Top Family Activities in Newmarket
Newmarket is one of the most livable cities in the GTA for many reasons: peaceful and scenic residential neighbourhoods with a mix of detached and semi-detached houses, townhouses, and low-rise buildings, good schools, lots of amenities, and lots of choices when it comes to fun-filled family activities. Here are our top picks for family activities in Newmarket.
Fairy Lake Park, on Water Street, contains 13.4 hectares of playgrounds, nature trails, bridges, a lake, pavilion (with washrooms), and picnic & BBQ areas. It is an urban oasis in the heart of historic downtown Newmarket. A lot of local events and festivals occur in the park throughout the year, including the weekly Farmers’ Market that takes place every Saturday morning from May to October. Events hosted at Fairy Lake Park include music, dance, demonstrations, and activities for kids such as face painting, train rides, and bouncy castles.
Public libraries can be a good place to introduce your kids early to the world of literature and reading. Located in the historic downtown area of Newmarket, Newmarket Public Library offers ongoing programs for kids and teens such as “Book Club” for children aged 8 to 12. “Reading Buddies” is a weekly reading support program for children in grades 1 to 4 who need extra support in reading. This program is ran by volunteer mentors. “Paws ‘n Tales” is a program for children to practice reading to a friendly dog from the St. John Ambulance “Paws 4 Stories Therapy Dog” program. The program provides trained dogs and their owners to work one-on-one with readers in a quiet and relaxed 30-minute session.
The Parent-Child Mother Goose program is a 10-week group program for mother and baby. It incorporates rhymes, songs, and stories to provide babies with healthy early experiences in communication, language, and social relationships.
In addition to ongoing programs, the library provides free access to 175,000 items, including books, audio books, magazines, multilingual materials, DVDs, CDs, video games, e-books, and online databases.
If you and your family would like to watch some live plays, Newmarket is home to a number of different theatres. The NewRoads Performing Arts Centre (previously called Newmarket Theatre) is the largest performing arts theatre in the city, with a capacity of 400. It has recently been renovated with an updated theatre interior and a multi-purpose, redesigned lobby space (also available for special events and rentals).
The Resurgence Theatre Company focuses on classics and contemporary works from York Region and beyond. This smaller theatre produces an annual Shakespearean production with live performances at Fairy Lake Conservation Area (near downtown Newmarket). In addition to these 2 venues, Old Town Hall also hosts theatre performances in its 250-seat theatre.
4) Thornton Bales Conservation Area
What’s a better way than to get your exercise in while enjoying beautiful nature? Thornton Bales Conservation Area is a great place for hiking, walking the dog, or getting some physical activity by walking up the famous “99 Steps” (natural staircase in the woods). Fall is an especially beautiful season for nature hike at Thornton Bales, but it can be accessed almost all-year round. The conservation area is part of the Oak Ridges Moraine. You might be able to spot the occasional wildlife such as woodpeckers and white-tailed deer in this ravine-like setting.
Thornton Bales Conservation Area is also connected to the University of Toronto’s Koffler Scientific Reserve at Joker’s Hill via a trail. Remember to bring your water bottle and enjoy the workout or scenic walk in nature!
Trampoline can be a great way for exercise for kids, teens, and adults. Ultimate Trampoline has six Olympic-style trampolines, and it offers space for private birthday parties and events. You can also enroll your kids in trampoline camps during PA days, winter and summer breaks, and during the school year. Classes offered include public jumping, recreational classes, special needs classes, competitive classes, group bookings, and more.
6) Lazer Runner
Lazer Runner is located in Aurora, but is easily accessed from Newmarket. It offers interactive laser tag games in a futuristic-looking arena. Players are equipped with fiber optic battle vests and lasers. The game experience includes theatrical fog, black lighting, graphics, and special effects. You can book parties and hold events at this venue.
Bailey Ecological Park is a great park for teaching your kids about birds, animals, wetlands, and forests. It’s a 10-hectare oasis in Newmarket that acts as a bird and animal sanctuary, with East Holland River oxbow ponds, wetlands, and forested areas. For those who want to hike, the Nokiidaa Trail goes through Bailey Ecological Park, with linkage with other towns in York Region (including Aurora and east Gwillimbury).
8) XSCAPE Entertainment Centre
XSCAPE Entertainment Centre, owned by Cineplex, is a 10,000-square-foot entertainment complex that houses an arcade and movie theatre. The arcade contains over 80 interactive games such as air hockey, pinball, virtual bowling, classic arcade games, and prize games. There is a licensed lounge offering meals and snacks. It’s a one-stop-shop entertainment area for whole families – adults, teens, and kids. You can book parties here, with private game consoles, party invitations, and loot bags.
9) Gymalaya
Gymalaya is a gymnastics club and space for young children. It offers classes in a non-competitive setting, geared towards improving skills while having fun. Programs and classes are divided into 5 categories: Tot Gym (for parents, infants, and toddlers aged 18 months to 3 years old), Kinder Gym (for pre-school children aged 3 to 5 years old), Junior Gym (for children aged 5 to 7 years old), Senior Gym (for children aged 7 to 10 years old), and Gym-N-Learn (fitness-based learning for children aged 4 to 6 years old). All the classes are recreational and non-competitive in nature.
10) In Play Inc.
If you have younger kids or toddlers, In Play provides play areas with arcade and ticket games, indoor playground, glow-in-the-dark mini golf, rock climbing wall, bear-making area, and restaurant. It’s a great place for hosting a kids’ birthday party, or simply to spend a weekend day with the kids. Adults can relax and use free WiFi in the area.
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