Top 10 Things to Do in Greely

Greely offers the best of both worlds. It is rural enough to have its own country charm, and is also close to Ottawa and all that it has to offer.

But there’s no need to go into the heart of Ottawa to find things to do, including things to do with your family. Greely offers its own attractions and events that are worth checking out. Whether you’re looking for fun ways to keep fit or some ways to express your artistic side, there is plenty to do in the Greely area.

We’re arranged those things based on activity type, and indicated where they are family friendly.

For the Nature Enthusiast

For those who enjoy time spent outdoors or with animals, Greely has attractions you can enjoy:

1. Go for a Private Horse-Drawn Wagon Ride

Family Friendly

Just a short drive east of Greely, Stanley’s Olde Maple Lane Farm is famous for its sugar bush. But it also offers private horse drawn rides from December until early March (after public hours). These hour long rides — which travel around the farm into its maple tree bush — can accommodate up to 20 people.

The driver will share some of the history of the farm and surrounding area. After the ride, you and your family can visit the barn’s farm animals or go into the gift shop to have a cup of hot chocolate and a freshly-baked cookie.

These rides cost $245 plus tax. The farm recommends that everyone show up about 15 minutes early from the ride’s departure time.

Special Easter Event: On weekends in early April, the farm offers an Easter egg hunt. You’ll head out on a horse-drawn wagon into the sugarbush to look for the Easter Bunny’s lost eggs. Once you’ve collected them, you and your family can visit the baby animals in the barn and the kids will get a special gift from the Easter Bunny.

This is an extremely popular event that sells out each year, so you have to buy tickets ahead of time online. The cost for adults is $5.25 plus tax, and tickets for children go for $7.75 plus tax. (Infants under 18 months are free of charge.) There is also a fee for ordering the tickets online.

2. Visit a Reptile Zoo

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Not far from Greely to the north is Little Ray’s Reptile Zoo and Nature Centre. If your kids love all sorts of creepy crawlies, you’re bound to enjoy this place. The zoo offers a public feeding area where you can touch some of the zoo’s reptiles, and has a 3,000 gallon (more than 11,000 litre) aquarium where you can relax in comfort thanks to auditorium seating.

So what kinds of animals can you see up close? The zoo has more than 150 species, including:

Alligators
Pythons
Cobras
Rattlesnakes
Tarantulas
Marmosets
Birds of prey

The zoo recommends setting aside 90 minutes to two hours to take in all it has to offer. There are 25 permanent animal exhibits and 20 feature animal exhibits that change every six months — so there’s bound to be something new each time you visit.

General admission is $12.50, but the cost for seniors is $10. Children aged two and younger are free. There’s a family rate of $48 for four people and $10 for each additional person.

For Active People

There are a few things to do in Greely that those who like to move will clearly want to check out:

3. Learn Martial Arts

Family Friendly

Heeee ya! John Leroux’s World Karate FIT Centre is actually located in the south end of Ottawa, but its website targets students specifically in Greely — so we’ll include it. This karate school isn’t interested in teaching you how to fight, per se. Their focus is more on developing your personality and physical fitness level, in addition to teaching you how to defend yourself.

The school offers both children and adults a chance to get a cardiovascular workout and lower stress levels. For information on cost, contact the school.

Summer Camps: This karate school offers daily, weekly and overnight camps for children and teenagers during the months of July and August. If you enroll early, you can save $30 to $50 per person on registration fees. Contact the school to enroll or get more information.

4. Play Ultimate

Family Friendly

There is a park for playing Ultimate Frisbee on the very western edge of town.

The Ultimate park in Greely is part of the Ottawa Carleton Ultimate Association. There are recreational youth leagues for players aged eight to 13 and aged 14 to 17 that you can sign up for.

There is also an adult league looking for players. This is a great way to have some fun and get in a good workout at the same time. Plus, it’s something most of the whole family can enjoy doing.

5. Hit the Links

Greely is a golfer’s paradise. Not only is the Emerald Links Golf Club in town itself, it’s unique in that it offers both a 18-hole and nine-hole course on its premises. That means you have a choice of playing a combination of nine-hole courses if you’d like.

