Family friendly vacation ideas across the Waterloo Region

NEWS RELEASE

July 30, 2012

WATERLOO REGION, Ont. – With summer in full swing and families looking for the ultimate day or weekend trip away with the kids, the Waterloo Region has the solution.

   Crowds fill the streets for the free four-day Kitchener Blues Festival in August.

“The Waterloo Region is known for its family friendly attractions,” said Tracey Desjardins, General Manager, Waterloo Regional Tourism Marketing Corporation. “The attractions in the region make for the perfect day trip or fun filled weekend that will keep the kids busy and entertained during the entire getaway.”

The standby summer attraction in the Waterloo Region, African Lion Safari, has been showcasing wild animals from around the world since 1969. Canada’s original safari adventure, located just outside of Cambridge, is home to lions, giraffes, cheetahs, rhinos and over 1,000 other animals and exotic bird species. It’s a must see for anyone who has not seen a giraffe or monkey up close!

If you’re looking to keep cool during the summer heat be sure to stop by Bingemans’ Big Splash water park. With dozens of water slides and attractions, Big Splash is the place to go for a day full of fun in the water. The on-site campground makes this the ideal weekend retreat to help parents relax and let the kids play.

“If you’re looking to keep the kids entertained indoors, The Waterloo Region Museum and Castle Kilbride are both educational and maybe best of all, fun for kids of all ages,” said Desjardins.

The Waterloo Regional Museum Waterloo Region's story spans thousands of years, from First Nation's peoples' first connections to this land, to European settlement and industrialization, to the vibrant high tech community of today. Children and adults will find several exhibits covering a wide variety of topics throughout the years.

   Castle Kilbride in Baden, near Kitchener, is a Victorian-era monument built in 1877.

Castle Kilbride offers a look into the decadent past of Victorian architecture. Castle Kilbride was built in Baden in 1877 by James Livingston with a clean Italianate design capped by a towering belvedere. Its attractive external appearance, however, is overshadowed by its amazing interior decor, which in its own right classifies it as artistry of international significance.

For the more active families, check out Chicopee Ski & Summer Resort and Chicopee Tube Park. The Tube Park offers hiking and biking trails in addition to the popular Tube Park’s zip lines, rope courses, trampolines and much more. Stop by the Erbsville Kartway after and enjoy a few laps around the track in the Cheetah-Fast Go Karts built for one, or two people.

Thousands of free-flying butterflies inhabit the Cambridge Butterfly Conservatory. (Photo by Lisa Fox)

The less adventurous can relax at the serene Cambridge Butterfly Conservatory, which holds 1,000’s of free flying butterflies from all over the world and over 100 different varieties of tropical plants, waterfalls, streams, reflecting pools, tropical finches, Chinese painted quail and red-eared slider turtles. The 25,000 square foot facility features newly changing events and exhibits in addition to the already impressive tropical display available year round.

To find out more about all of the summer action in the Waterloo Region check out ExploreWaterlooRegion.com/getaway. The Wet and Wild package is the perfect family getaway with accommodations in a yurt at Bingemans, passes to their Big Splash water park, African Lion Safari, the Waterloo Regional Museum and Doon Heritage Village.

For the musical family be sure to check out the TD Kitchener Bluesfestival happening August 9-12. Also not to be missed is Moparfest, Canada’s largest all Mopar car show in New Hamburg on August 18^th & 19^th.

“The Waterloo Region really has it all during the summer. Stay for a day or a week, there is so much to do that you’ll be planning your next trip back before you even leave!” said Desjardins.

-30-