Eglinton Park

This park is tucked away a couple streets north of Eglinton and right in between Yonge and Avenue. You won’t see it from Eglinton but it is just behind a community centre that offers ice hockey and ping pong (I’ve yet to investigate all the centre has to offer). It’s also a 5 minute walk from the Eglinton TTC station if you plan to get there by public transportation.
The park itself is a large plot of green space that is regularly maintained by the City of Toronto. There are two open softball diamonds where I have seen league games played. I’ve even seen the diamonds maintained by the Toronto Blue Jays Community Care Foundation.
There’s also a regulation soccer field but on some summer weekdays and Saturday mornings, it is converted to about 8 – 10 mini soccer fields where toddlers between 4 – 8 years old (my best guess) chase a soccer ball around the field.
On down times, it is popular among the dog owners in the area. There is no fenced off-​leash area but it is large enough for dogs to run off-​leash and play fetch.
The latest development is the kiddies play structure. Built over the Fall of 2014 and opened before year’s end, the new structure is among the largest I’ve seen in a public park. There’s plenty of apparatuses for the kids to climb, slide down and do. The ground surface is a soft, bouncy synthetic material. It probably saves some kids from crying and saves parents from cleaning up sand in the house.
There is also a circular concrete space that doubles as both a labyrinth for people to follow to de-​stress and as a wading pool when filled with water. It’s been very popular among the children with the hot temperatures we’ve been having recently.
The community centre does offer parking but I don’t think they let anyone in until after 10am and similarly, street parking nearby is permit only from midnight until 10am. But like I mentioned earlier, it’s a short walk from the Eglinton TTC station and you can even take the 32 bus from the station to get dropped off right in front of the community centre.
For me, I like to run laps around the outer edge of the park and there is a hill close to the community centre. Each lap with a run up the hill is 1 km so it’s a good spot if you’re training for a running race and want to track your distance.
If I’ve made the park sound like it has lots to offer, then I’ve done my job and I do suggest checking it out if you’re looking for something to do in the city, especially if you have restless children (or dogs).

If you like parks, you gotta visit Eglinton Park. I have been frequenting this park for nearly 5 years and still love it. It’s a great shortcut from Roselawn to Eglinton on the path by the jungle gym, and the hills make for fun fetch sessions with your pooch.
Unfortunately, there is no off-​leash dog area here but there is ample space. Towards the gardens by the public pool is usually less busy than where the playground is. Some days, the park is filled with tons of kids and parents – making it difficult to play fetch; and some days the park is filled with lots of dogs. Also, on the nights there is hockey at the community centre you will NOT find parking. I know it’s on Mondays during the summer.
But, it’s nice to bring your dog. I would give it 5 stars if the water fountains work. Dogs (and people) get thirsty too!

This is a nice spot to chill. I go here to lie out in the sun and read now and then. It’s very close to Yonge and Eglinton but yet just far enough to be quite quiet.
I don’t know much about the facilities but I do know that they have both an outdoor and an indoor swimming pool.

Most Torontonians know about the many attractions in and around the Yonge and ‘Eligible’ area. In addition to the restaurants, movie theatres, and bars is a massive park.
The many amenities include: 2 baseball diamonds separated by a generous field, large playground, and a running trail around the circumference. In the wintertime there are a few awesome toboggan runs along the eastern side of the park, and the tennis courts become an outdoor ice-​rink. My favourite part of the park is the swimming pools — there is an outdoor pool and an indoor pool available for pubic use.
Another great plus about the park is that it surrounds the North Toronto Arena. I learned how to skate here when I was a youngster. I took figure skating lessons for a few years (but I quickly realized I wasn’t destined for Olympic greatness and moved on with my life. During the summertime we’d bike to the snow mound created by the Zamboni, and have snow ball fights.)
This is definitely a great park and one of the perks of living in a city like Toronto.