If you’ve never taken the kids to Bingemans in Kitchener, you should definitely add it to your list!
First, they have a great campground, with lots of trailer and tent spots if that’s your jam. I’m not much of a camper, so I was excited to learn that they also had cabins, and we took advantage of one of those on our recent two-night getaway. It had a double bed and a set of bunk beds (bring your own bedding), a picnic table and fire pit and best of all…electricity! There’s an option to rent a mini-fridge which we took advantage of as well. (I told you, I’m not much of a camper!) We were a close walk to the main office, which has washrooms and showers attached, and I was pleasantly surprised to find the water pressure was even better than at home – hey, the little things make a big difference!
The great thing about Bingemans is that it’s not only a campground, there are also tons of experiences on the property that families can take advantage of. We were given one-day passes to check out the Big Splash waterpark, and I can’t tell you how impressed we all were. It helped that it was a gorgeous day, so even I spent it in my swimsuit…and rode a couple of the waterslides! (Shocker!) To be honest though, I spent a lot of time reading a book in my lounge chair – the park is contained enough and visibility good enough that I was confident sending the girls off to rides together.
Our kids are 11 and nine, and they absolutely loved the big slides (there were lots of teens and adults having fun on them as well). There’s a wavepool and also a separate splash pad for the little ones, so there’s really something for everyone. They had a great local radio station playing over the speakers, and even the music added to the fun, tropical-vacation feel. We were there pretty much from open to close (10-7) and the girls still wished they had more time. Insider tip: one employee said 12-3 is the busiest time, because it’s the hottest part of the day of course, but also because of daycampers, so lines are shorter before and after that time. (Even during peak hours our kids never waited more than 15 minutes for a slide, and sometimes there was no line at all.)
Right beside the waterpark is a large building housing more Bingemans attractions: there’s a Boston Pizza restaurant (there’s also a snack bar near the water park for those who want something quicker), Kingpin Bowlounge (the girls had a blast bowling), a Playdium Arcade, Rocks & Ropes course and FunworX three-level indoor play structure. This was great in the evening, since the waterpark closed at 7, but the play structure was open until 10 (and even my big girls had fun in it).
There’s also mini-golf on site (two side-by-side 18-hole courses) right near the splash park, which was a nice break too. The Rocks & Ropes, FunworX and mini-golf are all included when you buy your waterpark pass, and the prices are extremely reasonable if you purchase online in advance: $25.95 for those over 48″ (who can access all the slides), $16.95 for seniors or kids under 48″, and even a twilight special after 4:00 for $14.95. (Prices are a few dollars higher at the gate.)
When I am invited to review a family attraction I always have my fingers crossed that it’s going to be a positive experience. In this case, Bingemans far exceeded our expectations, and I would highly recommend it to anyone who can make it to Kitchener for a fun day or stay.
Disclosure: We were provided with the above Bingemans experience for review purposes. Opinions are, as always, my own.