Dundonald Park — Attraction in Ottawa

A well used small urban oasis that has a great vibe. This little gem is an great representation of the mixed neighbourhood that is Ottawa's Centretown.

While it's true that later at night the park may have a few homeless people or others that, from a distance, can seem scary, the rest of the time it's just a perfect small inner city green space.

During the day you never know what use will be made of it - badminton, yoga, dog walking, movie nights, gardening, frisbee, bird watching, reading, chatting. There is also a well used and maintained children's play area.

Later in the evening as families and others totter off to bed the park is used by other neighbourhood residents as a place to (usually) quietly gather. I've walked through the park at all hours of day and night and have never had any issues - it's well lit and borders on well used Somerset Ave so not really a very threatening environment even late at night.

All in all a perfectly sane and normal urban oasis. Unfortunately Ottawa has too few...

It's a quiet oasis in the city. The park borders a beautiful neighbourhood ... and is a few blocks away from one of Ottawa's more depressed areas. I frequented the park often and feel the reviews paint a harsh picture. The park has shade along its edges, a fenced playground and a central garden with some tables and trees. It serves as a nice gathering place ... as some of the neighbourhood's less afflient residents have discovered. Unfortunately, their socialization often involves the sharing of a bottle of beer or spirits. ... And, no, moving the Beer Store won't change that - it's a destination spot to sit and enjoy your beer. That said, the police VERY frequently patrol the park. The only "violence" I've witnessed is a few instances of intoxicated people yelling and taking comical swings at each other - nothing more. So, the bottom line is come and enjoy the park. Kind, friendly...

This park is beautifully situated with a fairly new play area for kids, picnic tables to sit and enjoy a nice meal or benches to chat with friends. The issue is that there is a beer store right across the street and some low income housing not too far away which lends to some unsavory types frequenting the park on a regular basis. Don't get me wrong, the par is afterall for everyone's enjoyment but it is at times overrun with drunks that litter the area with their empties or make it hard to enjoy with their obnoxious behavior. Used to be alot worse when needle/drug users would also use the park to shoot up but it seems that crowd has moved into the core now. All in all, good park if you can...