Archery Games - Archery Activity in Ottawa

My family loves trying new activities, and Archery Games has been on our radar for a little while. I have friends who have tried it and had a blast (my sister even had her birthday party there!) but I was curious as to whether it would be a good fit for my family (kids are 8, 10, 12 and 14). My children enjoy sports (soccer, curling, speed skating) but archery is a first!

My youngest (a redhead) declared that she was going to be just like Merida.

How it works

There is a caged target practice area off to the immediate right which is also where you’ll find the shelves that hold the safety equipment (helmets and arm guards). The red and blue helmets are smaller and the black ones are larger. If you wear glasses, don’t worry, they have helmets that accommodate glasses. Two of my children wore glasses to our session and they had no issues with their helmets fitting properly.

When we entered the building, we were impressed with the size of the arena. The fenced playing field is lined with astroturf, sprinkled with a few large inflatable shapes that you can hide behind and is brightly lit making it easy to see the boundary lines. 

Upon arrival, we headed to the counter to sign in and we were directed to use the ipads to fill out waiver forms. Tip: If you have more than one child with you, you can click the button to add an additional child and your info will carry over to the next waiver.

We then had a few minutes to wait while the other participants who had booked the same time slot arrived. We were a larger group with 20 in total (my children were the only children). We were then greeted by the person who was the referee for our session. She gave a quick equipment rundown and then quickly demonstrated how to use the bow and arrow. Who knew there was a right-side up on the bow? The arrows have a large white foam cylinder on the end that looks like a giant marshmallow - it definitely softens the blow of a hit. Each participant had the chance to shoot one arrow in the practice cage and then we moved over to the arena.

The Games:

We were asked to choose a bow that was lined up against the fence (black bows are for adults and the white ones are for smaller kids) and then gather to hear the instructions. We had the opportunity to play 7 different games each lasting a few minutes. The group gathered between each game to hear the rules for the modified game. For all of the games but the last, we were split into two teams, each on its own side of the arena. The players began every game lined up along the back wall of their size and when the whistle was blown, players collected an arrow (or more!) from the centre safe-zone and then found a position to play from on their terrain.

It took a game or two to iron out how to load the bow quickly and efficiently; once that was sorted the game went much quicker. The games were a lot of fun, each a slight variation from the last. Some of the games were scored with points, some involved a fireball (think dodgeball!) and another allowed for your inner engineer to escape and strategize for the perfect arrangement on the playing field.

It was very easy to become absorbed in the game and adrenaline was definitely pumping! Hearts were racing as we ducked to avoid arrows and at the same time tried to find the perfect shot and quickly. Despite not knowing more than half of the participants, it was easy to work as a team and communicate strategy. My kids weren’t shy to play with other adults either which was fantastic. 

I wasn’t sure how well my petite 8-year-old would do but she was very focused on collecting arrows and loading her bow. Her shot wasn’t as strong as her older siblings’ but she chose to take her shots closer to the centre of the arena so she was able to tag players and hit targets with few problems. My 10-year-old was definitely stronger with her shots and my 12 and 14-year-olds shot just as well as the adults (or maybe even better!) I’d say the kids had an advantage of being smaller, they tucked in behind the inflatables quite easily!

What we loved:

My daughters who wear glasses were very happy to have masks that fit well. Their glasses were fogging up towards the end but that was corrected when we reminded them to remove their mask during the mini-break when listening to instructions.

We played 7 different games which was the perfect number to fill our time slot in the arena. It wasn’t rushed and the variety was welcomed. It also allowed for everyone to take a bit of a breather and grab a sip of water while listening to the instructions of the next game.

What we liked less:

For those who have never shot a bow and arrow before, one practice shot wasn’t a lot before heading into the arena. It took a game or two to get into the groove of loading the bow without the arrow sliding off (tip: if you put the arrow between your body and bow and then tilt your bow away from you, it won’t slide off as easily).

The whole family had a fantastic time and my children were asking to return even before we stepped off the turf!

Archery Games Ottawa
Where: 1860 Bank St, #3B
Cost: $29/person
Hours: Monday/Tuesday - closed, Wednesday/Thursday - 5-10pm, Friday - 5-9pm, Saturday/Sunday - 11am-9pm  *Bookings outside of these hours are available by appointment only and require a minimum of 10 players.

Thank you to Candace and her family who checked out Archery Games on behalf of Kids in the Capital. Archery Games provided tickets but all thoughts are our own.