Centennial Beach and Park - Barrie, Ontario, Canada

After enjoying an awesome lunch at THE WORKS, Gourmet Burger Bistro, we headed down to Centennial Park and Beach in the heart of downtown Barrie, Ontario, Canada.

On our way to the beach, we stumbled upon a refreshing splash park and the little people just couldn't resist. They loved it and had a ball running around through the dancing water. As a SAHM, this would totally be our daily summer hangout spot if we lived in Barrie. I was impressed with how clean the splash park and grounds were and the friendly people we met there. We met a couple of talkative moms that had brought their kids down to play in the water and enjoy a picnic lunch. It really had everything you need to spend a lovely afternoon there, including bathrooms, picnic table and benches.

Oh, we saw this ancient artifact, aka a phone booth. My husband and I asked the kids if they knew what it was and they had no clue...that really made me feel old. Yo kiddos, in the old days, before everyone carried cell phones in their back pockets, if you were lucky, you could stand inside a phone booth and make a call while away from home. Take a mental picture children, because chances are you'll never going to see one of these again.

Just down from the splash park we followed a nice walking path along the beautiful Kempenfelt Bay of Lake Simcoe, overlooking the marina.

Our little stroll came to an abrupt stop when six little eyes spotted the cutest little ice cream shop I've ever seen. All we heard after that was "can we, can we" in what sounded like an echo. So of course we indulged at Scoop & Cones. How could we say no, it was super hot and they had my all time favorite flavor, pralines and cream. The prices were budget friendly, ranging from $3.10 - $4.50 and the ice cream was delicious. I guess I was enjoying this treat too much because I forgot to take a picture, sorry.

There really is something interesting to look at in every direction you look. Ice cream in hand, breeze off the lake...what more could we ask for? How about a little art on the shore, behold the awe-inspiring "Spirit Catcher" sculpture created by Ron Baird in 1986. It was unexpected and we didn't know what to make of it, but is was truly something to see.

We wandered along for a few more minutes before we finally made it to Centennial Beach, and the first thing we saw was this cool Splash on Water Park on the lake. We didn't play at the Splash on Water Park, but we did put our feet in the water and play in the sand for awhile.

The beach had nice clean bathrooms, a playground, a grassy area for the kids to run and play and a lifeguard on duty. The kids really loved playing at the beach and we all enjoyed our family day out together in Barrie very much.

I feel like we found a hidden gem, but it was too good not to share with you guys...YOU'RE WELCOME!

Check Out More From Our Trip to Canada:

Visiting Toronto's CN Tower
Ripley's Aquarium of Canada
Visiting the Ontario Science Centre
Visiting Casa Loma in Toronto, Canada 
THE WORKS, Gourmet Burger Bistro - Barrie, Ontario, Canada