Escape to an Ontario Resort this March Break

March Break is the ideal excuse to break away and escape with the family. No need to book a flight. Ontario is dotted with resorts providing great family gathering places and joyful memories.

Two of the most popular are Deerhurst Resort and Great Wolf Lodge. Very different properties, they share one thing in common: they place a premium on fun.

Deerhurst Resort

March is one of my favourite seasons in Muskoka. The landscape is still blanketed in white but a special warmth in the air offers the promise of spring to come. When March Break arrives, families head to Deerhurst Resort in Huntsville, one of Ontario’s oldest and most cherished resorts.

Whether you have older kids looking for adventure or smaller ones with simpler interests, or perhaps are chasing the perfect blend of both, Deerhurst has you covered.

The resort has an almost unmatched array of outdoor activities to make embracing winter easy. Follow trails through snow-hushed woods by snowshoe or ski (both available at no extra fee), try your hand at winter disc golf, warm yourself by campfires, and skate on the outdoor skating rink. Head next door to Muskoka Ski Club for snowboarding or downhill skiing.

When you want to warm up, head inside to use the pool, enjoy the indoor Fun Zone, or dine at one of the resort’s dine restaurants. Parents can pamper themselves at the spa.

Deerhurst rolls out special March Break programming that includes family trivia and bingo, magic shows and workshops with illusionist Ron Gudel, nature arts and crafts, and a March 14 show by Juno-nominated children’s entertainers Sonshine & Broccoli.

Great Wolf Lodge

Many families looking to reconnect and make new memories together over the March Break point their vehicles in another direction, towards Niagara Falls and Great Wolf Lodge.

Great Wolf Lodge bills itself as ‘the ultimate hotel-meets-waterpark’. But really its much more than that. With an enviable array of amenities, Great Wolf Lodge is destination in its own right. Some families visit and never even leave to see the Falls (it would be a shame not to, though),

Let’s start with the obvious. As advertised, Great Wolf Lodge is the benchmark by which any resort in Ontario measures itself when it comes to waterplay. It boasts a 100,000 sq. ft. indoor waterpark with zero depth entry pools, spray features in the toddler areas, and, for older kids, white-knuckle rides.
Dry off to sample the many other amenities the Lodge offers including a bowling alley, arcade, kids’ spa, an interactive adventure game called MagiQuest, and Cub Club Family Activity Centre where children and enjoy educational crafting.

Breakfast, lunch, and dinner are events for planning adventures and remembering the experiences of the past day. The Lodge doesn’t disappoint with five themed restaurants offering great spreads that satisfy any taste.

For good reason Great Wolf Lodge recently took home the hardware for Top Family Entertainment Centre Award at the Attractions Ontario’s Eighth Annual Ontario’s Choice Awards.

Just the Facts

Deerhurst Resort: deerhurstresort.com
Great Wolf Lodge: greatwolf.com/niagara