Want to know an underrated family travel destination in Ontario? Sudbury!
The city of Sudbury is bursting with fun things to do with the family. It is often overlooked by more populated areas such as Toronto and Ottawa but Sudbury has no shortage of fun things to do for kids and adults alike.
Distance from Petawawa: 3h48 minutes
Distance from Ottawa: 5h24 minutes
Distance from Toronto: 4h8 minutes
Check out Dynamic Earth & The Big Nickel
Have you ever wanted to go back in time?
Or how about travel 7 stories underground via mine elevator?
At Dynamic Earth you can do both plus so much more!
Located just outside Dynamic Earth is the Big Nickel, the largest coin in the world - this is the perfect selfie spot! Take a look at the rocks underfoot - those lines are caused by the glacier retreat scraping across the earth and leaving striations in their place.
When your done exploring outside head into the museum. Inside you will find the Earth Gallery which is a hands on, interactive display of all things EARTH! Discover how tectonic plates cause earthquakes, get up close and personal with fossils and learn how to identify various minerals!
My daughter is 8 and my toddler is 18 months and both of them had plenty to see and do inside the Earth Gallery. Both kids loved the life sized building blocks, the magnetic rock display was another favourite with the Duquette kids!
Outside the museum and included with regular admission is an absolutely incredible outdoor science park! The kids played here until the museum closed - some family favourites were the molten slide into the real-sized slag pot, the diggers in the sand pit, and all the mining loaders and machinery you can sit in.
THE BEST PART is definitely the mine tour; travel back in time and 7 stories underground through a mining elevator replica - don your hard hat (and favourite sweater, it gets pretty chilly down there) and enjoy the guided tour on the evolution of mining. Start in an early 1900's mine and work your way up to a modern mine.
Fun fact: Did you know Queen Elizabeth II was actually the first woman to step foot in a Sudbury mine?
This tour is a blast for the kids.. pun intended! Flashing lights, special effects and incredible staff make this tour the highlight of Sudbury!
All the details you need for Dynamic Earth:
Address - 122 Big Nickel Rd, Sudbury, ON P3C 5T7
Hours - Open 7 days a week from 10am-4pm
Admission - General Admission + Underground Tour
Adult $20
Child $16
Senior & Youth $18
General Admission (Surface Only)
Adult $15
Child $11
Senior & Youth $13
*under 3 is free*
Next on the list of fun things to do in Sudbury is Science North!
Science North is an interactive, immersive, hands-on absolutely positively F-U-N museum!
Fun fact: Did you know Science North is the top tourist destination in Northern Ontario? That is an impressive title because Northern Ontario is full of wonder!
At Science North you can visit tropical butterflies in the F. Jean MacLeod Butterfly Gallery, handle exotic bugs, tarantulas, centipedes & watch scorpions glow under UV light! Bugs and butterflies not your thing? No problem, on the third floor you can learn all about a more comfortable ecosystem - the North! Get friendly with Science North's animal ambassadors, beavers, tortoises, snakes, bats, fish and learn how you can help at-risk species right here in Ontario!
On the fourth floor is where we spent most of our day. Every single exhibit was captivating, engaging and exciting. Put your CPR skills to the test at the invaluable 'Save a Life' display. Learn all about human anatomy with life sized organ puzzles, bone puzzles, heat sensors, race your kids against each other and discover how the body works!
Tinker, play and build racecars in the tech lab, build with light, play with sound and learn all about space exploration.. you can even take a spin in the Gyroscope if you're feeling brave!
One of my favourite features about this museum and something that really makes it stand out against other museums is the architecture - the museum is shaped like a snowflake to symbolize glaciation which sculpted Canada's Northern landscape.
A smaller snowflake houses museum administration, the cafeteria and special exhibits an underground rock tunnel takes you to the larger snowflake shaped building where you will find an underground cavern. From this cavern you take a ramp up to each museum floor, on one side of the ramp you are greeted with a breathtaking view of Ramsay Lake and on the other side an impressive Fin Whale skeleton dominates this space as well as the original rock called the Creighton Fault.
Seriously this museum is amazing if you can't tell from my excitement!
All the details you need for Science North:
Address - 100 Ramsay Lake Rd Greater Sudbury, On P3E 5S9
Hours - Open 7 days a week from 10am-4pm
Admission - General Admission
Adult $20
Child $16
Senior & Youth $18
*under 3 is free*
Parking - First hour: FREE
$2 per hour with a max rate of $6 a day
More to do in Sudbury;
Hiking:
Lake Laurentian Conservation Area - Over 38kms of hiking trails, 17kms of single track cross country-ski trails, 5km of snowshoeing trails
Address: 2309 S Bay Rd, Sudbury, ON P3E 6H7
Admission: Free
Kivi Park - Hiking loops ranging from 1-7kms, 15.4km of biking trails, 21.2km of cross-country ski trails & easily the coolest playground we have ever been to!
Address: 4472 Long Lake Rd Sudbury, On P3G 1K4
Admission: Day pass $9EA or $25/family of 2 adults & up to 4 youth
Onaping Falls - An impressive waterfall just 30 minutes outside of the city; trails ranging from .5km - 2km Moderate - difficult
Address: The trail is located off of Hwy 144, 5.0 km north of Dowling. The A.Y. Jackson welcome centre sign is visible from the road.
Admission: Free parking is available at the welcome centre.
Don't forget to stop by Canada's largest mural just down the street from Science North!
Where to Stay;
Hilton Garden Inn https://www.hilton.com/en/hotels/ysbsogi-hilton-garden-inn-sudbury/?SEO_id=GMB-AMER-GI-YSBSOGI&y_source=1_MTgyMDQ4MTgtNzE1LWxvY2F0aW9uLndlYnNpdGU%3D
Microtel Inn & Suites https://www.wyndhamhotels.com/en-ca/microtel/sudbury-ontario/microtel-inn-and-suites-by-wyndham-sudbury/overview?CID=LC:MT::GGL:RIO:National:46108&iata=00093796
Where to Eat;
Our family favourites were:
The Laughing Buddha - a phenomenal patio space with stone baked pizzas, plenty of vegetarian and vegan options
La Fromagerie - A super fun restaurant! We loved sharing our charcuterie plate & I am still dreaming about their dill pickle flatbread
Tucos Taco Lounge - delicious, vegan tacos with plenty of options to choose from
Jak's Diner - everything you want from a breakfast spot plus more! Great coffee, lots of options, affordable prices
If you haven't been to Sudbury yet I hope this post helps motivate you to get up North and explore! This city has so much to offer, even a walk downtown boasts impressive murals, railway history and plenty of delicious food options!
Happy exploring!
withlove,
The Duquette's
Really informative post! So much amazing info! I want to go and will definitely consider these stops if I head out that way!