Things to do on Family Day 2023 in Ontario

Family getaways

Long weekends were made for getaways and mini-vacations.

• From snow-based outdoor adventure to kid-approved indoor programs and entertainment, Ontario’s winter resorts and playgrounds offer endless fun for everyone in the family.
  
  Visit Resorts of Ontario for resort packages, specials and other getaway ideas.
   
• Embrace the season and expend all that youthful energy outdoors in the snow.
  
  Winter resorts, snow parks, trails and rinks across Ontario offer boundless outdoor fun from the crack of dawn to well past dusk.

Things to do with toddlers and kids

Enjoy indoor and outdoor fun with your little ones this winter. Bundle up and play in the snow. From building a snowman and creating snow angels to tobogganing down a hill, winter creates a new and fun playground right on your doorstep.

Toddler tip: If you’re heading outside to play, dress your toddler or child in warm layers, and pack extra mitts to avoid cold, wet hands.

Indoor adventures for kids

Indoor entertainment complexes and playgrounds offer all kinds of fun for kids and families regardless of the weather.

• Housed in an old Kellogg’s facility, The Factory in London is Canada's biggest indoor family entertainment centre and features North America's largest indoor high ropes course.
   
• Kids Fun City is the best indoor playground in Toronto. This amusement centre is perfect for families with kids of all ages, including toddlers.
   
• Part of Bingemans in Kitchener, FunworX is an interactive, three-level indoor family playground.

Indoor water parks

Kids and adults alike can enjoy loads of fun water-based activities in the middle of winter.

• For water-loving families, Ontario is home to several indoor water parks that keep the summer vibe going all year round with water slides, raft rides, wave pools and more.

Animal attractions

Treat your future zoologists to a day of discovery at a zoo, aviary or aquarium.

• Several indoor pavilions remain open throughout the year at the Toronto Zoo, located in the eastern end of the city. The Zoo to You program brings the wildlife to you through virtual experiences.
   
• Witness wolves in the wild at the Wolf Centre at Haliburton Forest & Wild Life Reserve, a massive facility featuring an indoor observatory. It’s located south of Algonquin Provincial Park.
   
• In Niagara Falls, the world’s largest free-flying indoor aviary, Bird Kingdom, teems with hundreds of tropical birds in the multi-level rainforest habitat.
   
• Travel further west to experience the enchanting sight of thousands of exotic butterflies fluttering through tropical gardens at the Cambridge Butterfly Conservatory.
   
• Dive into the mysterious and magical underwater world at Ripley’s Aquarium in downtown Toronto, where you can view countless species of fish, jellyfish, sharks, stingrays and more. Get the insider’s guide to visiting this aquatic attraction.

Fun activities for tweens

As your kids get older, they’ll need new activities and adventures to keep them entertained. Here are some fun ideas for your tweens as they transition towards the teenage years.

Tween tip: make sure your pre-teens are fitted with properly sized helmets for snow activities like ice skating, tubing, skiing and snowboarding.

Ice skating

Fun for the whole family, ice skating takes place in every city, town and village, on indoor rinks and frozen ponds.

• Find the closest urban skating rink or make a day of it and head to a forested skate trail in the countryside.
   
• One of Ottawa’s top family activities can be found at the world’s largest skating rink, Rideau Canal Skateway.
   
• In Toronto, the Bentway Skate Trail allows you to glide a 220-metre figure-eight loop under the Gardiner Expressway.
   
• The Cranberry Ice Trail at Muskoka Lakes Farm & Winery offers a 1.2-kilometre skating loop around 5 hectares of cranberry beds, with hot cran-apple cider for you to enjoy post-skate.                                                 

Snow tubing

A thrilling way to travel down a steep snowy hillside is on an innertube.

• Ontario’s snow tubing runs guarantee the ultimate day of fun for the whole family.
   
• Horseshoe Resort and Hike N’ Tube at Blue Mountain offer exciting snow tubing hills and quality accommodations so you can have winter fun throughout your entire stay.

Skiing and snowboarding

Skiing in Ontario is a quintessential part of celebrating the winter season in this province.

• With ski and snowboard training camps, private lessons, adaptive programs, equipment rentals and more, Ontario’s downhill ski and snowboard parks make it easy to discover the thrill of the hill. 
   
• Find a resort or ski hill near you.

Museums and attractions

Have fun while learning something new at a museum or educational attraction.

• Interactive, hands-on games and activities and family-focused programming make learning fun at Ontario’s kid-friendly museums and engaging science centres.   

• Little Canada showcases iconic landmarks and landscapes through detailed, miniature animation in downtown Toronto. You’ll journey across this vast, beautiful and big country through a series of little stories.

• The Hockey Hall of Fame has fun activities to test your goalie skills, call play-by-play action and take pictures of the Stanley Cup and lots of great moments. On Family Day, kids aged 13 and under (up to a maximum of 4 youth) accompanied by an adult receive free admission.

Winter adventures for teenagers

Encourage your teens to discover seasonal activities that will continue to challenge and captivate them well into adulthood.

Fat biking

Discover pristine winter landscapes and snow-capped forests while fat biking.

• At Crimson Ridge in Sault Ste. Marie, a golf course is transformed into a popular wintertime destination, with over 15 kilometres of groomed scenic and technical trails to ride.
   
• If you’re looking for resort accommodations to enjoy along with your fat biking trip, Deerhurst Resort in Huntsville features numerous trails around the resort and on the frozen lake.
   
• Find more fat biking excursions in Ontario.

Luge

This fast-paced, gripping winter sport is sure to appeal to all the speed demons.

• Take a one-hour luge lesson at Calabogie Peaks Resort, located west of Ottawa.
   
• At Cedar Ridge Camp in Algonquin, take turns racing down the Rodle Mountain Luge Track, an international-level luge race course.

Snowshoeing

If you haven’t tried it before, make this the year you experience snowshoeing in Ontario.

• Guided and outfitted excursions and easy trails with equipment rentals are perfect for beginners.
   
• Some great places for lessons are Free Spirit Tours in the Blue Mountains and Snowshoe Tours with Lake Superior Watershed Conservancy in Sault Ste. Marie.

Horseback riding

Explore snowy trails by horseback on a guided winter trail ride.

• Winter horseback riding is available at Von Doeler’s Ranch just west of North Bay along Highway 17. 
   
• Pathways on Pleasure Valley in southern Uxbridge offers guided rides on over 90 hectares of tranquil trails.
   
• Further south, HorsePlay Niagara in Port Colborne can arrange private trail rides, as well as special horseback riding experiences designed for kids. You’ll want to check for age and weight restrictions in advance.

Escape rooms

Rise to the challenge of an escape room adventure together.

• This interactive, group activity involves clues, puzzles and tasks. Working together, you’ll need to identify the clues, solve the puzzles and complete the tasks within a set timeframe to “escape.”
   
• From kid-friendly to super challenging, there are different types and themes of escape rooms for players of all ages and levels.

Indoor adventures

Treat your adventurous teens to the thrill of a lifetime.

• With locations in Oakville and Whitby, iFLY allows the daredevils in your family to defy the laws of gravity and experience the thrills of skydiving without jumping out of a plane.