GRIMMETT PARK PLAYGROUND

Although small and unassuming, Grimmett Park is another hot spot for young families in the Mount Pleasant and/or Riley-Little Mountain area. Located just off Main Street, it’s got two play structures made with a combination of wood and plastic. 

The toddler structure is shaped like a house with a simple slide, steering wheel and tic tac toe panel. Next to it is a spring rider duck and dolphin accompanying each other in the sea of pea gravel. The other area has a twisty slide, a rope net, a corner-shaped ladder and a couple different poles to slide down.

A lovely feature is the circular path on the lawn in front of the playground. Many children can be seen scootering or biking around the pseudo-track and picking up speed as their skills quickly improve. It’s not a wide path, but good enough for a couple kids to share while riding at their own pace.

Off to the corner of the park is a fully fenced ball hockey court. Parents use it as an area for kids to run around but it’s usually littered with pea gravel, which makes it very slippery for kids. Akin to a cartoon character that slips and falls on a floor covered in marbles but zero the funny. I’ve witnessed kids, as well as my own child, slip backwards and hit the back of their head on the concrete, spiked with gravel. Please be warned!

A newer addition that appeared in late 2020 is the matching plastic boat, seen planted firmly in the middle of the playground. Was it installed by the City or was it an abandoned toy that someone with keen eyes realized would match perfectly with the existing playground colours? Seeing the “Little Tikes” label at the back makes the latter more plausible, but let’s believe it was a daring feat, full of turmoil and heartache, fulfilling that ancient prophecy about destiny and stuff.