Teen birthday party idea: Room Escape

My twins turned sixteen this year, and for the first time in a few years, they wanted something a little more than pizza and cake at our house. My whole family is a big fan of escape rooms, and since we’d had a great time at Room Escape in the past, we headed back!

How does it work?

Room Escape is in a shared building with Archery Games, so you can try either adventure while you’re there.

They have seven physical escape rooms (of varying levels of difficulty), and what we like about these specific ones is that they are more permanent and well-built than many of the other ones.

You have an hour to escape and figure out all the different puzzles in the room

When you arrive, you are first asked to wait in a holding area until your room is ready (it’s also a great photo op!). You are then brought into a small room where the rules of the escape room are explained to you. Then you’re introduced to the story you are going to be solving.

Once you are in, you have one hour to solve the room - there is a TV screen in the room that keeps time for you. You have a walkie-talkie to ask for unlimited clues, and you are also given the option of a clue hint sheet

My kids chose Outbreak, which had a 4/5 difficulty level. I was a bit nervous that without any adults in the room they would struggle, but they got out with time to spare (something I often haven’t been able to do!)

I’m also told this is one of the scarier rooms, but the teens said it wasn’t really that scary at all :) ( They also really appreciated the technology components to this room.)

The cost is $31/player and you don’t share the room with anyone other than the group you came with. If your kids are under 10 they will require an adult in the room with them, but there is no charge for that person.

You can easily book your session online through their website.

The staff

I even got to see them escaping the room through the front desk’s monitoring system! :)

The staff were amazing. They were friendly and engaging with the teens, and I particularly enjoyed that they gave me little updates on how they were doing while I was waiting in the front lounge area (they have lots of picnic tables to sit at and there is also a bar to go to - as long as there isn’t a private event happening).

From the mouth of the teens

« I had the wonderful chance to do this escape room with my friends for my birthday party. I love a challenge, and this escape room was excellent! The details were intricate, and the puzzles were original but not too hard. I loved the various details and types of puzzles, including many interactive puzzles. The instructions on how to complete the puzzles were clear, and the many moving elements made it feel like you were truly immersed in the story. Whether it was someone talking to you or something moving, it was extremely fun! »

« The escape room was a very fun group experience that I would love to do again. It was interactive and immersive. The sound effects of Bryan, our computer companion, were super cool, and we always had something to do. The puzzles were challenging but not impossible, and I really liked that the room had two levels because it made the experience more realistic. »

« I thought it was very immersive and had very cool set design.  »

Check Room Escape out!

Disclaimer: We were gifted passes to Room Escape, but all viewpoints are our own.

Laws of Motion Tumbling (LOM)

 The springy floor stretches out from end to end in the massive gym space; I can hear it squeak as gymnasts, parkour athletes, and instructors clamber over and bounce across it in all directions. Aerial silks in bright colours hang from the vaulted ceiling. A giant rig of rings, bars and climbing pegs decorates one entire corner.

And in the center, doing a front flip off a padded box, is my 12 year old daughter, who is here for the very first time.

Wait…hold on a minute - doing a front flip?

It’s not that M isn’t athletic, per se. She runs fast, she moves well, and we’ve lifted weights together before. But an “athlete”? A “sports-kid”? I’ve never used those words to describe her.

But she’s smiling tentatively and heading up to try it again, and I take this as a good sign that we might be in the right place.

The goal when we decided to try Laws of Motion Tumbling (LOM) was to get some physical activity, gain some movement skills, and put a dent in the boredom that overwhelms the pre-teen existence come summertime.

Last summer, when M was eleven-going-on-twelve, we attempted some City of Ottawa camps. Nothing against city camps, but they are clearly geared for the younger set, and M was pretty miserable. This summer we needed a new game plan.

We arrived to a friendly sea of parents watching their children from the seating area. A young instructor named Denzel greeted us, sensing we were new to the gym.

He immediately called M by name and guided her to her class, setting her at ease. As a non-athlete myself growing up, this move immediately gave me a great impression of LOM, which is going on the ten year mark in business in Ottawa.

After asking me a few questions and getting me to sign a waiver, Denzel gave me some more info about what to expect from the spring session of Tumbling and Trampoline.

“This is a recreational facility, meaning we don’t have competitive-level athletes,” he said, “but we treat all our athletes as athletes: this isn’t an expensive daycare.”

The gym itself smells like a combination of sweat and high-end vinyl. The walls are spartan, save for the giant Laws of Motion insignia and tagline, ‘Anyone Can Flip’.

