Discovery Harbour

I have to admit, I wasn't completely on board about this day trip.  We were headed to Penetanguishine for the day with a stop in Discovery Harbour for a few hours.  It just wasn't too appealing to me, but hey, the family does more than their fair share of things on my to-do list so off we went loaded up with snacks and rain jackets due to the possible rain showers.  Wouldn't you know, I was pleasantly surprised.  This turned out to be a fun day for the kiddos.  I even learned a fair bit about Canadian history...although admittedly my knowledge of history is sparse so it doesn't take much!

Discovery Harbour traces its roots back to the original British naval and military base in Penetanguishene, built to safeguard access to Upper Canada after the War of 1812.
In 1828, a British garrison on Drummond Island was relocated to Penetanguishene. By 1834, Canada was defended exclusively by these forces. An impressive stone Officers' Quarters was built in 1845. The military occupied the site until 1856.

(no, I didn't learn enough to actually have this memorized...this is cut and paste directly from the website!)

From testing out sailor's hammocks in their barracks and touring the navy surgeon's house to climbing on cannons and touring recreated tall ships, Kyle, Jillian and Leah all enjoyed the whole experience.  The tour was informational but moved at a fast enough pace to keep the kids (and parents) entertained.

The ships were really neat.  It was nice how they set everything up for the kids to explore and really see how the navy lived and worked in those days.

 I found it very interesting when I couldn't drag my kids away from the super fun activity of...wait for it...swabbing the deck.  Yes, a bucket and a mop kept my kids happily entertained for ages, and they didn't want to stop until they had swabbed the whole deck.  They didn't even believe me when I told them I had plenty of swabbin' for them to do at home, apparently swabbing the kitchen floor doesn't have quite the same appeal, darn!

Kyle and Jillian showing off their British heritage

Overall a fun activity for the family, along with some history thrown in for good measure.  Afterall, nothing says summer vacation like an educational field trip! ;-)