Summer Wonder

Every year when I go back to school in September and welcome a fresh new group of students, I ask them to tell me about their summer holidays: maybe they’ll write me a letter, maybe they’ll draw a picture. This year I asked them to sum it all up in two short words. If I had given myself the same assignment, I know what I would say:

SUMMER WONDER

Summer holiday is eight weeks long, and my girls and I did a lot of stuff during our eight weeks. We found wonders, it seems, around every corner this summer: exploring the rockies on horseback; hours of fun on the water in Ontario and BC, road trips and special times with family. But when I asked my girls to pick one day that stood out in their memories, they both agreed: it’s got to be our trip to Canada’s Wonderland with my sister and her family.

Kids and amusement parks go together like peanut butter and jelly, and we proved it this summer with a marathon day at Wonderland. The kids rode all of the most exciting thrill rides and roller coasters, often more than once, and we adults even indulged our “inner child” with a trip on Leviathan; the biggest roller coaster in the park. But Leviathan is no kiddie ride: at 306 feet, it’s the tallest ride in the park. Riders can enjoy the panoramic view from the top (you can see the CN Tower – I know from experience) before the ride drops you at an 80 degree angle and sends you careering over nearly 5500 feet of mind-bending, stomach-swooping track at speeds reaching 148 km/hr. So yeah…it’s pretty intense, which is exactly what the kids were after. The moment we stepped off Leviathan, they raced down the stairs so they could get in line to ride it again. Which they did. Twice.

With Fast Lane Plus passes in hand, our kids were able to bypass the regular lines on 17 of Wonderland’s most popular rides and attractions, as well as getting unlimited access to Behemoth and Leviathan, which typically have the longest lines, given that they’re the biggest, fastest, and newest roller coasters in the park. A Fast Lane pass is an investment I’d definitely recommend if you’re super-keen on thrill rides or if you’re visiting Canada’s Wonderland from out of town. It’ll pretty much double your admission price, but if you want to get the most out of your experience and it’s a busy day, it will prove to be worthwhile.

Kids and amusement parks go together like peanut butter and jelly.

Because you can’t ride roller coasters all day long, Canada’s Wonderland has other fun attractions. We had lots of fun watching other visitors compete at various skill games, like climbing Jacob’s Ladder and sinking hoops, and saw plenty of others roaming the park with their prizes. Fun fact: did you know that a half million stuffed toys are won each season at Canada’s Wonderland? You might also take in a show or, for an extra $5, explore Dinosaurs Alive, an interactive exhibit featuring more than 40 life-sized animatronic dinosaurs set in a seven acre outdoor Jurassic-themed environment.

No matter how much of a hardcore thrill-seeker you are, you’ll eventually get hungry, and there are lots of options to choose from at Wonderland (be aware: you cannot bring your own food into the park, but there are picnicking options available outside the gates). We chose to have a late lunch at the Marketplace International Buffet, which turned out to be the perfect choice for us. We wanted a sit-down venue instead of fast-food, and getting indoors and out of the sun was a relief on a super-hot day. There were food options to please any palate: pizza, pasta, a variety of salads and build-your-own tacos, which turned out to be the meal of choice with our group. And for dessert, there were pies, cakes, brownies and, best of all: a soft-serve bar!

With everyone refuelled, there was still lots to do and see at Canada’s Wonderland, not the least of which was getting soaked to the skin on Timberwolf Falls and checking out some of the retail outlets before taking in the view of Victoria Falls from the base of Wonder Mountain.

After a long day of thrills, fun and food there may even have been a few gentle snores from the back seat on the drive home.

Summer wonder, indeed.