The space is clean, the instructors are vigilant, and the athletes all seem to be having a great time.

And what did the tween-in-question think of her first class?

Aside from the relative bashfulness at being the least experienced, M enjoyed herself. She said she was pushed gently to try some things she hadn’t done before, but didn’t feel pressured or embarrassed if she couldn’t do it. She collected enough wins during the 1.5 hour time slot that she decided she’d stick out the session, which lasts 8 weeks.

TL/DR

LOM Tumbling seems to be a great recreational spot for aspiring gymnasts, parkour runners, and tumblers. Lots of helpful, qualified instructors. Safe, spacious, and also fun. Would definitely come here again for open gym or an 8 week course.

Age range: 5 up to adult (we tried the 13-17 Trampoline & Tumbling)

Experience level: None needed, all experience levels welcome

Cost: $150-$285 for 8 weeks. $15 drop-in open gym.

Location: East Ottawa (2215 Gladwin Cr, unit 130) - near the Museum of Science and Technology

Class types: Trampoline & Tumbling, Urban Gymnastics (parkour), open gym

For parents: Free parking, lots of seats to hang out and watch your kid. No water fountain - bring a big water

Bonus points: Bring your kids for a class and come on back to try the Adult Trampoline and Tumbling yourself!

Jen is a Mum of 4 and an Ottawa business owner living in the National Capital. She received a complimentary six-week class pass, but all views are her own.

Activities for teens in Ottawa - Axe Throwing at BATL

I have tried a lot of sports since I was young. From shooting hoops in basketball to kicking goals in soccer, I know the satisfying feeling of throwing objects at a target and getting a point. I thought I had tried them all- until I heard about axe throwing. As something I had only seen in action movies, I never realized it was a sport, let alone a common recreational activity. I recently threw axes for the first time at BATL Ottawa.

As soon as we arrived, we met Lynn, our axe throwing coach. You could smell the sawdust that had been propelled from the circular wooden board by previous groups. Lynn taught us the basic rules of safety and beginning technique. This included foot positioning, the basic throwing movement and how to not end up looking like a Halloween decoration. 

While my first two shots bounced erratically off the board, the axe came close to the bullseye on the third try. Once that happened, I was hooked. After a few more tries, and with the guidance from my coach, I quickly got the feel of axe throwing. After that, I was ready to throw independently.

BATL provides papers with multiple different formats of two player games, with more accurate throws gaining more points. Think darts meets H-O-R-S-E. I played a few exciting games against my dad, and then my mom. There's just something so satisfying about swinging a sharp axe firmly into the center of a wooden board, then prying it out victoriously. 

We played a variety of games with the axe throwing, during which time we all improved quickly in our skill. The learning curve is much quicker than I had anticipated. Finally, after around an hour of swinging axes, Lynn brought out an even bigger axe. This was the official size that is used in tournaments. It was definitely a lot heavier, but I still managed to make it connect once or twice. I was very impressed by the people who do this as a sport. All in all, I had a great time axe throwing at BATL.

Next time,  I plan on inviting my friends for an afternoon of axe throwing.  

If you want to burn off a weekend afternoon hurling axes at a wooden board, check out BATL Ottawa. Depending on the package, you can book for groups of 2-24 people for a price as low as $21 per person. Time slots are 1 or 2 hours long. For more detailed information, click here.

David is a fifteen-year-old aspiring adventure and travel writer living in Ottawa.  Skydiving is on his bucket list. David received free passes to try out Axe Throwing but all thoughts are his own.

Rideau River Kayak

Kayaking has always been a pleasant activity for me to do on sunny summer days. I enjoy seeing the scenery, flora and fauna and doing a bit of exercise throughout. The only issue is that whenever I go to a kayak rental place, their entire fleet is limited to one boat launch. If I really want to visit somewhere else, there are a few rare instances of them allowing us to strap one of the kayaks to our car and bring it elsewhere, typically at a higher cost. 

This time, I wanted to explore the Rideau River, but found that there were no kayak rentals in the area that interested me. Luckily, Riverview Mobile Kayak had a solution.

We arrived at the Brantwood Park Boat Launch in the mid afternoon. It was sunny and not particularly windy, perfect weather for kayaking. Unlike most kayak places, Riverview Mobile Kayak brings the kayak to the boat launch, meaning they don’t have just one permanent location. 

