After spending the last months of winter indoors due to COVID-19, it’s time to get outside and take advantage of the wonderful physically distant activities in Vaughan. Grab your rackets, your sneaks, your best friend, or your yoga mat and move your body, even if it’s just to a newly reopened restaurant patio. There’s plenty to keep the kids busy too: on-site summer camps, lego builds, and virtual roller coasters.
Check out the list below for some fun things to do around Vaughan.
- As of June 12, 2020, all public tennis courts, skateboard parks and dog parks are once again open to the public. Basketball courts, bocce courts, picnic tables and gazebos have also re-opened. Other outdoor amenities such as playgrounds, splashpads and public restrooms will remain closed. For a complete list, visit https://www.vaughan.ca/news/COVID19.
- Friday June 19, 2020 marked the move to Stage 2 or re-opening. Vaughan residents can now visit the hair salon or barbershop, swim some laps in public swimming pools or enjoy outdoor patios of their favourite restaurants. Here are some of my favourite Vaughan restaurants.
- Vaughan’s annual Canada Day celebration has gone virtual this year. From 5-8pm, The Barenaked Ladies are headlining this music and performance festival. Grab your favourite snacks and fire up the barbecue, then join the online fun. Information can be found on Vaughan’s Canada Day event page.
- There are also pages of downloadable colouring for the kids.
- Build some strength with virtual fitness classes. The City of Vaughan launched free full-length virtual fitness classes on a new YouTube channel. You’ll also find recipes, health tips, and special features on the channel.
- Registration for summer camps for kids opened up on June 22, 2020. The on-site programs throughout Vaughan have been modified to comply with COVID-19 safety measures and health precautions. The programs are geared toward children ages six to twelve, offering outdoor activities, nature play, arts and crafts and more. For more information, visit the City of Vaughan’s registration page.
- The Vaughan Public library is going virtual with a free online Zoom event all about balcony gardening. Join them over the lunch hour on July 23rd to learn about sustainable balcony gardening with a focus on Ontario’s native plants and edibles. Sign up on Eventbrite. The library also hosts a virtual adult book club. Details for that can be found at this link.
- While Vaughan’s Legoland Discovery Centre remains closed during the pandemic, children can still be inspired to build and learn with their favourite bricks on the Lego YouTube channel. While school may be out for summer, kids can still learn some interesting things from the Lego homeschool channel, like this video about how roller coasters work.
- Speaking of roller coasters, Canada’s Wonderland has uploaded POV (Point Of View) videos to their YouTube channel. While you can’t yet visit the Vaughan attraction, you can get your adrenaline pumping with these videos, without fear of losing your brownies.
- Fill your lungs with fresh air as you stroll some of Vaughan’s best neighbourhood walks. Get lost in the deep of the forest without ever leaving the trail, take a break on a bench by a still and sparkling pond or visit a historic site as you meander.
Get the latest information on who’s open for business in Vaughan by visiting the Open for Business online directory. Here you’ll find lists of essential services, entertainment, retail and more who are open and serving the city’s residents.
Whether you want to spend time outdoors or indoors, Vaughan has you covered this summer.
