One thing I don’t love about travelling? The mental load of planning the trip itself. Where should we stop? What are the best-hidden gems? Where will we eat?

Well, your next family trip can be stress-free and fun if you explore one of Durham’s Rural Routes!

Durham Region’s Rural Routes offer six curated itineraries perfect for day trips or weekend getaways. These routes take you through charming businesses, including art studios, historical sites, farm markets, breweries, cideries, attractions, and more.

I was lucky to visit several businesses along four routes, and I can’t wait to return with my kids! Here are some highlights to inspire your family adventure through the beautiful Durham Region.

LEASKDALE LOOP

First stop: Tindall Farm & Market. This spot is a must-visit for fresh produce, homemade treats, and quirky home décor. As someone who often struggles to find gluten-free goodies while traveling, I was thrilled by their wide selection!

We got to watch the owner, Karyn, making fresh jam and even picked up a pro tip for home canning: Leave the ring off your mason jar when storing canned goods. That way, you can see if one of the seals accidentally pops. If you don’t, the seal could pop and re-seal under the ring without you knowing, and you could not even know that your canned goods have spoiled!

Other Leaskdale Loop Highlights: Montgomeryshire Orchard & Nursery, Leaskdale Country Store, Leaskdale Live Edge, Home of Lucy Maud Montgomery, Banjo Cider, and more! More info.

The yummy baked goods at Tindall Farm & Market

BACKROADS OF BROCK

Next I toured the Sunflower Farm on the Backroads of Brock Route. These sunflower fields are HUGE and the walking paths are actually in the shape of a sunflower from an aerial view. They have so many different varieties of sunflower that I had never even heard of including the “strawberry blonde” which was beautiful and lasted the longest once cut.

I meet a sweet baby goat named Feta who ate a chunk of my hair off – we were warned that she was a nibbler but she was too cute to resist!

Baby goat “Feta” making a meal of my hair at The Sunflower Field

With attractions close together, this route is ideal for families with young kids, and you can likely visit all five stops in a single day.

Other Backroads of Brock Highlights: Forget-Me-Not Alpacas, Buzzing Bees Adventure Farm, Villa Vida Loca Farm Market, and Pinedale Patch. The Backroads of Brock is a rural destination near Sunderland, Ontario which is just over an hour from the GTA. You can find more information here: https://backroadsofbrock.ca/.

SIDEROADS OF SCUGOG

At Lavender-Blu, I explored their artisan studio, hobby farm, and lavender fields—perfect for a homeschool field trip with my older kids. I learned about insect hotels, the benefits of a “messy” garden, and even tasted sea buckthorn for the first time (spoiler: it’s delicious!).

The beautiful field at Lavender-Blu

The strawberry plants at Willowtree Farm

Lunch was at Willowtree Farm, where I sampled the best raspberries I’ve ever had. They even use special enclosures to extend their strawberry season—I visited in August, and they still had plenty of fresh strawberries!

This route would make an amazing homeschool outing or a relaxed day date with my husband.

A COUNTRY PATH

At Archibald Orchards & Winery, I sipped the most delicious apple wine and mocktails. This family-owned orchard also offers apple picking, making it the perfect fall destination for our family.

I then explored Tyrone Mills, a water-powered mill operating since 1846. Watching it in action was a fascinating experience, and their fresh flour and famous apple cider donuts were a huge hit.

This route is especially family-friendly, with a bed and breakfast available for a weekend stay.

Other A Country Path Highlights: Timeless Essentials, Sargent Family Dairy, Knox Pumpkin Farm, Geissberger Farmhouse Cider, and more! More info.

The storefront of Archibald Orchards

MY MOM HACKS FOR GETTING THE MOST OF THESE ROUTES WITH A FAMILY

1. CHECK THE HOURS OF OPERATION

There’s nothing worse than packing up your family and heading out for some fun only to realize the place is closed. Make sure as you look through the various stops at each of these loops that you hit the ones that close earliest first!

2.      LEAVE YOURSELF EXTRA TIME

These rural routes are so beautiful that you’re going to want to stop at some extra places along the way or even stay longer than you anticipated. Make sure you plan your day with lots of extra windows of time for extra exploration (and bathroom breaks/diaper changes if you have littles).

3.      BRING A POTTY

If you’ve got littles, this one will be absolutely necessary. Thankfully, there are bathrooms located at each of the attractions I visited, and they are all relatively close together on these rural routes, so you won’t have to worry about long trips between them and needing an emergency bathroom. But oftentimes, there was only one stall or one bathroom available, and if it’s busy, you’re going to want to be prepared if you’ve got little ones who are potty training or freshly out of diapers. I suggest this for all family trips – not just for Durham specifically.

4.      CONSIDER BRINGING A COOLER

My diaper backpack has a cooler section in the front, which is super helpful, but if yours doesn’t and you are a lover of fresh dairy (I’m thinking delicious cheeses, chocolates, and fudge), you’re going to want to have a cooler on hand to be able to bring those goodies back home without them spoiling on the drive.

5.      CONSIDER BABY-WEARING OVER A STROLLER IF YOU CAN

Most of these locations were stroller friendly, and if you’ve got top-of-the-line wheels, you’ll probably be fine – but given the nature of the terrain (mostly either grass, hay, or gravel) and the quality of my own stroller wheels (mediocre at best), I’d consider babywearing instead of a stroller for the best mobility if your kiddo can’t walk the whole way at one of the locations. Plus, it’s nice to travel lighter and not have to worry about bumping into items in some smaller shops with your stroller.

That’s it! I hope you have found this information helpful and informative. We can’t wait to visit Durham’s Rural Routes again as a family, and I know you’ll love it just as much as I did!

xoxo Chelsea Dyan, this trip was part of a media fam with Tourism Durham Region, but as always, all opinions are my own.