The owner, Sylvie, kindly provided a briefing on the use of the kayak and recommendations on my route. I then put on my lifejacket, put my phone in the dry bag and launched into the Rideau River. I opted to paddle fast and hard against the current for the first 15 minutes, which was already relatively calm. Once I got upstream to the Billings Bridge, I relaxed and allowed the river to slowly bring me back to the boat launch, while paddling to adjust. It was then that I was able to truly appreciate the combination of scenery and wildlife on the Rideau River.

First, I saw a group of around five painted turtles lying on a log on the shoreline. I was able to stealthily approach them before they consecutively plopped into the water like dominos. As I floated further downstream, I was able to see a diverse array of birds. Canada geese and mallards dotted the waterline, but the highlight for me was seeing two herons. Surprisingly, I managed to get incredibly close to one of them while remaining quiet. After a few moments, it fluttered away and I continued paddling.

I spent around 1 hour and 45 minutes on the water, finding the kayak stable and easy to maneuver throughout. Eventually, I landed on the boat launch where Sylvie was ready to pull me back in. All in all, it was a relaxing trip through the natural heart of urban Ottawa. 

If an afternoon of paddling at one of a diverse set of locations around Ottawa sounds like a nice summer activity, Riverview Mobile Kayak is available at 10 boat launches on the Ottawa and Rideau River. These include Petrie Island, Britannia Beach, Mooney’s Bay and others. The minimum age is 7 years.  The price is $60 for up to 3 hours on the water but if you book for 2 or more participants, the price drops to $45 each.  That’s a good deal. Riverview Mobile Kayak Rental is insured and a fleet of paddleboards is also coming soon. For more information, visit https://www.riverviewkayak.com/.

David is a fifteen-year-old aspiring adventure and travel writer living in Ottawa.  Skydiving is on his bucket list. He received a complimentary rental for this post, but all views are his own.

Activities for Teens and Tweens in Ottawa and surrounding areas

Having been around for 13 years, a lot of the families that first started following Kids in the Capital now have teens and tweens!

We have so many great attractions in and around Ottawa to check out but we’ve mostly written about them from a kid perspective. This post is going to focus specifically on attractions we think teens and tweens will like. Some we have our own content on and others we’re working to get. Stay tuned as this post will continue to be updated regularly!

Outdoor adventures

Eco Odyssee

Eco Odysée has a variety of water mazes that you can take in a paddle boat, kayak, or SUP. They also have daytime and evening mazes, as well as additional walking mazes on site.

Pricing ranges from $40-55 depending on the maze, but they are also piloting a program where you can bring your own kayak/SUP and the cost is $30.

Marked Adventure Park

Marked Adventure Park has obstacle courses, paintball, axe throwing, archery tag, disc throwing, watergun fights and more.

They are located on Highway 7 just past Carleton Place.

Many of their activities are available by reservation only so check out their website and plan for the best time to visit!

Waterslides

We have two great waterparks in the Ottawa area that are great for teens and tweens. Many parents of teens have also recommended buying their teens summer passes and drop them off at the park weekly.

Here are reviews written a few years ago targeted more for children but with good info to have when deciding to take your teens and tweens as well.

Calypso

Mont Cascades

Ziplining

Camp Fortune has a great peak to peak zipline experience.

Interzip is a nice and short zip lining experience. It doesn’t go too fast which makes it good for those who don’t love the thrill of ziplining and it’s right in the city, so easy to get to.

Arbraska Lafleche has ziplines and they also have cave tours.

Great Canadian Bungee has a zipline called the RipRide that our teen blogger David got to enjoy recently.

Art

Ottawa Art Gallery

The Ottawa Art Gallery is a lovely place to go and enjoy local art. It’s free (though they appreciate donations) and they have four floors of exhibitions.

Indoor Activities

Room Escape

Room Escape is located on Bank Street near Walkley and has six escape rooms to choose from. They are open 7 days a week and the cost is $29/person.

This was a bit hit with the three teens who are big escape room fans and recently got to try out Undermined.

Where: 1860 Bank Street, #3B

Cost: $29/person

Hours: Monday/Tuesday - 5pm - 10pm
Wednesday/Sunday - 10am - 10pm

Archery Games

Archery Games is located on Bank Street in the same facility as Room Escape and is an indoor archery game space. We sent a family with kids ranging in ages from 8-14 and they had a blast!

Where: 1860 Bank St, #3B
Cost: $29/person
Hours: Monday/Tuesday - closed, Wednesday/Thursday - 5-10pm, Friday - 5-9pm, Saturday/Sunday - 11am-9pm  *Bookings outside of these hours are available by appointment only and require a minimum of 10 players.

