Family Friendly - Carriage Ridge Resort

Destination: Barrie, Ontario Canada. 1 hour North of Toronto

Adventure awaits at this quaint all-seasons resort located only 1 hour north of Toronto! Ski and snowboard fun all winter long. And in the summer, adventure awaits with an abundance of outdoor activities. Fun for the the whole family.

FAMILY FRIENDLY AMENITIES:

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15 Things to Do | Activities | Day Trips | Resort Activities

15 Things to Do in Barrie, Ontario

• Top out at the world’s tallest building, the CN Tower
• Thrill to moonlight treetop trekking!

• See an historic lighthouse on a sand dune island via ferryboat.

• Meet the “old gray mare’s” progeny at Georgian Downs.

• Pilot your own Aqua Jet Racer

• Play golf where the pros play golf

• Snow ski indoors at night

• Enjoy a “scentsational” spa day including facial, manicure, pedicure and therapeutic massage.
  (www.skinsational.ca/packages.html)

• Scuba dive to see shipwrecks at the Georgian Bay

• Tour a castle 

• Ice fishing anyone?

• Pack a lunch and head out to Niagara Falls

• Game fisherman? “Catch the big one” in the Nottawasaga River!

• View a map actually used in 1792

• Visit a Bat Cave

  
  

Activities in Barrie, Ontario
Fun family vacations mean go, go, go. Here are a few great ideas and activities to please every member of the family:

ADVENTURE

• Have you ever wanted to fly through treetops like the birds? Now is your chance. Arbraska Treetop Trekking offers just this sort of experience—and, it’s open all year, day and evening. Ride Big Zip, Ontario’s longest zip line at 1,000 ft! At Arbraska there’s even a course offered strictly for kids 5+ yrs. Zip through treetops—5 to 45 ft. above the Copeland forest floor. Courses are based on age and ability; dare devils can try the rope bridges, ladders and Tarzan vines. You’ll be supplied with a climbing harness, etc. to make this an easy, safe and unforgettable flight of fancy.
• Take a Hummer tour—or drive one yourself! Venture off-road, kick start your adreneline and soak up the backcountry scenery as you explore Horseshoe Valleyand Blue Mountain in a Hummer. One- and two-hour guided tours are available—or you can indulge the ultimate “buzz trip” on a glorious private off road course. Drive yourself and get the thrill of navigating rocks, logs and hills on your own. www.canadianhummeradventures.com/tours. 
• Talk about thrilling—Air Combat Zone, simulating top-gun style action, is a family favorite. You’re behind the controls of high performance CF-18 jet combat flight simulators for a completely unique entertainment experience. (www.aircombatzone.com; 5170 Dixie Rd, Unit 101, Mississauga. 905-602-4775)
• Ontario Place is internationally acclaimed cultural, leisure and entertainment parkland for families with younger kids. A Toronto icon, this amazing complex extends throughout three man-made islands along the Lake Ontario waterfront in Toronto. Its Soak City waterpark includes two heated waterslides, the Hydrofuge, the Rush River Raft Ride and Aqua Jet Racers, mini versions of race boats that simulate go-kart racing on water. Ontario Place also
  features Megamaze, a series of mazes that mesmerize both young and old, SeaTrek, a motion simulator ride, Children’s Village, the 16,000-seat Molson Amphitheatre and a volleyball complex. (Keep it affordable; check into the Play All Day Pass. Purchase tickets in advance. www.ontarioplace.com)

HISTORIC/CULTURAL

• Fort Willow, now partially reconstructed, is a look back nearly 200 years to the War of 1812. Fort Willow consisted of several log houses, a barn, and two blockhouses (strong points for defense); the garrison numbered 250 men at its peak. A historical site and conservation area, Fort Willow sits on a promontory overlooking the Minesing Swamp and served to safeguard
  the Nine-Mile Portage, a former fur-trade route Natives and fur traders had long used, linking Lake Ontario to Georgian Bay. Only “hardened men well accustomed to privation and wilderness conditions” could handle the isolation and extreme weather at this post—they were known as The Royal Newfoundland Fencibles. (The Fort is adjacent to the North Simcoe
  Rail Trail; park at Fort Willow; at the back, descend a set of steps to the trail. Open year round. From Barrie, take County Rd. 90 to Grenfel Rd. Travel 5km north. 705-424-1479)
• Children's Own Museum provides play-based learning experiences targeting young children from birth to 10 years old. The museum’s unique approach to connections with kids is to reflect Toronto’s geography, culture and values via engaging exhibits, unique physical
  design and innovative programming. (www.childrensownmuseum.org. 416-360-1266.)
• Barrie’s MacLaren Art Centre consists of approximately 30,000 works of art. The main focus of the collection is Canadian contemporary works on paper and in sculpture.  The Centre hosts many events and activities; check in advance about tours, education activities and
  exhibitions planned during your visit. Guests enjoy the Centre’s Handmade Gallery Store for souvenirs, and the Radio Café for delicious refreshments and spirits. (www.maclarenart.com 705-721-9696. 37 Mulcaster St., Barrie, ON)
• Visit the Leacock Museum, Gift and Bookshop in Orillia. Stroll the grounds of Stephen Leacock’s (one of Canada’s most beloved humorists, educators and scholars) home and studio designated a National Historic site. His “little house in the country” has guided and self-guided tours. Families with kids enjoy Children’s Discover Place, now incorporated in the
  boat house. Grab snacks at the Shoreline Café, Orillia's only waterfront terrace on Old Brewery Bay.(www.leacockmuseum.com. North on Highway Road to TransCanada Highway (HWY 12), to Orillia and Forest Ave. Proceed east to 50 Museum Drive.)
• Trek to the City of Toronto Archives. Believe it or not, kids love this stuff! See Toronto’s oldest item: a map from 1792! What’s not to love with 1.2 million photographs; millions of pages of textual records; over 5,000 maps; original records from the local townships, villages, boroughs, and neighborhoods that comprise modern Toronto. (www.toronto.ca/archives)
  

