Family-Friendly Fun in Oakville

We have had a lot of positive feedback from our coverage of the Doors Open events across Ontario, but not every city participates in Doors Open every year. If you’re looking for some educational and family-friendly fun closer to home in the Oakville area, this post will be sure to help. As a bonus, these events are open nearly all the time and not just on one festival weekend, so you can explore and visit at your leisure!

At Teachers on Call, our in-person and online tutoring team are big believers in family field trips filled with learning, adventure and teachable moments. Our educators have rounded up a list to go exploring for families in the Halton Region, so read on!

Here are some great places to visit this summer in Oakville and the surrounding area.

Museums in Oakville

The Oakville Museum - 8 Navy St, Oakville, ON L6J 2Y5

Located at 19th-century Erchless Estate, complete with period furnishings and a collection of artifacts, the museum offers a glimpse into life in early Oakville. With historical displays and guided tours, kids will have a blast learning about local history and culture.

The Merrick Thomas House - 144 Front St, Oakville, ON L6J 1A2

Operated by the Society and located in Lakeside Park. The home was built in 1829 as the original farm home of The Thomas Family. The Thomas House is furnished and presented as a pioneer home from 1829 to 1840s. There are many original family items in the home.

Howard Iron Works Printing Museum - 800 Westgate Road, Oakville, ON L6L 5N2

A must-see for kids with a mechanical bent, since printing presses revolutionized education for the human race. The Howard Iron Works Museum focuses on printing press machinery built from the 1830s to the 1950s. From Iron presses to stone presses to book binding and antique letterheads, there’s a lot to see and marvel at!

The Oakville Lighthouse - 99 Forsythe St, Oakville, ON L6K 3R7

While it’s not exactly a museum on its own, the lighthouse is a great feature to see! And as it is located close to the Lakeside and Tannery Parks, there’s plenty of playing and exploring to do after the long walk down the lighthouse path. The marina is nearby for boat watching as well!

Animals & Working Farms in the Oakville Area

Some of these options are just a short drive out of town!

The Ranch - 2401 Burnhamthorpe Road West, Oakville, ON L7M 0P1

For horse lovers of all ages, The Ranch offers year-round, 90-minute trail rides for riders over the age of 10 and summer camps for riders 10-16.

Chudleigh’s Farm - 9528 Regional Road 25, Halton Hills, ON L9T 2X7

Chudleigh’s Farm offers an amazing experience to families with events like apple picking that change with the seasons, so be sure to check their website for what might be going on! What’s always available? Great food, nature trails, play areas, the fire pit, and of course, lots of farm animals!

Springridge Farm – 7256 Bell School Line, Milton, ON L9E 0N7

Springridge is open to the public a little sooner in the year than Chudleigh’s, and it offers spring and summer passes to the Fun Farmyard. The fun farmyard includes tractors, goat mountain, farm animals, singing chickens, a wagon ride, and more!

Dorval Crossing Civitan Farmer’s Market - 240 North Service Rd W, Oakville, ON L6M 2Y4

Okay, this one’s not exactly a farm, but everyone loves a good farmer’s market! It’s also a great way to get kids curious about how food is grown and made. Don’t worry; it’s not just vegetables at this market – there’s plenty of sweet treats to find too. It’s open every Saturday morning from 8:30 to 1:30pm, May until the end of November.

Arts & Crafts in Oakville 

These Oakville destinations are great one-off family-friendly fun, but they also make great options for summer camps!

Crack Pot Studio - 301 Robinson Street, Oakville, ON L6J 1G7

The Crack Pot Studio offers Drop-In Painting, Clay Camps, classes, and Painting Parties! Not only can your child get in touch with their creative side, but you can also participate too!

Pottery N Paint Cafe - 3513 Wyecroft Rd Unit H1, Oakville, ON L6L 0B6

Pottery N Paint also lets the whole family play with clay wheels and ceramic, but for the curious, they also offer canvas painting. Be sure to check out their camps and special events.

Joshua Creek Heritage Art Centre – 1086 Burnhamthorpe Rd E, Oakville, ON L6H 7B2

The Mindful Heart programs offered by Joshua Creek aren’t just for practicing art; they’re designed to inspire children with nature exploration and playful mindfulness programs. These programs are six weeks long on Mondays.

Band Camp and Band Camp Junior Halton - King's Christian Collegiate, 528 Burnhamthorpe Road W, Oakville, ON L6M 4K6

While this is a limited-time event, it is also an annual one if you miss this year! Bandology’s Band Camp is a week-long day camp for keen music students in grades 7-12 who want to improve their musical skills in the summer. Children in Grades 2-6 who are interested in finding an instrument can check out Band Camp Junior – no musical background at all is required. It’s strictly an introductory workshop. Check out the website for registration.

Nature & Hikes in Oakville

Coronation Park - 1426 Lakeshore Rd West, Oakville, ON L6L 1G2

Coronation Park is a large, beautiful park situated on the shore of Lake Ontario. There’s green space to explore, but the amenities also include a splash pad, volleyball, playgrounds, and washrooms.

Bronte Heritage Park - 2340 Ontario Street, Oakville, ON L6L 6P7

A wonderful place to go for walks, especially if you have boat-lovers in the family! There’s a lot to explore and see around the harbour. The yacht club is nearby, meaning there’s usually lots of boating activity, and there’s often plenty of ducks and swans to see as well. Restaurants are also nearby.

Lion’s Valley Park - 1227 Lions Valley Park Rd, Oakville, ON L6H 6W8

One of the best kept secrets known best to locals! Lion’s Valley Park is not just a beautiful park with family-friendly features like washrooms, picnic and play structures. It’s also a great point to jump into the trail system for older children and families looking for a good nature hike.

Indoor Exercise

These selections are perfect to get everyone out of the house and keep the family moving during the rainiest or hottest of days.

The Putting Edge - 2085 Winston Park Dr, Oakville, ON L6H 6P5

The Putting Edge features 18 holes of “Black lit” putt-putt courses. It’s a kaleidoscope of dazzling “Glow-in-the-Dark” colors, images and sounds, rocking your senses in extraordinary and unbelievable ways. There’s also an arcade to extend the fun once the golf is done!

We Rock the Spectrum Kid’s Gym – 245 Wyecroft Rd, Unit #3, Oakville, ON L6K 3Y6

For birthdays or just open play, this indoor playground has a lot to offer. We Rock the Spectrum promotes itself as an inclusive environment with play places that also serve the sensory needs of children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). In addition to open play at the gym, there’s camps and classes that are also open to all children, including those with special education needs.

Planet Laser - 461 North Service Road West, Oakville, ON L6M 2V5

Laser tag remains high on the popularity list for kid’s parties and active family fun on a budget for a great reason! If you’re not up to the gaming itself, it’s still a great place to let the kids burn off some energy.

Wherever you decide to visit in Oakville, we hope you find some great family-friendly fun! Who knows, perhaps you’ll learn something amazing, too? For more summer learning activities and suggestions, feel free to check out the Teachers on Call blog!