Summer’s not over yet, but if your kids are starting to complain that they’re bored it may be time to experience one last gasp of summer adventure. This is your chance to create memories the whole family will look back on in years to come, the ones that will live on through the long winter months.

Send summer out with a bang of adventure with one of these fun family-friendly activities. 

Splash and Play

Summer is made for cooling off in the water, and there are some fun places to play in the water in Ontario’s Highlands! In the Ottawa Valley, Splash Valley Waterpark is Eastern Ontario’s largest floating water playground, complete with zip lines, golf, and more. 

If you’ve always dreamed of watching your kids learn to waterski, Ski-Mazing Watersports in Haliburton Highlands offers waterskiing and wakeboard lessons, Flyboarding and Jetovator hydroflights and more. No one will be saying they are bored after this experience!

Where to Stay:

In the Ottawa Valley you can stay somewhere the kids can play in a resort with all the amenities at Calabogie Peaks Resort. 

Wild Water Rafting

If your kids are adrenalin junkies, then whitewater rafting can be an experience they will thrive on. Book a rafting experience on the Ottawa River at OWL Rafting on the Ottawa River or Wilderness Tours, and face adventure (and waves) head on. With a waterfront resort at both facilties, this will be one for the memory books! Check each operator's website for weight and/or age restrictions.

Where to Stay:

There are accommodations at both these spots, but you can also book a stay at The Whitewater Inn, in Beachburg if you want to stay offsite.

Meet Up at the Drive-In

There’s something about the drive-in that reminds us what it feels like to be a kid, amazed at the wonder of being out after dark, running and playing with other kids before the show starts. The warm summer air and starry nights combine perfectly for family-friendly fun at the Port Elmsley Drive-in near Smiths Falls or the Skylight Drive-in in Pembroke. Both have movies running most days of the week, and are perfect for your kids’ first drive-in experience.

Where to Stay:

After a late-night movie you won't want to drive far to get to your accommodation. Consider the Pembroke Best Western or the Perth Best Western Parkside Inn & Spa for family-friendly hotel destinations. 

Fall in Love with Farm Life

Who doesn’t love seeing farm animals at play in a farmyard? If you aren’t able to live on a farm, you can still try out the lifestyle for a day, a weekend or longer at Ottawa Valley Farm to Fork in the Ottawa Valley, Rise Above Guest House in Hastings County, or Killara Station in Haliburton Highlands. 

Another great place to see farm animals and pick up locally produced produce and artisan products is Abbey Gardens in Haliburton Highlands or Calabogie Rustic Farm & Market in the Ottawa Valley.

Where to Stay:

You can stay right on the farm at all three farmstay experiences listed above.

Bowl for Kids

Bowling is one of the last hold-outs for low-impact, family time adventure, and Ontario’s Highlands has more than its fair share of places to play a game or two.  Fill your afternoon with some good old-fashioned fun at Chasin' Turkeys in Carleton Place or Gratton Bowling Lanes in Smiths Falls, and remind yourself why bowling is such a fun activity. If you’re closer to Haliburton, you can also try The Fast Lane in Minden. In Renfrew County you can choose between the Steelheads & Strikes in Arnprior or the Opeongo Bowldrome to get a strike.

Where to Stay:

Marmora Inn can be your home away from home for a mini-break in Hastings County. Use this cute inn as your home base to explore the area, spend the afternoon bowling for strikes.

Summer