We were so excited to return to Fern Resort near Orillia for a third year with the Life With A Baby team. My 6 and 9 year old girls were beyond thrilled when we told them we were once again spending a weekend there.
Fern Resort has the distinctive honour of being where we took our first vacation as a family of five. Our youngest was just 10 months old on that first visit, and we were of course nervous, not knowing what to expect. The 90 minute drive for us was ideal for a family road trip, and we were thrilled to discover this gem of a family-friendly all-inclusive resort. They have thought of everything - from step stools in the bathrooms and public washrooms, high chairs and boosters ready at the tables, easy sleeping arrangements, an early kids' buffet, the various kids' clubs for all age groups, evening group babysitting - ALL included.
This year, Fern Resort did not disappoint - as we had been twice before, we wasted no time on arrival and headed straight to the boat dock to go fishing, explore the docks and go out on to the lake on a pedal boat, before heading in for dinner.
The next day was "work" for me with the LWAB Community Managers' training, whilst hubby spent the day with the kids at the pool. He was able to squeeze in some down-time when sending them to PlayVillage where they enjoyed the splash zone, sandbox, ride-on cars, pony rides, crafts and general play time.
For our second evening, we lined up all of our favourite activities from our previous visits. Right after dinner, we went on the Sunset cruise around Lake Couchiching. There is a small fee per person, but well worth the hour-long trip to see what the lake has to offer. The highlight was "bird poop island" - an island where the birds all go to poop, so no plant life can survive. Just saying the name had my kids bursting into giggles, firmly making it the 'highlight' of the cruise and forever cementing it in their childhood memories.
Each year the evening entertainment is highly anticipated. The shows are, of course, family friendly and the entertainers keep the audience of all ages engaged for the full hour. This year, the comedic juggler had us in tears with his antics. After the evening's show we gathered around the fire pit. We came prepared this time and brought along a bag of giant marshmallows and all the fixings for s'mores. My kids were in heaven!
It was a short weekend getaway but loaded with so many activities for everyone, we had such an amazing time - thank you Fern Resort for hosting the LWAB team again.
