Splash Pad Review 9: Sunnyridge Park / Tesstown

Going a bit north for our "Markham Splash Pad Tour", we headed to Stouffville. On the Child's Life splash pad list, this spash pad is listed as Tresstown Neighbourbhood Park, although the sign at the park calls it Sunnyridge Park. This one is hidden at Sunnyridge Avenue and Raxlin Street -South of Hoover Park Drive and East of Ninth Line.

Features include:
*Sponge floor on splash pad
*Awesome layout of splash pad with water cannons, floor jets, misters and all well timed
*Covered area with benches where you can see both playgrounds and splash pad
*Basketball and tennis courts beside park
*A picnic table
*A park for younger and older kids with swings
*Little stones for playground floor
*"Woodland" theme carried through splash pad and both play-sets

Here's Logan at the "big kid" playgaround. This one is designed for kids 6 to 12 so at three and a half he found this rock wall too challenging. He really needed a few boosts but with Kalia in my arms, I wasn't a big help.

Not one to give up -Logan tried another route to get to the big slides.
Note the picnic table in the back ground!

"Can you help me?"
The only way to the top of the older kids playground is by a rock wall a ladder thingy or these curved bars by Logan. After trying the ladder and finding the gap too far for him to step across he decided to live these curved bars a go.

He was a bit nervous being that it was so high -and so was I as I was holding Kali. But with me talking him through it the first time, Logan made it to the top! After that he a pro doing it.

At the top of the "clubhouse" there's a treasure map on the wall, which Logan thought was the coolest thing.

At the smaller playground for 2 to 5 year olds. At three and a half, Logan didn't find this one that interesting and preferred the older play-set.

He totally loves these water cannons. Some splash pads don't really have enough water pressure to get the other person wet but these ones are great.
Logan VS Kalia & Mommy = wet!

View of both play-sets and swings. It was great that you could see everything from one spot. Excellent if you have multiple kids running around -one could be on the splash pad and one on the play equipment and you could keep your eye on everyone!

Great long curvy design to this splash pad. The smaller kids are at the end where there are jets on the floor angled out -rather than straight up. Kalia at 6 months sat with me here and loved putting her hands and feet in the water jets to get me wet. This park was so great but why couldn't the playground have a foam floor too?? We have yet to find a park where both have foam floors...

And here is the whole set up -very nicely laid out. It'll be great when the trees are bigger. So far we've been to three of the four Stouffville splash parks and after looking at the Madori Neighbourhood Park on Google Street View, I'm going to say this is the best splash park in Stouffville.

We liked this one a lot. Of the six splash pads we've been to so far in Markham, Millikin Mills is our favorite. So which one wins best over all? That's hard. If it's a weekend I think I would pick this one because the neighbourhood is still being built so it's likely not going to be as busy. Millikin Mills has a lot of soccer and baseball fields around it so I imagine it must get really busy as kids go the park as their siblings play sports.

Splash Pad Review 8: Byer’s Pond Way Park

Next on our "Splash Park Tour" was Byer's Pond Way Park. A bit North of Markham in Stouvffille, we always found this to be worth the drive. It's just off Hoover Park Drive on Byer's Park.

Features:
*Parking on the street beside the park
*Sponge floor for the splash pad
*Jets, water cannons, mister hoops --all well-timed too for lots of fun!
*Shade by benches on east side of park
*Picnic tables down the hill away from the park
*Small rocks for playground floor
*Two park sets aimed for about 1 to 12 years old

The "bigger kid" playgroundLooking for a picnic spot behind the parkFound the picnic tables! Pretty far from the park and no shade

We decided to have our picnic at the shaded benches on the east side of park. There has always been shade here the many times we've come, so they are well placed.

The "little kids" play area

And here's the splash pad!
We didn't go to it on this trip as a daycare group came by so we decided to just head to the next park. However, we have been to this splash pads many times -it was the first splash pad Logan ever went to.
To see a bunch of pictures of this splash pad's features you can look here, here, here and here!

It's nice how two playgrounds and the splash pads have to stone boarder around them --it helps keeps the stones in the playground and there is always a place to sit close by your child.

Splash Pad Review 7: Wheeler’s Neighbourhood Park

We decided to head a bit North of Markham to Stouffville to continue our "Splash Pad Tour". There are three splash pads along Hoover Park Drive. The first one we went to was the Wheeler's Neighbourhood Park, which is at Hoover Park and Mostar Street.

Features:
*Parking on Mostar Street or at the school parking lot which is beside the park
*Sponge splash pad surface!
*Jets, water cannons, mister hoops --all well-timed too for lots of fun!
*Shade by splash park benches only (sometimes)
*Picnic tables by the splash pad
*Small rocks in playground
*Park aimed at 18 months to 12 years

This park had been recommended by two different friends, so we were excited to check it out.

Here is pretty much the only shade available.

A really nice splash park in a circle shape. When Logan was smaller it was all about those hoops that have mist coming out. Now that he's three and a half it's all about the "water cannon" squirty things.

Some of the stones made it over from the playground -bring your water shoes!

There's a few picnic tables around the splash pad too!

Two play sets at this playground -one that says it's for 18 months to five years and another that is for 5 to 12 years. Here's the one for older kids closest to the splash pad:

Swings in the middle and the smaller kids play set at the back:

Kalia enjoying the baby swing

They had this on both play sets:

"How do I get up there?" They had a cool kaleidoscope on the smaller kids play set but way too high! Logan kept asking me to lift him up to this cool kaledoscope they had in the smaller kids play set. Wish they had put this lower!

Given the layout I found I was moving around a lot to keep an eye on Logan as he moved between the two play sets and splash pad so I didn't set up a picnic blanket or anything. Pretty awesome splash pad and playground. Stouffville has some great splash pads and parks --this wasn't even our favorite one!

Splash Pad Review 6: Upper Cornell

We left Tomlinson Park splash pad and went to the Upper Cornell one. This is located beside Little Rouge Public School - at the corner of Bur Oak, and Northvale, just north of 16th Avenue.

Features:
*Cement splash pad floor
*Well-timed floor jets, ball squirty thing on floor and pole with water squirting --aimed at younger kids
*Sand floor on park
*Park aimed at 6-12 but also things for younger kids
*Large covered gazebo between park and splash pad really the only shade

Here's the shade at the gazebo...

But the slash pad is a fair distance down the path from it. So no shade there until the trees get bigger.

We went to this splash pad when Logan was about a year and a half, so I sort of knew what to expect.

At three and a half he still enjoyed this spot -lots of different floor jets and space between them to go around.

After we both got wet and cooled down, we headed to the park. This is one of the reasons why having a sandy playground next to splash pad isn't such a great idea...

The park is designed for 6-12 year olds but there are a few things for younger kids, like baby swings.

"Mommy, why does this cat of wings? Is it sleeping"

I had flashbacks to Toddler Logan sitting in this -man, does time go by fast!

After we played for a bit in the park we went back to splash pad. Even though this splash pad is a fair distance from the playground there is a lot of sand-looks like it's a popular place to wash off your feet and hands! Similar 'slip issue' as the Benjamin Marr splash pad but this splash pad didn't have any steep declines to the drains.

Bringing a bucket to the splash pad (if it's not busy) seems to be a hit with Logan.

Good timing with the different floor squirters.
We both enjoyed running around this one!

There are two splash pads in Cornell -this one and the one at Benjamin Marr Park. This one is definitely the better of the two. However if you can't walk to it and you're driving, you might want to go a few blocks further and go to Swan Lake. Location is definitely a factor, so check out this map where you can plot all the "water play" splash parks on one map -great to see what's close to your house.