Bad Axe Throwing

Bad Axe Throwing is a fun activity and Bad Axe welcomes kids to try it out. While there is no official minimum age we believe 10+ is a good guideline. It’s also good to note that axe throwing is an activity where there might be adults using adult language so if you were prefer your kids not be in that environment you may want to pass on this or go in earlier in the day.

Address: 1580 Liverpool Ct #8, Ottawa ON
Booking Hours: Monday-Sunday 8am-11pm
Walk-in Hours (schedule subject to change - call before heading over): Friday 6pm-9pm, Saturday (2pm-7:30pm), Tuesday (3pm-4:30pm)

Cost:
Walk-ins - $26.98pp (45 minutes)

Bad Axe Booking - $41.99pp with a minimum of 6 people (1.5 hours)

VR Adventures Zone

If your teens/tweens like video games, VR Adventures Zone is a fun way for you to do something they love together!

Location: 1642 Merivale Rd Unit 300 (Merivale Mall)

Cost:

Pricing differs based on which experience you choose and how long you play, but expect about $25-40/person.

Hours:

They are open daily from 11am-10pm and on weekends they stay open until 11pm.

Important to know:

Kids must be at least 7 years old to play and anyone under 18 needs a waiver signed by a parent to participate.

Rollerskating

4Wheelies

4Wheelies has just opened in Ottawa and is a roller rink and arcade. Located at 1101 Baxter Road, the cost to skate is $16.99. You can bring your own traditional roller skates (no in-line skates are allowed) or you can rent a pair for $5.

They are open 6 days a week (closed on Mondays) from noon - 9pm.

Drive in Movies

Drive-in movies are nostalgic for many parents and there are some options in the Ottawa area!

Port Elmsley is located halfway between Perth & Smiths Falls Ontario and is open 5 nights a week!

Your price includes a double feature and they recommend getting there early to get a good spot.

Ticket prices include HST and are per person.

Age 5-12 $6

Age 13+ $15

Skylight Drive-In Theatre is located in Pembroke, Ontario.

They are open seven days a week and your price includes at least two movies.

Every night is Carload Night! (except for select Dusk to Dawn nights - please check website for details)
$25 Carload Up to 6 People OR
$14 adult
$7 Youth (4-14)
Children up to 3 free.

Movie Program starts at dusk.

Events

House of PainT Festival

The House of PainT Festival is a FREE Outdoor HipHop Jam that showcases Graffiti, Breakdancing, Dj’s and MC’s from across Canada and this year is their 20th anniversary!

The Main Event happens Saturday, August 12th, with amazing performances from DJs, MCs, artists, and dancers.

Location: Dunbar Bridge 100 Brewer Way

Graffiti & Murals/Dance Battles/ Choreography Performances/ Community Workshops/Art Vendors/Music/Poetry/Food Vendors/
Featuring Music, Art, Workshops and Dance Battles

Tickets are not needed to attend but registration is encouraged to stay up to date with House of PainT news, updates, and relevant information. The Main Event on August 12th is free to attend. Donations are encouraged and appreciated!

PuppetCon

It's time to get your Con on! Join us for PuppetCon in Almonte, August 11 – 13, 2023 for a weekend of workshops, shows and panel discussions.

Theatre

There is lots of great theatre in Ottawa and many teens and tweens love taking in a show with their parents.

Broadway Across Canada

Broadway Across Canada has a great series of shows every year. Upcoming shows in the 2023/24 season include Hairspray, Ain’t Too Proud: Life and Times of the Temptations, Disney’s Frozen, and Six.

Odyssey Theatre

Odyssey Theatre is running a summer production of the Miser at Strathcona Park from from July 27-August 20, 2023 Tuesdays through Sundays at 8pm, with matinees on Sunday afternoons at 2pm, PWYC. Tickets are on sale now, with 50% off opening weekend (July 27th to 30th).

The Miser is satire about greed and love is performed in the style of commedia, featuring mask performance, choreography, and singing. Our show is recommended for ages 8 and up, runs for about 2 and a half hours with a 15 min intermission, and takes place next to the banks of the Rideau River..

Rock Climbing

Altitude Gym

Altitude Gym now boasts three locations (Gatineau, Kanata, and Orleans) and the Gatineau location has clip’n’climb.

Coyote Climbing Gym

Coyote Climbing Gym is located at 1737B St Laurent and a youth climbing pass is $15. They also have 10 pass punchpasses for $125 as well as memberships.

If you have any suggestions to add to the list of if you’d like to write some content for us, comment below or email us at kidsinthecapital@gmail.com!