As we enter Phase 3 of reopening during the pandemic it can be difficult to assess which activities are worth doing with the kids, and which ones should be avoided. Of course this largely depends on your own personal risk assessment, but we’re on a mission here at Kids in the Capital to give you a heads up on what’s reopening and provide more detail on COVID-19 policies and procedures.

Last week my family got a chance to visit Parc Omega. I was excited to see their reopening announcement, as I figured a zoo visit that’s largely spent in your car has got to be pretty safe, right? Here’s how it went!

Don’t forget to book online

As with most attractions these days, tickets need to be purchased in advance so that they control the number of people in the park. The exception to this is if you have booked one of their accommodations, have a gift card or are a low season ticket holder (which are valid at any time right now until December 31. 2020.)

Getting there

Our favourite part about traveling to Parc Omega is taking the ferry across the river. You’re looking at $10 each way, but it’s worth it because it’s fun, and also because it cuts off a big chunk of driving. FYI, some work is being done on Hwy 50 in QC, so make sure to consult Google Maps and avoid the crazy detour they try to take you on (I’d suggest 148 to Thurso, and then up to the 50)

Print your map!

Parc Omega won’t be handing out any maps, so don’t forget to print yours so that you can plan your route - driving through the park is very simple (you can’t backtrack) but you may want to loop around again in case you miss a certain area.

Can I get out of my car?

Absolutely! In fact, you will WANT to get out, especially after the one hour drive from Ottawa. The …. trail is located just to the left after you drive through the main entrance, so you can park there and do the walk. There’s also a longer trail you can walk at the very back of the property, which takes you to the farm, with adorable farm animals to see. You can rent golf carts to get there, but stretching our legs was much nicer (it was 2.2km, which is not a challenge for older kids.)

The place you can’t get out of your car is on the main car trail, for obvious reasons, given that animals are crowding around your car demanding snacks.

Social distancing

We went during the week, so I didn’t find the park overly busy. The place where you’ll encounter the most people is at the far end, where there are big picnic table areas and places to get take-out. However, we never felt like social distancing was hard, and we snagged a picnic table far away from people. Similarly along the trails it was easy to keep our distance, especially since they are now one-way.

What’s open, what’s closed

The indoor eating areas are closed, as are the outdoor children’s play areas, Birds of Prey show and several other things. Check their COVID-19 policies page for the latest info. New outdoor toilets are now available for use, and we saw them being cleaned very frequently. There are hand washing stations as well as ample hand sanitizer available. Yes, your kids will complain that they smell, but they were nice and clean!

You can still purchase bags of carrots at the main entrance, but we brought our own. Staff ask that you do not feed anything other than carrots.

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Overall we had a fantastic day and felt very safe. It’s been about 3 years since we last visited Parc Omega, and my kids are a bit older now, so they were super excited about feeding the animals. They also loved getting out on the walking trails and visiting the farm animals.