Doing things as a family in the summer time just seems like a right of passage – I can remember doing it with my family, when for two weeks every August, my Dad would take vacation and we would do a number of daytrips in and around the Toronto area. And so the tradition continues. Last week, we decided to take the day off work and take our kids to Centreville on Toronto’s Centre Island. I had not been back since I was a child, but had so many great memories of the rides there that I knew my kids would love it as well.
It was a fantastic day! Despite the 1 mile sprint to catch the morning ferry and meet up with my Cousin and his family, and the rain that chased us away near the end of the day, it was a great opportunity to go back to a place where I have so many wonderful memories of spending time as a child. Our kids loved it and keep asking to go back – no line up for the rides and big shady trees made it a very relaxing and enjoyable day. Plus a great dinner at the Old Spaghetti Factory made the day complete!
But of course, none of this comes without cost! I was able to save $10 by purchasing the admission tickets online, and we packed a picnic lunch that we were able to enjoy there instead of buying overpriced, undercooked food at the amusement park. The total expenses for the day were:
Parking - $9
Ferry Boat - $19
4 All Day Passes - $80
3 Jolly Rancher Slushies - $12
Dinner At the Old Spaghetti Factory - $65
Total cost for the day: $185
Definitely not a cheap day, to be certain. But my husband and I both feel that when it comes to making memories and happy experiences for our children, we can afford to splurge on them. And seeing how much they enjoyed the day was worth every penny! But this is probably the reason why we only do these things once a year!!
