Socially Distanced Halloween Activities in Ottawa

Halloween may look a little different this year due to COVID-19 safety protocols, and unfortunately some of the usual activities, such as Trick or Treat with the Mayor, have been cancelled, but there is still some safe, outdoor fun to be had in the Ottawa area!

The Original Haunted Walk – Halloween Season
When: Nightly until November
Where: Various locations in Ottawa
Price: $30+HST per person

Great for older children and adults, The Haunted Walks are best known for their tours and stories of ghosts and haunted places. New for 2020 are Ottawa Bubble Ghost Tours. These tours feature up to 12 participants from no more than three households, allowing for a safe way for participants to hear some local ghost stories while socially distancing! In addition to reducing tour sizes, The Haunted Walk is also increasing their cleaning and disinfecting and all staff are paid sick leave to encourage them to stay home if they are feeling unwell. Masks are required for all indoor tour locations.

Saunders Farm – Haunting Season
When: Saturdays and Sundays between now and November 1st
Where: Saunders Farm, Munster, ON
Admission: Booking in two hour time slots - limited capacity, book in advance
Price: $22.60 per person; kids under two are free

Scarier at night and as a not-as-scary experience during the day, Saunders Farm offers families the ultimate in Halloween thrills and chills!  The Day Haunting Season is fine for kids as the more scarier attractions are closed and the jumping pillows and main play area is open. This year, the daytime attractions includes their famous Mazes, Jumbo Jumpers (jumping pillows), Haunted and Pumpkin Patch Hayride, The Coven, and our super fun play structures.

The Fright Fest (Night) at Saunders Farm is good for children ages 12 and up. For more information visit: http://saundersfarm.com.

Acres of Terror
Where: Cannamore Orchards, 1480 County Road 32, Crysler
When: Nights (6:30-10pm): Sept. 25-26, Oct. 2-3, 9-10, 16-17, 23-25, 28-31 - we are OPEN on Halloween night. Days: (12-4pm): Oct. 17-18, 24-25 and 31st (Halloween day).

In their 28th year, Acres of Terror has four main components: the spooky wagon ride, the house of terror, the spooky village, and the fog maze! New for 2020, all tickets must be pre-booked online for a specific date and time-slot to ensure the ability to maintain physical distancing.  Only a limited number of tickets are available per 15 minute time slot.  Small groups of 10 or less will depart every few minutes.  Attractions and grounds have been modified to allow for the safest experience possible, with physical distancing requirements and enhanced safety protocols in place.  Masks are required. Visit https://cannamoreorchard.com/acres-of-terror/ for more information, including pricing.

Fall Family Fun At Hugli's Blueberry Ranch
When: On now until November 1st
Where: Hugli's Blueberry Ranch, 2139 Greenwood Rd., Pembroke, ON
Weekends: $11.95 + HST (kids & adults)  Under 2 is free. (includes shows and wagon rides to the pumpkin patch)
Weekdays: $7.53 + HST (kids & adults) Under 2 is free.

Various family-friendly outdoor activities. Masks/Face Covering are required in the store, on the frequently sanitized wagons and when you cannot stay two meters away from others.  Disposable masks are available for a $1 donation.

“A Practice of Deceit”: Escape room theatre with Live History
When: Saturday, October 17, 2020
Afternoon from 1 pm to 3 pm (Family hours for ages 7+)
Evening from 6 pm to 10 pm (Adults only for ages 18+)
Cost: $22.75 per person (ages 16+); $6.75 for children (7+) accompanied by an adult.

As the sun sets at Billings Estate, the voices of the past will speak once more…Step back in time to 1900 as you sort through webs of secrets, scandals, and hearsay to help bring a mysterious affair to a close. Will you be in time? Inspired by true events, Live History returns to the museum with this exclusive escape room theatre experience for one day only!

“A Practice of Deceit” will take place outdoors and has been adapted to meet public health guidelines including physical distancing (review our tips for a COVID-wise visit below). Plan to arrive 15 minutes before your scheduled start time. 

