I was recently contacted by South St. Burger to see if I wanted to check out their Lansdowne location with the family. Having never heard of the place, I did a little search on Google as my husband stood behind me, drooling. We couldn't pass up the opportunity :)

We decided I would meet my husband and the girls after work one evening. I rode my bike from work to Lansdowne, and was reminded what a beautiful ride it is along the Rideau River. I met my family in the underground parking lot and quickly changed out of my sweaty clothes.

We've checked out Lansdowne a couple of times, but mainly just to get in and out, and grab some goodies from the market. We decided to make this outing a summer date, and took some time to check out all of the attractions.

South St. Burger

I didn't realize that South St. is not an actual "restaurant" - as in, sit down and be served. It's a subway-style joint, where you order your food and then instruct the server as to how you want your burger adorned. To be clear, though, South St. is nothing like Subway. It's warm and inviting, and I was relieved that I wouldn't have to worry about my kids being stuck at a table waiting for food (we're slowly introducing them to "eating out," but we still have a lot of work to do!)

You can order signature burgers, or a patty of your choice (beef, chicken or veggie) and various toppings. I decided on a beef patty, tons of veggies and garlic mayo. Oh, and did I mention they serve New York Fries? They were just as good as I remember from my teenage years (I may have eaten a lot of NY Fries at a teen).

Beer is featured prominently in this photo

The best part? They serve local beer on tap. Hubby and I really enjoyed our Beau's Lug Tread, which is a great summer beer.

And as someone who considers herself pretty health conscious (when I'm not eating copious amounts of fries), I liked the fact that the burgers were fresh and that the beef was from animals raised without hormones or antibiotics.

Gelato

Next up was a stop at an Italian coffee shop for gelato (the name of the place escapes me - does anyone know?). The gelato didn't rival anything I've tasted at Stella Luna, but it was a nice cool treat (and side note, on a past trip to this coffee shop I had a fantastic Americano).

Splash Pad

I don't think you can really call this a splash pad - it's more like a work of art. I even felt like taking a little stroll to get my feet wet. The area is beautifully clean, with lovely rustic benches lining the side of the water "park." There was a security guard on duty there, which I found interesting - what was he guarding?

Play Structure

Although I'm sad they didn't opt for a natural playground, the play structures at Lansdowne are second best. They encourage creative play (the little toadstools make awesome drums, or fun hopping games), and LOTS of climbing.

It was a fantastic evening, and something I want to do more often before summer gives way to fall.

Have you taken in the full experience of Lansdowne Park? What's your favourite part?

Disclosure: I was provided "burger bucks" from South St. to cover the cost of our meal. However, all opinions are my own...and sometimes my husband's.