Sullivan’s Pond

This is one of my favourite places in Dartmouth. I love watching all the birds (ducks, geese, seagulls, cormorants, pigeons, starlings, etc.) that visit here. The gardens are beautiful and love the shade the trees provide.

Having lived in downtown Dartmouth before it was cool to do so — meaning, before Two if by Sea croissants — I was a Sullivan’s Pond regular. I’d see the same senior power-​walkers every day, I’d have the same conversation with the same cray-​cray person every morning as she walked off whatever she was on the night before, and I’d tell myself every day how silly it is that people shuttle in to Point Pleasant when they could be enjoying Sullivan’s Pond and Lake Banook’s boardwalk.
Yep — every day I’d lug my poor confused miniature dachshund puppy out to Sullivan’s Pond in hopes of TODAY BEING THE DAY that he’d ‘get’ what I expected of him when that leash went on. For weeks and weeks we repeated the routine up until he would do the full 5 km ish route around the pond, Lake Banook, and Creighton Park.
What all this means is I spent about a year strolling through this area, enjoying the flowers and foliage, smiling at happy young, urban families playing with their kids, and picking my jaw up off the ground when the area was invaded by an army of Abercrombie and Fitch models with no modesty for the world rowing championships.
We go back every now and then in the summer to relive the memories but all he seems to want to do is scream at the geese. But hey — at least now I can enjoy a latté and a pastry while he does it.

Sullivan’s Pond is a little park near downtown Dartmouth. It’s known for hosting a variety of events, such as the Dartmouth tree lighting.
The pond itself is home to a wide variety of ducks and geese. While you are, of course, discouraged from feeding the fowl, lots of people do. Danger! Danger! The path closes to the water in the summer? There are lots and lots of birds. And not much of a clean-​up crew. Make of that what you will.
The park also hosts workout groups, the occasional live music performance and there is a field where you can play a great game of Frisbee with a good friend.