Chief playground correspondent Elliott took the challenge to visit new playgrounds throughout Nanaimo this week, reporting back his findings. (Alex Rawnsley/NanaimoNewsNOW)

By Alex Rawnsley

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Long weekend fun: Five Nanaimo playgrounds your kids might not have tried

Aug 4, 2023 | 2:33 PM

NANAIMO — The sun is shining, the kids are out of school and parents are running out of new, fresh options to keep them entertained.

While the community favourites of Maffeo Sutton Park, Altrusa and Harewood Centennial rightfully rank among the city’s best playgrounds, we wanted to find some hidden gems nestled away in neighbourhoods across the region.

NanaimoNewsNOW’s chief playground correspondent Elliott, assisted by his mother and younger sister, set out between Monday, July 31 and Thursday, Aug. 3 to find new playgrounds they hadn’t visited to see how they stacked up against Nanaimo’s ‘big three’.

Playgrounds were selected somewhat randomly in different areas of the city and found through Google Maps. Available equipment at the playgrounds were verified using the online Street View.

Linley Point Gyro Park – Linley Valley Dr. between Gamet Pl. and Linyard Rd.
This newer playground located just off Rutherford Rd. is centrally located and has something for the whole family.

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“There’s a giant frog. It’s a pretend frog, just a toy one, but we hop on top and we could jump off it too,” Elliott said. “They had a bumpy slide. It was really fast and it had a big bump and a big fall at the very end.”

Swings, monkey bars, a small climbing wall and other structures make it a well-rounded area on a quiet road.

However the playground itself is only one part to what makes the area great for families. The Linley Valley Trail circles the playground with plenty of things to keep kids engaged.

“There’s a trail with magical gnomes. When we looked at them they weren’t moving but when we don’t look at them they do move. There were lots and lots and lots of gnomes.”

A frog statue provides a great jumping off point to multiple structures and fun things for all ages at Linley Point. (Alex Rawnsley/NanaimoNewsNOW)

Country Hills Park – Extension Rd. at Country Hills Dr.
Located across from Cinnabar Valley Elementary School, which has its own playground, Country Hills Park offers two different structures for younger and older kids.

“There’s a big playground with a climbing wall but not much on the big kid playground, but there’s lots on the little kid playground. There’s a tunnel and a bumpy slide. It was kinda like stairs because we could walk up it.”

Monkey bars, a climbing wall and swings provide plenty of options.

Next to the park is a decently-sized grassy area, good for a picnic or lawn games. An extended drought through the summer however made the grass a little less than lush.

“The grassy area had a big hill but the grass was pretty prickly. There were dandelions there which the wasps and bees go on so I didn’t want to make them mad and sting me.”

Multiple slides, a climbing wall, swings and picnic tables provide something for everyone at Rockridge Park off Jingle Pot Rd. (Alex Rawnsley/NanaimoNewsNOW)

Rockridge Park – Jingle Pot Rd. and Monterey Dr.
Tucked away west of the Parkway just off the northern end of Jingle Pot Rd. is Rock Ridge Park, another dual playground offering things for big and little kids.

“There’s a pole for sliding down, then there’s some slides and monkey bars,” Elliott said. “That’s all on the big kid playground but on the little kid playground there’s a halfway big slide and there’s a super tiny slide and there’s an underneath drum and we also have a table underneath.”

Multiple climbing structures including a twisting ladder will challenge even the most active of kids.

The accompanying field also contains a couple of tables and chairs, making it perfect for outdoor gatherings.

“We ran around on the grass. You could play bocce on there because there’s a big field.”

Rotary Park – Harby Rd. and Peterson Rd., Lantzville
A smaller playground when compared to some others with a few extras which made it a fun outing. This setup was described as “a baby playground” by Elliott, but had a few things to keep the big kids happy.

“They had a rope climbing wall. It had a thing that we run around on, it was like a bike riding field that was next to the playground.”

He spent considerable time running around the neighbouring BMX track (no bikes were on it this day).

Monkey bars, a suspension bridge and a couple of slides provide all the basics.

This playground in Lantzville offered up tunnels, climbing walls, slides and swings. (Alex Rawnsley/NanaimoNewsNOW)

Knowles Park – Rainer St. and Victoria Rd.
The final stop in our investigative series involves a favourite among residents south of the downtown. Knowles Park features a spider-web-like climbing structure, a tunnel, lots of things to climb on, spin around in and slide down.

“There were diggers and I could dig in the dirt. It also had a fun slide and a climbing thing, but I didn’t go on it too much.”

This playground, more than most, offered a good amount of shade courtesy big trees lining Victoria Rd.

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