There are too many parts of our childhoods that get lost when we grow up, but go-karting is a way to hang on to a last bit of fun. Strap on a helmet, settle into your seat and feel like a kid again at these go-karting places in the GTA. Vroom, vroom!
There’s go-karting, and then there’s using a go-kart to navigate rolling hills and tracks the way pro-level racers do. Goodwood is one of the best when it comes to quality tracks in the GTA, hosting its own house league racing teams that have seen the likes of Paul Tracy, Scott Goodyear and Ron Fellows rise through the ranks. When you first get there, sign up for the Arrive and Drive program to learn all the basics of safe go-karting.
It’s a little bit kitsch and a whole lot of fun at Playdium, with outdoor seasonal go-karting offering one of the longest tracks at 1.2 km. Depending on how well you pick up the lessons – and how many passengers you want on your go-kart – you’ll be paired with one of three vehicles. The only rules to get started right away are you have to be at least 11 years of age and at least 52 inches tall.
You haven’t experienced fast until you’ve been in one of these go-karts. These heavy-duty vehicles run on gas and you'll need at least a G1 license to drive them. Once you get suited up and put on a helmet, you’re ready for your lessons. After you’ve “graduated,” you can book time on the track based on time or laps, with their Fast and the Furious option providing the best combination of cost, duration and fun.
Italians have one of the best reputations in the automotive industry and you can see firsthand why with their souped-up EK-5N-DR and EK-Mini go-karts. These beasts are loaded with the latest in technology, like electric-run vehicles with remote-controlled shut-off to avoid pile-ups on the track. Worked up an appetite zooming around the track? GPK also offers food and televised sporting entertainment in the café and arcade/games area at the Kinected Interactive Centre.