Family Day: Cheap ways to enjoy it outdoors

If you plan carefully for Family Day next  Monday you can enjoy the day for free or for very little money. 

One of our favourite days spent as a family cost the price of the ferry to Ward's Island. For the second Family Day in 2009, we packed a picnic, took our skates and enjoyed a cheap and sunny day on the Toronto Islands. That trip stands in direct contrast to the $60 we spent at the Royal Ontario Museum for the first Family Day where we dragged a very tired child. Not our brightest parenting moment.

Here are some cheap or free options to enjoy on the fifth Family Day:

• Skating on the harbour won’t be an option this Family Day thanks to a balmy winter but the Natrel rink is open at Harbourfront as are numerous outdoor rinks run by the city of Toronto.
• Further west  from the Natrel rink is PawsWay at 245 Queens Quay West which welcomes dogs and cats.  Sponsored by Dog Chow, the activities include canine sports demos by the Woofjocks, face-painting, balloon artists, prizes and games for free(11:00 a.m. – 5 p.m.)
• Visit Riverdale Farm, an actual working farm in the middle of the city. From 9-5, children can visit with the farmer during daily chores, which include animal feeding, egg collection, cow milking, goat milking and horse grooming.  201 Winchester St.
• In Halton Region, check Conservation Halton for activities on Family Day.  
• Crawford Lake and Mountsberg are hosting events this Family Day weekend. Snowflakes and Snowsnakes at Crawford Lake (hiking, snowshoeing or skiing on trails, roast marshmallows, making bird feeders, or going on a winter discovery hunt to win prizes and tour the longhouses) or pop by Mountsberg for a horse drawn wagon or sleigh ride. Regular admission applies.
• The Town of Markham celebrates Winterfest on Family Day. Enjoy skating, snowshoeing, ice block building, music, food and throwing snowballs.

Contact Peggy Mackenzie at pmackenzie@thestar.ca or follow her on Twitter:@PeggyMackenzie