family travel

Bingemans Review and Frito Lay Chip Trips

On the weekend of Father’s Day we had our first chance to use one of our excellent Lay’s Chip Trips promotions. I took my husband and our two kids to Kitchener’s Bingemans Park, now called Bingemans Grand Experiences. You can see from the pictures how much my kids enjoyed the trip. Bingemans is a place where my brother and I used to go with our Mom when we were school-aged kids and we had fond memories of the place from decades ago. So it had a lot to live up to. The last time we were there the wave pool was still quite a novelty located on the outer perimeter of the park. Now, the wave pool is the heart of the place where families cluster to picnic, lounge and explore. From there, you can easily walk to the water slides – and there are numerous, some wild and daring for adults and several that are just right for younger children. The layout has changed a fair bit since I was a child and several additions have enhanced the amusement factor for families. The new Funworx building houses a rope climbing course, which was super cool and also is used for summer day camps. There is a ball pit-style, indoor climbing area for preschoolers. Inside Funworx you can also find many exciting games to play for tokens and tickets. My children loved the Skee Ball and the Basketball, that was just the right size for pint-sized kids.

This is the splash area with Spray ‘N Play. Everyone loves the giant toppling bucket. Several waterslides are just the right speed for kids and maybe a less adventuresome adult. They can easily be rode side-by-side with your toddler if they need a bit of coaxing. These are my two children playing in the splash area.
Only my daring husband rode this one called the cyclone. It plunges and then spits you out into what he thought looked a bit like a toilet bowl and then suddenly dumps you sideways or upside down into a pool. How fun is that?
Prices are definitely higher than when I was a child and it takes a bit of figuring out to know what you are getting. There is a menu on the way in and depending on what you want and where you intend to spend your day there are various levels of pricing. A family of four would normally spend about $100 for a full day here. You can do just the Funworx portion of the program or just the waterpark or combine the two. With my Lay’s Chip Trips promotion we saved almost $30.00. If you still aren’t familiar with the Lay’s Chip Trips promotion running this summer check it out here: http://tiny.cc/7hud0
Children under two get a very good deal for the splash area. I think my nephew cost about $8.95 and he spent several hours picnicking and hanging out with my brother and his wife at the wave pool and splash area. Also it makes sense if you live in the area to get a season’s pass, because even two trips in one year would pay for the pass and then some. Other thrifty tips include budget about $10 for spending in the amusement area on games and when that runs out the games are done. Also bring snacks and lunch and lots of water.
The wave pool where waves go off every 10 minutes and aren’t that rough really. That’s a factor to consider if you have small children. The water here was the warmest of all the pools. You can see the bigger water slides in the background. Bingemans offers camping as well and the rates there were for yurts and cabins also and seemed quite reasonable.
Funworx. Mommy so appreciated this basketball game. My kids love to play these amusment park games, but usually they are super-sized machines and Mommy ends up holding her children in one arm so they are tall enough to reach. This one is perfect for kids and they actually got several baskets. Hurray for Bingemans! Bingemans is at 425 Bingemans Centre Drive, Kitchener, Ontario, just off Victoria Road.
Thriftymommastips review $$$$ out of $$$$$.
Disclosure: I am participating in Lay’s Chip Trips program with Mom Central Canada and Frito Lay. I received Chip Trip points and a gift card to off set the costs incurred to facilitate this post. The opinions in this blog are my own.

Mom of two beautiful active girls, traveller, fitness junkie, social media consultant, and keeper of the sanity.

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