Two weeks before school ended: “Mom, can we go to Calypso this summer?”
One week before school ended: “Mom, can we go to Calypso this summer?”
Two days before school ended: “Mom, did you know my friend went to Calypso and there’s a lazy river and oh man, it sounds so cool, can we go this summer?”
This was what I heard from my eldest leading into the summer vacation.
Little did he know, we had already planned to visit Calypso Waterpark the first weekend of the summer break.
On recent family trips, it was clear that my kids were becoming braver in the water and developing a taste for water adventure. This is how we knew it was the right time to finally take them to Calypso to create some new family memories.
It was big news when Calypso opened just east of Ottawa a few years ago. Friends of mine carry season passes and I will admit, I felt a small twinge of jealousy when they would take the kids and out for a quick splash and play at the park. Now, I know why it is so popular!
Before we visited, I wasn’t sure if there would be enough for the kids to do since I knew they wouldn’t want to go on the tall slides, but this is definitely not the case at Calypso. There is no shortage of slides and attractions for families who aren’t thrill seekers - there were actually very few attractions the kids couldn’t do because of height restrictions. There are plenty of areas like Pirate’s Aquaplay and Zoo Lagoon for the younger set and lifeguards are well positioned at all the attractions, just in case.
Our first stop was Pirate’s Aquaplay. This was a perfect play area for kids of all ages. My husband and I sat to the side while the kids explored the giant pirate ship. They tentatively walked over to it at first, not sure what to expect, but when the giant bucket splashed down on them unexpectedly, we all couldn’t help but laugh. They played here for a while, going up and down the slides. Our youngest got braver and braver as she kept going closer to the bucket dump.
We then made our way over to the Jungle Run, a fun, lazy river. There was a lot of giggling and laughter from all of us as the water pulled us along.
The kids and I watched as Daddy went down the very tall, very steep drop on the Vertigo slide. He loves those types of slides. I, on the other hand, was happy to stay with the kids!
The kids repeatedly wanted to go through the Jungle Challenge area. They felt this Wipe-Out style attraction was a lot of fun and they kept trying to do better each time, trying to get across without falling.
I think the most enjoyed attraction for us was Calypso Palace wave pool. There were lifeguards surrounding the water, plus the kids had their life jackets on, so we were able to get a little daring, jumping into the waves repeatedly. There are restrictions for this area (life jackets are required for certain ages and heights, and there’s a line to not cross for younger kids) but the area was big enough that we didn’t have to go very deep to get in on the action. I couldn’t help but laugh hysterically as I would get pushed down by a wave and stumble to get up. I feel as though I could have happily spent all day in these wavy waters!
Before you head out for your own Calypso experience, here are a few tips to make your day run smoothly:
We kicked off our summer with an adventurous start thanks to our visit to Calypso! In the days since our visit, we have asked the kids if they think they'd want to go back. It should come as no surprise when they enthusiastically exclaimed that they definitely would, and then they launched into lengthy stories about all the fun they had. We will definitely return again soon!
This is proudly sponsored by our friends at Calypso.
www.calypsopark.com
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