Here are the most popular children’s attractions in the Oshawa-Durham & Kawartha region:
Bowmanville Zoological Park
340 King St. East
Bowmanville, ON, L1C 3K5
(905) 623-5655 (905) 623-0957
North America’s oldest privately owned zoo, established in 1919, has over 300 animals, including famous animal celebrities (from movies and television), on 42 acres of untamed land. There is also a 400 seat indoor “Animatheatre”.
Docville Wild West Park
(Pickering)
816 North Street
Newcastle, ON, L1B 1L9
905-987-1131 Fax: 905-987-6927
Halloween Spooky Ghost Town Tours in Newcastle, Oct 12-29
Exotic Animal Ranch
(Pickering)
(905) 985-2738 (905) 985-2598
2192 Cookson Lane
R.R. #2
Seagrave, ON, L0C 1G0
Established in 1988. Wild cats.
Hunter Farms
(Whitby)
5360 Thickson Rd
Brooklin, ON L1M 1W8
Fax 905-655-5184
They raise emu, ostrich, llamas, and donkeys. Call to arrange farm tours or emu information.
Jungle Cat World
(Bowmanville)
3667 Concession 6
Orono, ON, L0B 1M0
(905) 983-5016 (905)983-9858
Jungle Cat World is a wildlife park located on 15 picturesque acres in the Municipality of Clarington in historical Orono, just 45 minutes east of Toronto. Established in 1983, and ccredited in 1989 by the Canadian Association of Zoos and Aquariums (CAZA ), Jungle Cat World is home to a variety of threatened and endangered species such as lemurs, gibbons, cotton-top tamarins and spider monkeys, the park specializes in wild felines. They include the world’s largest, the Siberian tiger, and the rarest, the Amur leopard, as well as some of the smallest like the sand cats from the African deserts.
Oshawa Zoo
(Pickering)
3441 Grandview St N
R.R. #5
Oshawa, ON, L1H 8L7
(905) 655-5236 Fax: (905) 655-4753
The zoo features 200 animals of 45 species of tame Exotic and Domestic animals that feed from your hand in an open interactive environment. We are situated on Oshawa’s Oak Ridge Moraine. The goal of the Oshawa Zoo is to provide a nice display of quality exotic animals in a park like atmosphere.
Peterborough Lift Lock
Hunter Street East, Peterborough
Mailting: P.O. Box 567
Peterborough, Ontario K9J 6Z6
(705) 750-4950 1-888-773-8888 Fax: (705) 742 9644
Opened in 1904, this is the highest (20 metres) hydraulic lift lock in the world and the first of two built in North America, both on the Trent-Severn Waterway. It operates on a balance principle, with two side-by side locks, and when water is added to the upper chamber and it gains weight, hydraulic pressure lifts the other (lower) lock.
There are plenty of services within a 10-minute walk to the East City area of Peterborough. The Peterborough Lift Lock Visitor Centre is located next to the lock, and has public washrooms, as well as exhibits and films. The Visitor Centre is open daily during the navigation season.
Skate Park – Centennial Park, Trenton
Centennial Park
just off Couch Crescent in Trenton
613-392-2841
The 16,000 square foot “Kinsmen Sky is the Limit” Skate Park, opened in 2003, has a street course section, a half ails and a fun box. Said to be one of the best in Ontario, with free admission, but is unsupervised. Rules are posted at the entrance, and helmets & safety equipment are highly recommended.
Wind-powered OPG 7 Commemorative Turbine
(Pickering)
At the Generating Station site
Opened in 2001 and towering over Pickering’s shoreline is Ontario Power Generation (OPG)’s new wind turbine, which is the tallest free-standing wind generator in North America. Visible all along the Waterfront Trail. Built by Vestas Wind Systems of Denmark (http://www.vestas.com), the world’s largest manufacturer of wind turbines , and the blades rotate at a constant speed of 15.7 r.p.m. geared to turn a generator rotating at 1,915 r.p.m to generate 1.8 MW
Wind vs Nuclear discussion.
York-Durham Heritage Railway
(Pickering – Uxbridge)
PO Box 462
Stouffville ON, L4A 7Z7
905-852-3696
The rail line used was built in the late 1860’s as the Toronto and Nipissing (T&N) Railway, which in 1920 became part of Canadian National Railways. Stouffville station was demolished by CN in the 1980’s and replaced in the mid-1990’s by the present GO Transit station. The original T&N line was progressively abandoned from Coboconk southward beginning in the late 1960’s. The York-Durham Heritage Railway reopened the line between Uxbridge and Stouffville in 1996 and has been running on summer weekends since then. Enjoy a leisurely ride on vintage rail cars (locomotives are 1950s diesel, and the various cars date back to 1919) over the Oak Ridges Moraine. Depart Stouffville or Uxbridge on Sundays. Special trains can be reserved for Saturdays. Admission $$.
Youngs Point
(Peterborough)
First settled in 1825 by Frances Young and family from Tipperary Ireland. Young’s Point is the home of Lock 27 of the Trent-Severn Waterway network, built in the early 1870s, with a lift of 7 feet. Travel south through Katchewanooka Lake to Lakefield & Peterborough, travel north through Clear Lake to Stoney, Buckhorn & Pigeon Lakes and beyond. Also home to the Young’s Point Radio Control Model Flying Club