Horseshoe Bay Park [PPR: Local's Perspective]

Located at Bay St and Royal Ave.

As the centerpiece of Horseshoe Bay village, this park is integral to the community. Every resident knows the famous propeller fountain.

But this park is important to locals and visitors alike. It's the perfect place to exhaust your kids and kill some time while you're waiting for the ferry.

Behind the ferry terminal and Swells Marina, there is a fantastic view of Bowyer Island. You'd never know it on the day I took pictures if it weren't for the public binoculars. Trust me, there is something to look at with them.

There's a very nice place to look at this rumored view too.

Besides the average park benches, Horseshoe Bay Park has these exceptionally comfortable and attractive chairs.

But if you're not the type to sit back and watch things happen, there's a place you can go to get closer. You can see a pier heading out into the water in the background on the left of the picture above. There's a floating water taxi dock at the end of it:

The coast guard keeps a boat there. That's exciting. You're welcome to go down and loiter there.

But I mentioned something about tired kids and I haven't come back to that yet. When I was a kid, the playground at this park was one of my favorites. That playground has since been replaced, but in essence, it's still the same.

It's still got a teeter-totter, swings, a pirate ship, and an awesome slide (the slide was the best). They've also added some of those spinny bucket things that are always really fun. It's a solid playground.

If man made structures don't satisfy your needs to climb on things, there's a whole row of EasyClimb Trees (trademark: Nina King) in the southwest corner .

And it wouldn't be Horseshoe Bay Park without the whale.

He's looking pretty normal these days, but this guy's had many paint jobs over the years. He's been an orca, a work of first nation's style art, and even nemo! In the summer, you can step on buttons to make him shoot water out of his blow hole.

That pretty much makes up for this park's biggest shortcoming. Although Horseshoe Bay Park is waterfront, it is not a beach.

There's a little bit of sand to walk on at low tide, but Horseshoe Bay spends most of its time underwater, putting a damper on any exploring. If you're not the type to let a little bit of water ruin your fun, I suggest you let it when you're at Horseshoe Bay. I was once paid $10 to jump off the water taxi dock, and I really wish I hadn't done it. Thanks to the ferries, private yachts and rental boats, Horseshoe Bay has some of the most disgusting water I've ever seen. It's full of engine oil and sewage. Don't touch it!

PPR
Good: place to wait for the ferry, view, nice seats, water taxi dock, playground, easyclimb trees, whale, washrooms
Bad: it's a little dirty, no beach, absolutely no swimming
7.5/10