A family destination with an educational focus, the miniature theme park known as Storybook Gardens is a great place to unload a minivan. There are petting areas, zoo animals, rides, team games, face painting, and lots of reading activities. The park is open year-round. There's a kiddie splash zone in the summer and a circuitous ice-skating trail in the winter. The skating trail, cooled from beneath to facilitate weather-independent skating, offers fun views of Humpty Dumpty on his wall, the shoe in the fairy-tale which "Old Woman" called home, and five harbor seals hanging out in their tank.
Storybook Gardens
1958 Storybook Lane
London, ON N6K 4Y6
Canada
Tel: 519.661.5770
www.storybook.london.ca
It's hard not to love a reenactment village. There's something compelling about taking a step back in time, and Fanshawe Pioneer Village is a very well-curated, thoughtfully presented place to take that step. Great for families, individual exploration (or even, if you're feeling unique, a date), the village property offers a stroll through meticulously refurbished 19th century homes, churches, shops and schools. The facility is open during regular hours from May to October, though it features a calendar full of seasonal events that stretch outside those dates (such as a harvest festival, Haunted Village Hayrides for Halloween, and a delightfully old-school Christmas celebration). Of course, costumed interpreters are always around to answer questions. Shockingly, general admission is just $5.00, as of 2010.
Fanshawe Pioneer Village
2609 Fanshawe Park Rd. E.
London, ON N5X 4A1
Canada
Tel: 519.457.1296
www.fanshawepioneervillage.ca
If your interests skew a little earlier than the 19th century history of London, there's still some fun for you. You'll have to get your fingernails dirty, though. The Museum of Ontario Archaeology, a very unique (and very Canadian) institution, has a collection and educational program that spans the region's last 11,000 years. The museum itself is tucked alongside the Lawson Prehistoric Iroquoian Village, a village that was founded by the Iroquoi Nation in the early 16th century A.D. What about the fun, you ask? You can play Indiana Jones: Programs run by the museum foundation offer ample hands-on activities, such as "Archaeologist for the Day," which hook you up with a shovel and lets you participate in digs.
Museum of Ontario Archaeology
1600 Attawandaron Road
London, ON N6G 3M6
Canada
Tel: 519.473.1360
www.uwo.ca
