Paying Fun Forward with Saunders Farm

Located in Ottawa’s far west end, Saunders Farm is best known for their memorable Haunting Season activities and challengingly fun Summer Mazes. Their mission is to create a space that provides fun, food, and memories for everyone, which they accomplish through opening their doors to tens of thousands of guests each year.

Saunders Farm is my family’s summer and fall go-to destination. Between April and September is Mazes Season (Saunders Farm has the world’s largest collection of mazes and labyrinths). During this time Saunders also hosts memorable birthday parties, Farm Camps, Farm Dinners, and corporate and team building events. 

In October, Saunders Farm turns to Haunting Season and Fright Fest - daytime is family-friendly and evening is... not for the faint at heart and is perfect for those who love a good scare!

Things to do

During summer and fall, kids (and adults) can be found playing on Saunders Farm's unique play structures and tree houses, sliding down the big witch mountain slide, jumping on the jumbo jumpers, getting lost in the numerous mazes or racing the pedal carts. It's outdoor fun for the entire family! Oh, and they sell delicious homemade fudge onsite that is irresistible!

Give the gift of Saunders Farm this Christmas

Annual Pass Sale (and Paying it Forward)

This year, Saunders Farm is once again offering their Play it Forward annual pass sale. For each 2018 annual pass sold in the month of December, they will donate a pass to less fortunate families in our community. Annual passes are on sale for $49 + HST!

What's included with an Annual Pass?

• Unlimited Access to their Summer Mazes Season, Haunting Season, and FrightFest.
• Bring-a-Friend Pass to be used anytime. Must be accompanied by Pass holder.
• Exclusive invitations to special events held on the Farm throughout the year. You're part of a ridiculously amazing club... woohoo!
• 10% off Birthday Party packages 
• $20 off 1 Summer Farm Camp registration
• 10% off purchases in the Farm Shop

Holiday gift cards

Saunders Farm also offers $25 gift cards (available for only $20) and $50 gift cards (available for only $40). Saunders Farm gift cards make the perfect gift for friends or family, stocking stuffer, or teacher gift. Gift cards will are available year-round, but the sale price is only for the month of December!

WIN an Annual Pass!

We love everything Saunders Farm has to offer local families, which is why we're giving away an ANNUAL PASS! The winner will receive an Annual Pass that is good for the Summer and Haunting Season, and the good news is that you don't have to wait until spring to learn more about Saunders Farm. You can follow their fun all year round online:

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/saundersfarmfun/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SaundersFarmFans
Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/saundersfarm  

To enter

To enter the giveaway visit our Facebook Page and on the thread pinned to the top of our page tell us one activity mentioned in this post that you’d like to do at Saunders Farm! Hurry though - the giveaway ends Friday, December 8th at midnight!

Summer of Awesome - Saunders Farm

by Lynn

A few days ago we spent the day at Saunders Farm. I wasn't going to bother to write about it, even though it totally won the Most Awesome Award for the Summer of Awesome last year. I'd already written gobs about it, I'd gushed even, and it would all be more of the same.

In fact, we almost didn't go at all, because I thought to myself, sure, it's awesome, but how can it be as good as last year? And we've seen it all, and done it all, so is it just going to be boring this year?

And the answer to that is NO. No, not boring at all.

In fact, EVEN MORE AWESOME.

We get there, and once we get past the awesome climbing structure at the entrance, and take an awesome wagon ride, we enter the main part of the park and we see this:

Those are huge pillow jumpers. They are like enormous trampolines, and oh my lands, are they ever fun. Adults can go on them too, and I got some serious air. Kids can jump, or just sit and go along for the ride. They are AWESOME.

Then we climbed up the big tower to look out over the mazes and saw these:

Pedal cars! New this year! And they were fun. So much fun. And we didn't even have to wait. And we got to ride them as long as we wanted. AWESOME.

And! Then!

There's another new display area, the Saunders Mine. You can buy a bag of dirt with semi-precious stones in it, then use a constantly running stream to actually sift for your stones. Now, it did cost extra, which always is annoying. And usually I would have said no. But I thought to myself, I can either spend the rest of the day listing to three kids whine the light fantastic about how they totally missed out on the best event ever, or I can just cough up the moola now and become the Best Mom Ever.

Easy choice.

My kids could not get enough of the mine. They love, love, loved finding their own rocks. Then they spent another hour just watching other kids sift, and playing in the stream, and checking other pans for pay dirt. It was AWESOME.

And there's still the mazes, ten in all:

And the splash pad:

And the myriad play structures:

And the giant slide, and the discovery barn, and the ice cream, and did I mention the jumping things?

My kids declared it to be the Best Day Ever (although truth be told, I've heard that a LOT this summer, which I must say is very gratifying). We were there for five full hours, and we didn't even do everything that was available - not to mention that the kids could have easily spent another hour just jumping. The thing about Saunders Farm is that it's really different from other attractions - and not just different from stuff in Ottawa, but unique in the world. And that's pretty cool.

I do believe that Saunders Farm is going to win the Second Annual Summer Of Awesome, as well.

Lynn is mom to three tombliboos, age 8, 6, and 4, and blogs over at Turtlehead.