Things to do on Family Day 2024 in Ontario
Families, in all their shapes, forms and sizes, are at the heart of our communities. In Ontario, a day is set aside to reflect on the importance of families and to celebrate with loved ones.
Family Day is a provincial holiday on the third Monday of February, extending the weekend for one extra day. In 2024, Family Day is Monday, February 19.
Whether you’re looking for fun activities to do with your toddlers, tweens or older teens, there are plenty of family bonding activities to enjoy during this long weekend.
Here’s a selection of ideas for things to do this Family Day.
Family getaways
Long weekends were made for getaways and mini-vacations.
From snow-based outdoor adventure to kid-approved indoor programs and entertainment, Ontario’s winter resorts and playgrounds offer endless fun for everyone in the family. Visit Resorts of Ontario for resort packages, specials and other getaway ideas.
Embrace the season and expend all that youthful energy outdoors in the snow. Winter resorts, snow parks, trails and rinks across Ontario offer boundless outdoor fun from the crack of dawn to well past dusk.
Things to do with toddlers and kids
Enjoy indoor and outdoor fun with your little ones this winter. Bundle up and play in the snow. From building a snowman and creating snow angels to tobogganing down a hill, winter creates a new and fun playground right on your doorstep.
Indoor adventures for kids
Indoor entertainment complexes and playgrounds offer all kinds of fun for kids and families regardless of the weather.
Housed in an old Kellogg’s facility in London, The Factory is Canada's biggest indoor family entertainment centre and features North America's largest indoor high ropes course.
Location: 100 Kellogg Lane, London
This indoor amusement centre is perfect for families with young kids, including toddlers.
Location: 150 Lesmill Road, North York
Part of Bingemans, Kitchener’s popular family entertainment centre, FunworX is an interactive, three-level indoor family playground.
Location: 425 Bingemans Centre Drive, Kitchener
Indoor water parks
Kids and adults alike can enjoy loads of fun water-based activities in the middle of winter.
For water-loving families, Ontario is home to several indoor water parks that keep the summer vibe going all year round with water slides, raft rides, wave pools and more.
Animal attractions
Treat your future zoologists to a day of discovery at a zoo, aviary or aquarium.
Several indoor pavilions remain open throughout the year at the Toronto Zoo. The Zoo to You program brings the wildlife to you through virtual experiences.
Location: 2000 Meadowvale Road, Toronto
Wolf Centre at Haliburton Forest & Wild Life Reserve
Witness wolves in the wild at the Wolf Centre at Haliburton Forest & Wild Life Reserve, a massive facility featuring an indoor observatory. It’s located south of Algonquin Provincial Park.
Location: 1305 Redkenn Road, Dysart, Haliburton
The world’s largest free-flying indoor aviary, Bird Kingdom, teems with hundreds of tropical birds in the multi-level rainforest habitat.
Location: 5651 River Road, Niagara Falls
Cambridge Butterfly Conservatory
Travel further west to experience the enchanting sight of thousands of exotic butterflies fluttering through tropical gardens at the Cambridge Butterfly Conservatory.
Location: 2500 Kossuth Road, Cambridge
Dive into the mysterious and magical underwater world in downtown Toronto, where you can view countless species of fish, jellyfish, sharks, stingrays and more. Get the insider’s guide to visiting this aquatic attraction.
Location: 288 Bremner Boulevard, Toronto
Fun activities for tweens
As your kids get older, they’ll need new activities and adventures to keep them entertained. Here are some fun ideas for your tweens as they transition towards the teenage years.
Ice skating
Fun for the whole family, ice skating takes place in every city, town and village, on indoor rinks and frozen ponds.
Find the closest urban skating rink or make a day of it and head to a forested skate trail in the countryside.
One of Ottawa’s top family activities can be found at the world’s largest skating rink (weather dependent).
Location: 1 Elgin Street, Ottawa
Glide a 220-metre figure-eight loop under the Gardiner Expressway in Toronto.
Location: 250 Fort York Boulevard, Toronto
Muskoka Lakes Farm & Winery offers a 1.2-kilometre skating loop around five hectares of cranberry beds, with hot cran-apple cider for you to enjoy post-skate.
Location: 1074 Cranberry Road, Bala
Snow tubing
A thrilling way to travel down a steep snowy hillside is on an innertube.
Ontario’s snow tubing runs guarantee the ultimate day of fun for the whole family.
Find exciting snow tubing hills and quality accommodations so you can have winter fun throughout your entire stay.
Location: 1101 Horseshoe Valley Road West, Barrie
Experience the trills of snowtubing at one of Ontario favourite winter playgrounds.
Location: 150 Jozo Weider Boulevard, The Blue Mountains
Skiing and snowboarding
Skiing in Ontario is a quintessential part of celebrating the winter season in this province.
With ski and snowboard training camps, private lessons, adaptive programs, equipment rentals and more, Ontario’s downhill ski and snowboard parks make it easy to discover the thrill of the hill.
Find a resort or ski hill near you.
Museums and attractions
Have fun while learning something new at a museum or educational attraction.
Interactive, hands-on games and activities and family-focused programming make learning fun at Ontario’s kid-friendly museums and engaging science centres.
Enjoy three days of drop-in fun at the AGO, inspired by Life Between Islands: Caribbean-British Art, 1950s-Now. Activities include a family-friendly tour of the multi-media exhibition, live storytelling, dance performances and workshops.
Location: 317 Dundas Street West, Toronto
Showcasing iconic landmarks and landscapes through detailed, miniature animation. You’ll journey across this vast, beautiful and big country through a series of little stories.
Location: 10 Dundas Street East, Basement 2, Toronto
Discover fun activities to test your goalie skills, call play-by-play action and take pictures of the Stanley Cup and lots of great moments.
Location: 30 Yonge Street, Toronto
Enjoy enhanced programming and a much-anticipated return of a celebrated dino. Canada’s leading museum is preparing to host unforgettable experiences with free admission on Family Day.
Location: 100 Queens Park, Toronto
Winter adventures for teenagers
Encourage your teens to discover seasonal activities that will continue to challenge and captivate them well into adulthood.
Fat biking
Discover pristine winter landscapes and snow-capped forests while fat biking.
This Sault Ste. Marie golf course is transformed into a popular wintertime destination, with over 15 kilometres of groomed scenic and technical trails to ride.
Location: 418 Fourth Line West, Sault Ste. Marie
If you’re looking for resort accommodations to enjoy along with your fat biking trip, Deerhurst features numerous trails around the resort and on the frozen lake.
Location: 1235 Deerhurst Drive, Huntsville
Find more fat biking excursions in Ontario.
Snowshoeing
If you haven’t tried it before, make this the year you experience snowshoeing in Ontario.
Guided and outfitted excursions and easy trails with equipment rentals are perfect for beginners.
Horseback riding
Explore snowy trails by horseback on a guided winter trail ride.
Winter horseback riding is available just west of North Bay along Highway 17.
Location: 1286 Von Doeler Road, Bonfield
Offering guided rides on over 90 hectares of tranquil trails.
Location: 2499 Brock Road, Uxbridge
Private trail rides, as well as special horseback riding experiences designed for kids can be arranged. You’ll want to check for age and weight restrictions in advance.
Location: 11061 Ellsworth Road North, Port Colborne
Escape rooms
Rise to the challenge of an escape room adventure together.
This interactive, group activity involves clues, puzzles and tasks. Working together, you’ll need to identify the clues, solve the puzzles and complete the tasks within a set timeframe to “escape.”
From kid-friendly to super challenging, there are different types and themes of escape rooms for players of all ages and levels.
Last updated: March 19, 2024