Heart Lake Conservation Area: What a wonderful way to spend one of the hottest and sunniest days of our cool and rainy summer! Heart Lake is a fabulous gem in our beautiful city. We invited our good friends to come along for a fun day of splashing in the pool, jumping in the splash pad, picnicking under a tree, and walking along the lake. All in all, a perfect summer day in the "heart" of Brampton. There is so much for the kids to do at Heart Lake. The kids enjoyed the fun splash pad and jumping in the pool. We were so excited when we visited Heart Lake a couple of years ago and saw that there was construction underway. The pool and splash area opened up last year. The pool and splash pad are not included in the park admission, so be sure to ask for a pass at the entrance gate, or you can pay at the splash pad entrance. The nominal fee includes use of both activities, and adults supervising children under 9 are free! My favorite memory of Heart Lake is of my husband and his best friend going fishing, and dragging me along for a looooong afternoon of fishing! What did I do to pass the time while sitting in the middle of their canoe? I caught up on all the celebrity gossip by reading magazines for what felt like hours. I have to confess that I faked having to go to the washroom just to end the endless fishing! I get reminded of my infamous canoe ride every time we see a canoe, go to Heart Lake, or talk about fishing! If YOU like fishing, I'm told Heart Lake is a great place to go fishing. Several people were out fishing along the lake with their friends and family. You can even rent a boat if you'd like to go out on the lake. Do you like adventure? Heart Lake offers lots of outdoor adventures! The zip lining looks like so much fun! The zip lines are all over the lake and forested area. The humming of zip lines made it obvious that this activity is a favorite among the Heart Lake visitors. We're planning on leaving the small children with their grandparents so we can make use of the zip lines... it just looked like so much fun! The park also offers Tree Top Trekking. The series of tree top "trails" also looked like so much fun! This is another activity we're planning to participate in minus the toddlers and babies! Both activities are available at an additional cost. If you live in the GTA, Heart Lake is a must-visit location. We had a great day, and know that you would too. The lake is beautiful. You can walk the path around the lake, or take a jog/run around the lake. If hiking isn't your thing, you can enjoy the shade of one of the many trees in this beautiful conservation area. Heart Lake is one of the most beautiful areas in Brampton, and is definitely worth the drive if you're coming from out of town. Need something to do this Long Weekend? Why not try Heart Lake?
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I have to admit that Chinguacousy Park is one of my favorite places to go in Brampton. I have so many fond memories of this park. I used to come to the park with my brother and sisters as a child. As a teen, I would bring my nephews and nieces here. Now I have my own children, and I try to visit the park as often as possible; so the family tradition continues. However, if you haven't been here in a while, it's not the same old park... it's a brand new AMAZING park! The park is so amazing, this will be a two-part post. This week's post will focus on the Spring/Summer activities. Later on, a winter post will highlight all the great winter sports available at the park. Who doesn't love a splash pad? My son! Let me correct that, he loves splash pads, he just doesn't love the cold water at the splash pads! The small wading pool has been replaced with this fun and refreshing splash pad. This is a great improvement on the park amenities, since I remember the pool always been shut down because someone always had "an accident" in the water, and it would have to be drained! My own nephew was responsible for one of these "accidents" once! Ahh, the joys of bringing children to public pools!
Chinguacousy Park has so much to offer, and this post has only highlighted the aspects of the park that I tend to make use of. If my husband was writing this blog, he would have told you about the Beach Volleyball courts and the league that plays there, the Skate Park, Mount Chinguacousy (that'll come this winter, I'll blog about it, I swear!), the sports fields, the tennis courts, etc... If my son was writing this blog, he'd tell you all about the choo choo train that takes you around the park, the kids play area, and the miniputt. You just have to come to Chinguacousy Park, there's something for everyone! Okay, so I just came back from a mini holiday, and I didn't get a chance to visit a Brampton fun-spot this week, so you get the pleasure of seeing some pics of my very pretty city! I just love that Brampton is filled with beautiful flowers in "every corner"! Brampton really is the Flower City! Do you know why Branpton is called the "Flower City"? We used to have many greenhouses growing roses here. The tradition continues with all the beautiful hanging baskets that line Main St. I love driving up Main Street during Spring & Summer because it's just so gorgeous! I wish I could keep my own flowers in my garden looking like that! Bramptonians who can actually garden (I can not) can win Front Garden Recongnition Awards. Anyone who knows my mother in law, knows she has a very green thumb! She has won the award year after year! I was feeling nostalgic today, and I took a drive to my childhood neighbourhood to take a photo of one of my favorite corner gardens. I always thought it was kind of strange to plant this beautiful garden on a street that probably isn't visited by a lot of people. It's located behind the Brampton Mall. I always felt like the people who lived on that corner were so lucky to have those beautiful flowers outside their front door. I feel like this corner garden bed is a little gift from the city to the people in my old neighbourhood. It was as if it was there just for us to enjoy! It made me happy to drive there all these years later and see that the garden is still there, and is still just as beautiful as I remember. It's no wonder that Brampton competed in the Communities in Bloom contest and WON against major cities around the world! Brampton truly is a "city in bloom"! A rainy Sunday morning turned into a beautiful sunny afternoon, and what better way to enjoy the weather than to go for a stroll around Loafer's Lake? I know I am biased, but walking along the paths of Etobicoke Creek has to be one of the prettiest Brampton views. One of my favorite places to walk with the kids is around Loafer's Lake. It's so nice to have this little piece of perfect nature in the heart of Brampton. Loafer's Lake is a place where healthy living is promoted. There is several outdoor fitness equipment stations around the park. It's great to see people young & old making use of all the equipment. Loafer's Lake is a great place to work up a sweat or to just relax and feed the geese. The kiddies get to play at the new play structure (which is really cool according to my son). I think anyone who visits Brampton has to come take walk around the lake...my guess is, they'll be looking at the real estate around the area soon after! |