St. Thomas, ON Outdoor Activities

On Adrenaline Paintball’s vast indoor and outdoor fields, airsoft pellets or paintballs flick through the air. The 12 fields help a variety of playing styles to thrive. Combatants seek out their opponents while lurking through trenches littered with foxholes and sniper towers. Wooded areas encourage warriors to dart between trees. Scenarios challenge patrons to rescue hostages or destroy a target. Away from the multilevel forts, winding indoor compound, and concrete tunnels, the pro shop carries tidbits and gear for both airsoft and paintball.

The 54-site Jefferson Junction Family Campground welcomes those with tents and RVs to a grassy plain with verdant foliage, entertaining amenities, and unserviced or utility-connected campsites. Owners Ron and Terry Jefferson used their combined 40+ years of campground-management experience to design a family-friendly outdoor haven, featuring 24-hour washroom facilities and a spacious pool. Kids can take off on a bike to roam Jefferson Junction's nature trails with a furry companion (pets are allowed at the facility at no additional charge). Families putt at the campground's mini-golf course, a nice reprieve from gathering wood for building a monument to Lincoln logs.

Though already a funhouse of aquatic activity, Bingemans Big Splash recently added five new waterslides to their expansive water park. Adventure seekers can throw themselves down traditional tube slides such as Boomerango or attempt to beat family and friends in a race on Full Throttle. In between trips down the newborn water slides, a wave pool serves as the wading ground for both children and adults. To end a day of watery fun, guests can shake out their ears and bellybuttons at an outdoor mini-golf course or rock-climbing and ropes courses.

Delaware Speedway unleashes a feast for the eyes and ears in the form of zooming stock cars and roaring engines around its half-mile oval track, pitting visitors face-to-face with the action in its unique amphitheatre-style seating. The speedway’s history stretches back 60 years to misty memories of the 1950s, when rock 'n' roll blared from radios and stock cars sported glistening, motor-oiled pompadours. Today, families gather on the grassy lawn or in the stands, cheering on stock car championships, Junior Racing League cups, and truck races as chariots fly into a colourful blur before their eyes. As they take in the stimulating sights and sounds of a day at the races, they fuel up with pizza, burgers, and hot dogs at the concession stand or refresh themselves with a frosty beer at the beer patio.

As lifelong outdoorsmen, the instructors of Paddles in Action believe that few things build a youth's sense of self worth like learning to navigate the wilderness. That’s why they developed an array of outdoor programs—ranging from three-hour evening lessons to 15-day wilderness trips— that help 12- to 18-year-olds develop their outdoor leadership skills. Immersed in the Ontario wilderness, youths learn not only the basics of hiking, canoeing, kayaking, and camping but also survival skills such as fostering group cooperation and properly complimenting a wolf on his outfit. The outdoor pursuits are both invigorating and worthwhile, as each participant may also obtain certifications from the Ontario Recreational Canoeing and Kayaking Association and the Lifesaving Society.

Flagswipe Paintball's 20,000 square feet of indoor space hide mask-clad players behind 49 bunkers and numerous padded pillars. Its green-turf floor is padded with an inch of polyfoam, ensuring that players can tumble, leap, and slide without hurting themselves. Outside, a woods-ball field exhibits a Vietcong theme, where jeeps, tanks, and villages of huts shield combatants, and watch towers allow players to let down their long, golden locks for teammates to climb. Along with traditional paintball, the facility also hosts airsoft and laser-combat matches.