Exploring the Joys of Winter at the Ottawa Gatineau Winterlude

We had an opportunity to celebrate the joys of winter in Canada's capital region, Ottawa-Gatineau. The annual Winterlude will be happening until February 18th. There are lots of free activities for the entire family! Check the official Winterlude site for details on hours and locations. There were a lot of fun activities to do despite the cold weather.

Museum of Illusions

We were thrilled to explore Toronto's newest attraction, Museum of Illusions, located at 132 Front Street East close to St. Lawrence Market. Museum of Illusions first opened in Zagreb, Croatia in 2015, and now they have franchises in cities such as New York, Dubai, Kuala Lumpur, and Berlin. It was mesmerizing to experience the trickery of our senses at the different displays and interactive spaces.

Exploring the heritage of Stratford and Perth County

We spent a few days towards the end of our summer vacation exploring the heritage, trails, theatre, and outdoor activities in Stratford and Perth County. While enjoying the activities in this area, we stayed at Forest Motel and Woodland Retreat located in Stratford. It is a family friendly woodland retreat close to all the amenities, a few minutes from the Stratford Festival Theatre. 

Canadian Museum of History

The Canadian Museum of History with its dramatic, curved lines designed by Canadian Aboriginal architect Douglas Cardinal is considered one of the most striking architectural masterpieces of the 20th century. This museum is a wealth of knowledge, as it presents the national narrative of the history of Canada and its people. 

Fun Educational Experience at Aga Khan Museum

Aga Khan Museum located in Toronto has been designed by architect Fumihiko Maki around the concept of light suggested by Aga Khan with a design that invites direct and diffuse light into the building in ingenious ways. Light is an enduring inspiration for the world's religions and civilizations since earliest times.  

Exploring Places like Green Gables and Fort George with the Family Discovery Pass

Parks Canada Discovery Pass for families are wonderful if you want to explore and appreciate Canada's unique and diverse wildlife, wilderness, and natural environment, or discover the inspiring people, places and events of our fascinating past. With the Parks Canada Family Discovery Pass we can make multiple or longer visits to about 100 National Parks, National Marine Conservation Areas and National Historic Sites across Canada that charge entry fees.

Halton County Radial Railway

We had lots of fun riding the rails at the Halton County Radial Railway.  At the Streetcar Museum, we felt as though we were time travelling and enjoyed riding the olden time streetcars and looking at the beautiful fall scenic route. 

The ride is about 20 minutes as the streetcars start at the "Rockwood station", then it goes to the ice cream shop and then to "Meadowvale station".  The museum has put all the details of how it would have been in the past.  The conductors were dressed up.  

We can get off at the stations and enjoy the view or take a walk.  The ticket allows us to go on the streetcars as many time as we want.  

At the Meadowvale station, which is close to the ice cream shop we can enjoy ice cream and snacks.  There is a garden path, a fish pond and a lovely bridge.  The scenery is beautiful to take pictures.  We went when the leaves were changing colour.  

The subways and street cars at the display barn was fun to look and walk through.  

When you visit, you will see how much everything has changed over time including the advertisements that are displayed in the streetcars/subway.  

The museum is located in Milton, Ontario and they are open on the weekend and holidays from 11am to 5pm.  The parking at the museum is free.  

Check out their admission page as they have special rates for families and groups.  We spent about 2 to 2 1/2 hours looking through everything, relaxing and enjoying a picnic there as the weather was beautiful.  Check out their special events here and follow their twitter to know about events that are happening.

Old and New way of operating streetcar/subway

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