{"id":1885,"date":"2018-12-19T18:30:27","date_gmt":"2018-12-19T18:30:27","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.summerfunguide.ca\/blog\/?p=1885"},"modified":"2021-09-26T20:12:47","modified_gmt":"2021-09-26T20:12:47","slug":"family-fun-over-the-holidays","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.summerfunguide.ca\/blog\/family-fun-over-the-holidays\/","title":{"rendered":"Family Fun Over the Holidays"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"b12171e95ca29a06569361a76d0dc3e3\" data-index=\"1\" style=\"float: none; margin:10px 0 10px 0; text-align:center;\">\n<script data-ad-client=\"ca-pub-6144103376590397\" async src=\"https:\/\/pagead2.googlesyndication.com\/pagead\/js\/adsbygoogle.js\"><\/script>\n<\/div>\n<p>With the approach of the holidays, and for some, the school break, there is time to explore Ontario in all of its winter\/cold wonder. Depending on the weather over the next couple of weeks, you might be looking for active or less active, indoor or outdoor activities. We\u2019ve highlighted a few in each of those categories below, but don\u2019t forget to visit <a href=\"https:\/\/www.summerfunguide.ca\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">www.summerfunguide.ca<\/a> and our <a href=\"https:\/\/www.summerfunguide.ca\/events.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">event calendar<\/a> for loads more ideas.<\/p>\n<h2>Outdoor Fun<\/h2>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignleft size-full wp-image-1886\" src=\"https:\/\/www.summerfunguide.ca\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/12\/article1_dec13_2018.jpg\" alt=\"ski lessons in ontario\" width=\"257\" height=\"141\" \/><\/p>\n<p>There are almost always places in Ontario that have snow over the holiday season, but sometimes, mother nature needs a little help. One place that takes matters into its own hands is the ski hill, which often supplements with man-made snow. There are a variety of places around Ontario that offer Ski\/snowboard lessons, as well as cross country skiing and tubing:\u00a0 &#8211; <a href=\"https:\/\/horseshoeresort.com\/activities\/winter-activities\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer nofollow\">Horseshoe Resort<\/a> has 28 ski and snowboard runs, plus Ontario\u2019s longest snow tubing hill, and 32kms of cross country, snowshoeing, &amp; fat biking trails. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.toronto.ca\/data\/parks\/prd\/facilities\/complex\/2766\/index.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer nofollow\">Earl Bales Ski and Snowboard Centre<\/a> opens January 1, 2019, weather permitting and has lessons and runs for beginners to advanced skiers\/snowboarders. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.bolermountain.com\/discover-ski-snowboard\/?gclid=Cj0KCQjwlqLdBRCKARIsAPxTGaUrkpOEHRCAnU0A1GeyrbG2irgd8xHJ_HZI6eoFIlwx-tno7i7OdcoaAlTTEALw_wcB\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer nofollow\">Boler<\/a> Mountain has a discover ski\/snowboard program for newbies and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.bolermountain.com\/tubing\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer nofollow\">Tubing<\/a> too. And <a href=\"https:\/\/www.bluemountain.ca\/mountain\/discover-the-resort\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer nofollow\">Blue Mountain<\/a> not only has skiing and snowboarding (lessons too), but also tubing, mountaintop skating and an all-new Snowshoe trail. And <a href=\"https:\/\/www.aurorawinterfestival.com\/toronto\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer nofollow\">Aurora Winter Festival<\/a> (Nov 29-Dec 30) at Ontario Place has light displays, characters, market huts, food, amusement rides, live entertainment and just announced a 20-foot tall and 180-foot long tubing park!<\/p>\n<h2>Indoor Fun<\/h2>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignleft size-full wp-image-1887\" src=\"https:\/\/www.summerfunguide.ca\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/12\/article2_dec13_2018.jpg\" alt=\"indoor play centres ontario\" width=\"257\" height=\"141\" \/><\/p>\n<p>When you\u2019ve had enough of the cold or the weather isn\u2019t cooperating, it is time to look for some indoor activities. Bingemans\u2019s <a href=\"http:\/\/bingemans.com\/funworx\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer nofollow\">FunworX<\/a> Indoor Playland (Kitchener) has arcade and redemption games as well as an interactive three-level indoor play structure. You can also try 1of 3 thrilling escape rooms at <a href=\"http:\/\/bingemans.com\/escapeworx\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer nofollow\">EscapeworX<\/a> on the same property. Toronto\u2019s <a href=\"http:\/\/www.fantasyfair.ca\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer nofollow\">Fantasy Fair<\/a> &#8211; Ontario\u2019s Largest Indoor Amusement Park- has 12 full size rides including a rollercoaster, train, drop &amp; more. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.adventurelandottawa.ca\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer nofollow\">Midway Family Fun Park<\/a> is Ottawa\u2019s largest indoor amusement park. And <a href=\"https:\/\/thefactorylondon.ca\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer nofollow\">The Factory<\/a> (London) is Canada\u2019s biggest indoor adventure park with Ziplines, high ropes, trampoline park, warrior course, escape room, virtual reality, arcade &amp; kids\u2019 indoor playground. Don\u2019t forget about <a href=\"https:\/\/www.summerfunguide.ca\/museums-galleries-historical-sites.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Museums<\/a> too!