The clubhouse also boasts a full restaurant and pro shop. For opening hours and rates, consult the golf club’s website.

That’s not all. You’ll also find other golf courses or driving ranges close by, such as:

• Falcon Ridge Golf Club
• Meadows Golf and Country Club
• Hylands Golf Club
• Metcalfe Golf Club
• Capital Golf Centre

If you’re a golfer and are looking for places to play in Greely, you’re living in the right place.

For the Arts and Culture Lover

If you enjoy the performing arts or creative expression, there are a few things to do worth checking out in Greely:

6. Visit a Museum

Family Friendly

The Osgoode Township Museum, just to the south of Greely, is home to a collection of 10,000 objects — including housewares, clothing, and full-sized tractors and other farming equipment. It’s the perfect place to go if you want to learn more about early settlers to the community. It’s also very affordable: admission is only $2 and children 12 and under are free.

March Break Events for Kids (and Adults): The museum is offering an arts and crafts workshop for kids during March Break (March 13 to 17). The cost is $125 per child, and the workshop is offered between 9 a.m. and 3 p.m. each day with childcare available afterward. Aside from making art, children will be able to play games and watch movies.

For adults, the museum is offering a painting workshop on Saturday, March 11. Contact the museum for more information.

7. Take In Live Theatre

Family Friendly

For those who love theatre musicals, the town offers the Greely Players. This is a non-profit theatre company that mounts a main musical production each year, as well as a “Christmas in the Village” show.

What sets the Greely Players apart is that they involve both children and adults in the productions. In fact, every second year, the company picks a musical that offers the ability for children to perform lead roles.

This year’s production is The Adventures of Tom Sawyer, which will be performed in late March and early April. Ticket information will be on the group’s website. If you want to get more involved, the Greely Players are always on the lookout for volunteers.

8. Learn How to Sing, Or Play Guitar, Or Play Keyboards, Or …

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The Canada Music Academy offers lessons that you can take either in class (sometimes in Ottawa) or in the comfort of your own home (depending on the instrument). The array of lessons offered is astounding. Pretty much any musical instrument that you can think of is taught by the school’s instructors. This includes, but is not limited to:

• Bass guitar
• Clarinet
• DJ turntables
• Saxophone
• Tabla (Indian percussion)

What’s more, when you’ve mastered your instrument of choice, Greely has a music recording studio to get your voice out to the world and be heard.

9. Participate in the Annual Winter Carnival

Family Friendly

At the end of January, Greely is host to a winter carnival that features arts-related events from a comedy night to a singing competition. There’s also a youth dance for those aged six to 12.

There are also plenty of chances to get some skating in that are guaranteed to get your blood pumping. Finally, there are also sorts of meals from a spaghetti supper to a family brunch to a pancake breakfast to replenish you. Definitely, the dead of winter is not boring in Greely.

For the Food Aficionado

Greely has at least one event for foodies that sets it apart from other surrounding towns and villages during the autumn months:

10. Buy Local Cranberry Products During Harvest Season

Greely is home to the only cranberry bog in Eastern Ontario and, each fall from mid-September to mid-November, Upper Canada Cranberries harvests 90,000 pounds (more than 40,000 kilograms) of cranberries from 15 acres (six hectares) of bog.

During this time, if you have a hankering for these vitamin-C packed goodies, you can buy them at the farm gate when it is open to the public. These products include everything from:

• Cranberry jam
• Cranberry cooking sauce
• Fresh (in-season), frozen, or dried cranberries
• Cranberry juice and drinks

When the farm is not open out of season, you can buy many of these products at some grocery stores and farmer’s markets in the Ottawa area.

Greely: Adventure Awaits

Looking for something to do with the kids — or something to help you get away from them? Greely has a lot of activities that you can enjoy.

Greely is a growing community with lots of fun on tap. The next time you’re looking for something to do, why not think about all the things that make Greely truly unique first? There are surprises and hidden gems galore if you look around.