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Free Activities

Explore this section for ideas of free activities available to families with young children in Regina. Most of the facilities and activities listed here are available regularly throughout the year or season. To find one-day free events and drop-in programs for families with young children, visit our Calendar of Activities.

Click on a link to learn more...


Al Ritchie Family Wellness Centre
 
Government House Museum
 
Legislative Building Tours
 
Leisure Centres: Free Admission for Toddlers

Mackenzie Art Gallery

Outdoor Ice Skating Rinks (boarded & unboarded)
 
PlayEscapes

Regina Plains Museum

Regina Public Library

Royal Saskatchewan Museum
 
Saskatchewan Sports Hall of Fame & Museum
 
Wascana Centre

Al Ritchie Family Wellness Centre

Government House Museum

4607 Dewdney Avenue
Regina, Saskatchewan
www.ops.gov.sk.ca
Hours: Tuesday to Sunday, 10 a.m. - 4 p.m. year round.
Free admission

A visit to gentler times awaits you in one of Saskatchewan's oldest heritage buildings. Guides dressed in period costumes will walk you through the restored 1891 Government House, former residence of the Lieutenant Governor of the North West Territories and the Province of Saskatchewan. Reflecting the warm glow of a bygone era, the rich wood, elaborate carpets and antique furniture show life as it was for the Queen's representative in Regina at the end of the nineteenth century.

Public tours are available every half hour. To pre-book tours of 10 or more, please call (306) 787-5773.

Legislative Building Tours

2405 Legislative Dr.
Regina, Saskatchewan
Ph: (306) 787-2376
www.legassembly.sk.ca
visitorserv@legalassembly.sk.ca

Tours of the Legislative Building are available seven days a week in English and French and are conducted on the hour and on the half hour. Parliamentary Educational Brochures are available at the kiosk in the building entrance. Parliamentary Educational Videos may be viewed upon request. There is no charge for tours.

Hours
Winter (September 8, 2009 to May 21, 2010) : 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.
Summer (May 22, 2010 to September 6, 2010) : 8:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m.

The Legislative Building is closed on Christmas Day, New Year's Day, and Good Friday.

 

Leisure Centres: Free Admission for Toddlers

The City of Regina's 3 leisure centres, the North West Leisure Centre, the Sandra Schmirler Leisure Centre, and the Sportplex (Fieldhouse & Lawson Aquatic Centre) are provide free admission to children under 2 years of age.

North West Leisure Centre Sandra Schmirler Leisure Centre Sportplex
1127 Arnason St. 3130 E. Woodhams Dr. 1717 Elphinstone St.
Ph: (306) 777-7046 Ph: (306) 777-7590 Fieldhouse: (306) 777-7156 / Lawson: (306) 777-7323

To see current prices of leisure centre admission/passes visit www.regina.ca/Page1036.aspx.

Mackenzie Art Gallery

3475 Albert St.
Regina, Saskatchewan
www.mackenzieartgallery.ca
Ph: (306) 584-4250
Open daily; Free Admission

The MacKenzie Art Gallery welcomes visitors of all ages and backgrounds anytime during our regular hours of operations. Specifically for families, we offer a Studio Sunday program, every Sunday afternoon from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. where the entire family can explore the gallery spaces and participate in art activities in our studios under the guidance of a Gallery Facilitator. Also on Sundays at 3 p.m., join a Family Focus Tour of our gallery spaces.

Visit the Learning Centre during regular Gallery hours seven days a week, all year round, to participate in self-guided, hands-on art activities for the entire family. These are all FREE of charge, open to the public and do not require pre-registration.

Outdoor Ice Skating/Rinks

The City of Regina has 22 boarded outdoor rinks, and 44 unboarded outdoor skating rinks that are located within walking distance of most residential areas, and are FREE. Outdoor rinks are open for skating from December 14 - February 21 (weather permitting).

For the locations of boarded outdoor ice rinks, click here: www.regina.ca/Page741.aspx.
For the locations of all other ice rinks, ask a friendly neighbourhoor, who will point you in the right direction!


