Anyone with children knows that raising a family is expensive. Food, clothing, school supplies, and extra-curricular activities all add up quickly. And, for many, this recession lingers. When summer rolls around and you start thinking about your family vacation, budgeting can seem daunting. However, with a little planning, you can still have a great get-away without breaking the bank.
1. Plan your meals
When travelling with a family, food can be the biggest expense. It is also a big headache if traveling with fussy eaters who balk at new and different foods. Finding a place to stay with a kitchen can easily solve these problems. By preparing some of your meals yourself can greatly reduce your costs.
Even if you don’t have access to cooking facilities, you can still save money. Most vacation rental places – even hotels – have at least a fridge for you to use. Bring milk, fruit and cereal to serve fast and easy breakfasts. However, don’t expect a hotel to have dishes. Plan ahead by visiting a dollar store to bring along some basic dishes and cutlery.
If taking a vacation from cooking is part of the appeal of getting away, you can still save money on food. Most grocery stores have a deli counter where you can buy salads and sandwiches for much less than a restaurant meal. Pick up food and drinks for an inexpensive picnic lunch while you’re out and about.
2. Take a Shorter Trip
There’s no law that says you need to get away for two weeks. Plan a long weekend or a mid-week getaway. You’ll still come home refreshed but won’t need the same budget as a longer vacation. Mini-vacations have the added benefit of being easier to pack for and less stressful on toddlers.
3. Off-season rates
If you’ve got a tight budget, check to see if your vacation rental or hotel has off-season times. Often these will be cheaper than peak season.
4. Bring Toys, Games and Sporting Equipment
Packing balls, bats, kites and water toys allows you to plan a no-cost day at a park or beach near your hotel. Create a (more…)
While I’d love to be an artist, I can’t draw anything more complex than a stick figure. The only painting I’ve done in the past five years is my living room wall. I can’t sing a note in tune, nor can I play an instrument. However, I have found an outlet for my artistic urges: scrapbooking.
As any scrapbooker knows, there’s nothing more pleasurable than taking a stack of family photos and creating a beautiful keepsake you’ll treasure forever. It’s more than slapping photos into an album. It’s choosing the right background paper to go with the photos. It’s adding stickers, mats and commentary. It’s creating a work of art.
And while spending a Saturday afternoon at your dining room table putting together your scrapbook in between fixing snacks for the kids is a lot of fun, it can sometimes be frustrating finding the time. After a while you can become stuck in a rut and lose your creativity. You just can’t find another new idea for your photos.
There’s nothing like a nice family vacation. Get away and spend some quality time together. Because you love your kids – even the teenagers. No really. They may give you attitude and pretend they don’t know you at the mall, but you still want them along on a family get-away.
And summer is the perfect time for a trip. In the city it’s too hot and sticky to stay at home, and the kids are out of school. You need to get out of town. For many families, the summer vacation is an annual ritual. Renting a cottage for a week on a Muskoka lake can be a great choice – when the kids are small. After all, you can sit in a lawn chair and read while they play in the sand, all day long.
But when your kids hit the teen years, all bets are off. When they’re four you might get away with a week without a phone, the internet or the mall. But when they’re 14? No way.
And there is nothing more terrifying than a bored teenager.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/robhardingii
They can make everyone’s life a misery without breaking a sweat.
Do you really want to waste your vacation butting heads with a teenaged terror? Listen to them complain about lack of cell service? Moaning about nothing to do? Whining about how bored they are? No. I didn’t think so.
The signs of spring are everywhere. The ice is leaving the bay. Crocuses are peeking their heads out. The early tulips are as well. Even saw my first robin the other day – fat, red and hopping across the lawn. It won’t be long before the mountainsides start turning green.
And while skiers and snowmobilers may be a little sad at the changing seasons, every year there is more and more to do in Blue Mountain culturally and with activities. So while the ice is still coming out in cottage country all of these activities make this area the best in Ontario for a spring getaway. Here are my top ten ways to celebrate spring during your visit.
1. The Georgian Trail was originally a rail line between Collingwood and Meaford beginning in 1872. It was reopened in the fall of 1989 as a 34 km trail. The trail has a hard-packed, granular surface, so it’s easy for walking, cycling and is even wheel chair accessible – making it perfect for a family outing. There are benches along the trail for resting, and several places with rest rooms. Along a good stretch of the trail you’re walking right next to Georgian Bay so you have some stunning views. Visit for maps, photos and more information.
Leaving Thornbury, heading west
2. The town of Collingwood has created The Collingwood Trails Network. There are over 60 kilometres of marked trails. The in-town trails are suitable for strollers, wheelchairs, and electronic scooters. Millennium Park is part of the in-town network. It offers fabulous views of the bay and was once the site where massive Great Lakes freighters arrived in Collingwood. Go to www.collingwoodtrails.ca for a list of all the trails that are part of the network, as well as photos and maps.
3. With snow melting and April showers, spring is a great time to take the Grey County Waterfall Tour. There are an incredible number of waterfalls in Grey County – each more beautiful than the last. Many are a short drive or hike from major roads. Download and print the map of the 150 km self-guided driving tour. You can visit as many or as few as you’d like at your own pace. www.visitgrey.ca/travel-experiences/waterfalls-and-waterways/waterfall-tour/
One of the stunning views
4. If you’re a little more adventurous, there are plenty of places where you can go rock climbing. Metcalfe Rock is one of Ontario’s oldest climbing areas and very popular. At 800 meters at its peak, Metcalfe Rock offers top roping, traditional and sport climbing. Access is along the Bruce Trail. The full loop is about 8 km and will take about 3 hours, over and above your climbing time. Visit http://brucetrail.org/explore/show/28 to get directions.
