This last long weekend past, we visited the Canadian National Exhibition as a family (also known as CNE), for some family fun. We got up and ready early morning, with our little girl and boy buzzing with excitement at all the things that was awaiting them. We were planning the trip the whole week. Preparing and planning where to start first and what to do, as the exhibition offers many things and with a little planning it would be difficult to see everything you would like to see, especially with little ones.
When we finally arrived at the CNE exhibition grounds, we also started to feel the excitement of our little ones and as we made our way to the Food Building, their little faces lit up with wonder at everything around them. Our little princess clasping my hand firmly all the way while my hubby pushed the little prince in his stroller. We were glad that we decided to stop at the food building first as it was already buzzing with people and we were overwhelmed by all the sights and aromas that tickled our senses. There was a lot to offer, from deep fried treats such as macaroni balls and Tiny Tom’s donuts to novelty foods such as the Cronut Burger, which are all the fillings you would expect from a burger wrapped between two hybrid donut-croissant buns. We decided to stick with the sweet treats, the waffle ice cream, as a snack, which was delicious and a favorite of our little ones.
Once we finished fuelling our stomachs with some sugary goodness, we set off to explore more of what the CNE had to offer. Our next stop was the CNE Farm, as we decided to wait a bit with the rides that our little one’s tummies could settle first. They had a lot of fun pretending to be farmers and also petting and touching the various farm animals, although in the beginning they were a bit hesitant and approached the little piglets with a lot of caution.
After all the pretending, we took a walk through the corn maze and then my daughter took a ride on the Fun Train, she seemed to enjoy as she waved at us with happy smiles.
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Another favorite of our little ones was all the shows they had to offer at the Kid’s World. Especially the character shows, like Dora the explorer. They stared in awe at all the shows, not even fidgeting much except to point out something to us.
They also enjoyed some of the rides they had to offer, although our little prince were not as excited about the rides as his sister was and went a lot less than she did. A show that we all enjoyed was the Super Dogs show; it filled us with laughter and joy as we watched the furry friends do all their tricks and maneuvers.
One of the things that made me very happy about the whole event was the numerous building washrooms; because as a mother that is one of the main concerns as little ones tend to want to go for a potty break at the most awkward of times sometimes. Another nice feature was the Baby Centre that allowed you to nurse and change your little one when needed. Although we did not make use of it, it is truly a great initiative and makes the CNE more kids friendly. Lastly, even though it looks like a chaotic mess with all the people and events going on, it is still very safe and secure for your little ones as there are a lot of security patrolling the grounds at all times.
I would definitely recommend the CNE to everyone as it has something to offer for every person, no matter what your interests might be or if you are an individual visiting it or visiting as a family. The adventure of visiting this event is worth every bit you spend. We will be visiting it next year again as there were many things that we did not get to this time around as well as many things we would love to experience again.
Loved the Turkey waffle at the CNE this year.