Things to Do in Owen Sound

The high-energy activities under Xtreme Adventures Family Fun Center’s roof instigate rushes of adrenaline in technicolor environs. In the multileveled, 6,000-square-foot laser-tag arena, teams of combatants track down their opponents as they navigate serpentine passageways, duck around forest plants, and circumvent digital quicksand. Padded Crazy Cars spin 360 degrees as drivers ricochet around the rink, while on the trampolines lining the walls and floor of the Xtreme Jump pit, visitors of all ages traverse its elastic expanses in leaps and bounds. After their adventures, they can sample snacks from the Xtreme Cafe & Bar, including pizza, sandwiches, and wings.

The Bogey Golf Tour grants golfers a chance to take to the links and compete against fellow amateurs in tournaments scheduled at some of the finest courses in the London, Windsor, Detroit, and Kitchener/Waterloo areas. At each event, scratch golfers compete in the Birdie division, 0–15 handicaps square off in the Par division, and 16+ handicappers trade pinpoint approaches and sequined divot tools in the Bogey division. The top five finishers in each division receive prize money—which can be paid out in gift certificates or cash—and the Tour also holds prize competitions for longest drive, closest to the pin, and 3-iron jousting. The Tour publishes the results from each tournament in local newspapers, and players can chart the peaks and valleys of their careers on the Tour Members list, which compiles all of their tournament results. Along with providing an outlet for amateur golfers to exercise their long-suppressed competitive side, the Tour and its sponsors have raised $74,000 for various area charities since 2003.

“Work hard. Play hard. Give back,” is the motto of the Kin Club of Woolwich, a social club that aims to help members of the community connect with and support each other through events for the whole family. At the annual Family Fun Weekend, kids try for prizes in carnival games and disguise themselves as jungle animals or kitchen appliances with face painting. Families can opt to camp alongside the Grand River and its historic covered bridge, and compete in the Grand River Amazing Race. This hybrid of Amazing Race and Survivor has two- to three-person teams competing in a series of challenges that could include canoeing, hauling wood, or playing patty cake with their feet. These events, as well as raffles, with prizes such as the gift certificates from Pamper Yourself for a Year, benefit area organizations such as Women’s Crisis Services.

The BlueMountain Activities team makes sure each guest can have fun out on the water, whether it's frozen solid or shimmering in the summer sun. During the winter, customers can rent ice-fishing huts and explore the snow-covered trails on snowshoes or snowmobiles either on their own or with guides skilled at warding off the forest's wild plows. Conversely, in the warmer months, BlueMountain rents out wave runners and party barges for sunlit cruises on the Georgian Bay.

Adventurist Frederick Schuett launched One Axe Pursuits in 2001 to use outdoor adventure as a vehicle to promote active lifestyles. He sliced the company into three divisions: recreational programs, corporate team building, and filmmaking. The outdoor-adventure company specializes in recreational programs that send clients zip-lining over the Elora gorge, climbing up frozen waterfalls, and rappelling down limestone cliffs. The corporate team-building division helps create cohesiveness among groups, and film-industry services—such as stunt work and training—keeps movie stars and the cardboard cut-outs they use as stunt doubles safe and intact.