I am somewhat torn over Northcliffe Tennis Club which has four hard courts in the "tennis bubble"…read moreand operates from October until May. (In the summer the bubble is removed and the four courts are public.) It is currently, to the best of my knowledge, the only indoor tennis facility in all of Nova Scotia - which, for a province of over 900,000 people, is an embarrassment to say the least. Northcliffe always seems to be at a risk of closure due to lack of revenue. The courts are OK whereas the office/viewing area reminds me of a developing country (essentially a construction trailer with a portable toilet next to it). Headstart Tennis offers (very good) lessons there. So on the one hand it is sad that the facility is not fantastic, and that this is the only place to play indoor tennis in Halifax, but on the other hand I'm of course extremely glad that Northcliffe exists.

The Cole Harbour Outdoor Pool has been around for eons and I remember it as a great place to swim…read moreas a kid. It's one of the only public outdoor swimming pools in Dartmouth. The pool is small, but recently updated. If you live in Cole Harbour visiting the pool is basically hanging out with your neighbors and school friends. It's a great pool to bring the kids to while you get in some relaxation and suntanning. The prices are okay, with family pricing and adult passes a few dollars cheaper than the much larger Cole Harbour Place. They offer classes in synchro, swimming, diving, and water polo for those of you looking to gain an impressive new talent. The pool is also home to the Colby Sailfish, a great swim team for kids and teens. If you're looking for a different party idea you can rent the pool out. When I was younger there was a small twirly slide and several diving boards, including one of those scary tall ones. Since the reno they axed the slide and huge diving board, but kept the basic two pools. The regular pool, and a shallow pool for tots and small kids. The best thing this pool has going for it is that it's outside. It's nice to be able to swim and enjoy the sun without the bitter chill of the ocean. Being outside is also a downside as your enjoyment rests on our fickle and every changing weather. There is also a huge parking lot and you can easily get a bus to the pool for the car-less.

I have to give an update to the Sportsplex. We went over there for the Pirates-Cove Swim on Friday…read morenight. This review is for a particular staff member who was in need of some serious coaching for customer service. Now, before we went , the site says go at least 45 min before hand to line up and they start to sell tickets half an hour before the swim which was at 7:30 pm. The reason for this insanity of earliness was because of March Break. So we went there for 6:30. We went up to the desk to ask for the tickets and she said they would start selling them at 7:00. No problem, she told us to stand in the line, which is what we did. There was another lady there with her children who was there since 5:30 pm, she thought she could buy hers ahead of time. Policy is No! I understand why this policy is, so I do not have an issue with that. The issue was with the lady , who we believe was management. She proceeded to tell us to leave and come back, that we were interrupting the line of the people who were going in for the 6:30 swim. Please take note, there was no one in a line for the 6:30 swim, they simply walked right up to the counter and we are talking a span of 2 minutes. Now, being the person I am, I simply said , no. I was not going to walk around for 1/2 hour to come back and stand at the end of a line when I am standing at the beginning right now, where is the logic there, I will tell you, There Is None! The other lady, however was not quite so diplomatic, she and the manger started to exchange words. The Manger was telling us to leave and come back, the lady was very unhappy that we were being told to go and do something else and come back. Let's just say, after we all had words with Miss Congeniality, we stayed exactly where we were and within 15 minutes the line was down the hall. Hind-site, we would have left and been at the end of the line. I would hate to hear the conversation at that point. It is unfortunate that she was on duty that evening, as she did not win anyone over, just annoyed everyone. And we all thought she was poor with the customer service. Now, the swim, that was good. Lots of life guards. Great Fun!

Growing up I spent a lot of time at the Dartmouth Sportsplex, mainly watching my brother's hockey…read moregames. The Sportsplex is home to a number of health and fitness programs and services. An ice surface, cardio gym, weight room, 2 swimming pools, fitness classes and a new indoor running track are all housed int his building with a number of community rooms available for Bingo and meetings. My "Safe Prom" party was hosted at the Dartmouth Sportsplex and we were given basically full reign over the building overnight. The pools were open for swimming, and the lifeguards that were on duty were very nice, despite the fact that they had to stay awake overnight with a few hundred high school graduates. Hot Hint: If you are looking for a fitness pass that give you a great variety of workouts this is the place to go. A membership gives access to all the facilities, and a discounted rate on exercise classes.

This park is beautiful and tours you through the history of the Halifax Explosion. The main…read moremonument sits atop the hill overlooking the beautiful city of Halifax. There's an awesome natural playground there for the kids and lots of paved walking paths.

Beautiful off-leash area. Compelling and touching memorials. Beautiful views. Also: bike-friendly!read more

There is nothing better then laying by a pool and soaking up some rays. Waegwoltic Club was founded…read morein 1908 and the name means " end of the Water". Private club for members and guest only allows you to enjoy the beautiful surrounding of the Wag. What this place has in store is what is called the Lido where is normally a chilly 68-70 degree pool equipped with diving boards and slide for the kids. Encased in a great deck you are able to enjoy the sun and then jump right in . A smaller pool is attached for the really little ones that can cool off after playing in the sand. The main pool is heated and will be broken into adult as well as open swims. Two other pools are available but one is mostly reserved for older members. Don't forget the 6 or 8 Tennis courts where you can take lessons or if that is not up your alley there is must more. Sailing, Volleyball as well as Wagg days where the kids are able to enjoy. Now the Wagg would not be what it is if it was not for the great Canteen that they provide to the guest. Fries and Sweet Potato fires with curry dip is a hot thing. There are other things on the menu as well as a little store in the main house for candy and treats. All this does not come cheap between $600-$800 you will be able to have some relaxing fun.

