Saskatoon Staycation: Travelodge, trampolining, and Taverna
Staying close to home and following health guidelines is my family’s priority. So is supporting Saskatoon businesses and having fun together. And that’s why I’m excited to share what we did last weekend— it was a Saskatoon staycation that checked every box! Where would you stay? What would you do? What would you EAT? Read on for what my family chose for our one special day and overnight stay in this city we love.
This post is in conjunction with Tourism Saskatoon but all opinions are my own.
My kids have been asking to go to a waterslide ever since discovering the thrill during a Saskatoon staycation last summer, so I knew the Travelodge by Wyndham’s new Aqua Adventure Water Park would score huge points with them. We booked in for the Family Fun-cation package which includes the room, scheduled access to the water park and family games room, a pizza package, breakfast for four at Fixin’s, a gift card for B’Anne’s Place, and a gift bag. We checked in, made waterpark reservations, and headed to our room to drop our bags off. Well of course, when the kids discovered we had a balcony opening onto the waterslides, they wanted to go RIGHT THEN. But first, we had a surprise for them…
And ooh did they jump for joy at Apex Adventure Plex! The whole family did. Apex is an 18,000 square foot facility featuring a huge section of wall-to-wall trampolines. The size combined with reduced entries and color-coded wristbands that allow your family an hour of jumping time means distancing from other families is easy. We jumped, danced, shot some hoops, did some wall climbing, and I even jumped off a
“cliff” onto a giant airbag! Of course, masks are mandatory, but even with all that cardio we were just fine wearing them, as were the few other people in the facility. After our hour was up, we’d worked up an appetite, so after a stop at the hand sanitizer station, we headed downtown to make our reservation.
There are a lot of good eats in this town, but I chose Taverna Italian Kitchen because it makes everyone happy. My kids can slurp spaghetti while my husband and I order more sophisticated dishes like the Ravioli Di Ricotta e Spinaci (the BEST). Plus, Taverna’s drink menu is inspired, and the cocktails are consistently well-made. My family has been ordering a lot of local takeout, but it had been months since we’d gone out for dinner downtown as a family. To be honest, I wasn’t sure how it would feel. But our server made the changes in procedure (like a QR code instead of menus and other safety measures) feel comfortable and easy. Tables featured high back booths or plexiglass between, people were seated distantly, and being greeted by Owner, Tasos Kangles, I was reminded of the community connection of dining out. It was lovely.
We got back to the Travelodge just in time for our swim slot and I’m sure I burned off every one of the carbs I’d just eaten climbing waterslide stairs over and over again! Paris was the driving force, with the yellow slide put on repeat (there’s also a green covered one). Capacity is limited and being unmasked in the pool, we stuck to our family group and were able to remain very distant from other groups. There was still a movie night planned but at this point, I thought HOW?! This was a big day!
But they persevered. On Demand was showing Dr. Doolittle, so we settled in and somehow ordered the pizza and a couple of adult bevvies from the lounge. I knowww but it was included in our Fun-cation and darn it, we were in it to win it! We didn’t make it to the family games room, but we did well in packing our time. The next morning, we snagged a spot in the splash park side of the water park, let the kids frolic and dip their toes in water fountains, and we were on our way home with a take-out breakfast included in our package. What an experience. Thanks to Tourism Saskatoon for encouraging people to safely support local businesses, especially in a time when tourist dollars can not. And to Travelodge by Wyndham, Apex, and Taverna: thank-you for the memories.
xo
