Top 5 Unique Activities in Mississauga
Published March 12, 2015 at 5:51 pm
You might be a fan of generic activities and there’s no shame in that. I, in fact, enjoy uneventful restaurant meals and movie nights.
However, after your 24th dinner date, you might start to wonder if there’s something else out there in our fair city — something a little more unusual and exciting.
Perhaps you’re looking for a physical or mental challenge. Maybe you want to see if your date has musical talent and an appreciation for unique cultural experiences. Maybe you want to fill your lungs with minty vapor. Maybe you want to role play (outside the bedroom — you probably don’t need our advice on how to enjoy private costume play).
Thankfully we’re here to help you think outside of the box.
Without further ado, here are the top five unique activities to do in Mississauga:
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5) A Drum Circle
I’ll put it bluntly — drum circles are wicked fun, especially for the uninitiated. While different circles vary in terms of sounds and activities, most allow you to drum (with a hand drum) in step with a seasoned leader. Drum circles are an ideal activity for groups of open-minded friends willing to immerse themselves in an inherently spiritual and culturally-specific experience. The leader or facilitator might be conducting a tribal circle that may or may not include dancing (if you’re up to it), chanting and sharing. Should you attend a community-building sharing circle, you might be asked to unload your inner thoughts at the conclusion of the bombastic (and tiring-in-a-good-way) ceremony. If you don’t want to share, just thank your fellow percussionists for the experience. If you want to share, feel free to cry or say you left your earthly body to reflect upon mortal existence from the rustic rafters. Anything goes — just don’t wear rings (ouch!) or play your neighbour’s drum if you don’t know him or her (only smack the drum of the person you came with).
Where: The Peel Aboriginal Network on Britannia
4) Shisa/Hookah Bars
These bars — the only truly smoky joints left in the western world — are in no way new and there’s a good chance you’ve gone to one to enjoy a taste of home (either yours or your ancestral one) or celebrate a Muslim, Arab or Persian friend’s birthday. There’s also a good chance you haven’t tried one of these places, possibly because you’re afraid of ornate smoking devices, you can’t get your boring friends to join you or you dislike hummus and shawarma and creatively concocted dry cocktails. None of these excuses are valid. Most hookah bars are airy, spacious and social, boasting communal-style seating that makes you feel like you’re in a friend’s very large and fancy living room. The shisha selection should be vast, offering fruit flavoured tobaccos that don’t burn your throat with hints of mint and other herbal accompaniments. It’ll feel like being transported to a) another country or b) a restaurant in 1995 with a more dramatic colour scheme and light, refreshing smoke that doesn’t give you asthma.
Where: Haze Lounge, El Fishawy, Zanobia
3) Suspension Yoga
Yoga has been a mainstream activity for quite some time now. In fact, it’s so common that even Gandhi himself is horrified by the use of Yankee Candles and spandex. Kidding aside, it’s a tremendously fulfilling and challenging activity that lets you test your might, bond with your friends and potentially admire your partner bending and flexing in form-fitting outfits, possibly with an attractive sheen of light perspiration covering his or her sculpted and/or voluptuous chest. More fortunately, daring yogis (and non-yogis) can try suspension yoga at Yoga Seven (formerly Port Credit Yoga) in Port Credit, right at Lakeshore and Mississauga Road. What is suspension yoga? It’s a yoga practice using slings and straps to hold asanas (poses) either in the air or on the ground. While this activity is not recommend for pregnant women or anyone with a bad back, it’s a fun way to challenge your body and step way out of your comfort zone.
Where: Yoga Seven
2) The 2015 GTA Spring Cosplay Picnic
A few years ago there was a sort of nerd renaissance and video game and anime aficionados broke free of their society-imposed shame shackles and loudly and proudly wore their costumes to convention centres — and then they put those very costume pictures on Facebook, caring not for the opinions of less cool people. This year, Sauga cosplayers are invited to Kariya Park to share their passion — and outfits — with other members of the cosplay community. According to the organization’s Facebook page, “The photoshooting, scavenger-hunting, watermelon-smashing picnic will be back this spring! It’s the same picnic that you’ve come to enjoy over the years. Come spend an afternoon with your fellow cosplayers socializing, playing games together, getting your photos taken and testing out your cosplays before Anime North!” Who doesn’t want to smash watermelons, costume or no costume?
Where: April 25 in Kariya Park
1) Room Escapes
A few months ago, we gave you a little rundown of two room escape facilities in Mississauga. De Code and Pani.Q. offer players five and three themed rooms respectively, challenging them to work together to escape a “locked” room under fictitious (but fun!) duress by solving puzzles or finding keys or objects. The new trend, which is spreading across the GTA after gaining major traction in Asia, lets groups of friends, families, couples and co-workers test their bond by forcing them to work together to escape self-destructing rooms or stop imminent world wars. It’s a little more mentally taxing than laser tag and significantly (or so I hear) less painful than paintball. It’s also more engaging and interactive than the typical board game because you have to leave home to enjoy it. Who knows — maybe your exquisite problem solving skills will land you a promotion or impress your date (I would totally date someone who helped me prevent a war)?
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