When I tell people that I’m from Ontario, Canada they automatically assume Toronto. Not the case. Nine years ago, my husband and I moved from Southern Ontario to the Sudbury Region, jumping head first into an exciting and adventurous business endevour.
Sudbury was one of the world’s leading suppliers of nickel for years and although it’s still known for its mining, the city is now established into many other industries. Tourism is popular here as the area is rich in history, there are quite a few attractions and if you are driving west to Alberta or Manitoba, you’ll pass Sudbury along the way.
Like most people, I have my favorite stops that we visit very frequently. A couple of weeks ago, we spent the entire day visiting each one of those places and didn’t get home until dark. It was perfect.
First up, Science North.
This is arguably one of the most popular attractions in Northern Ontario. They have all sorts of fun and highly educational exhibits for kids and adults of all ages. New for 2013 is The Science of Ripley’s Believe it Or Not Exhibit. It just opened in March and will run through September 2013. Two headed calves, the tallest man in the world, Albert Einstein made out of toast – it’s all here. Kids can see and experience fascinating, shocking and almost unbelievable facts and history.
The regular exhibits are always a hit with a butterfly conservatory, live science shows and an entire floor dedicated to some of the wildlife you’ll find in Ontario. You could easily spend most of the day here! For the past three years we’ve purchased a family membership for the entire year as it covers both Science North and Dynamic Earth.
Dynamic Earth takes you underneath the earth (literally). In addition to their dinosaur exhibit, camps for kids and entire an entire section dedicated to rocks and minerals, Dynamic Earth has a special tour where they take you through the history of mining by traveling 110 stories underground. We took the kids on this tour for the first time last month and they loved it! They also have a large indoor playground as well as an outdoor one, so this is another spot that takes a bit of time to make your way through.
It’s not hard to spot Dynamic Earth and you can see it from the highway thanks to the infamous BigNickel located outside the building. This is a 30 ft replica of a 1951 Canadian Nickel. Super cool!
Bell Park is one of my favorites in the city. It’s located on the shore of Lake Ramsey, has a children’s play area and you’ll find some of the summer concerts, festivals and events taking place here. It’s a great spot to have a picnic or let the kids run loose.
I couldn’t possibly introduce you to my city without recommending a place to eat now could I? Laughing Buddha is my favorite lunch spot in Sudbury. Fancy, this is not, but the food here is fabulous. Everything is prepared fresh and they offer a huge array of healthy options. Some of our favorite dishes off the menu: “The Looper” Pizza with broccoli, onions, artichokes, tarragon and feta on a roasted garlic oil base, “The Sticky Mouth” sandwich with peanut butter, banana, honey, cashews and raisins on an ancient grain bread, Fried Pickles (because of course!) and the Fattoush Salad, with pita, romaine, tomato, cucumber, red onion, kalamata, feta with a honey lemon dressing.
Yum!
Nadia Carriere is the founder and editor of Child Mode, a popular site featuring the latest in lifestyle trends, fashion and family travel. In addition to her expertise in high-quality products and design for families, her 14 year experience in the travel industry has given her a knack for scouting out the ‘best of the best’ for families. When she isn’t covering breaking news, writing or tweeting, Nadia enjoys spending her spare time on Instagram or with her DSLR snapping pictures of her family. You can follow her on Twitter, Facebook, Pinterest , Instagram, and YouTube.
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