Just because you’re travelling with kids doesn’t mean you’re destined for road trips filled with fast-food drive-throughs.With a bit of planning, it’s easy to pair up family adventures with delicious food that everyone in your crew will happily devour! Here are some of our favourite pairings of kid-friendly fun and food.
An Afternoon On The Farm
Urban kids will love the chance to experience farm life. Destination farms that do a particularly great job of catering to kids in Ontario’s Southwest include:
- Apple Land Station
- Korny Korners Farm
- Richardson’s Farm and Market
- IMAZE - the Thamesville Maize
- Kustermans Adventure Farm
- Clovermead Adventure Farm
With the fresh produce, homemade baked goods and other snack options you’ll find at these farms, you won’t need to plan a second stop for a meal!
A Cozy (and easy) Campfire Experience
Want the fun of a campfire without the hassle of having to put up a tent? Head to Snyder’s Family Farm for a private campfire experience. Roast s’mores with homemade marshmallows and snack on pizza or desserts from the on-site bakery around your private fire pit.
Photo credit: Snyder's Family Farm
A Chance To Hook A Big One
Head to Wheatley Provincial Park, where kids will love fishing in Boosey Creek or Sugar Creek. The park has a Tackleshare program that allows you to borrow a fully rigged rod and reel.
Pair your family fun up with: Fish and chips from Taylor Fish & Chips, where they fry up Lake Erie perch and walleye they’ve caught themselves!
A Wetland Walk
Lakeside fun doesn’t have to involve a busy beach. Holiday Beach Conservation Area is home to nature trails, a boardwalk, and a three-story observation tower. It’s also recognized as a globally significant Important Bird Area, as thousands of hawks, vultures, eagles, falcons and other birds of prey flock here before migrating south in the fall.
Pair your family fun up with: Snacks, cold pints for the parents and fun soda flights for the kids at Lot 10 Brewing Company.
A pub fare feast on the patio at The Salty Dog is another tasty option.
Perfect Pairing Suggestion: Parents will love pairing up The Salty Dog’s mussels, steak, tacos and pizzas up with craft pints from local brewer GL Heritage Brewing Co.
By Air, Land & Lake
Kids will never forget soaring through the Carolinian Forest on a 2.5-hour zip-line tour, riding the trails or paddling through an area known as Canada's Amazon on a guided kayak tour with Long Point Eco-Adventures.
Pair your family fun up with: A delicious meal with a menu that has something everyone will love at Country Fork in Port Rowan.
A Stroll Through A Storybook & a Factory Sized Indoor Playground
Young children will love exploring London’s Storybook Gardens. Fun typically includes daily entertainment, themed playgrounds, slides and climbers, a miniature play village, a learning garden, sand play area, pedal cart track, splash pad, and six amusement rides.
No family trip to the Forest City is complete without visiting Canada's largest indoor adventure park - The Factory! Visit the Hero Room for trampolines, ropes course, warrior course, ziplines, rope courses or head to the arcade for games fun plus virtual reality, and escape rooms. Be sure to visit the Clubhouse and Canteen for food & drink options including Shaw's Ice Cream. For the grown ups, you can pop into Powerhouse Brewing Co. or Paradigm Spirits to sample small batch brews & spirits.
Pair your family fun up with: A trip to London’s Convent Garden Market, which will allow everyone to find their favourite meal or snack!
Make it a multi-day adventure in London thanks to the Stay a Little Longer program that gives you a $100 VISA card to spend in the city for booking a consecutive 2-night stay at one of the participating hotels. This offer is valid for new bookings of a minimum 2-night stay made during promotion dates (July 5, 2021 – November 30, 2022) and for arrivals between July 5, 2021 and December 31, 2022 at participating London hotels.
What creative combinations of family-friendly fun and food are you cooking up in Ontario’s Southwest? Share your pictures with us on social using #OSWPerfectPairings.
