Tuesday, October 8, 2019 4:00 pm

I  am so excited to share today’s post! We recently had a free Saturday and while it wasn’t too cool, it was one of those drizzly days where you want an indoor activity option nearby.

My friend told me about Wildhagen Greenhouses in Milton, and though it’s not far from where we live, I’d never heard of it. I couldn’t agree more with their tag line, “Milton’s hidden gem.” It turns out that it’s far more than just a greenhouse (though visiting a local nursery is always a nice way to spend an hour.) Wildhagen, a family-run business, is also home to the Adventure Gardens, a truly magical - and expansive - family playland. We thought it would make the perfect excursion for a day where we weren’t up to driving too far. My consensus? Even if you live further away than Burlington or Milton, it’s totally worth the trek.

ANIMAL-FILLED ADVENTURE

When you arrive, you drive into idyllic grounds. Of course, the flowers and shrubberies are exquisite, given the locale. The admission is purchased in a tastefully appointed gift shop with a gourmet truffle bar! I could’ve stayed right there and called it a day. I’m a sucker for a carefully curated gift shop and this one was, in a word, sweet.

From the admissions desk you enter into a small nursery, which in turn leads into an outdoor children’s play space and garden. It was a truly unique experience for us. Every inch of the area was so carefully planned out to engage little ones. There was a nice standard playset, but there were also many animal shaped shrubberies and sculptures. They even provide you with a list of animals for kids to take part in an outdoor scavenger hunt, which added a very nice interactive element. Of course, the Adventure Gardens are also home to Prince the pig, who even has his own back-story. There were so many details - I don’t want to give them all away - but. My only regret is that we weren’t there at night, when apparently their fairy garden gets lit up. That’s definitely incentive for another visit.

PIRATES, PUPPIES AND PUMPKINS: A MAGICAL FOREST TRAIL

The attention to detail continued with the forest trail. At the entrance, we were greeted not only by the giant gorilla (a fun, climbing-kid friendly family photo spot) but also another family of guests who told us how fun the walk was, and that the full loop took about 20 minutes. All throughout the forest there were so many sculptures to look out for, not to mention a pirate or two. We spotted a litter of puppies (don’t miss the sign with the sweet little puppy names), owls, parrots, a family of foxes and so much more. They even had plenty of signs with interesting facts about bugs and animals from around the world. The trail leads to a pumpkin patch, which our little one was enthralled by, then loops back to the entrance.

THE PERFECT PIZZA

To say that my husband is a big pizza fan is like saying the CN Tower is pretty tall. The same family that greeted us at the forest trail also tipped us off about their restaurant having really tasty pizza, and they were so right. My husband raved about it! If they joined Skip the Dishes we’d probably end up ordering from them every week. This was no standard fast food pizza, like what you might find at Ripley’s Aquarium or the Science Centre - it’s fresh and homemade. Luckily, the Zebra Pizzeria was conveniently located within the indoor Playland Barn. If you’re visiting on a rainy day, there’s enough to keep your kids occupied just in this area for hours. For little ones, there’s a pretend grocery store and cafe, dress-up areas, a pet hotel and even a pretend shark tank (for an up-close stuffed shark experience.) If you have bigger kids in tow, there’s an air hockey table, a giant chess set, a jumbo connect four and plenty of seating (also great for parents.) I even met some other moms and had a nice time chatting while the kids played. From the meticulous dedication to creating an engaging experience, to the superbly kind and friendly staff, to the pizza, this is absolutely one of our favourite places to bring our daughter now and I’m sure we will be returning many times in the future.

GOOD TO KNOW BEFORE YOU GO

• The Adventure Gardens are open June - December, Tuesday to Sunday, 9-5.

• The Garden Centre is open May - December, Tuesday to Sunday, 9-5.

• Admission is free for babies, $8.99 for walking babies/toddler and up to age 12, and $7.99 for ages 13+; family passes are available for $27.99.

• Birthday party packages are available (we'll be looking at this for next year, ourselves).

• In addition to the Zebra Pizzeria, (full menu here), they also have the Secret Garden Cafe with both kids and grown-ups options, located near the gift shop, plus the chocolate shop and coffee. Outside food is not allowed, except baby food.

Side note: I was gifted a gourmet chocolate bar by the staff when I mentioned I wanted to feature our experience. It was so kind of them. If nothing else, go for the chocolate because it was incredible.