Summer is quickly coming to a close. Are you in denial about this like I am? Fortunately there is still time to fit in a few more awesome day trip adventures before the season wraps up. I highly recommend taking the kids on a day trip to Upper Canada Village, just an hour outside of Ottawa. Before this summer, I had visited Upper Canada Village with the kids for Pumpkinferno at Halloween and Alight at Night at Christmas, but we had never come out to see the historic village in all of its summer glory. I am so glad we managed to cross this day trip off my summer bucket list.

Upper Canada Village offers an informative, interactive and most of all FUN experience of what life was like in the 19th century. The village is a large place, with homes, a blacksmith, school, bakery, hotel and more – all in working order. There really is something for kids and adults of all ages to enjoy.

Staff in period costumes are everywhere and we found them to be both knowledgeable and friendly. You can watch bread being made and sold from the village baker, and cheese curds made up at the dairy. The exhibits make you feel that you are witnessing history with authentic looking guides and artifacts.

Everything is open to explore and as it turns out, my kids really love nosing around in other people’s homes! They loved running from cottage to cottage, going inside and exploring all of the different rooms. They were especially amused to see the outhouses out back. Kid humour….

My kids also loved all the horse drawn transportation options around the village. They got to ride in a horse drawn carriage ride around the village, as well as a horse drawn barge ride which is reminiscent of how they transported goods by canal back in the 1800s.

After the carriage and boat rides, we also got to take a train ride. There is a cute miniature train just outside the gates to the village, next to the parking lot. It is a scaled replica of an 1860s locomotive. It features a fully accessible car and you experience a few special effects along the route telling the story of the Battle of Crysler’s Farm (including realistic and sudden cannon fire along the way … be prepared to be caught off guard!). It’s a pretty little train trip along the St.Lawrence River but there isn’t too much to look at beyond the scenery. The train does cost extra, so if your kids are big train fans I recommend it, but otherwise you could take a pass.

You will want to plan to spend a lot of time at Upper Canada Village – at least half to a full day to get everything out of it. There can be a lot of walking involved if you want to see it all, so I recommend bringing a stroller or wagon for younger kids. There are a couple of options for meals. Food is served at the historic hotel in the village, at a cafeteria style restaurant on the grounds, and a smaller cafe attached to the gift shop. I recommend the cafeteria for the most kid-friendly eating options, and there are many high chairs offered as well.

Tickets to the village can be purchased at the gate, or online ahead of time. If you are visiting on a weekend or for a special event, you may want to purchase your tickets ahead of time and avoid any line up.