Tips for visiting the CNE with young kids! Let’s Go to the EX!

Rumblings of the end of summer are here with the arrival of the CNE (Canadian National Exhibition) and visiting the EX with young kids is definitely a Toronto tradition I’m loving! We spent an entire day at the EX yesterday and explored the CNE with the toddler, baby, grandparents and friends. It’s definitely a fun way to spend a day out exploring the various activities on offer. As you may recall we shared some tips from our visit last year. Those tips still work for this year and of course we found new things to eat!

2023 Update : Click here for more tips for visiting the EX with kids!

Tips 

• If you’re going in a group, definitely take a stroller. There’s a huge area to cover and yes, Little Monkey wanted to walk for the most part but then she wanted a nap around 4 p.m. and that’s when I switched Baby Boy into the Bjorn and put the toddler in the stroller. We could have taken the double stroller but navigating the busy food and shopping buildings might have been a smidge difficult.
• If you plan to drive, get there early. This year with all the construction going on, we decided to Hailo (click here for $10 off your next ride)  and it didn’t cost much more than four adults taking the TTC.
• If you plan to visit the food section or the kiddie rides first, enter from the Dufferin entrance
• Bring your water bottle as there’s plenty of refill stations
• Bring snacks, sunscreen and liquids for little ones. No issues bringing those into the grounds.
• Get there early if you can. Our nephew was there at 9:30 a.m. (before the grounds official opened) and he was allowed on the rides! Kid made good use of his all day ride band. We got there for 11:30 a.m. and spent 15 minutes for each ride.
• All washrooms have change tables but hunt the ones down in less busy areas. The one tucked away in the beer garden (next to the show arenas and the sand sculptures) was extremely clean.
• Only buy ride bands if you think your kid will go on more than 8 rides. We bought 22 coupons and it was perfect as she only chose to go on 5 rides.
• Toddlers can go on about 8 rides in the kiddie section, depending on their height. Little Monkey is 36 inches at the moment and that was the minimum to ride. Most required 42 inches.
• Do a mix of indoor and outdoor activities to ensure you’re not in the sun for too long. We ducked indoors during nap time to enjoy some shopping and then chilled in the beer garden.

Food 

There’s plenty to eat and drink at the EX and clearly they’re great offerings as foodies flock here. We tried out a couple of the things and my favourite were the Peanut Butter Sriracha Bites from Frans. I didn’t try their Thanksgiving Waffle but it did look huge! For $7 you got quite a few bites and the trick is to let it melt in your mouth. Oooey gooey goodness. We got a couple Baos and kimchi fries from Far East and regretted not getting the Smores Bao. The regular savoury offerings were decent but they’re not Banh Mi Boys. Yes get Coco’s Chocolate Chicken. It looked burnt but it wasn’t. A lovely savoury chocolatey taste and the chicken was moist and perfectly cooked. The fries that came with the meal was good too! I was surprised by how much I enjoyed the chocolate ketchup dipping sauce that came along.

Activities

There’s everything from pizza making to playing with interactive toys on offer for young ones. We always enjoy the shopping pavilions, the beer garden for a break and just roaming the midway. We popped by the farm this year as Little Monkey loved it last year, but she wasn’t too keen on it.

Overall navigating the area with the stroller, even on busy weekends, isn’t bad at all. If you’re going solo, you can still take the stroller but the fear of someone swiping it whilst you’re at the washroom or distracted watching the kids on the rides is always a fear. No matter what you’re into, the EX has it all. Yes it can get pricey but it all depends on how much you want to spend. Entrance for a family is $50 (2 adults, 2 kids over 4 years or 1 adult,  3 kids) or $18 per adult. On top of that we spent $60 on food and $25 on games. Let’s not mention the shopping that was another $100. All said and done, the EX is a true summer tradition and one of the many reasons we love Toronto!