Orleans, Ontario - Recreational Facilities

Recreational Facilities

The Elizabeth Manley skating rink at the Bob MacQuarrie Orléans Recreation Complex (formerly Orléans Recreation Complex) is named for figure skater Elizabeth Manley who trained there and who won a Silver Medal in Women's figure skating in the 1988 Calgary Winter Olympics. It is home to the Gloucester Skating Club and the Canadian Academy of Skating Arts. The skating club is well known for sending skaters to national and international level competitions. The Ray Friel Recreational Complex in the more eastern part of Orleans is home to a public library, a high school, an indoor wave pool, exercising facilities, a physiotherapy clinic, a sports store, a restaurant, two soccer fields and three skating arenas making it one of the main centres for recreation in Orleans. In 2009, the Shenkman Arts Centre opened just east of Place d'Orléans. It is a multidisciplinary arts centre that houses a concert hall, black-box theatre, several art galleries and studio spaces for both visual and performing arts.

Along the Ottawa River in the north-east of Orleans, is the parkland of Petrie Island. The parkland is located on several small islands connected by Trim Road, a north-south roadway. The islands are sandbars developed over time in the river. There was a facility extracting sand from the islands, but this has been closed and converted into a large beach area. Petrie Island is home to turtles in some of its sheltered lagoons and has a nature centre for learning more about the local environment. One section of Petrie Island has several homes, but the area is mainly parkland. There is a marina with canoe and kayak rentals.

There are also several nature trails and paths throughout the area including the Bilberry Creek Trail and the Princess Louise Trail through which Taylor Creek runs and which results in a beautiful waterfall near St. Joseph Boulevard.