If you have yet to check out the Royal Agricultural Winter Fair this year (or ever for that matter), you’ve got five days left to experience country life in the city. Whether you’re an animal lover, foodie or wannabe farmer, there’s something for everyone.

Here are some things worth checking out!

The Animals
You can’t go to the Royal without visiting the animals – after all, how often do you get to see sheep being sheared and cows being milked? There’s also an abundance of piglets, which just might be the cutest things ever.

Harvest Market
Here, you get a chance to stock up on foods and chat with farmers who produce them. The market includes things like meat pies, vegetables, apple cider, jams, maple-everything and more. Good things grow in Ontario!

Journey to Your Good Health
Have you been telling yourself you need to eat better? Yeah, so have I. This exhibit features foods grown by local farmers, information on the latest trends in functional foods and sustainable crops, 200,000 freshly prepared samples from the Canada Food Guide and registered dietitians on-hand to answer your questions.

Butter Sculpting
It may sound weird, but butter sculpting is in fact an art. The sculptures are always a huge crowd favourite, with artists from OCADU, Central Technical School and Georgian College given a 25kg block of butter and one day to create pieces that represent our country’s agricultural landscape.

The Royal Horse Show
Horseback riding is tough (I speak from experience, which involved plenty of bruises and a badly-broken arm) and the Royal has a reputation for showing some of the best horses and equestrians from Canada and around the world, which means it’s an event definitely worth checking out. Performances include show jumping, dressage, bridleless riding and horse and dog spectacles.

For more information, check out the Royal’s website.

~ Words and (cheeky) photo by Caitlyn Holroyd