Rotary Park Outdoor Waterpark — Attraction in Whitecourt

Besides having an amazing playground, Rotary Park is probably one of my favorite parts of Whitecourt. There's the 2 water slides, the pond, the gazebo - great spot for hosting my kids birthday parties. Recently they have added sand to create a beached area, soccer fields, volley ball court, and of course the splash park and a paved trail. Also new within the last couple years is a public washroom and change rooms. Tons of parking and well kept environment. Before moving to Whitecourt my husband and I brought our 3 boys to Rotary on a couple of occassions to get a sence of what it would be like to move here. The boys were 3, 6 and 8 then. The park is probably the best example of how this town supports the ideals of family. It accommodates young and old, and the fact that the town and companies who thrive here have invested so much into providing a place for families to enjoy their time together is a testament to how much this community supports family growth. We live in area that has a lot of people working long hours, industries that bring workers in temporarily or seasonally and Rotary is the ideal spot to visit if a wife brings her kids to visit her working husband for a weekend. The park itself is a free venue open year around. I can't think of a better park to bring your kids to in the summer. Last night, for Mothers day I chose to spend the evening with my 3 boys, my husband and my 3 dogs. Older now my boys don't spend as much time on the playground. Or for that matter want to just "hang with mom and dad". My 10 year old took his scooter and followed the paved trails, my 14 and 16 year old threw the football around with my husband and I took my dogs to the pond and after did some agility training with them on the slides in the playground. We live only a few blocks from Rotary and I love how my family has grown up here and had this park to spend time together in. On my walk a senior couple were also walking hand in hand, we passed a mid 20s couple out with their dog too. Several groups of teenagers were on skateboards, and young families were there together playing on the playground. The park has grown considerably in the past 8 years since we started to visit and yet its growth has not become so ostentatious to not allow all types of families or persons their own space to gather and enjoy time together. Many of my fondest memories with my kids, my extended family and our friends have taken place in this park. Rotary Park makes Whitecourt feel like home. It did 8 years ago and it...

The GOOD: Awesome tubing attraction, fun splash park, lots of greenspace, walking paths, dog park area (pets welcome regardless), fishing, tables, paved walkways, nearby and spacious parking lots with large overflow lot, covered dock area with tables - though small and usually full from open to close), fishing in the pond, indoor flushing toilets that were clean and powered, outdoor water taps, drinking water fountains, we'll maintained/cut grass, fairly clean grounds (other than the usual bird droppings), volleyball nets, FREE usage of all facilities and free parking. Taking a stroll around the park is nice, peaceful, and quiet - especially later in the day - with lots of area to find a quiet spot to just relax, read a book, and get a tan!

The BAD: Staff on site but no supervision at splashpark or tubing attraction (only support staff), lacking trees in number or any real shade in the park area itself (bring umbrellas or your own gazebo) so prepare to be in the sun A LOT on nice days, no built-in BBQ/Grills (bring your own propane grill!), no wind breaks (tie everything down if it gets gusty), can't swim in pond - not that you'd really want to go be honest (multiple signs and warnings, water smelt stagnant, even bullrushes & cat tails were dead - not a good sign - and complete lack of water fowl (not a single duck or goose ANYWHERE to be seen - just hungry scavaging seagulls). The park hours are 10 AM-9 PM but stuff doesn't get turned on right away (in my experience) and they lock the bathrooms well before 9PM so make sure you use them earlier if you have a long drive back. Garbage bins start overflowing by the mid-afternoon and aren't emptied until end of day causing nasty smells in the heat and seagulls tearing apart excess rubbish placed around overfilled garbage bins. The REST: Lots of CCTV/security cameras in the park itself and all over (not a bad thing, just interesting in a park like this especially considering its location) but saw virtually no security, maintenance, parks, janitorial staff (only 2 or 3 guys fixing the busted pumps to get the splash park and tube attraction running, which didn't happen until about 6PM), multiple 4-memver RCMP foot patrols throughout the day - more than you'd find in a big city, which begs the question "why so many?" - but I'm not local to White Court, so I'll leave it purely as an...

Although it is about a couple of hours from Edmonton, it is well worth the travel. The Park itself is very big, there is a kids playground with mulch as the ground, there is a bouncy pillow, a water playground, and the waterslide where people mostly come for. There is also a walking path that's well maintained. You can also fish in the pond or lake. People bring their inflatable tubes and there is a courtesy air pump beside the ice cream shack so you don't necessarily have to bring your own pump. It's very strong though so you will have to make sure you do not overfill the inflatable otherwise it will burst. I have seen several of them burst because they thought it's not that strong. The washrooms are also well maintained. Overall, it's a beautiful park worth travelling to. Then you can camp at Carson Pegasus about 20 minutes away. Which you can also...