EXPLORING THE CITY'S ACCESSIBLE PARKS, SPLASH PADS AND MORE

THERE IS A LOT TO EXPLORE, SEE AND EXPERIENCE AND, BEST OF ALL, IT'S ACCESSIBLE, WRITES MIKE ASHKEWE

The warmer weather is here, and that means summer is around the corner, birds are singing, flowers are blooming and to a lesser degree, allergy season — but I digress. It's exciting to get out and see what you can see and experience. There are a number of activities and things that can be done around Guelph and areas that are absolutely accessible and fun to do by yourself or with your friends and family.

Over the last few weeks, I have been exploring, and I am absolutely thrilled to share what I have discovered and no doubt you've probably seen me touring in my wheelchair.

I love exploring all the parks and trails that Guelph has to offer. My favourite place to go is Riverside Park, with its accessible walking paths and trail systems. I decided to try something a little bit different, and it's not something that I have seen too many people take advantage of, but it's something known as "the rail trail." The path that I typically take leads me from just outside of Riverside Park by the fire station and leads all the way downtown by the railroad tracks. It has some wonderful scenery and is a smooth ride for all levels of mobility and fairly even surfaces. One of the best things about the trail is that you see some pretty amazing wildlife down there, and I have seen so many birds and other little critters that is something quite special.

Last year, I discovered how welcoming the Guelph Storm hockey organization is, and how accessible the Sleeman Centre is, so I decided this year to expand my horizons. I knew Guelph had a baseball team and I decided to check out the Guelph Royals (www.guelphroyals.com) at Hastings Stadium. I'd never been to Hastings Stadium by Exhibition Park and I was curious to know, could I actually go to a game and be comfortable? So, I called some people and got a tour of the park one fine morning and, to my surprise and joy, it totally is! I can take my wheelchair up into the bleachers and have a place to sit with my family and friends. I am super excited to see some baseball and spend long, hot summer afternoons cheering the Royals and enjoying some baseball stadium hot dogs! I also heard there is going to be a food truck there this year too.

While talking with some people here in the city, splash pads and playgrounds were suggested to me. It's not something that I had considered because I don't have kids, but it struck me as genius. Guelph has a variety of accessible playgrounds and splash pads and plans to expand more of them as time goes on.

One of the playgrounds/ splash pads is at Northview Park and it has a great wheelchair-accessible play structure. The water feature also looks like it could be tremendously fun as well for everyone. Another play structure is down by Royal City Park by the Boat House that has a wheelchair accessible play feature that rocks back and forth and can fully support a motorized wheelchair and several other people. I experienced this a few weeks back and it really made me smile as if I was a kid. I'd love to be able to experience this with my parents.

Finally, if you're willing to try the hot new thing that has exploded in popularity, then I suggest going to the Dragon in the Old Quebec Street mall. The Dragon (https://dragonguelph.com) hosts a variety of events from Pokemon to Magic: The Gathering to Dungeons and Dragons.

Being a geek is cool now, you know!

There is a lot to explore, see and experience and, best of all, it's accessible.

Mike (O'dah ziibing/ Heart of the river) Ashkewe is from Neyaashiinigmiing, Ont. Ashkewe is a disability and Indigenous activist in the city of Guelph. He has had a career in the media since 2007 in a variety of different roles such as commentator, reporter and podcaster.