only socialized well in the parks friendly atmosphere but met some great friends that he can play and wrestle with and tire himself out for good value on my time. It is a hidden gem for anyone who owns a dog downtown and wants them to have to interact with other dogs because it just insn't big enough to hide anywhere. If your dog is in there off leash it will play the sniffing game even if it growls and nips at other dogs most are well mannered enough to walk on or even try again in a few minutes to see if the anti-social dog is ready to come around.. In only three months I have seen mine and other dogs come out of their shells because of this park. Highly recommend if the pits are too far of a drive or walk.

If you are a proud dog owner, off-leash dogs are allowed at this neighbourhood park. The playground…read morerecently got a makeover and I believe there will be a splash pad for kids this summer. If the rating was based solely on the dog park side of things, I would drop it a couple of stars. The greenery & upkeep of the open dog play area (south side) are on the poor side. There is fencing on the south and east sides. The dogs and their owners bump it at least one star. It's not a very busy park. Overall the dogs and their owners are a friendly, happy bunch. You get to know everyone relatively quickly. The poopiness of the park is pretty good, but I keep an eye out where I am stepping. People who take their dogs to the park tend to scoop-da-poop. My kids are looking forward to the new splash pad opening. A couple of years ago, Fairlea Park was transformed into a natural playground in addition to the existing ball diamond, play structure and basketball court. The kids play area is in the north side of the park. In the winter months, boards go up for an ultra Canadian experience: outdoor hockey.

I live just on the outskirts of the park here, and have been bringing my dog to this area for the…read morepast year we have had her. One thing I must mention about the previous Review is that the review describes the park, but the pictures seem to be from another park a short walk up the road. One thing I MUST bring to peoples attention about this park, has really nothing to do with the park itself, but the people living in the surrounding area. Since getting our dog, and wondering if we could run her off-leash in the park behind us, we have triple checked with the City of Ottawa website, checked numerous blogs and sites showing where the off-leash areas around us are, and spoken to many other dog owners in the area. That said, NO ONE who lives in the area who does not own a dog, believes it is an off-leash area. There are no notifications pointing one way or another as to whether you need to leash your dog in the area, and it has led to a couple confrontations. Our dog is VERY friendly, and will run up to anyone in hopes of getting some attention. She is also big (45 pounds, but big to people who don't like dogs) and she comes running up at you. She never barks, growls, or the like, just running up with a big dopey grin and gets in your personal space (we've been working on correcting this behaviour, but she forgets as soon as she learns). For other dog owners, this is not a problem, they have come to realize a happy approach versus an intimidating one, and needless to say, if she were to show ANY signs of aggression, we would not let her off-leash in the first place. As soon as she does this though, to people who are terrified of 45 lbs of tongue and fur wanting to be pet, the threats of calling by-law begin, the "put your F'n dog on a leash" begins, the "this is NOT an off-leash area!" begins, and frankly, you can't really point out the facts to these people, cause they don't care. The mere saying hello by something that isn't human, or in some ethnic cases "down right demonic" is enough that they basically come at you with everything short of "your dog will be in the electric chair by weeks end, dagnabit!". Beyond that though? Great park, friendly people, friendly other dogs, and a great community to meet new people (2 and 4 legged) and have a great time...just don't let your dogs move past the area which would be confined by leash if anyone living in the area happens to stroll right through the middle of it. And By-Law or City of Ottawa, PUT UP A SIGN!

Great neighbourhood park for canines and their owners, as off-leash dogs are permitted. The…read moregreenery in the back corner is natural yet open, with dense foilage in the summer. There is fencing separating the park from the Catholic school on the east and north sides. I tend to visit on weekdays during the day, and more often than not - it's me and the dogs. The poopiness of the park is fantastic, as in it's not a concern. Maybe because it's a quiet dog spot? The relatively new Albion-Heatherington Recreation Centre sits on Heatherington Park grounds. My kids love the splash pad in the summer months - keeping them active and cooled down. Great way to spend a hot afternoon with the kids and the price is hard to beat (free). The splash pad usually opens the first week of June.

Just beyond the baseball diamonds at Brewer's park, going towards the river, there is an off-leash…read moredog park. This is a great place to take fido to run around to his/her hearts content, but the area is not enclosed, so make sure your dog has a good return first. Bronson avenue is close enough to provide a threat to the wayward dog. In the summer there are excellent opportunities for poochies to get wet and disgusting - if Brewer's pond doesnt do the trick, there is always the Rideau River.

