March 2017
More snow and cold?! Why, oh, why? Calgary in March is a catch all of any kind of weather you can think of. Right now we are on the losing end of that grab bag. While we all struggle to invent creative stuff to entertain the children in this final crush of snow I’m sitting in my office daydreaming of warmer weather. I’ve been doing nothing but Googling all the awesome parks in Calgary and making a hit list that I can jump on at the first whiff of spring. Last spring my baby was too young to care much what we did, or where we did it, this year though he’ll be an active toddler and needs to be entertained.
Here are some family friendly parks that made my hit list for spring. After a winter of being cooped up indoors you might want to hit them up too!
1. Bowness Park (8900 48 Ave. NW): Oh I adore this park so much! The green space is majestic, there’s a ride on train, you can throw rocks into the river/lagoon, and then there is the playground itself! I love the accessible flooring, and that there’s play equipment suitable for both younger and older kids. There are also swings a little bit farther down the path from the main play area. The burgeoning toddler and I will definitely be spending a lot of time here this spring/summer.
2. Prince’s Island Park (Center of Prince’s Island Downtown): This is a great little escape right inside the city. It connects to miles of Bow River walking paths and has the wetlands area to explore nearby. The playground itself is beautiful and one of the largest in Calgary. Its Calgary theme will pull your bigger kids imaginations into play too.
3. Rotary Challenger Park (3688 48 Ave. NE): Since my kiddo will be only a year and a half this summer I’m sure we’ll make a few trips out of our way to visit this accessible playground. The play structures are lowered and the ramps are at a low grade to make this park fun for everyone! If you have mobility limited adults or children this park is a must see!
4. Cityscape Music Park (Northern end of Cityscape Drive NE): I had no idea this park existed before this year. My baby is OBSESSSED with all things musical and so I’m excited to try out this once the thaw hits. It has many oversized musical instruments that make noise and double as play structures. How inventive! Sure to excite all ages, I hope this becomes a new favorite.
5. St. Patrick’s Island Park (1300 Zoo Rd. NE): This playground has the added benefit of being made from combination natural/ traditional playground materials and is located next to the zoo. If you have kids who are no longer napping pack a lunch and between the zoo and this park you’ll have a full day of fun ahead of you! Fun logs to climb and walk across, and slides built into the hill… There’s a lot to explore! My guy is a bit small to be able to handle the zoo and the playground all at once but I’ve add this to our list of fun places to explore once the weather turns.
There you have it! I hope this list has you excited to play outdoors with your little ones. Now if only mother nature would get on board!
Written by Kaeleigh MacDonald
Kaeleigh MacDonald runs the popular infertility blog Unpregnant Chicken where she writes her musings on the wild world that is “trying to conceive”. She holds a B.Ed. in Educational Psychology as well as an M.A. in Cultural Anthropology although nowadays she spends most of her time entertaining her toddler and exploring Calgary. Follow Kaeleigh on Facebook and Twitter.
