REJUVENATION: L'Amoreaux Park (Kidstown Water Park)

Updated July 2026. Old review here.

The rejuvenation of Toronto's only city-run water park was a long time coming, and from what I'm seeing online, the results are getting mixed reactions.

As is often the case with neighbourhood favourites like this, many people immediately dismissed the re-fresh because it's not the same as what was there before. That's normal, and there definitely are elements from the old Kidstown that I miss: the massive climber covered in tipping buckets and water spraying out in all directions...the stationary bikes the would shoot water when pedaled...the hill with a slide down into shallow water.

But I think the new version has a lot going for it.

A problem with the previous version of Kidstown was that little kids were liable to get run over by bigger kids, as there was no natural space between elements that attracted toddlers and elements that attracted bigger kids. Because the rejuvenation features a shallow pool and a deep (okay, not that deep, but deeper) pool, there’s a bit more separation between bigs and littles.

From the promotional videos posted by the city, the equipment looked a bit sparse, but when we visited it became clear that there are many elements – and many different types – of elements than I’d initially thought. There are waterways in the pavement fed by pumps the kids operate themselves. There are wooden water troughs, a bit like the ones at Biidaasige Park. There are two water slides. There’s a waterfall that dribbles gently onto a very toddler-friendly area below. And there’s still a good amount of shaded seating.

It’s not perfect; several elements (including the dump bucket) were not working when we visited, and considering the place hadn’t even been open for a month, that’s pretty bad. And now that the water park has been re-done, the aging playground right next to it is looking even older than it did before.

But it’s still free, and a fantastic place to spend a hot day. There really isn't anything else like it in the city.

In the end, I’ve decided not to change the score on this one. It’s not better than the old Kidstown, but it’s not worse either. It’s just different.

Note: I recommend avoiding weekends if possible; we went on a Monday 30 minutes before it opened and the line had already begun forming. It was busy but manageable; and in fact, when we left at around 12:30 the line had cleared, so that might be another strategic time to go, as the first wave of visitors leaves.