City officials in London, Ont., are hoping residents don’t shy away from taking a staycation this March break.
On top of a blast of spring weather forecast to arrive this week, a variety of family-friendly options are also being offered throughout London.
From Monday to Thursday, free indoor ice skating sessions will be offered at Bostwick Arena, Carling Arena and Kinsmen Arena.
More options are available at even more arenas over the weekend, although the fees for this set of indoor ice skating sessions range between free and $4.50. A full list is available through the city’s Play Your Way online portal.
Others who are still craving a taste of winter activities will be relieved to know Boler Mountain remains open for skiing and snowboarding. In a post to Boler Mountain’s Facebook account, Canada’s most southerly ski hill says it has “a good base with 15/15 runs and tubing fully open.”
A full list of all activities provided by the city over the weekend, including roller skating at North London Optimist Community Centre and pickleball at Byron Optimist Community Centre, can also be found at London’s Play Your Way online portal.
Downtown London and Old East Village have also planned their own set of local adventures, which can all be found on Tourism London’s core area events webpage.
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This includes Monday night’s Comic Jam at the TAP Centre for Creativity, as well as the Forest City Maple Trail taking place throughout the downtown all week long.
Tourism London is also hoping residents will take advantage of their ongoing Stay A Little Longer program.
“Book a minimum two-night stay at a participating hotel and we’re going to give you a $100 VISA card to use,” said culture and entertainment director Natalie Wakabayashi.
“And you can submit your expenses, in terms of your accommodation expenses, back for a tax credit when you do your taxes.”
A similar program is also being offered through the province’s Ontario Staycation Tax Credit, which allows residents to claim up to 20 per cent of eligible accommodation expenses when filing for personal income tax and benefit return.
“I think, if anything, over these past two years we’ve learned that we deserve it. We’ve been through a lot as a community,” Wakabayashi added.
The London Public Library is also offering a series of literary-based activities, including free “discovery bags” that provide at-home activities for families. Other events, which can be found on the library’s website, include a virtual fossil dig, various storytellings, paint parties and family trivia.
Families hoping to soak up this week’s sunshine will want to make use of London’s list of environmentally significant areas and explore why it’s called The Forest City.
Tourism London also provides an in-depth catalogue of London’s local restaurants, cafes, museums and other entertainment through its Find it in London website.