Family-friendly Halloween Activities in Ottawa

There is more to Halloween than just trick or treating and Ottawa has a lot of Halloween activities for ghosts and goblins of all ages! 

Trick or Treat with the Mayor
When: Saturday, October 28th from 4 to 7 p.m.
Where: Ottawa City Hall, 110 Laurier Avenue West

Costumed characters, dancing and trick or treating with the mayor! a fun event for kids of all ages. Admission is a donation to Ottawa Food Bank's Baby Basics Program. 

Members Halloween Party - Canadian Agriculture and Food Museum
When: Saturday, October 28th from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. (Doors open at 9 a.m.)
Where: Canadian Agriculture and Food Museum

Families are encouraged to come in costume and take part in special Members-only activities that includes exclusive access to Meadowview Barn as well as exclusive Halloween crafts and treats to make and take home. There will also be pumpkin decorating and a scavenger hunt. Members must register. 

Barnyard Halloween - Canadian Agriculture and Food Museum
When: October 28, 2017 - October 29, 2017 from 9:30 a.m. - 4:00 p.m.
Where: Canadian Agriculture and Food Museum
Fees: Included with Museum admission

It’s a Barnyard Halloween at the Canada Agriculture and Food Museum! You are invited to enjoy special activities including crafts and a parade! Make some ghoulish treats, create a creepy craft, learn all about bats, visit a spooky barn and take part in Halloween games. 

The Haunted Walk – Halloween Season
When: Nightly until November 4th
Where: Various locations in Ottawa

Great for older children and adults, The Haunted Walks are best known for their tours and stories of ghosts and haunted places and Halloween is the perfect time to experience one of these walks! For more information: http://hauntedwalk.com/ottawa-tours/ 

Saunders Farm – Haunting Season
When: Saturdays and Sundays between September 23rd and October 31st
Where: Saunders Farm, Munster, ON
Admission: General Day Admission is $19.50 + HST (kids 2 and under are free); General night (Fright Fest) admission: $32.00 +HST

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. There is also a pumpkin patch hay ride available for young visitors.

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
When: Now until October 31st
Where: Cannamore Orchards, 1480 County Road 32, Crysler

Family-friendly during the day, and a lot scarier at night, Cannamore Orchards Halloween fun includes their infamous Spooky Wagon Ride™, The Spooky Village, Kid’s Spooky House, The Fog Maze, The House of Terror, and much more!

Bunker Buddies Halloween Night
When: Tuesday, October 31st from 10:30 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Where: Diefenbunker: Canada’s Cold War Museum, Carp
Admission: By donation for parents, grandparents, or caregivers with kids. Kids under 5 are free.

A perfect Halloween Day activity for young kids. Kids and adults can come dressed up in their favourite costume and discover spooky (and cute) ghosts and monsters throughout the museum to collect treats.

Incident at the Bunker: A Zombie Adventure

If you have children aged 12 years and older, this 60 to 75 minute Halloween-themed tour is sure to be memorable! After 20 years a terrifying secret has been revealed and guests will be led on an interactive adventure to see what it’s all about. This unique underground experience is in conjunction with Haunted Walks. For more information: http://diefenbunker.ca/incident-at-the-bunker-a-zombie-adventure/

Halloween Fun At Hugli's Blueberry Ranch
When: On now until October 29th
Where: Hugli's Blueberry Ranch, 2139 Greenwood Rd., Pembroke, ON
Admission: $13+HST for Kids and Adults

A corn maze (which is haunted at night), haunted house, wagon rides and more, this makes for a fun fall drive through the Ottawa Valley and is fun for all ages!

Monster Mash Halloween Party
When: Saturday, October 21 from 10 am to 4 pm
Where: Billings Estate National Historic Site
Admission: Cost: $6.30/adult, $10.45/pair, $16.75/family

Billings Estate invites families to put on their best costumes and get into the Halloween Spirit at their Monster Mash Halloween Party!  There will be face painting, Halloween themed activities, crafts, and of course Halloween treats.

Haunted Historic Village
When: Friday and Saturday nights, from October 6 to October 28. 
Where: Cumberland Heritage Village
Admission: $10.45 per person

Every year Cumberland Historic Village is transformed into a brand new Halloween experience, with Halloween horrors around every corner that will push your fears to the limit. This Halloween Activity is ideal for older children who are not afraid of a nighttime scare or two.

