Here’s The Drive’s curated guide to some off-the-track spots for family fun
Written by Gary May
It’s summertime, and as the classic Broadway show tune says, “the livin’ is easy.” It’s the ideal time to pack up the family, shun the turnpikes and explore the fascinating secondary roads that crisscross Southern Ontario. Maybe shut off the GPS and unfold one of those old-fashioned things called highway maps instead. It’ll be fun to hear the kids ask: “What’s that?”
So, if you’re planning to plot out a staycation with a broader regional flare, here are three suggested destinations for family travel fun.
Park’s Blueberry Farm, Bothwell
When I was a kid growing up in the Niagara Peninsula, our anticipation grew with the coming fruit-picking season. A visit to Park’s Blueberry Farm brings back those nostalgic times, resurrecting memories of getting elbows-deep in the produce. It’s a fun way to get the kids familiar with where their food comes from and learn fascinating facts about growing blueberries and the importance of honeybees.
Parks Blueberries is open daily, 8 to 6, and is located at 14815 Longwoods Road – known to many as Old Highway 2 – just outside Bothwell. The pick-your-own blueberry season starts about mid-July and extends to the end of August, with a few late varieties continuing into September. If you’d rather let someone else pick the berries, you can buy them that way too.
But come any time: there’s plenty of reasons to visit Park’s out-of-season. The Country Store gift shop and café offers fresh-baked goods to eat in or take home. Blueberry muffins join apple, cherry and raspberry creations in the form of scones, bars, pies and tarts. In-season there’s also strawberry-rhubarb and bumbleberry pie, with pumpkin and mincemeat joining the lineup later. The café sells soups, sandwiches, wraps and daily specials.
WHILE YOU’RE IN THE AREA:
Three kilometres west of Park’s on Longwoods Road, brush up on some history by stopping along the usually quiet secondary highway to visit the spot where Shawnee Chief Tecumseh fell at the Battle of the Thames during the War of 1812. Tecumseh’s name is spread broadly across the Windsor region’s landscape, so what better way to learn something about our wartime hero? The battle site is marked with historical signage.
Planning to go a little wild? There aren’t many outdoor adventure parks in Southwestern Ontario so when you find one, it’s a good idea to pay attention. If you’re in the Hamilton area, the Treetop Trekking Adventure Park is located at the Binbrook Conservation Area, in a rural region south of the city’s core. It’s a great place to give children an appreciation for our biodiversity and Carolinian forest. It’s also a fun place for parents and kids to reconnect in the Great Outdoors.
Treetop Trekking invites visitors to explore the forest through adventure activities designed to suit a broad range of ages and abilities. There are zip-lines, or climb from tree to tree in the forest canopy on a series of bridges and walkways. Even children as young as five can explore discovery courses designed just for them.
There’s also the Treewalk Village featuring 10 colourful tree houses, plus other forest activities that will appeal to youngsters.
Treetop Trekking is located at 5050 Harrison Road near the shores of Lake Niapenco, within the conservation area. The conservation area also offers rental paddleboards, pedal boats, canoes and kayaks.
WHILE YOU’RE IN THE AREA:
Hamilton is a split-level city, sitting partly on top of the Niagara Escarpment and partly below. Rivers and creeks tumble over the brink to create more than 100 waterfalls in the Greater Hamilton region, many to awe-inspiring effect. Some sport pretty and colourful names, including Buttermilk Falls and Devil’s Punchbowl, while another is named for a War of 1812 hero, Billy Green.
St. Jacobs Farmers’ Market, St. Jacobs
Who doesn’t enjoy a good birthday party? This year you can join in the 50th birthday celebrations at Canada’s largest indoor/outdoor farmers’ market, an all-seasons extravaganza where more than one million customers come annually. The whole market district is a great place to celebrate Canadiana in all its forms, while soaking in the colour of one of Ontario’s most authentic rural experiences.
Built on Mennonite and Amish heritage, the market is open year-round Thursday to Saturday, plus 10 summertime Tuesdays. From fruit and vegetables to meat shops, organic food, coffee bars, ethnic specialty foods and baked goods, honey and maple syrup, to toys, crafts, jewelry, art, leather, pottery and hardware, there’s something that’ll interest everyone.
WHILE YOU’RE IN THE AREA:
Nearby are the historic village of St. Jacobs and the St. Jacobs Country Playhouse in Drayton. Don’t miss the Outlet Mall and Market Road Antiques. Kids will love the heritage Waterloo Central Railway, offering passenger train rides between Waterloo, the St. Jacobs Farmers’ Market, St. Jacobs and Elmira.
