Grab the Fam and Hit the Road for Big Cheese Days

On Saturdays in May, Big Cheese Days are back! With loads of family fun, grab the kids and hit the road to enjoy a day filled with delicious eats, fun activities and more. Read on for an easy-to-follow itinerary for a kid-friendly day. 

Want more ideas? Check out our other Big Cheese Days itinerary for families. 

A Family-Friendly Saturday During Big Cheese Days

Ready to roll? Read on our skip ahead.

• Tour a Cheese Factory
• Enjoy a Grilled Sheep Cheese Sandwich
• Select a Scoop, or Two
• Delicious biscuits, cheesy heritage and playground
• A meal for the whole fam
• Brie Ice Cream
• Stay the Night

Stop 1: Tour a Cheese Factory 

Where: Gunn's Hill Artisan Cheese, 445172 Gunn's Hill Rd. Woodstock, ON. (View Map)
When: 10 am -11:15 am (Book online at gunnshillcheese.ca)
Open: 9 am - 5 pm, tours available at 10 am and 1 pm, book online in advance. 

You and the kids will love exploring an award-winning cheese factory. Learn about the art and science of making cheese as you see where the magic happens. Gunn's Hill specializes in washed-rind Appenzeller-style cheese inspired by the cheesemaker's time learning in The Swiss Alps. 

Check out the cheesemaking process 'from herd to curd' and of course, snap a pic in the beautiful aging room before you go. Try an Artisan Grilled Cheese Sandwich, available from 11am until 1pm and enjoying them under the pavillion. 

Drive Time to Next Stop: 13 mins

Stop 2: Taste of Wales + Grilled Sheep Cheese Sandwiches

Where: Red Dragon Dairy, 383723 Salford Rd. Salford, ON. (View Map)
When: 11:30 pm
Open: 10 am - 5:30 pm

Next stop: Red Dragon Dairy.

Located on a scenic rural road, Red Dragon Dairy is located in a lovely wood building and brings a taste of Wales to Oxford. Owned by the Morris family, Welsh immigrants who brought their love of sheep milk cheeses to Oxford, the whole family will love checking out this spot. 

Inside, you'll find their cheeses ranging flavours from gruyere and geta to pecorino and manchego as well as a number of local groceries including some produce, coffee, chocolate and more. Also, you'll find a number of treats from the United Kingdom like Cadbury chocolate, juice concentrate and so much more. 

During Big Cheese Days, Red Dragon Dairy is serving up fresh, grilled cheese sandwiches made with their sheep cheese. See how a Sheep's grilled cheese compares, or try one of their other treats.

Drive Time to Next Stop: 18 minutes

Stop 3: Select a Scoop or Two

Where: Dad's Ice Cream, 2 Vance Dr. Tillsonburg ON. (View Map)
When: 12:05 pm
Open: 12 pm - 10 pm (Opens last two Saturdays of May)

Up next: Dad's Ice Cream.

Opening in time for the last two Saturdays of May, this local favourite is the perfect spot to stop and chill.

For Big Cheese Days, try their Butter Tart Sundae featuring butter tarts from The Country Table in Tillsonburg, this sundae is layered with Shaw's signature vanilla ice cream, decadent butterscotch topping, and finished with peanuts, whipped cream and a cherry!

Spend some extra time in and around Tillsonburg to check out these spots: Station Arts Centre, Two Girls and a Cheese Shop, Betty's Marketplace, New Galma Dairy, and Coyles.

Drive Time to Next Stop: 9 minutes

Stop 4: Oxford's Cheesy History and Crafts

Where: Ingersoll Cheese Museum, 290 Harris St. Ingersoll, ON. (View Map)
When: 1 pm
Open: 10 am - 4:30 pm

After all these delicious tastes, you may want some time on your feet!

Head to the Ingersoll Cheese Museum where the kids will love their crafts and cheese-themed playground.

Afterwards, head into the museum or the replica cheese factory to check out some of the area's dairy heritage, learn the story of the mammoth cheese and many other interesting tales along the way.

Drive Time to Next Stop: 15 mins

Stop 5: A Cheese-Filled Dinner

Where: Louie's Pizza and Pasta, 440 Bell St. Ingersoll, ON. (View Map)
When: 3 pm
Open: 9 am - 9 pm

When lunchtime rolls around, there's no better place to take the whole family than to Louie's Pizza and Pasta. When you purchase two entrees, you'll even receive a free order of their signature, beer-bathed, deep-fried cheese curds. What a way to kick things off!

For Big Cheese Days, Louie's has a great menu of meals that kids and adults will like. Adults will fall head over heels for their Mushroom Ravioli, Patty Melt, or Cheddar Potato Bacon Pizza. 

Kids will love Louie's great selection of cheesy dishes like their panzerotti, pizzas and smoked mac n' cheese. 

Drive time to next stop: 17 mins

Stop 6: Brie Ice Cream

Where: Habitual Chocolate, 389 Dundas St. Woodstock, ON. (View Map)
When: 4:30 pm
Open: 10 am - 5 pm

End your day with a visit to Habitual Chocolate in Woodstock where they'll be serving up ice cream made with Brie from Gunn's Hill Artisan Cheese. The perfect combo of salty and sweet, this ice cream is pure, creamy perfection. For a small fee, add a berry compote. Enjoy it at the table or take a little stroll. 

Also in-house, you can shop a number of bean-to-bar chocolate treats from actual bars to dipped fruit and more as well as other local goods like maple syrup, piri piri sauce, soaps and more. 

Stay the Night

Want to make this trip an overnight? Great idea! 

Along the Cheese Trail, The Elm Hurst Inn is a legendairy place to stay. Book their Oxford County Cheese Trail package and you'll receive a beautiful local cheeseboard to your room as well as a bottle of Ontario wine and some chocolates made nearby. 

Looking for a different, slightly more kid-friendly option? No problem. The Holiday Inn Express & Suites in Woodstock and The Best Western Plus Woodstock Inn & Suites both have indoor pools!