Parks and Play

Children aged 7 to 12 play card and board games like Guess Who?, Scattergories and Battleship, with library staff on hand to explain rules and organise play. At the Metcalfe village branch of the Ottawa Public Library. Tuesdays November 10, 17 and 24, 2026, from 5 to 7 pm. Free drop in program.

A family drop in where kids and parents create and build with Lego together at the Emerald Plaza branch of the Ottawa Public Library on Merivale Road. Saturdays from Nov 7 to Dec 19, 2026, 2:30 to 3:30 PM. Free, all materials provided.

A skatepark in Parc Henri-Casault in Charlesbourg for skateboards, BMX bikes and scooters, with parking and washrooms on site. Helmets and pads are strongly recommended. Free, open daily 7 a.m. to 11 p.m. from May to October.

A skatepark in Parc Étienne-Parent, the entrance to Parc de la Rivière-Beauport, open to skateboards, BMX bikes and scooters. There is parking and washrooms on site, and helmets and pads are strongly recommended. Free, open daily 7 a.m. to 11 p.m. from May to October.

A neighbourhood skatepark in Parc Kiwanis for skateboards, BMX bikes and scooters. Wearing a helmet and pads is strongly recommended. Free, open daily 7 a.m. to 11 p.m. from May to October.

A city skatepark in Parc Saint-Sacrement open to skateboards, BMX bikes and scooters. Helmets and pads are strongly recommended, and there are washrooms on site with street parking nearby. Free, open daily 7 a.m. to 11 p.m. from May to October.

A small green square at the corner of Rue Saint-Louis and Rue D'Auteuil, just inside the Porte Saint-Louis, linking Old Québec and Parliament Hill. Its centrepiece is the Boer War monument by Hamilton McCarthy, with two giant chessboards at its foot that anyone can play on, surrounded by trees and benches. Free and open any time.

Québec City's free play park, designed with neighbourhood residents so children can invent their own games: climbing blocks, grassy mounds, balance logs, a rain garden, a tall grass path, stage platforms and a toy chest. In summer there is water play, and in winter an ice ring for skating. Free and open to all.

A riverside park beside the Lévis ferry terminal, great for relaxing and picnicking with a view of Old Québec. Its fountain, with 169 jets up to 9 metres high and 172 lights, is the most powerful of its kind in Canada and doubles as a splash pad in summer, while a refrigerated skating trail opens in winter. Free to use; both the water play and the ice trail are seasonal (currently closed for the season), and the site has washrooms, a family change room and accessible features.

A 19th century English estate in historic Sillery, set on landscaped grounds above the St. Lawrence, with one of Québec's rare historic gardens, a large vegetable garden and a woods that covers half the site. It is a lovely spot to stroll, look at the river and watch urban woodland birds. The grounds are free and open all year from 5 a.m. to 11 p.m., parking is free, and leashed dogs are welcome outside.

A green amphitheatre of 5,000 square metres on Grande Allée Est, behind the Parliament Building and facing the Manège militaire, built around a pool and fountain with mature trees. In summer it hosts several cultural events, and a diagonal path crosses it between government buildings. It is a free public park open all year (closed 11 p.m. to 5 a.m.), and leashed dogs are welcome.

A waterfront park on the Ottawa River in the Aylmer sector, next to the marina, with lawns, accessible washrooms, a free outdoor exercise circuit and a beginner sliding hill in winter. It is reachable on foot, by bike or by transit, and parking is free. Entry is free; the outdoor equipment rental counter in the Robert-Middlemiss pavilion charges a fee.