5. For a more sedate outdoor activity, try the historic architecture walking tour of Thornbury. Pick up a brochure with directions and details about each of the homes from participating stores in downtown Thornbury. Then spend a lovely hour or so walking the area and looking at these beautiful, historic homes. Visit http://www.thornbury.ca/things-to-do/walking-tour for more information.
The Mill Cafe overlooking Thornbury Dam
6. Perfect for a rainy day is a visit to the Arts Centre. The Blue Mountain Foundation for the Arts is presenting PAINTINGS, an exhibition featuring the art of Paul Shilling and Jennifer Porter. This show runs from March 31, 2010 to May 2, 2010. If you happen to be in Collingwood April 10th, you can meet this artists at the reception from 3 to 5 pm. 163 Hurontario St., Collingwood Ontario 705-445-3430 www.bmfa.on.ca
7. The Georgian Sound Festival is an annual event – this year April 23, 24 and 25 in Thornbury and Clarksburg. If you love jazz – or want to learn more about it – this is the weekend for you. You’ll hear every genre of jazz, from traditional Dixieland, big band swing, gospel, modern and Latino flavoured jazz. And it’s not just for listening. On Saturday you can take dance classes and learn to ballroom dance or swing dance. For more info or to order tickets, call 519-599-3223 or go to www.georgiansoundfestival.ca.
Marlene O'Neill will headline Sunday's Gospelfest
8. If folk music is more your style, you’ll want to check out Lunch At Allen’s at the Marsh Street Centre in Clarksburg. This musical revue includes Murray McLauchlan, Cindy Church, Marc Jordan, and Ian Thomas. It’s an incredible chance to see all four of these musicians on one stage. It’s a one-time show on Saturday, May 15th at 8pm. Call 519-599-7837 or visit for more information www.marshstreetcentre.ca.
9. For a more active family day, you and your kids will love the Just Push Play Arcade in Creemore. What’s unique about this arcade is you don’t need quarters (or loonies). Just pay a flat fee admission price and you can play all the games you want. There are over 200 games – recent and trendy games to some oldies but goodies. They have air hockey, Dance Dance Revolution, Pac Man, pinball machines, and even the old Galaga game. Freak your kids out at how good you are at the oldies or let them kick your butt on the new ones. 5 Francis St. E Unit A, Creemore, Ontario. (705) 466-6668 www.justpushplayarcade.com
10. Lastly, who doesn’t love bowling? C’mon admit it. This is fun for the entire family. The Georgian Bowl in Collingwood has 12 lanes of 5-pin bowling – the truly Canadian version of the game. In fact, 5-pin bowling celebrated it’s 100th anniversary in 2009. Not only that, 5-pin is easier for little hands to manage. You can even use bumpers to take the frustration out of the game for beginners. For adults, there is Rock n Bowl Saturday nights. Located at 832 Hurontario St., Collingwood, Ontario, L9Y 3Z1 or call (705) 445-3871. On the web at www.georgianbowl.com.
We’d love to have you join us this spring – or anytime for that matter. Give us a call when you’re ready.
Visitors to Ontario often don’t realize how big the province really is. How many times has a relative flown in to visit and said to you, “Let’s go to Niagara Falls, the CN Tower, and the Parliament Buildings. Then tomorrow …”? Even when they look on the map, the just don’t get how far apart everything is.
But anyone who lives here knows Ontario takes up a lot of space. You can’t see it all in one day. And because we’re so big, each region has its own distinct landscape.
From the top of the Blue Mountains to the shores of Georgian Bay
The Blue Mountain region is different from the rest of the province. As you drive towards the area, gradually the land becomes more rolling, more hilly. The hillsides are covered with lush forests or rolling farmland. At the tops of the hills, you catch glimpses of Georgian Bay. As the landscape changes, you know you’re getting closer to your destination.
In the spring, Blue Mountain has that fresh, young green colour of new shoots and new leaves. Everything is starting to burst with life. Summer brings a deeper green, as everything is in full leaf. Autumn turns into an explosion of colour. There’s nothing quite as stunning as the Collingwood hillsides covered in oranges, yellows and reds on a sunny October day. And winter has its own special beauty. The rolling hills covered in a blanket of fresh, white snow. The crisp, clean feel that is missing from city snow … assuming the city has any snow.
But Blue Mountain is more than natural beauty. Yes, there are many outdoors activities; snowmobiling and skiing in the winter, hiking and boating in the summer. But once you’ve had enough of the outdoors, there are plenty of indoor activities to keep you busy. You can spend an afternoon wandering through an art gallery or a museum. You can go shopping at the many local boutiques and shops. When you’ve enough, get dressed up and enjoy a quiet dinner at a luxury restaurant. Or be casual and have a great meal at lively pub. Or just stay in and enjoy the beautiful homes & cottages we rent. The choice is yours.
And perhaps the best part of a Blue Mountain vacation is how easy it is to get here. From Toronto, you can hop in your car straight from work and be sitting down for a late dinner in less time than it would take you to get through airport security. No long line-ups, no baggage search, no uncomfortable plane trip. Just a pleasant drive through lovely countryside, then before you know it, you’re already starting your vacation. What could be better?
Feel free to add why you love living or vacationing in the area.
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We Love Blue Mountain!
The ski resort is great but there's so much more to the Town of the Blue Mountains and the Collingwood area. From golfing to biking to shopping to dining to beaching to sailing - from boy's weekends to girl's getaways, family vacations and group offsites - this blog is setting out to provide a collection of the best ways to get the most out of one of the most fun spots in Canada.
