It's been so many years since I visited Ontario Place, but I decided to check it out on the long weekend because I was given free tickets to the Cinesphere for the viewing of "Under the Sea'. We brought the bikes out because the weather was just gorgeous.
The Ontario Place calendar is loaded with events and I really hope it takes off this year because it has sooo much to offer, especially for young families!
For starters, if you are an avid bicycler like me you are always on the lookout for new bike trails to discover - Ontario Place has just opened a new trail called 'Trillium Park, William G Davis' . It has full boat access either by water or by land, and for those who choose to walk-in their transport - there are plenty of canoe lift-offs.
We loved the film at the Cinesphere and you know movies just don't look as good as they do here! Every moment seems up-close and personal. The chairs are relatively comfy but would have liked it if they laid back just a little. A note for the cyclists though: we had trouble locating racks or proper bike security here yet. I hope that changes since there are plenty of two-wheelers around.
I should mention that the Ontario Place's Trillium Park incorporates a lot of Indigenous culture. There was a lot of consultation with First Nations that went into it. The Mississaugas of the New Credit First Nation were involved in the consultation process, so I've heard.
It took around three years to build the park. The trail, itself, used to be a parking lot. All the trees, plants and shrubs total about 1,200 trees and 28,000 shrubs and perennials. They're all indigenous.
The rocks and boulders that surround the park were transplanted
from the Muskoka area.
Total cost was around $30-million, but the end result is a bicycle, dog, and jogger
friendly,.We saw lots of people splayed out on the grass during the late afternoon. The green space was less overrun than other similar spots in the city. We stopped to have our lunch of egg salad sandwiches while overlooking the lake in two perfectly set Adirondack chairs.
I'll be back again and again and I certainly hope Ontarians will rediscover it too.
