Best Playgrounds around Nanaimo
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As a family-friendly city, Nanaimo has some great playgrounds — we recommend that parents review this page as a map for their "playground road trip". The kids will sleep hard that night.
Beban Park
The playground here is huge! There is a figure-8-shaped paved track around the two sides of this playground, made to look like a mini-highway, with traffic signs. Kids, bring your bikes and scooters!
Maffeo Sutton Park (by Swy-A-Lana Lagoon)
This is a big playground downtown, with raised wooden boardwalks, metal cage structures, a little playhouse, and lots of slides and swings. The playground is right between the ocean-front walkway, and the grass field where events are held all summer.
Big Slide Park (Barney Moriez Memorial Park)
Located in the Brechin Hill neighbourhood near the Departure Bay ferry terminal, this park is named for its two long slides. There is also a small playing field here with a baseball diamond, and a paved "road" for the kids to ride on, and some playground equipment.
Transfer Beach (Ladysmith)
This playground by the ocean in downtown Ladysmith has a lot of very neat, unique features. There is a huge raised woden platform that creatively incorporates old tires, and much more to keep the kids running.
Oliver Woods Park
At the Oliver Woods Community Centre, behind North Town Center (Rutherford Mall)
3D model of the playground
We know we didn't post all of the notable playgrounds, here. Please contact us and help us improve this page for visitors and residents.
Water Parks
Got a skateboard? Our Nanaimo skate parks page has a list of locations.
John Barsby Secondary School
There is a small water park here and a playground with a kid-sized climbing wall. Don't confuse this park with "Barsby Park" downtown, which is a haven for hobos and has no playground.
Deverill Square Park
Located on Milton St at Haliburton St behind the McDonalds south of downtown, this park has a playing field and a nice waterpark.
Parksville Beach (park)
There is a massive playground here by the beach, including a fun water park, a handheld zipline, and lots of other play equipment. A lot of people come here all the way from Nanaimo, because the beaches here are so beautiful and because the park is so luxuriously large. There is even a concession stand here during the warm season.
Transfer Beach (Ladysmith)
This is not a large waterpark, but there is also a great regular playground here (mentioned above). This is a seaside experience your kids will remember for years.
We know we probably missed a couple of great waterparks, on this page. Please contact us and tell us about any more water parks around the mid-island.
