Storybook Gardens

Storybook Gardens opened in 1958 and covers about 20 acres within the larger park. London Public Library records describe it as a city-owned facility, and Museum London holds a gingerbread house from the park in its collection. Springbank Park itself began in the late 19th century around a waterworks, with Alderman James Egan suggesting the nearby hill now called Reservoir Hill. The city bought surrounding land and the site became a resort reached by steamboat on the Thames; a streetcar line reached it in 1896. Before 1925 the park added tennis and bowling lawns, a zoo, a campground, an amusement park and a dance hall, and a miniature train was added around 1920. Storybook Gardens featured sea lions, later replaced by harbour seals, alongside nursery-rhyme animals. Wikipedia records a major refurbishment in 2003 that brought the park close to its present form and led to year-round operation, including winter skating.

The best-known story is that of Slippery. According to Wikipedia, the California sea lion escaped from his pool into the Thames on June 16, 1958, and swam down to Lake St. Clair, along the Detroit River and into Lake Erie. About ten days later he was reported near Sandusky, Ohio, roughly 400 kilometres away, where library records say Toledo Zoo's Phil Skeldon cornered him in an abandoned boathouse on June 27. London's mayor declared a Slippery Day on his return, and thousands lined the streets, according to the library archive. A photo from December 1958 shows the park's zookeeper feeding Slippery and a mate named Lonesome, and he died in January 1967. Wikipedia also notes that the supposed international incident with the Toledo Zoo was later revealed to have been a publicity stunt, and that rumours persisted for decades the escape itself was staged, so treat it as local legend as much as history. One library record calls the animal Cyril, and some sources call him a seal, so the details vary.

The city describes the park as an enchanted storybook environment for young children. Spring and summer features include large themed play structures, a splash pad, a sand and water play area, two seasonal amusement rides, daily entertainment such as puppet shows and storytellers, and costumed characters. In winter the park has a 250-metre skating trail. The city lists the park as fully outdoors and open year-round.

Springbank Park is the city's largest park at about 120 hectares, with some 30 kilometres of trails, and connected paths allow a traffic-free trip of about 10 kilometres from Byron to downtown London. A carousel and miniature train sit just outside the Storybook Gardens fence. The Storybook Queen riverboat began running on the Thames in the 1960s, per Wikipedia.

• Admission, hours, pass requirements and what is open vary by season; the city asks visitors to check its Storybook Gardens page, and attractions may close in bad weather.
• The park is aimed at young children.
• A Voyzo private tour provides a private vehicle and driver with door-to-door pickup, which suits families with small children and gear.