Halloween Hijinks
When: Sunday, October 29, 2017 from 10 am to 4 pm
Where: Cumberland Heritage Village
Admission: $7.30 for adults, $5.25 for students and seniors, Free for children 5 and under, or $18.80 for a family (two adults and children under 18)

Dress up the family and celebrate Halloween at Cumberland Heritage Village by exploring everything the village has to offer including: the potions lab, a 1920s style Halloween crafts, and Halloween treats too!

Halloween at Horaceville
When: Sunday, October 29, 2017
Where: Pinhey's Point Historic Site, Dunrobin, ON
Admission: Cost: $6.30/adult, $10.45/pair, $16.75/family

Visit the scenic Pinhey's Point in Ottawa's far west for family-friendly ghost stories, turnip and pumpkin carving, playing fortune-telling games, and crafts. There will also be 19th century snacks cooked over an open fire using historic recipes.

Watson’s Mill Children’s Halloween Party
When: October 28th, 1 t 4 p.m.
Where: Watson’s Mill, Manotick
Admission: Free

A children’s Halloween Party with fun Halloween games and crafts. A great way to see this historic mill and celebrate Halloween! For more information: http://watsonsmill.com/events-2016/

Jumping around at Flying Squirrel

By now you probably know there's a new trampoline park in town - the Flying Squirrel, located in Gloucester right across the street from Costco. It's a giant place, and they claim to be the world's largest indoor trampoline fun park. I've never been to a trampoline place with the kids before, so we decided to check it out last week as an end of summer activity.

If you've never been to a trampoline park before, it's basically a large space with wall-to-wall trampolines of all shapes and sizes. Flying Squirrel also has a snack bar, tables/chairs, games, foam jumping pit, a rope swing, basketball and dodgeball games, and a small fenced-off toddler area.

Cost

You pay by the hour ($20/hour) and "toddlers" (children under 6) pay $10 if you go at certain times of the day. They also have "neon lights" glow-in-the-dark jumping on Friday evenings (9-12pm) for $25.

It's pricey, but we arrived at 10:45, which meant that we paid for 11am - 12pm but got to jump for the extra 15 minutes (they charge by the hour every half hour, so you may get some bonus time depending on when you arrive.) 

I didn't think one hour would be enough time, but my two girls were TIRED by the end. I certainly felt like we got our money's worth!

Ages

There were people of ALL ages there, from teeny little toddlers to moms and dads jumping around. I chose not to pay to jump, as the pelvic floor is just not what it used to be ;) Plus, I wanted to check things out before I decided to join in on the fun.

There were couches and chairs everywhere for parents to sit, as well as the tables/chairs in the snack area where we could eat the snacks we had packed.

My girls are 4 and 7. My 7 year-old was good to go pretty much everywhere, but my 4 year-old mainly stuck to the smaller trampolines and the huge foam pit. The games of dodgeball, basketball, slack line and battle beams were a bit out of her league. I'm glad I only paid $10 for her, as I feel that a place like this is better for older children. That said, there's a small toddler area where the wee ones can bounce around without any danger of being knocked over by bigger kids - it was just a bit TOO small for a 4 (almost 5) year-old.

Safety

Everyone is "required" to watch the safety video before they start jumping. It plays on loop while you wait in line to pay, so you're naturally drawn to watching (even though technically you could just ignore it). It gives advice for proper/safe jumping, as well as rules and regulations. 

There are staff located throughout the facility, and I noticed several times they approached jumpers to ask them to avoid certain areas or to stop an unsafe activity. However, they all seemed really friendly about it, and I even saw one employee suggesting an alternative (safe) way to do a fun flip.

That being said, both my kids got hurt. I think this is pretty typical of trampolines (I don't own one, but I've heard of SO many kids spraining ankles, breaking bones etc.) My daughter jumped into the foam pit at one point and then twisted her ankle because she landed at a weird angle. It seems fine, although she's still complaining about pain one week later!

My younger daughter tried to balance on the slack line, and fell right on top of it. I guess it knocked the wind out of her a bit and hurt her chest. Needless to say, both kids were done jumping before time was up because of their injuries. They rated the experience as fun, but said they didn't like getting hurt.

Worth it?

All in all I'd say a trip to Flying Squirrel is totally worth it. Next time I think I'd try some jumping too!

However, I may wait another year until my little ones are just a tiny bit older and more capable of navigating all the fun activities.