Our Trans-Canadian adventure included lots of time spent in water. I don’t think we went a day without being in a lake, river, splash pad, wadding pool, indoor or outdoor swimming pool etc. Some days involved multiple of these. The children loved this, but it was also quite necessary as the weather was super hot. It varied as to whether that was actual heat hot or more humidity, but either way it was nice to cool off.

After leaving the humidity of Niagara Falls, where we had felt as if we were melting, we drove a couple of hours to Barrie in Ontario, where we made a very welcome stop off at Splash ON.

Barrie

Barrie is a city in Southern Ontario, Canada, about 90 kilometres (56 mi) north of Toronto. There are tons of things to do with children in Barrie, whether you are there in the summer or winter.

From hiking and biking to beaches and water parks, to indoor climbing centres, museums and play centres, there is lots of choice in and around Barrie, making it a great place for families to enjoy time together.

A family business

Many years ago, while working at the family Boat Rental Brittany and Rylie Gallagher we were shown pictures of neon coloured, strange looking, floating water equipment by their father. Fast forward to today… Rylie, Brittany, and Brittany’s spouse Mike, collectively own and operate 6 Water Park locations across Canada, maintaining the lead in the Canadian Inflatable Water Park industry.

Locations

These are the locations of the water parks, in case you are visiting any of these areas whilst in Canada, do check them out. It’s a great couple of hours fun for all the family and a great way to cool off. It’s also a pretty good workout too!

• Kelowna 2014 – Current (Splash B.C.)
• Penticton 2015 – Current (Splash B.C.)
• Peachland 2017 – Current (Splash B.C.)
• Barrie 2017 –Current (Splash ON)
• Orillia 2018 – Current (Splash ON)
• Osoyoos 2019 – Current (Splash B.C.)

Our experience: Splash ON, Barrie

We arrived in plenty of time so we had time to check out the beach and the general area first. We parked easily in the Marina and walked across to the Splash ON pop up desk where we checked in. Everything was exceptionally well organised and staff were welcoming and efficient.

There was already a session running, so we got kitted up with lifejackets whilst we waited for the earlier session to finish. You need to complete waivers before you take part. You can do this on the day but I strongly recommend you do this in advance as it is easier all around, for you and the staff! With these completed in advance, you can just get your life jackets on and get straight it!

Children need to be five years old or above to take part, and you need to be able to swim 20m with a life jacket. You have to swim out to the inflatable and then if you fall off (when you fall off) you need to be able to get yourself to the nearest ladder to climb out and re-board the inflatable.

Splash is not just for kids though! I was the last one of my family to get in the water as I was busy taking photos of them all. As I was swimming out to the inflatable I got chatting to a grandma who was there with her daughter and two grandchildren. She was in great spirits and she had a go at everything. Every time I saw her, she was laughing and said she really enjoyed it, despite falling in the water a lot.

I also fell in a lot, but actually really enjoyed swimming in the cold water! I did take the wetsuits in case we needed them but we didn’t. Once you were over the initial “wow, that’s cold” the water temperature was really pleasant.

The sessions are two hours and I would say that’s about right in terms of the time you want out there. That’s enough time to give everything a go, fall off and try again and if anyone wants a little break or needs the bathroom, you’ve got time to head to shore for ten minutes, without loosing out much.

The inflatable is situated in Lake Simcoe. If you have time to explore along the beach, there is a playground and waterfront fountain.

The lake was beautifully clear, as you can see in the picture above, and we thoroughly enjoyed the session. Prices at CA$25 per person. I highly recommend this as a fun family activity.