Go-Karting in the Capital

by Tanya We were looking for something fun to do this past May long weekend which would be appropriate for two kids in their 30s and one who just turned 7. Our choice: go-karting.

Holiday Monday was gorgeous: sunny and hot. We slathered on some sunscreen, packed up -- well,  nothing -- and headed off to Karters’ Korner in Fallowfield. It wasn’t very busy when we arrived midday, but got a bit busier as the day went on. However, with the sprawling layout it was hard to tell just how many people were really there. Based on the dozen or so cars in the parking lot, I’m guessing it was a slow day.

Our choice was to purchase a set number of laps which hubby and I would share. Love this feature: Karters’ allows you to buy one package and split the tickets among several riders.  And the price was pretty reasonable: 12 laps for $36. That worked out to about 20 minutes on the track.

The Dude climbed into a 2-seater with his dad and I grabbed a single for a few laps. BIG MISTAKE. The doubles are way faster than the singles, so they immediately passed me and I was left going around the course on my own. We switched after a few laps and I realised that I should have just waited my turn with the Dude. His giggles and shouting made for a much more enjoyable ride than the silence of riding around solo. Next time, I’ll wait my turn with the Dude and skip the solo ride altogether.

Now given the heat, I secretly worried about climbing onto the hot vinyl seats in my shorts. Turns out that the go-karts were well maintained, comfortable and not nearly as hot as I would have thought. The track was fantastic with some great turns (all the better if you wait until late in the turn to crank the wheel and hear your kid giggle his head off ).

We did find that the laps went by quickly and looked around for our next adventure. Karters’ also has mini motorized vehicles that the kids can drive around but this day was about activities the whole family could do, so mini-putt was our choice.

The course was well maintained and had a retro feel with traditional wooden obstacles such as windmills. The holes were challenging enough to be interesting, but easy enough for the Dude to handle, and even manage a hole-in-one. The ball return is like a Plinko game from The Price is Right: if your ball bounces into the hole, you win a free round. Hubby’s ball plinked right into the hole, so now we have incentive for another outing. Not that we needed one. This wasn’t our first time at Karters’ Korner and it certainly won’t be the last. Like I said, there are 3 kids in our family ;)

Tanya Snook resides with her hubby & the Dude in Barrhaven. In her spare time, you can find her blogging at Spydergrrl on the Web or tweeting as @spydergrrl.