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There’s an innocent romance to Storybook Gardens along the Thames River in Springbank Park, a theme park that’s relied on climbers, animals, storybook characters and a little imagination to make the afternoon enchanting since 1958. And that’s the second thing I like best about it.
The first is winter skating. Obviously, this place is most popular in the heat of the summer when the gardens are in bloom and Slippery’s Water Play Splash Pad, Pirate’s Island with rock climbing wall and the Toddler Play Zone are fully operational. But the sparkle of winter adds something seasonally nostalgic.
With both nephews ahead of me, I glide along the 250-metre ice promenade that’s smooth like an arena (rather than a bumpy pond). The frozen trail loops around statues, glittering snow-covered trees and the park’s iconic Harbour Seal pool.
Yes, Harbour Seals. This is the only place in the world where I’ve stepped off an ice rink onto a rubber platform and taken a moment to watch sea mammals tussle in a pool of cold water. The scene is mesmerizing – that is until an anxious little voice jolts me back to reality and I’m once again gliding under tall coniferous trees past Humpty Dumpty and friends. (1958 Storybook Lane, London, www.storybook.london.ca)
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