SHOPPING/DINING

• Nearby Barrie has three malls including Georgian Mall, the largest shopping centre in the Barrie, Huronia and Muskoka district. Outlet malls and markets are just a short drive south. The Cookstown Mall has over 50 brand name outlet stores but just a small food court, so if you’re heading there, you may want to eat first. (www.cookstownoutletmall.ca/ S/W Corner of HWY 400 & 89, HWY 400 to 89)
• Wander around Downtown Barrie to find a diverse selection of shops and dining options from fast food, coffee shops and pub fare to magnificent fine dining. (www.tourismbarrie.com/about-barrie-1/directions-and-map-of-barrie/)

• Gorilla Golf—this specialty golf shop offers the best private label and name brand equipment available in the market plus a professional staff to advise you regarding the best equipment to improve your game. (Located in Barrie, B-22/Commerce Park Dr.; 705-739-5154)

• The 400 Market & Antique Mall—this “hard to describe it unless you’ve been there” marketplace is a local phenomenon. The 30,000sf Antique Mall is open daily, all year; the 400 Market is only open Saturdays and Sundays from 9am to 5pm. Inside, marvel at treasures
  showcased under one roof—then enjoy 50 additional vendors outside offering everything from clothing to fresh baked goods. Very popular—and great people watching! Also in Barrie is the Barrie Antiques Center on Innisfil St., another huge multi-dealer antique emporium with a diverse selection of art, antiques, collectibles and conversation pieces. (Open 10am-5pm daily.
  705-726-1663)

• On Bayfield Street you will find numerous plazas, restaurants and three shopping malls containing brand name fashions and chain stores. Bayfield Street is also where you will find the largest LCBO in Ontario (Government owned, LCBO is the world’s single largest purchaser of beverage alcohol—buying wine, spirits and beer from more than 60 countries.) (In Barrie, take exit 98 off HWY 400. http://www.tourismbarrie.com/shopping/bayfield-street/

• Johnny's Fresh Fish & Seafood Market—claims to have the freshest fish and best seafood selection north of Toronto. If it comes from the ocean, the lake or the rivers you can find it at Johnny’s— fresh and delivered daily. There’s smoked fish, steamed shrimp, wine and spirits also available. (516 Bryne Dr., Unit C, Barrie, ON. 705-730-0769).

• Families love visiting Barrie Hill Farms—the largest highbush blueberry farm in Ontario. Here homegrown fresh fruits and vegetables are abundant. The familycan pick their own berries after enjoying the wagon ride out to the fields. And, there’s no extra charge for the fresh country air and the peaceful surroundings. (Barrie Hill Road, 2935 Barrie Hill Rd., RR#2, Barrie, ON. www.barriehillfarms.com, 705-728-0571. The Fruit Stand is open from 8am-8pm daily. CROP REPORT LINE: 705-728-0571.) Planning to cook in the room? Barrie Hill Farms has some tantalizing recipes on their web site so you can make quick use of your delectable harvest.

• The Eaton's department store may be no longer, so pretend as you venture around this six million square foot glass-roofed arcade now known as Toronto Eaton Center, located between Dundas and Queen on Yonge Street in downtown Toronto. This place is exquisite. With five levels and over 320 stores and restaurants, you will need plenty of “shop-til-you-drop” energy to make your way through this shopping wonderland. (www.torontoeatoncentre.com/home/index.ch2.; 416 598-8700)

• At Toronto’s Gardiner Museum you can enjoy celebrity chef victuals at his namesake on site restaurant, Jamie Kennedy at the Gardiner—plus shop at Vogue USA’s “Best Shop” pick. The Gardiner is one of North America's pre-eminent centers for the display and study of ceramics. It is also one of Toronto’s most outstanding examples of modernist architecture. www.gardinermuseum.on.ca. Open daily; hours vary. 416-586-8080. From Queen Elizabeth Way (QEW), look for and follow the Gardiner Expressway, exit at Spadina Ave, go north to Bloor Street. Turn right (east); the museum is on the SE corner of Bloor St. and Queen’s Park.
  

