Ontario Place, Fun Time For Young Families

We piled into the car last Saturday afternoon and drove toward the lake. We then drove right on past the beaches and boardwalks and picnic areas and pulled into a massive parking lot. To the outside observer it would seem that we were visiting the set of a post-apocalyptic movie, all concrete and aging white domes sprawled out along 96 acres of industrial harbour. But we are old school Toronto people and knew this was Ontario Place, “an internationally acclaimed cultural, leisure and entertainment parkland.” We’d been coming here looking for summer-time fun every now and again over the years and were about to visit for the first time as a young family. And, well, it was some sort of media day and Ed had scored us free passes.

We headed straight for the kiddie ride section of the park and Young C had a blast on bumper boats, a ferris wheel, a spin-around-on-a-track ride, and motorized cars. It was too cold for the water park, but it looked pretty damned cool from where I was standing. We then had to treck all the way across the park to get to an area with an outdoor jungle gym. This jungle gym thing is really something. Four or five different sections with ladders and tunnels and mazes and slides. All fenced in and guarded by Ontario Place staff and accessible only to kids. I say this because Young C either got lost or “was hiding” in one of the smaller-sized sections and needed to be fetched out by a staff member. So it was a small consolation that he probably (a mom’s worry is never fully eased) wasn’t abducted or lost or anything when he didn’t emerge from the gym.

After that fiasco we checked out a space designed for smaller children. (I guess three’s not so old as it seems when your other kid is six months.) There we relaxed and played with lego and other stuff. They had a nice baby change station cum breast feeding room. Of course, I had just fed L’il I outside in plain sight of everyone, but the change table was good.

And on the way out, when Young C was clearly exhausted and L’il I needed to be held (and I can’t for the life of me find the wrap to carry her in, but that’s another story), I needed to play some mini golf. I love mini golf. It was frustrating/fun in the way that things that you love are with two over-tired children and an uber-competitive husband.

I recommend packing your own lunch/snacks, though, unless you really love over-priced crappy food. And don’t buy into the whole Beaver Tail/taste of Canada crap, either. I guess it’s maybe an Ottawa thing, but I haven’t seen them for sale anywhere else in the country, ever. (Ottawa people? What is the deal with the beaver tail?) I tried one even though I knew it would just be an expensive and mediocre weird-shaped donut. And I was right.

There’s also a lot of walking through the vast, mis-conceived concrete grounds. Past private yachts and their private-yacht-types lounging and drinking, too. So bring a stroller if your kids are young and get a map at the entrance. There’s some other stuff to do with older kids, too. I think. Check out their website to be sure.

My brother-in-law and his family always get a Play All Summer Pass that works out to about $50 a head and is a pretty good deal if you plan on going a couple times. (Especially since it includes a few bucks off parking and free admission to the CNE.) Otherwise, it’s a $30 admission ($16 for four to five-year-olds and seniors, free under four, and $104 for groups of four). Worth it? It depends on how much that money means to you, I guess. I don’t remember having much fun at Ontario Place as an older child and it still seemed like it would be ideal for kids under eight.

(Image courtesy of alexindigo at Flickr.)