I knew of it, but have never been to Saunders Farm, until we were invited to a wedding there! We decided to check out the details before the big day.

Wow! If you have children, and you live in, around, near, far, or are visiting the Ottawa area, do consider spending a bunch of hours enjoying all that Saunders Farm has to offer.

Saunders Farm is just that, a farm. Yet, it is also a wonderful children’s play world built around the farm theme, and it is quite nicely accomplished.

We were there fairly early on a summer's day, and already dozens of families were taking advantage of the entertainment offered, such as the…

• jumping pillows (they are great fun!)
• mining for gemstones
• many mazes
• splash-pad with change rooms
• farm pedal-cart racing
• pedal-tractor ride ons
• farm fields of pumpkins, veggies etc.
• ice cream & goodies… and much more!

As our visit progressed, it got very hot, and I watched in envy as many children (and adult-children too) were enjoying the cool waters of the splash pad. It is nice that Saunders Farm provides change rooms for kids and adults that enjoy the spraying water, so they can change into dry clothes to continue their fun day. I wish I had known to bring my swim shorts.

Amenities

With around 100 acres of property, there is lots of room to spread out, and there were virtually no line ups at any of the features while we were there. In particular, access points to the many mazes are well marked, and we could enter any of them at our convenience.

Shade trees abound, and there is lots of seating for caregivers to be comfortable while watching their charges enjoy!

There are a couple of comfort stations, with the main indoor washroom facilities near the centre of the grounds.

Visitors are welcome to bring their own picnic lunches and use the various picnic areas throughout the grounds. The main take-away restaurant is called Farmer’s Table, and offers fresh local foods, including the usual hot dogs, burgers and french fries. The Farm Shop offers baked goods, gourmet style food stuffs and take-home souvenirs and gifts.

Other Activities

There are many activities each day at Saunders Farm.

Day Camp

During non-school months, Saunders Farm offers day camp for youngsters. Children are dropped off at 9am and picked up again at 4pm. Day camp fees include lunch and a camp T-shirt.

Wedding Venue

We recently attended a wedding and wedding reception at Saunders Farm. It was a lovely August afternoon, not too hot fortunately, as the reception hall is not air conditioned, just perfect weather, actually.

That we were blessed with beautiful weather was an additional plus. There are no washroom facilities in the reception hall. Guests will wander back up the trail a ways to the central washroom facility on the grounds, no hardship for healthy guests in dry weather, problematic (and this I witnessed) by guests with mobility issues. In wet weather, it would be a problem for all, as the path to the washrooms is exposed to the elements.

If the folks at Saunders Farm read this, consider adding washroom facilities into the reception hall. And please make sure that they are monitored during events. The men’s washroom at the wedding reception we attended, by mid-evening, was in pretty sorry shape.

Halloween

Saunders Farm is famous for their Halloween spectacular, held every year for 20+ years at the farm.

At this ghostly time of the year, visitors can enjoy such treats as…

• Haunted Hayride
• Pumpkins
• Frightfest
• THE SAWMILL at Lansdowne

Where Is Saunders Farm?

Those familiar with the Ottawa area will recognize the hamlet of Munster, which is out the west end of Ottawa, near Dwyer Hill Road.

Specifically, the farm is approximately 45 kilometers (25 miles) a bit southwest of Ottawa. The fastest route is to drive #417 (The Queensway) westbound to #416 south for about 12 kilometers (7 miles), and take Exit 66, Regional Road 12 for a few hundred meters, and then right onto Fallowfield for about 16 kilometers (9 miles) to Munster Road. Turn left there, and not far down is Bleeks Road, a right turn, and watch for the signs.

It should take you an hour at most to drive there from Parliament Hill. To my knowledge, there are no other options for getting to Saunders Farm. When you get there, parking is free, a rarity these days.