 

PlayEscapes

www.regina.ca
July 14 - Aug 7: Monday - Friday
Locations throughout Regina

PlayEscapes is a FREE summer come and go drop-in program offered by the City of Regina for children entering Kindergarten (must be 5 years old by December 31, 2009) through Grade 7. The program runs Monday to Friday, July 7 to August 14. The program offers leader-facilitated play opportunities that develop and foster life skills, creativity, imagination, positive self-image and promote a physically active lifestyle.

PlayEscapes welcomes children and youth with disabilities. Participants who may need assistance during the program are required to bring an attendant. Self-directed play is the key to the PlayEscapes program. Children engage in play they select by themselves, and are encouraged to explore and discover activities they enjoy most. This cultivates creativity and imagination while expanding children's intellectual, emotional and social skills. Through self-directed play, children become more active and creative in the play environment while gaining a sends of freedom and choice.

For more information about PlayEscapes call 777-7000.

Regina Plains Museum

2nd Floor - 1835 Scarth St.
Regina, SK
www.reginaplainsmuseum.com

Monday - Friday: 10:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m. (Saturdays variable)
Free admission

The Regina Plains Museum is the civic history museum of Regina. The Regina Plains Museum's collection consists of over 19,000 artifacts of historical significance that are held in public trust; the largest being a steam locomotive to the smallest being the size of a lapel pin. The collection includes material related to Regina's economic history and the community's social and cultural life.

There are a variety of exhibits at the museum including the Berting Glass Wheatfield, some of RPM's 50th anniversary archival collages and digital displays. Visit a historic general store or the themed displays which include Regina's Germantown, the Regina Riot and the 1912 Tornado. The museum also has a gift shop that features glass wheat items.

Fall 2009 exhibits:

First Peoples Urban Experiences.  A digital photo frame and collaborative exhibit with the North Central Community Association, Scott Collegiate and the RPM's summer student - Andrew Ruffell. The project presents a historical perspective on the settlement experience in the City of Regina.

Germantown. Germantown is the area of Regina that emerged as a distinct working-class neighbourhood in the early 1900s. Guest curator: Yolanda Hansen.

Regina Site Lines - A Path down Regina's History. Follow the path, a timeline of events, important figures in Regina's history, and city buildings that have endured time.

Regina Public Library

Central Library
2311 - 12th Ave.
Regina, SK
Ph: (306) 777-6000
www.reginalibrary.ca
8 neighbourhood library branches: www.reginalibrary.ca/locations

The Regina Public Library Regina Public Library serves the citizens of Regina by providing an open and accessible environment at 9 library branches throughout the City of Regina.

All Regina Public Library branches offer FREE preschool and school-age programming. Some programs require participants pre-register (in person or by phone), while others are drop-in. To discover programs, classes, and events that are currently offered, Visit www.reginalibrary.ca/events, or contact any library by phone to learn more.

Royal Saskatchewan Museum

www.royalsaskmuseum.ca
2445 Albert St. (Corner of Albert St. & College Ave.)
Ph: 787-2815/787-2816

Take your kids for a day at the Royal Saskatchewan Museum. The Museum furthers an understanding of Saskatchewan's natural history and aboriginal cultures, past and present.

Admission is by donation. A suggested level of contribution is:
$2.00 - Adults
$1.00 - Seniors, Students, Children
$5.00 - Families

May 1 - Labour Day (First Monday in September)	9:00 am - 5:30 pm
Labour Day - April 30	9:00am - 4:30pm

The RSM is wheelchair accessible. Wheelchairs and strollers are available upon request. Free parking is located on the east and south sides of the museum.

Saskatchewan Sports Hall of Fame & Museum

2205 Victoria Ave.
Regina, SK
Ph: (306) 780-9232
www.sshfm.com

Monday - Friday: 9:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m.
Weekends & Holidays (Victoria Day - Labour Day): 1:00 p.m. - 5:00 p.m.

