Things to Do in Pickering

Operating on a fully solar-powered farm, The Ajax Riding Academy sprawls before visitors a state-of-the-art facility complete with continuous security camera coverage. The academy's year-round selection of services helps novice and advanced riders alike earn their spurs, including lessons for groups or single riders and camps for every season. Owners can also shelter their four-legged comrades inside the facility's exclusive boarding barn, which features 20 large box stalls that are cleaned daily and stocked with rubber-matted floors, making it impossible for ponies to tunnel out and start new lives as bankers. During colder months, a pair of indoor arenas teams up with heated viewing areas to facilitate enjoyable riding throughout the winter.

At Nature's Photo Adventures, professional photographers—some of whom have seen their work published on the covers of Audobon Magazine, National Geographic, and _Newsweek_—guide students of all skill levels on outdoor journeys to learn the essential techniques of photographing wildlife and scenic landscapes. At locales such as High Park's lakefront or the Toronto Zoo, students learn to focus lenses on reflective waters and exotic animals. They also learn the basics of shutter speed, aperture settings, and ISO configurations as they seek out close-up shots of insects snorkeling across the Lynde Shores marsh wetlands. Along with these rudimentary skills, photo tours teach students how to read histograms and properly compose photographs with natural lighting. Students should bring a notebook and must provide their own digital SLR, point-and-shoot digital camera, or Baroque portrait painter.

At Aqua SubScuba Diving Centre, students train with the very same PADI-certified professionals who introduced Survivorman's Les Stroud to diving. When the team isn't spotting the famed survivalist during television shoots, they guide students to diving mastery at their own five-star development centre and local dive sites. Their introductory lessons begin with orientation sessions to ensure that students understand underwater safety guidelines, hand mations, and dolphin turn signals. They also lead pupils toward PADI certification with open-water dives and preparatory electronic courses. The staff can also offer referrals for open-water dives at optimal sites such as local spots or the underwater coffee shop used in the movie Finding Nemo.