Real Adventure Awaits: Epic Summer Trip Ideas for Teens

Forget indoor climbing gyms. Take a family climbing lesson on the limestone cliffs of Milton’s Rattlesnake Point Conservation Area. Read this for some outfitter suggestions.

Learn the ins and outs of mountain biking at Kelso Conservation Area’s Mountain Bike School, which features wooden bridges, rollers, rocks, and logs to help riders learn how to properly tackle technical features in a controlled environment.

The Grand River’s gentle currents make it a great choice for first-time paddlers. Area outfitters such as Grand Experiences and Grand River Rafting make it so easy to gear up and go.

See what all the buzz is about and take a stand-up paddleboard lesson on the shores of Lake Ontario in Burlington or give wakeboarding a try at Binbrook Conservation Area. Boarder Pass Canada operates a two-tower cable wake boarding system that provides the ultimate wakeboarding experience and is appropriate for people who have never tried the sport.

Defy the law of gravity with a thrilling free-fall experience at iFLY Oakville. You’ll get a real sense of what skydivers experience during the free-fall portion of their jump at this indoor facility.

Stoney Creek’s Fifty Point Conservation Area, Brantford’s Pinehurst Lake Conservation Area, Hamilton’s Christie Lake, Valens Lake Conservation Area and Burlington’s downtown shoreline are all great choices for a few hours of sun and sand.

Brand-conscious teens will be thrilled with the collection of stores that awaits at Halton’s Toronto Premium Outlets, including Coach, Kate Spade, J. Crew, Bench and dozens more. If your teen prefers to hunt for vintage finds, head to Hamilton’s Ottawa Street or the vintage shops of Paris.

Plan a trip to the Art Gallery of Hamilton. It’s Canada’s third-largest public art gallery and is home to over 9,500 works of art.

A great way for out-of-towners to tour through some of the city’s independent art spaces, including galleries, shops and studios, is to attend the monthly James Street North Art Crawl. It’s held on the second Friday night of every month.

Spend a day exploring around Hamilton and Burlington and catching up with the region’s amazing collection of food trucks this summer, like the Hamilton Food Truck Festival, Burlington Ribfest and the Lucky Lion Night Market.

Ready to experience the rush of live music? 

The region is lighting up this summer with incredible outdoor concerts that’ll give you a taste of what makes live music so addictive. The return of the Concerts in the Gardens series at the Royal Botanical Garden‘s brings an incredible line up of award-winning, and up-and-coming musicians to the region, or relax by the waterfront with Bronte Lake Notes every Thursday or in Downtown Oakville with their Summer Music Series by TD every weekend in August.

For today’s social media savvy teens, you didn’t do something cool unless there’s a selfie to prove it. Hamilton Halton Brant has some share-worthy spots for your teen’s summer posting pleasure, including:

• Flying in a WW2 bomber at the Canadian Warplane Heritage Museum
• Chatting on their smartphone in Alexander Graham Bell’s childhood home
• Hand feeding a giraffe its breakfast on African Lion Safari’s Wake Up The Wild experience
• Standing beside one of Hamilton’s hidden waterfalls