We love hearing about active families getting out and exploring all there is to see and do in Hamilton Halton Brant. Samantha, a mom to four-year-old twins, brought her family for an African Lion Safari adventure and chronicled their day on her delightful blog, Loving You Is Cherry Pie. Thanks for letting us share your post Samantha, and bring those darling girls for another outing in Hamilton Halton Brant soon!


WE WENT WILD AT AFRICAN LION SAFARI

SAMANTHA – I have lived in the Great Toronto Area all of my life (other than my time living in Kingston while going to law school), and specifically the Halton region for the past six years. We love Halton! It’s especially great to live near the Niagara Escarpment with all of the unique spots for outdoor adventure out here. Even though our girls are quite young, our family has already hiked, visited waterfalls, picked strawberries and more. When we were offered the chance to visit African Lion Safari, we were very excited (we would have liked to try the Wake Up the Wild Adventure; however, children must be at least 8 years old). If you don’t know it, African Lion Safari is a drive through wildlife park located in Hamilton, Ontario dedicated to the conservation of declining wildlife species.

  • The day of our visit to African Lion Safari started with intense thunderstorms (or as Alexa likes to say, “hunter storms”) and we weren’t sure if we could visit as planned. We took a risk and made the 40 minute drive, and by the time we arrived, the clouds cleared and later the sun came out. It was the perfect weather for an outdoor adventure.

  • Our first stop was the 9km drive-through game reserve. Despite initially planning to take the Safari Tour Bus, we changed our minds at the park and drove through in our minivan to get up close and personal with the animals. And that we did. Shortly after entering we saw the lions and I can’t deny that I got nervous when this guy (or girl, I’m not sure?) came within a few feet of my window. He was just looking for some shade under the tree but for a second I was a little wary.

  • The rest of the drive was just as exciting as we got to see so many different kinds of animals. The girls really were in awe of the animals roaming around out there.

  • After parking our car, we walked to the elephant area and got a front row spot for the elephant swim. Again, they came so close!

  • We then walked around and checked out the grounds, rode the ponies and had sno-kones… once the girls saw the Misumu Bay Wet Play Area they were unstoppable. They had an absolute blast here and could have stayed there all day going down the slides.

  • Once we were done there, we climbed aboard the Nature Boy Scenic Railyway Tour. It was so picturesque to travel by train through the forest with my little family. By the time we left the train, tiredness started to set in and we had to abandon our plan to ride the African Queen Boat Cruise unfortunately. It’s definitely something I would want to try next time but we had to make the decision to end our adventure as we could sense our girls were so tired they were bordering on meltdown. They slept the entire way home and another hour once we got home, which is to say that they had a fantastic time. We all did, it was a great family adventure!

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Hamilton Civic Museums Virtual Tours

28 James St N, Hamilton, ON L8R 1A1

Now thru October 10

Guided Sunset Paddles

Six Nations Tourism

Brant County Highway 54, Ohsweken, ON

Dates and Times: June 27th, Jul 8th, Jul 15th, Jul 25th, Aug 1st, Aug 5th,...

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Ghost Walks: Hermitage Ruins

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603 Sulphur Springs Rd, Ancaster, ON

Dates: Aug 17th; Sept 13th & 27th; Oct 4th, 11th, 18th & 25th Prices: Adults...

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Afternoon Tea at Arlington Hotel

Arlington Hotel

106 Grand River Street North, Paris, ON, N3L 2M5

Dates and Times: every 3rd Sunday from 11:00am to 3:00pm Price: $35 per person, $19...

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Music Bingo at Flux

Flux Brewing Company

185 Oakland Rd, Scotland, ON N0E 1R0

Date & Time: January 17th (1st bingo night of the year) $5 cover to join

August 3 - September 21

The Bee Encounter Experience

Backed By Bees

6214 Appleby Line, Burlington, Ontario L7M 0P7

Dates: Aug 3rd, Sept 7th, Sept 21st Times: 10:00am or 1:00pm Price: $49.99 per person

Now thru September 17

Expressive Abstract Painting Party with Studio K2

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The Cotton Factory, DyeWorks Building, 9 Landsdowne Avenue, Hamilton

Date & Time: Third Wednesday each month, 7:00pm - 9:00pm Workshop Price: $50/person +HST

Now thru October 15

Grand Overnight Camping Adventure

Grand Experiences Outdoor Adventure Company

115 Grand River Street North, Paris, ON, N3L 2M4

Dates and Times: Offered every day - book ahead! Price: Varies depending on boat choice

Now thru September 17

Datenight Painting for 2 at Studio K2

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The Cotton Factory, DyeWorks Building, 9 Landsdowne Avenue, Hamilton

Date & Time: Third Saturday every month, 7:00pm - 10:00pm Workshop Price: $135/couple +HST includes...

Now thru September 30

Roller Skating at Hamilton Waterfront

Hamilton Waterfront – Pier 8

47 Discovery Drive, Hamilton, ON, L8L 8K4

Dates and Times: Daily from 10:00am to 10:00pm FREE access with your own roller skates....

Now thru December 31

Private Date Night Painting for 2

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The Cotton Factory, DyeWorks Building, 9 Landsdowne Avenue, Hamilton

Whenever Date Night is! Event Price: $165.00 + hst per couple.

Now thru October 31

Pick Your Own Produce at Murphy’s Country Produce

Murphy’s Country Produce Ltd

2040 Guyatt Road, RR # 1, Binbrook, ON, L0R 1C0

Days and Times: Mon to Fri - 7:30am to 7:30pm, Sat & Sun - 7:30am...

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