PLAY OUTSIDE

• Tropical North Windsurfing School and Surf Shop on Dunlop Street East offers lessons, wakeboard school and rentals for all levels. Courses take place at Minet's Point. Also shop for swimwear, beachwear, wetsuits, windsurfers, wakeboards, snowboards, inline
  skates and more. (705-725-8888)
• Settlers’ Ghost Golf Club is located 15 minutes north of Barrie, near Carriage Ridge Resort. It is well documented that this site on Horseshoe Valley Road, was an important Huron Indian
  settlement prior to Champlain's arrival in Simcoe County. The Huron Indians are, therefore, considered to be the first settlers on this site. The second settlers were immigrants from the British Isles, and the golf club is the third. The golf club’s name refers to the first two groups of inhabitants “who may be gone from this land but are not forgotten.” This is a beautifully maintained 18-hole public golf course with bent grass fairways, tees and greens designed with pros, as well as Junior golfers, in mind. Multiple tee decks provide testing experience for all levels of play. On site there’s a fully-stocked pro shop and a family-friendly restaurant serving lunch and dinner. Settlers' Ghost Golf Club regularly hosts CN Canadian Women's
  Professional Tour events. (www.settlersghost.com The Club is 3 kilometers from exit 117 east (Horseshoe Valley Road) on HWY 400. Toll free: 866.504.5534; 705.733.3595.
• Castle Village welcomes families with toddlers and youngsters to a quaint family-owned attraction providing the backdrop for fantasy, play and educational experiences in a medieval playground. You’ll enjoy the Enchanted Kingdom Park and Dracula's Dungeon and it’s Museum of Horror. Tours of the interesting Museum of Medieval Arms, Armour & Heraldry are available, but irregular, so check availability. Kids are welcome to try on chain mail and sit in the
  conqueror’s chair for photo ops. And moms, you’ll undoubtedly have an adventure of your own in the Castle Village gift shop with over 10,000 items in stock! (Open seasonally. www.castlevillage.ca. Take HWY 93 north to Midland-Penetanguishene exit, travel through three small communities and watch for signs to Midland. Stay on HWY 93 (now referred to as County Rd. 93 approx 1.5km. to Country Rd 25—or Balm Beach Rd—where you’ll turn left (at the IGA store. 701 Balm Beach Rd., Midland, ON. 705-526-9683
• Royal Botanical Gardens—plant and flower lovers will thrive visiting the five garden areas and four nature sanctuaries at this incredible facility situated between the Carriage Ridge Resort and Toronto. There’s something to see all year long—from annuals, to perennials and ornamental grasses, to roses, orchids and greenhouse displays of Mediterranean plants. Begin at the RBG CENTRE; here you’ll find the restaurant, gift shop and restrooms, and from here you can catch a free shuttle bus (seasonally) to the various garden areas that interest you most. www.rbg.ca, located at 680 Plains Road West on the border of Burlington and
  Hamilton. 800-694-4769/Greater Toronto Area toll free: 905-825-5040
• Enjoy a laid back visit to Craighurst, Ontario and nearby Copeland forest and wetlands. North of Barrie, Ontario, Craighurst started as a small community on the Penetanguishene Road in the 1830's. Now part of the Canadian Pacific Railway’s main east/west line, Craighurst is a sleepy little town with one full time church, one part-time Presbyterian church, several
  antique stores, two restaurants (www.iexplore.com/guides/Ontario/Craighurst) and a grocery store. From Craghurst, Nordic and alpine skiing and golf outings are plentiful. Take an educational, guided tour into the Copeland forest and provincial park or hike the forest trails on your own. The tour is a perfect outing for beginners and those not used to vigorous hikes. It’s a flat, easy and picturesque trail for adults & kids.

STAY INDOORS

• Pick up the phone and call the Resort’s “fun coordinator” to find out what’s on tap for the day. With lots of daily activities to choose from, you’re sure to find plenty to tickle your fancy. Everybody’s fancy, for that matter.
• Strap on your water wings and head to the heated indoor pool. Grab your favorite magazine and slide into the nearby hot tub. RELAX. This is what vacations are all about. Take a stroll around the resort and grounds; breathe in the fresh air. Go back to your comfortable guest room, rent a movie and “cozy in” with popcorn, a favorite snack and/or a bold glass of local wine or ale. Relax again.
• Herd the clan down to the Resort’s game room for an old-fashioned game of Charades. Or, try something new. Pick from an incredible selection of games waiting to be discovered.

Day Trips in Barrie, ONT Canada

• Exploring Barrie

• Toronto: A Galaxy of Fun

• Niagara Falls Mystic

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