Free admission

Current Exhibit: Saskatchewan Roughriders: The Team the Fans Built (May 28, 2010 - December 31, 2010)
A synopsis of the past 100 years of the Riders.

Wascana Centre

Ph: (306) 522-3661
www.wascana.sk.ca

Wascana Centre is known internationally as a beautifully landscaped park surrounding a 120-hectare lake located in the heart of the City of Regina. Within this 930-hectare parkland development may be found numerous important buildings among which are the Legislative Building, government office buildings (one of which houses the MacKenzie Art Gallery), the various buildings that make up the University of Regina, the Royal Saskatchewan Museum, the Saskatchewan Centre of the Arts, two campuses of SIAST (the Saskatchewan Institute of Applied Science and Technology), a hospital, a rehabilitation centre and the headquarters of the Wascana Centre Authority. The park areas are attractively landscaped and are enjoyed by thousands of Regina citizens and tourists in both summer and winter.

Wascana Centre includes these free attactions for family members:

• Bike paths
  
  
• Picnic areas
  
  
• Walking paths
  
  
• Candycane Park
  This is a popular children's park with many climbing opportunities and is located east of the Saskatchewan Science Centre along Wascana Drive. The slide, which resembles a goose was designed and fabricated by Russ Yuristy of Silton, Saskatchewan. The rolling log with its colourful candy cane striped supports was designed by Brian Newman. There are also a number of picnic sites in this area.
  
  
• Goose Hill Park
  In July, 1964, 35 acres located north of Wascana Lake and east of Broad Street was designated as the site for Goose Hill Park. Soil for Goose Hill was supplied by the excavation of the sunken parking lot behind the University of Regina College Avenue Campus. This is another popular family picnic area. Winter activity in this area includes tobogganing and cross-country skiing.
   
• Lakeshore Park
  In August 1964 four experimental barbecues were constructed in this area. Because of their popularity, additional picnic spots were developed complete with charcoal barbecues, two to three picnic tables and benches at each site. A central point in Lakeshore Park and an identifying feature is the totem pole. A short stroll further east in this area you will find the Boy Scout Monument. Following the gravel pathway to its eastern end will bring you to Surveyor's Monument.
  
  
• Waterfowl Park
  The Wascana Waterfowl Park is a 223 hectare thriving marshland within Regina's city limits. Its existence dates back to 1913 when a planner had the foresight to establish the Wascana Game Preserve. Part of the preserve later become the Wascana Bird Sanctuary and the Regina Waterfowl Park.
  
  
• Willow Island
  Willow Island is a man-made island located near the north east shore of Wascana Lake. Access to Willow Island is by ferry boat which can transport between eight and twelve people per trip ($5 per adult; $2 per child; prices roundtrip). Passengers will board the ferry boat at the Willow Island Overlook (Wascana Drive and Broadway Avenue). To accommodate wheelchair passengers or people with walkers etc. the ferry boat will pick passengers up at the Legislative Landing - north end of Legislative Flower Gardens on Lakeshore Drive. Parking is located beside the Legislative Landing and adjacent to the Willow Island Overlook.
  
  The island has charcoal barbecues, picnic tables, benches, washrooms, water fountains, and fire pits suitable for a bonfire and/or weiner roast. Should your group want the use of the fire pit, a fee of $5.00 will be charged. The north end of the island has a covered eating area with limited electrical services. There are also games available: horse shoes, croquet and volleyball. Visitors are welcome to bring portable gas barbecues, lawn chairs and coolers to the island.  Alcohol is not permitted on the island. Violators will be prosecuted. 
  
  It is open to the general public for casual picnics weekdays from 12:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. After August 15 the island closes at 8:00 pm due to darkness. Willow Island is open from the Victoria Day weekend through September. Please call 522-3661 for more information.
  

 

Please Note: UEY Regina makes every effort to ensure that information about activities are current and accurate. However, we encourage you to contact the organizations listed to confirm information prior to attending. If you know of a free activity that you feel should be added to this page, please email ueyregina@rqhealth.ca.