The Whole World is our Playground: Allan Gardens Playground and Greenhouse

We are continuing to enjoy a wildly mild winter, which means we've had to mix up some of our traditional winter activities, like greenhouses, alongside playgrounds, since we haven't been able to wear off any excess energy on the toboggan hills.  When Molly mentioned she wanted to visit a greenhouse last weekend, Allan Gardens immediately came to mind as a great option with both an indoor floral wonderland with a playground steps away.

My park review disclaimer: If you don't live in the area I hope you enjoy the pics and can use some of the ideas to inspire and explore in your own city. If you have any recommendations for great playgrounds ideally some in Toronto proper (indoor or out or new criteria I haven't thought of) please post a comment on this post or email me:

Playground Name:
Allan Gardens

Location:

19 Horticultural Avenue, Toronto ON (Carlton Street and Jarvis Street)

Parking:

There is metered parking in the area, and on weekend you can find some limited side street parking for free.    The playground/ greenhouse is also less than a 10 minute walk from College Subway Station.

Theme of Park:

Modern Urban Playground meets tranquil nature based retreat.

Cost:

You can visit daily from 10AM-5PM at no cost.  Donations can be made online to their annual giving campaign here.

Variety of Equipment for different ages:

Both indoor and out there is so much for adult and kids alike.  Inside there are plenty of plants and flowers, a koi pond, turtles, and a toy train.  Outside is a variety of play structures, one main area designed for smaller, pre-school kids, and the other, more challenging structure, for older kids.

Best Part(s) of the Park:

This playground is great to visit on a cool crisp day, because you can go inside to warm up.  The outdoor playground embraces a touch of nature with the incorporation of Bienenstock type (nature) based play alongside more traditional playground equipment.  Molly and I spent quite some time using the logs as balance beams together, and both kids enjoyed the park's four seater see-saw.  Added bonus: with a location close to the Loblaws flagship at Maple Leaf Gardens you can take your little hockey fans to centre ice (still marked on the floor of the supermarket) while you purchase snacks for your outing.

Downfalls:

While some kids who are afraid of dogs might get a little timid around the dog park at the front of Allan Gardens, there is no need to worry.  Both the dog park and the playground are fenced in to keep the puppies and kiddies separated.

Overall Rating:
I give this playground five stars,/a near perfect 5/5 score. So many options, and a central location, what could be better?  As an aside, there are washrooms in the greenhouse (they are located in the "Palm Room" which is valuable information to have when your four year old announces they need to pee NOW!!!).

To see our photos from our trip to Centennial Park Conservatory click here.

To see the pictures from our trip to Allan Gardens last winter click here.

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The Hanging Garden - Exploration of Oakville Municipal Greenhouse

One of the weekend activities we started last year to help beat the winter blahs and blues was regular trips to local greenhouses.  Greenhouses provide a warm, picturesque, and bright space to enjoy on even the darkest and gloomiest days.

Shortly after the Christmas break we went to enjoy the holiday display at Centennial Park Conservatory, and plan to return again in early February when their new display is arranged and "in full bloom".

Photo from the 2015 holiday display at Centennial Park Conservatory

This has become one of the minions, particularly Molly's, favourite winter activities.  They love to explore the facilities, show us the displays, features, and flowers they like best.  This past weekend we decided to explore outside of the city and visit the Oakville Municipal Greenhouse.

The space is beautiful, but small.  It was a pleasant, but short visit for us because there wasn't very much square footage of greenhouse to explore.  I would recommend this space to anyone with an infant, who lives in the area, or who wants a quiet retreat with a cup of warm tea.  While pretty, this is not the place to expect a lengthy explore with four year olds.  I would also say that, unfortunately, the staff was far less welcoming, and acted inconvenienced by our presence, compared with other facilities we've visited in the past, despite the greenhouse being a public space and the minions being on their best behaviour. The Oakville Municipal Greenhouse is open daily from 9AM-3PM and there is free parking for visitors.

 Turtle in the pond.

 Exploring the bridge

 Taking a look at the waterfall display.

 Molly showing me the purple flowers, the ones she liked best. 

While I'm glad we visited, I don't think we'd return unless we had another activity planned in the immediate area.  Since the minions were expecting a little more greenhouse time we took a 10 minute drive over to Sheridan Nurseries, while much more commercial compared to a public greenhouse, was a welcome place to look at their plant displays, enjoy their indoor pond, and purchase a daffodil for Molly and cactus for Jack.

The pond display at Sheridan Nursery

To read about our visit to Allen Gardens Greenhouse last winter, click here.

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