<\/p>\n<h2>Free Things<\/h2>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignleft size-full wp-image-1888\" src=\"https:\/\/www.summerfunguide.ca\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/12\/article3_dec13_2018.jpg\" alt=\"High Park Zoo\" width=\"257\" height=\"141\" \/><\/p>\n<p>The holiday season can be expensive with all of the parties and gifts, so it is great to find free stuff to do during Ontario winters. Sometimes it is hard to remember what a truly dark night feels like and the best place to experience it is at the Torrance Barrens Dark-Sky Preserve in Muskoka. Check out the\u00a0<a href=\"http:\/\/www.rasc.ca\/torrance-barrens-dark-sky-preserve%22%20%5Ct%20%22_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer nofollow\">Northern Lights<\/a>\u00a0which are visible periodically (plan ahead) or come to see The Milky Way and\u00a0The Andromeda Galaxy with the naked eye. Others? Go skating in\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.toronto.ca\/data\/parks\/prd\/facilities\/complex\/1089\/index.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer nofollow\">Nathan Phillips Square<\/a> or enjoy <a href=\"http:\/\/www.harbourfrontcentre.com\/djskatenights\/index.cfm\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer nofollow\">DJ Skate Night<\/a> at Harbourfront\u2019s Natrel Rink (both Toronto). Visit the\u00a0<a href=\"http:\/\/www.highparktoronto.com\/zoo.php\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer nofollow\">High Park Zoo<\/a> and see bison, deer, llamas, peacocks, highland cattle and more, year round. Go hiking at one of Ontario\u2019s many <a href=\"http:\/\/www.ontarioconservationareas.ca\/component\/mtree\/activities\/free-admission?Itemid=\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer nofollow\">Conservation Areas<\/a>. Did you know that 135 of them have free admission and each is different?<\/p>\n<h2>Niagara Falls<\/h2>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignleft size-full wp-image-1889\" src=\"https:\/\/www.summerfunguide.ca\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/12\/article4_dec13_2018.jpg\" alt=\"Niagara Falls in winter\" width=\"257\" height=\"141\" \/><\/p>\n<p>The great thing about <a href=\"https:\/\/www.summerfunguide.ca\/companyprofile\/niagara-falls-tourism-2.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Niagara Falls<\/a> is that it is possible to day trip it from quite a few places in the province. And you don\u2019t have to spend a lot while you\u2019re there, unless you choose to do so.\u00a0 To begin with, the view of the Falls is free. If you\u2019re lucky, you might even be there on a day when it freezes, which is a very cool sight. Once you\u2019re there, visit some of the awesome paid <a href=\"https:\/\/www.summerfunguide.ca\/niagara-region\/attractions.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">attractions<\/a> such as the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.summerfunguide.ca\/companyprofile\/crystal-caves-a-mirror-maze-adventure.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Clifton Hills attractions<\/a> or <a href=\"https:\/\/www.summerfunguide.ca\/companyprofile\/niagara-parks-attractions.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Niagara Parks attractions<\/a>, and you can also visit the \u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.niagarafallstourism.com\/play\/historic-sites\/niagara-falls-history-museum\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer nofollow\">Niagara Falls History Museum<\/a>\u00a0which offers free admission from 5-9 pm Thursday nights. Or watch the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.niagarafallstourism.com\/fireworks\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer nofollow\">fireworks<\/a> over the Falls (free too). Or visit Dufferin Islands (Free) to hike or view the <a href=\"https:\/\/wfol.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer nofollow\">Winter Festival of Lights<\/a> in which animated lighting displays are placed around the perimeter of the islands.<\/p>\n<p>If we&#8217;ve missed some of your favourite family fun activities, please send us a note. Happy holidays to you and your loved ones from all of us at Summer Fun Guide! <\/p>\n\n<div style=\"font-size: 0px; height: 0px; line-height: 0px; margin: 0; padding: 0; clear: both;\"><\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>With the approach of the holidays, and for some, the school break, there is time to explore Ontario in all of its winter\/cold wonder. Depending on the weather over the next couple of weeks, you might be looking for active or less active, indoor or outdoor activities. We\u2019ve highlighted a few in each of those&hellip;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[134],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1885","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-ontario-region"],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.summerfunguide.ca\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1885","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.summerfunguide.ca\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.summerfunguide.ca\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.summerfunguide.ca\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.summerfunguide.ca\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1885"}],"version-history":[{"count":13,"href":"https:\/\/www.summerfunguide.ca\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1885\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3643,"href":"https:\/\/www.summerfunguide.ca\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1885\/revisions\/3643"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.summerfunguide.ca\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1885"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.summerfunguide.ca\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1885"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.summerfunguide.ca\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1885"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}