What’s a brewing at Brewers’ Park? A new playground, that’s what!

Reopened on Mother’s Day weekend, this highly anticipated playground features “Greenville” equipment designed by the German based company Berliner-Seilfabrik.

Most popular is the super slide that encourages assessment of risky play as one sizes up the 15ft climb up and the 20ft-ish slide down (approximate numbers here, I didn’t bring a measuring tape!)

There are two trampolines here, which are always a hit and one is near a concrete ledge, which some kids figured out can be a jumping point for some big leaps.

There is much to climb here as the rope nets connect the bottom play hut to the slide as well as rubber membrane steppers. These rubber mats (or “kombu hammocks” as I once nicknamed) are the exact same ones at the Crosstown Elementary school playground.

Other elements include a net basket, all natural log towers and a popular water table in the sand area.

Strangely, the swings have been installed exceptionally low but should be fixed in the near future. Currently they are too low to swing on but kids were seen standing and balancing on the seats instead. (EDIT: They’ve been fixed!)

While the actual park is still under construction, the basketball and tennis courts are also available for play. Nearby is a brand new community garden with a bright yellow entrance way.

The fieldhouse is currently unavailable due to construction but it looked like some port-a-potties were on site.

Early parent feedback of Brewers Park playground: 

Early feedback from parents have been about the lack of shade, causing both the metal slide and rubber mats to reach uncomfortable temperatures. The City has tried to mitigate it by facing the slide northwards and planting a young tree beside it, but the tree will more likely provide shade in time for our future grandchildren. Like most playgrounds with rubber surfacing, it also retains heat and unfortunately is producing a lot of off-gassing. 

Additional feedback was about the slide and how the top platform is quite small, causing children to bottleneck while waiting for their turn down the slide. Younger children can accidentally step backwards and slip from the a tight space. Many children like to climb up the large slide as well, adding to the traffic jam. The enclosed space above doesn’t help the situation, as those slide-climbers can’t see just how many people are waiting up top.

My 6 year old’s review: “The super slide was super! And it was super crowded.”

Have you visited Vancouver’s newest playground rebuild? What did you think?

A giant snail sits majestically in the sandpit, ready to be hydrated by the waterspout perched next to it’s solemn head. Did this creature catch a ride on the pirate boat and have tales to impart from the high seas? Is this snail in fact a pirate snail that’s up to no good? Blimey! I’m not sure ye will ever know.

But gather ’round, ye maties, because what we do know is this modest sized playground has a lot going on fer landlubbers like us. The pirate ship here is almost identical to the one at Charleston Park, except fer a bridge plank that attaches the stern to a steep rubber hill. Under the ole shipwreck is a charming wee play table n’ rubber hammock.

At the bottom of the steep hill be a merry go round that seems poorly placed, considering some scallywags might run or accidentally topple down said steep hill. Lastly, thar are two swing sets to enjoy and are placed far away from the main play area, so ye little ones can heave ho as much as they please.

Did ye know that the top deck at the back of a large ship be called the poop deck? Yo ho ho! Now that be a tidbit ye must share with your small maties while they pretend to sail off into the briny deep.

Me hopes the playground here at Jones park will be nicknamed “Pirate Snail Park”. Ye heard it here first, maties.

This is the playground found beside the Trout Lake Community Centre and not the other one by the lake, which is actually called John Hendry Park playground. Needless to say, John Hendry Park and Trout Lake Park seem to be synonymous, so let’s keep the confusion going. There’s some fun features here like the climbing rope dome (aka explorer dome) for balancing, hanging, sitting and uh, climbing. Apart from a few trees that provide some shade on the perimeter, this playground is in full sun. So if your kid insists on melting in the sun, a good spot to be is under the shade of that play hut.

This playground separates play spaces quite well so big kids don’t trample over the little kids. This is also true for the swings as they are separated into two sets of four. The toddler’s playground is fully shaded while the one for older kids is left to the elements. There are plenty of big trees on the north side of the park, excellent for climbing and making a pseudo tree house as seen on our last visit. The lawn becomes a slope on the northeast side of the park and ends at the top of a retaining wall. This creates a drop-off, so make sure to catch your kid before they catch any momentum running down that side.