Pumpkinferno
When: Open seven days a week from now until October 31st.
Where: Upper Canada Village
Admission: $16 +HST; children under 4 are free
New this year: No walk-ins; must book in advance

This fun outdoor event is for all ages and includes 7000 handcrafted pumpkins all lit at night along a kilometre long path in a picturesque 19th-century backdrop.

Pumpkin Fest at Proulx Farm
When: Saturdays and Sundays; now until October 31st
Where: Proulx Family Farm, 1865 O’Toole Rd., Cumberland

This time of year, Proulx Farm is transformed into a giant Halloween playground with a hayride, play structures, a guided tour on how to grow pumpkins, petting zoo (masks recommended), and more. Due to COVID some activities are unfortunately be unavailable for this season to help prevent the spread of COVID-19.

Apple Picking at Orleans Fruit Farm

It’s apple picking season and we headed out to our favourite local apple orchard located right in Orleans.

Orleans Fruit Farm is located at 1399 St. Joseph and the apple orchards are now open on Saturdays and Sundays from 9:00 am to 5:00 pm for apple picking.

While there are less activities for the kids here than other orchards we have visited (they usually have a barn to play in and a play structure) the location and ease of getting there make it our favourite easy day out for apples.

COVID-19 updates

This year there have been a few changes to how they operate:

• There is no climbing in the trees and all structures and the barn are closed for playing.

• Masks must be worn in areas where you’re close to others.

• You now pick a bag (small is $18 and large is $30) and fill those and there is no weighing the apples as you leave. I’ve heard this is how many orchards have run for a while now so that may be a permanent change.

One of the reasons I love going to the orchard every year is because we’re always able to get great photos of the kids in the trees. This year, while they couldn’t climb the trees, still yielded some fun photos. :)

In these COVID-19 times we haven’t gone out quite as much as usual so it was a fun way to get out and do something outside.

And we got a full family masked selfie too! :)

If you’re wondering what to do with your apples, try out these apple recipes from our archives:

BBQ apples

Apple sauce
Apple crisp

Take your newly made apple sauce and make this breakfast sandwich

Share in the comments - what’s your favourite orchard and what are your favourite apple recipes??

Pirate Life Ottawa (COVID style)

Kids wearing masks in front of the Pirate Life ship

We’re exploring the city and many of its attractions during this pandemic summer and sharing what we’re experiencing. Last week we visited Pirate Life which is located by Mooney’s Bay via Hogs Back road and the kids and I enjoyed our hour-long boat ride with the pirates!

COVID-19 precautions

Pirate Life is taking COVID-19 precautions seriously and are currently keeping the maximum amount of participants on every boat ride to 10 people. Each family/group is kept apart in one of four colour zones, including specific seating and water canons to use. The seating didn’t keep us 6 feet apart at all times as we were back to back from another family, but it felt safe. Everyone on the boat wore a mask at all times, including the kids (I did think the pirates might be wearing pirate style masks but they were colourful instead). This was the longest my kids had worn masks (and for one, the first time) and they all did fine wearing them for the length of the cruise. Another family had on disposable masks for the kids and the kids all had drawn pirate moustaches and beards on to the masks which I thought was a great idea. They sanitize between trips and I watched the staff wiping down the entire boat as soon as we got back to shore.

Sailing down the river

I hadn’t taken part in Pirate Life pre-CoOVID, but I’m told many of the experiences are the same. They sang songs, they did dances, there was a treasure map and we had to try to find things on the ship as well as in the water and on the shore.

At ages 11 and 13, my kids were amused by the entire experience but this may be better suited to younger kids (I think my kids (who are drama fans) all want to be pirates as their summer jobs as soon as possible!).

Water canons - a big hit

The water canons were a big hit and folks in the river seemed to really enjoy getting involved with the tour. Kayakers, people on SUPs and on Seadoos all came in close enough to get shot by the water canons, some even dramatically throwing themselves into the water.

