Equipment by Earthscape.
Surfaces: rubber, wood chips, concrete.
This neat little playground was a pleasant surprise for us when my wife had a work function in Downsview Park one summer. We brought the kids, a bit worried that the tour of the greenhouses operated by Fresh City Farms might not hold their attention for too long, and when our son asked if there would be a playground at the park, we gave a bleak sounding “maybe.”
So we were happy to see that not only was there a spot right next to the greenhouses to blow off a little steam, but it was a thoughtfully designed, airplane-themed play area complete with control tower, wooden plane, and runways. There’s even a weird mini-trampoline embedded in the ground to help your toddler maximize their air time.
Okay, there's not much equipment, and it's far away from just about everything, but full points for effort here. Little play areas like this, thematically linked to their surroundings, are great ways to get kids to remember important or historical parts of the city that they may come back to later in life. Who knows; maybe one day my son will be partying at the 2035 Veld Festival when he’ll suddenly think, “dude, I think I played on a wooden airplane around here once…”.
Also, it’s the only National Park within the city limits. So, you know, that’s cool.