Dear Shawna D - Its spelled WAEG , has been for generations…read more WAG is what a dog's tail does... Are you a C.F.A.? Waeg not a bad place. Nice safe summer camp for kids. Getting Pricey and the "tone" has changed in recent years.

I think that there are a few key things to keep in mind when heading to Chocolate Lake. First of…read moreall, is there an alternative within walking/biking distance. Depending on where you live, there might be! Second of all, be aware that Chocolate Lake has a pretty high chlorine level. You will smell it on yourself after swimming. Third, avoid weekends in summer at all costs. Too busy. Overall though, a beautiful setting, especially if you're looking to cool down midweek in summer.

This is a great, easy-to-access spot if you're able to go in the mornings, evenings or during the…read moreweek! I've had some great swims when I've gone first thing in the morning before the small beach area and parking lot started to fill up. The beach area is quite small and since it's easy to access, it gets quite busy. Your best bet is to take a bus or just walk/bike there! Since I prefer to not be super close to other people while I'm laying out reading, this is not a spot that I'd go on a weekend. The views are really nice though! Next to the beach are additional facilities like bathrooms, changing rooms, a tennis court, basketball courts, and a children's playground. A Halifax Rec Centre is across the street too. Great spot for a morning dip or if you love to be around people and don't have a car!

If you are ever looking for a playground to take your children to this is the one. First one the…read morethe HRM that is handicap accessible with a cushion floor. Remember when you were little and you used to go to the playground and you fell on the cement well not any more. This ground surrounding one of the larges jungle gyms is almost like sponge. As well in the summer time there are sprinklers that turn on so that the kids can cool down from the Summer heat. From slides to swing to baby swings to monkey bars to a field that you can enjoy playing soccer or just run wild. Tennis courts are there as well and are normally busy in the summer months. Basket ball nets are located by the schools as well. See you there in the Summer trust me the kids will love you for it.

Great playground. Love the foam floor and ramps.great for my 2 yo to runs around and not make a…read moremess!

It seems peculiar to me to write a review about a vast, fairly empty piece of land. The Common is a…read morelarge chunk-o-field in the middle of the city, with a few baseball diamonds, a fountain, and some trees thrown in for good measure. Now that spring is showing its sunny little face around these parts, I feel compelled to run, skip and dance my way down to the field and play about until night fall. The Common is such a lovely plot of communal land for all to share and is especially wonderful for those of us who don't have back yards to play in. Yesterday morning, I enjoyed a brief yoga session with myself prior to work. Since I cross the land everyday I head downtown, I felt that not stopping yesterday when it was so epically beautiful out would have been a travesty. I love that this space is available to all who wish to use it. You don't need to ask anyone if you can do hand stands or throw a ball around, it's just there waiting for you to visit - no permission needed. In the summer, I walk a couple of blocks blanket in hand, and set up shop on the grass. With my notebook I could lay all day, writing and watching the people pass. On most days, you can find friendly dogs chasing sticks, and on some special afternoons you can watch kites tipping and dipping across the sky. Oh Common, thank you for being such a consistent sunny day companion.

If you are looking to get the kids out on a nice sunny day or just looking to throw a ball around…read morethen drop by the Halifax Commons. As well the Commons has hosted a few concerts such as Kiss and this summer is the Black Eyed Peas. The Commons itself is a large grassy area that is cut with baseball diamonds on each corner and in the summer time are normally stocked with baseball teams having a blast. In the surrounding area there is a playground that houses alot of little creatures meaning kids running around on any given day. Great slides and monkey bars to swings and tunnels. As well it also has that spongy turf under it so when the kids falls from running they do not skin their knees. Right beside that is the Skateboard park that will always leave you gasping when they do their jumps and flips on the boards and bikes. All these areas seem to be growing in popularity. One suggestion that I would like to make to the city is to put in more benches so that the [parents can sit down.

Beautiful park with lots of history, every time we go we find trails we haven't seen before!read more

This park really has something for everyone on your list, including your dog if you have one. There…read moreare a few ways to get into this large park set along the Shubie Canal system. You can bike there from Downtown Dartmouth in about 15 minutes either going down Waverly Road or entering just past Mic Mac Mall. This is my usual route, but it is also very accessible by car with lots of parking at both main entrances. When you get there you are greeted by well-maintained trails, lovely lakes and paths that take you off into the woods and along the old Shubie Canal system. There are lots of animals in the park and they are very tame and well fed. They might just follow you around a bit which can be a bit strange but just go with it. There is also a great off-lease dog park that is very popular, maybe a bit too popular at times but if you have a dog that likes to go off lease you will enjoy it. The best part of this park is that it is big enough that even though it can get busy it is very easy to vanish into the wood and explore.