As we came back towards docking, another pirate appeared in a small motor boat and circled the pirate ship while everyone got to attempt shooting them with their water canons, which was a lot of fun for everyone.

Then everyone got to go on a short hunt for some treasure and take home their jewels and coins as a souvenir.

A few more bits of info on how it works

The Pirate Life ship runs four times a day, twice in English and twice in French and costs $25/person.

When I went there was construction on the road that my map told me to take ( 588 Hog’s Back Road) and I wasn’t sure if I should be driving down it. The answer was yes, I should and there was a parking lot at the bottom of the road right by the ship. The parking lot does have a pay machine but it wasn’t functioning at the time I was there so you may or may not have to pay for parking if you go.

At 10 guests at a time it felt very safe and checking it out is a fun family activity and surely will be helping to keep this small business afloat, literally, this summer.

Diefenbunker Museum: Canada’s Cold War Museum

Despite living nearby, I had never brought my daughter to the Diefenbunker Museum until this summer. It had been on our to-do list for a long time, and I am so glad we finally got to visit. Not only were we looking for an escape from the summer heat, I wanted her to see for herself why this underground museum is so unique.

The Diefenbunker, located in Carp, Ontario, is a massive four-story underground bunker, built between 1959 and 1961. During the Cold War, top officials were to take shelter here in the event of a nuclear war. It was active as Canadian Forces Station Carp until 1994. Today, it operates as a not-for-profit, charitable museum.

Visiting the Diefenbunker is not only an engaging way to teach older kids about the Cold War, but a place preserved in time that will show kids and adults alike what it was like to live in the 1960s and what it’s like to live in an underground military station (especially with there replica Canex canteen from 1977). Adult visitors will love seeing telephones and computers from their youth and, if you’re with kids, they may enjoy teasing you about it (something my daughter really enjoyed). 

There are many ways to tour the Diefenbunker Museum. You can book a guided tour, explore on your own or you can download their audio guide from their website.

The museum is well organized, clean and every exhibit has a written explanation of what you’re looking at (and the description is just the right length that you have enough time to read it before your kids move on to the next exhibit). 

If your kids are really young, this probably isn’t the museum for you. They don’t want children running around and the exhibits are not as hands on as in other museums, but there is a lot to see, do and learn. If you have a child who is into history, learning about the military or wars, or is into learning about technology then they will love this museum. My daughter enjoyed seeing how far technology has come over the years as well as how some of the technology used forty years ago is still in use today.

She also loved learning about the construction of the Diefenbunker and seeing the rooms of where the Prime Minister would have stayed and worked. She also loved seeing how the CBC Radio had its own space in the Diefenbunker, learning who would be allowed into the bunker and who would not be allowed, and touring a huge bank vault that once housed a lot of gold. 

A few years ago Lara brought her children, who at the time were 5 and 8 years old to the museum, and she shared her experience here. Needless to say, they had fun!

If you’re looking for a different kind of museum that takes you underground and transports you to a completely different time, then the Diefenbunker Museum is a great way to spend an afternoon.

At the time of writing this blog post, the Museum was open daily from 10 am to 4 pm. Parking is free and admission was: Adults: $17.50, seniors: $16.50, students: $13.00 , youth: $11.00, family rate: $48.50, and children 5 and under are free.

You can buy tickets online or in person. The museum is underground and the entrance to the museum consists of three (3) ground barriers at each doorway. For more information on museum accessibility, please click here. There are bathrooms onsite, a gift shop, and although there was no food available onsite at the time of our visit, Carp offers some great restaurants including Alice’s Village Café, Ridge Rock and The Carp Custom Creamery.