My husband and I stumbled upon McCann Park while we were on a walk. I didn't even know that this…read morepark existed! It's a tiny narrow park that's fenced off and is literally between someone's house and Scotia Bank (and Scotia Bank's parking lot). It has some benches, picnic tables and a single play structure. No dogs allowed in the park. It's small but very functional. I was thrilled to stumble upon this park, since I'm always looking to add to my Park Series here on Yelp. You can check out my collection of reviews of parks in Ottawa and surrounding areas below ;) https://www.yelp.ca/collection/fhwH7F0hdh8_PpmaXsHSmw?utm_content=Collections&utm_source=ashare

This review is for Central Park, the park in The Glebe, and not the development/neighbourhood in…read moreCarlington near the Experiment Farm, of the same name. I actually didn't even know that this park was called Central Park, until a few years ago (although truth be told, when I hear "Central Park" I still first think of NYC). It's a pretty park with a pond in it. Lots of beautiful (and expensive) houses surround it. There's a festival called "The New Art Festival" (formerly called "Art in the Park") that takes place in Central Park every summer that's quite neat. Hundreds of visual artists set up tents and sell their art. The park is a nice place to take a walk, or have a picnic when the weather is nice as well.

Central Park is in a nice, central location in the Glebe neighbourhood, off Bank Street…read more This makes for a good urban park experience, though unfortunately it is not large enough, or isolated enough, to provide a quiet, park experience. Central Park is best known for hosting "art in the park", a yearly event in the spring that attracts local artists, and their latest exhibits. This is a great time to visit, and is full of activities for adults and children. If you visit the park anytime outside of Art in the Park (which was on June 7th and 8th in 2008), then this is a rather ordinary urban park. There are some benches and a lot of open space and some trees, but because of its proximity to a lot of retail and major stores, it sometimes attracts the wrong crowd. The few instances where I visited there were cases of vandalism and youths causing a minor disturbance. Particularly later in the evening, this might be a place to avoid. During the day, however, it's still a groovy place to visit in the city.

Primrose Park is a fairly large urban park. It has a fenced in play area that is off limits to…read moredogs, but the rest of the park is an off-leash dog park. The play area is pretty large and has a great play structure. There are monkey bars, slides, and even a little climbing wall. There's also a splash pad for when it's hot in the summer. Lots of open green space. There are benches and picnic tables too. Across the street, someone has erected one of those Free Little Libraries on their property, so you can go over grab a book and read it in the park ;) The off-leash dog park area is big with lots of open space. I think the dogs love it. I feel that this park is worth travelling to. Not from across the city, but from neighbouring neighbourhoods, lol ;) Looking for other 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

Chaudiere Park is a cute little community park in the Somerset West neighbourhood. It's just north…read moreof Chinatown. It's fenced in and has lots of play structures for kids. It has a wading pool too. There are benches and picnic tables. The picnic tables are covered to provide some shade and shelter from the rain. There's a basketball court at this park too. Dogs are not allowed at this park, but if you have a dog, fear not, just walk a few streets north to Primrose Park where you can let your dog off-leash and they are free to run around in the open green space there. Chaudiere Park is a great little neighbourhood park. Interested in 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

Brewer Park is really popular all year round. It's located right off of Carleton University,…read morebetween Bronson and Sunnyside, on Brewer Way, right next to the Ottawa River. It's used quite a bit for sports, as it has numerous soccer and football playing fields, baseball diamonds, a basketball net, a hockey arena and speed skating oval in the winter, and is close to Brewer Pool for indoor swimming. It also has bike paths, play structures, a pond, and even a mini waterpark, which makes it particularly fun for kids and families. I always see children playing here with their family, friends, and pets, as well as Carleton students that live so close by. The first time I visited Brewer Park was in the fall for House of Paint, an annual graffiti festival, with live art, DJs and MCs, breakdancing, and BBQ. It takes place at the legal wall under Dunbar Bridge, and the festival is eco-friendly, community-supported, and unique.

I can't believe there aren't more reviews for this excellent park! I came here when I worked in…read morechildcare, and it was a kid's paradise. It might even be my favourite place to bring kids in the city, especially on a hot day. There's an awesome two tiered splash pad here, along with 4 or 5 awesome play structures (which are accessible). There's tons of room for kids to run around, and there's also some other cool features to explore like the community garden, pond, and legal graffiti wall. They have public washrooms and they're fairly clean. This is a fantastic place to bring the little ones, but the House of Paint hiphop festival is also a ton of fun for adults.