Memories made

If you grew up “down East,” there is a place that probably holds a special spot in your childhood memories. When you hear its name, a flood of nostalgia hits you. You’re running through the woods, you’re swinging way too high, you’re climbing on statues made from the characters of your bedtime stories. You’re at Kings Castle Provincial Park. 

Just outside Murray River, in the community of Gladstone, is where you can find it, nestled in what’s left of the woods Fiona cleared away on us. The interior of the park took quite a hit, but they’ve done a stellar job clearing that away and have done some replanting. The layout clearly had to change with the destruction, but the magic is still the same. It’s the kind of place you can go in the pouring rain, and your kids will still not want to leave. That has indeed been the case on our last two visits. 

It’s a huge park with unique and traditional play equipment. A giant wooden fortress, complete with underground tunnel; a mammoth of a pumpkin sandbox, big enough for multiple kids and adults, complete with a slide; all manner of swings, including the inclusive accessible kinds; tons of climbing, bouncing, balancing things; and, of course, the story-time character statues. It’s the kind of place where kids just don’t get bored.

They also have a two-sided kitchen shelter you can use for a charcoal cookout or, in many of our cases, to hold a birthday party. There is a daily activity center where kids can do crafts and play games. There are clean flush bathrooms, and there’s a snack bar to get your ice cream fix. It’s all right along the beach. The beach does have its fair share of shells since it’s a river beach though. I’ve cut my foot more than once, so water shoes are advisable. You can probably do without if you’re older or more careful. The best part of all this fun? It’s free! You don’t have to pay to enter or park or stay and play all day. 

When we were kids we’d go there for field trips at the end of the year or meet up with friends or family. Those days are fused into my memory. As a parent myself now, I really get the appeal. It’s well off the road and even if ya can’t keep your kids in sight at all times, you know they’re safe. So you can toss out a blanket, read your book, and let them run a while between sunscreening and spot checks. If you get too hot, you just wander down to the shore and take a dip. 

Kings Castle is the kind of place you make a day of. Even now, when the drive from our home is an hour, we still pack up once a summer and make the journey. If you forget something, no big deal. There is a gas station and multiple restaurants or bakeries five minutes away.