Family Friendly Campgrounds Close to Ottawa

Summer 2020 is the year of camping for many families. Lara shared how her kids love backyard camping, which is a lot of fun, but if you’re also looking to get away and out of urban (or suburban) Ottawa, check out these family-friendly campgrounds close to Ottawa. Some are provincial parks and some are privately owned. Before you book a site or visit, check what facilities/activities are available and continue to follow public health advice, including physical distancing by keeping at least two metres from others, wearing a face-covering when physical distancing may be challenging or not possible, washing hands regularly with soap and water or use alcohol-based hand sanitizer if soap and water are not available.

Cardinal KOA 
609 Pittston Road
Cardinal, ON K0E 1E0
Phone: (613) 657-4536

Located an hour away from downtown Ottawa, this family-friendly campground has amenities for kids including a heated pool, a splash pad, kids climbing wall, a big bouncer, a mini-golf and a pirate ship playground (please note: at the time of writing this, these were closed due to COVID-19 restrictions). Activities also include hayrides on Saturdays and movies under the stars on Saturdays evenings. Summer Saturdays also include activities such as arts and crafts sessions, soccer and bike races.

Cedar Cove Resorts
100 Cedar Cove Road
White Lake, Ontario K0A 3L0
Phone: (613) 623-3133

Located about 45-minutes from Kanata in White Lake (just past Arnprior, Ontario), Cedar Cove offers seasonal sites and weekend camping. There is also a grocery store, pool, sandy beach, restaurant, volleyball courts, a playground (please note: at the time of writing this, the playground was closed due to COVID-19 restrictions). and more. White Lake offers fantastic fishing too and they sell worms and tackle on-site!

Murphy’s Point
2243 Elmgrove Road, R.R. 5
Perth, Ontario K7H 3C7
Phone: (613) 267-5060

 Located on Big Rideau Lake, Murphy’s offers a sandy beach, walking trails, weekend activities as well as an early 1900s mica mine you can book free tours of, as well as family-friendly interpretive programming from June to Labour Day weekend. You can also rent canoes and kayaks for an additional fee (please note: at the time of writing this, these were unavailable to rent due to COVID-19 restrictions) and there is a small general store that sells ice cream and popsicles. If you’re lucky, Chuck Commanda will be onsite building a birch bark canoe (hopefully he’ll be back in 2021). 

Lac Phillippe Campground
300, Lake Philippe Road, La Pêche (Ste-Cécile-de-Masham),
Québec
613-239-5000

The largest camping sector in Gatineau Park with a family atmosphere, located 3 kilometres from the registration kiosk, and close to services, amenities and beaches. 206 campsites, wooded and semi-wooded. Close to Wakefield and offering many trails and beautiful views of the lake, this is one of our favourite campgrounds. 

Rideau River
2680 Donnelly Drive
Kemptville, Ontario K0G 1J0
613 258-2740

Located on the historic Rideau Waterway, this is a nice family campground with shaded campsites. It’s only 40 minutes away from Ottawa and surrounded by many small towns that are also worth exploring. You can rent canoes and kayaks for an additional fee (please note: at the time of writing this, these were unavailable to rent due to COVID-19 restrictions), which is a great way to explore the waters of the Rideau – or if you have a motorboat, you can fish for muskie or bass. 

Wesley Clover Campgrounds
411 Corkstown Rd
Ottawa, ON. K2K 0J5
613-828-6632

Open from June to mid-October, Wesley Clover offers family-friendly camping without travelling very far! Just 15 minutes from downtown Ottawa in a tree-filled setting, this campground is the perfect urban getaway – especially if you are new to camping or have young kids and want to try camping someplace closer to home. There are beautiful urban trails, places to bike and a fire put. There is no water to swim or fish in, but if you’re looking for a night outdoors in a rural setting, Wesley Clover is the perfect campground for that.

Voyageur Provincial Park Campground
1313 Front Road, Box 130
Chute-à-Blondeau
K0B 1B0 613-674-2825

With four beaches on the Ottawa River, Voyageur offers lots of space for families to relax and swim. They also offer a summer nature interpretation program and great fishing right from shore! There are also walking trails and many picnic areas. Great for a day or a weekend stay.

What campgrounds are your family’s favourites?