Rounds Ranch — Attraction in Springwater

A disappointing and disheartening experience for a father simply trying to advocate for his children.

As a father currently navigating a court-ordered custody arrangement, I approached Rounds Ranch with a reasonable and respectful inquiry: whether a summer camp registration could be refunded due to a court ruling that granted me parenting time during that week. The goal was to confirm a refund possibility and avoid unnecessary out-of-pocket costs — nothing more, nothing less.

Initially, management was understanding and seemed willing to engage in dialogue. I was even told to expect an email confirming our discussion. Weeks passed. Follow-ups were met with vague assurances. Eventually, I was informed that, after speaking with the mother of my children, they would no longer provide any correspondence or acknowledgement of my inquiry — solely on the basis that she “has custody.”

To be clear, I did not demand any action from the camp — I simply asked for transparency and confirmation of a conversation. Instead, I was completely dismissed once it became clear I was “just the father.” I was met with coldness and disregard, not based on behavior or reason, but on the technicality that I’m not the custodial parent.

This is about more than policy — it’s about principle. Fathers like myself, who are trying to remain present and active in our children’s lives, should not be marginalized or shut out. Respect should not be conditional on custody status.

I share this review not out of bitterness, but out of a responsibility to other families — especially single fathers — to ask: is this a business that values and respects both parents? Does this establishment support meaningful involvement from all caregivers, or only some?

Rounds Ranch may be a fun place for kids, but my experience as a father left me feeling invisible.

A message for...

Rounds Ranch is a great place to spend a day with the family. There are a lot of activities that are appropriate for all ages. The reason why I rated 3/5 stars is because while they definitely satisfied the Fun Factor, there were a few things bigger things that definitely stood out that would require improvement.

They have a brief window of time to buy food and drinks, and this window of time is on a set schedule, if you miss it, you're screwed for drinks - which was horrible for us because we finished our water bottles within the first hour of being there. You do not have any option to purchase refreshments if you miss the lunch window.

One of the slides was completely rotted through. While the whole jungle gym was a lot of fun and well built, the maintenance was lacking and definitely a safety hazard.

The last reason why I would deduct points from our experience was the lack of supervision at the petting zoo. Families are allowed to roam freely at the ranch, which is a very nice touch, however, many children AND adults, who are visiting and unfamiliar with handling animals, were improperly treating the animals. This was especially true with the bunnies and chicks pen. We had to coach some of the children and even their parents on how to handle the baby animals to prevent the obvious harm they were doing to the animals (unknowingly, of course) due to the lack of supervision. This was very upsetting for us and put us out of the mood for the rest of the day.

Luckily we were still able to have a good time when they opened up the water slide at the end of the day. The water slide, peddle carts and the inflated trampolines were our favourite activities and made the day a lot...

Rounds ranch was one of the fantastic experiences we had this summer. It is a long drive from Toronto. It took us almost 3 hours with the crazy amount of traffic we had that day to reach the destination—the timing for that particular day was from 10 AM to 5 PM. However, on certain days at the ranch is open and evening hours so you can enjoy the sunset. The staff is super sweet. I called them three times to ask different questions, and they were so patient every time I called them and even encouraged me to give them a call again if I had more questions. It was such a nice gesture. One important thing to note is they allow you to bring your barbeques and lunch. We went with another family and had a blast there. There are about are 40 rides for the kids, but the adults can also enjoy them. We also paid extra for the slip and slide water ride, which was also fun to do. The parking is free, and there is a huge lot for parking. The tractor ride was enjoyable as well. They take you to the sunflower field, and you can choose one sunflower for yourself. The washrooms were clean, and their lunch area was also well organized. There was almost no waiting time in any of the rides or any activity. We are unfortunate that it closed at 5 PM because we could not do most of the activities as we were extremely late because of the enormous traffic jam. There was a wedding there, and it was so lovely to see a farm wedding where they were roasting a whole pig. All in all, it was a pleasant experience for the kids and the adults alike. It also has a pony ride and a petting zoo. We will definitely go...