Things To Do in Burlington

Some of the drills practiced at Dream Large Basketball are what most fans would classify as fouls. There’s the one where players crash into padded mats while trying to maintain their dribble. If that isn’t difficult enough, there’s another drill that demands players to dribble two balls simultaneously while being pushed from the front and pulled from behind. Coach Phil Ramirez, the man behind these challenging drills, believes that young ballers will excel during games if they’re physically tested during practice. That means a mix of basketball training and fatiguing exercises, which include cone drills, wall sits, heavy rope routines, and memorizing Dr. James Naismith’s thesis paper. Through hard work and plenty of sweat, the training facility hopes to get youth ballers closer to earning a spot on their middle school, high school, or college teams.

At Joshua Creek Golf and Tennis, golfers can hone their game independently at the 65-stall driving range and hasten their journey to golf mastery by taking lessons from Canadian PGA professional John Davis. The club also carries the newest gear and equipment from top brands such as Callaway and Ping, and offers club-fitting services for select brands to pair golfers with clubs that fit their back-scratching technique.

A staff of four tennis professionals runs the site's tennis facility, which fosters baseline duels across six courts. In the summer, kids flock to the multi-sport facility for camps that incorporate tennis, golf, soccer, and other sports into a fun and educational experience.

The meticulous frame fashioners at Framing & Art Centre construct high-quality homes for treasured artwork, awards, and memorabilia. After perusing the surplus of frame and mat samples, customers can choose the design that best complements their masterpiece. College graduates and traffic-school alumni will appreciate Framing & Art Centre's diploma-framing services (around $100+); personalized sports-jersey framing (around $400+) glorifies retired professional players. Fast, on-site service ensures collectible movie posters (many 24"x36" pieces typically cost under $150) will be framed and back on the wall before their owners can reenact all six Rocky movies. Beyond providing an elegant display, professional framing ensures that collectables will be protected and properly preserved. The staff at Framing & Art Centre gives owners peace of mind with protective products and services such as security hardware for safe hanging, acid-free matting, UV glazing, and shark-bite proofing.

At Bay Area Athletic Club, trainers blend elements of a fitness center, boxing gym, and kick-boxing club to imbue their clients with both physical-fitness knowledge and fighting skills. They offer casual and competitive programs and cross various platforms, which include children’s and adults boxing and kick-boxing, strength-and-conditioning classes, and competitive tracks for those interested in competing at an amateur level. Head trainer Muzammal Nawaz, a five-time world champion kickboxer, leads the club’s team of certified instructors and draws on more than 25 years of training experience to design programs for his clients.

At Paddle Sport Performance, students learn stand-up paddleboarding and other water sports under the tutelage of Derek Schrotter, whose credentials include an instructor certification from the World Paddle Association and a turn as the WPA's Canadian Director. Meeting clients at waters around Toronto and surrounding cities, Schrotter rents stand-up paddleboards and leads lessons for sportsmen of all skill levels. At Paddle Sport Performance's shop, Schrotter maintains a stock of water-sports gear that ranges from complete Joe Bark stand-up paddleboards to personal flotation devices.

The Hamilton Thunderbirds, a shining star in the 92-year-old Intercounty Baseball League's galaxy, electrify baseball fans with a slate of matches against teams sourced from all corners of Ontario. The Thunderbirds, led by batting ace Chris Piano, take on the league-leading Barrie Baycats on May 29 and the second-place Brantford Red Sox on June 26, seeking to best their vaunted opponents in fielding, pitching, hitting, and downward-facing-dog poses. TBird Family Day Packs provide nine innings' worth of diversion for two adults and two children at the recently renovated, 2,700-seat Bernie Arbour Memorial Stadium. While cheering on the diamond's denizens or practicing astral projection, groups can split four ballpark hot dogs and four drinks between them.

Since its Toronto location opened in 1976, Yuk Yuk's has been a collective launching pad for such comedy heavyweights as Jim Carrey, Rick Moranis, and Russell Peters. All of Yuk Yuk's laugh-establishments invite seasoned jokesters and up-and-coming comedians to their stages every weekend for up to three days of high hilarity and three nights of cozy lodging atop their cocktail tables. Many Yuk Yuk's locations offer drinks, dinner, or bar fare during the show, but those interested in dining should contact their club of choice to find out about reservations.