We live in
one of the most beautiful cities in the world and we really do try to take
advantage of its offerings. We love this
website as a resource: www.findfamilyfun.com , especially for the things going on around town. Here is our list of favorite family
activities, in no particular order
So much to do here: swim at 2nd beach and/or the
outdoor pool, go to the awesome playgrounds and splash pads, bike or roller
blade around the seawall visit the Aquarium and see a 4D movie (get a season’s
pass if you live here and have small kids).
We usually go up to Seymour for the
day to ski, but Grouse and Cypress are great too. If you don’t ski, try tubing, snow shoeing or
tobogganing.
Definitely a must do with kids 10 and
under. Go and explore and see an IMAX
movie. Again if you live here and have
young kids (I’d say ~4-8) get a season’s pass.
We like to go to the market for lunch
and watch the buskers. The arcade in the
Kids Only zone is cheap and fun, and the climber is fun for small kids. The playgrounds and water park are fun if the
weather is good. It’s also fun to take
the Aqua bus across to False Creek to check out the beach at English Bay, or
ride over to the Planetarium to check that out.
An awesome Chinese market to explore
in the summer months. There are lots of
interesting food choices, shops to explore and live entertainment
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| Explore Downtown Vancouver |
Stroll the shops and restaurants on
Robson Street; go skating at Robson square in the winter, try the family events
at the Vancouver Art Gallery. There are
lots of other fun streets to explore too of course… English Bay, Gastown,
Yaletown, Denman Street to name a few.
Usually held in late May on Granville
island… get tickets to see a show or two and factor in lots of extra time to
explore & play at the exhibits.
A great outdoor pool and/or water park
to visit in the summer, with a beautiful path so you can walk/roller-blade/bike
around Burrard Inlet. Go to Pajos for a
fish and chips lunch. While you are in
the ‘Mood you can take a side trip to Newport Village to check out the shops
& eat some gelato (or sushi or great pub food).
Extreme Air Park (Richmond &
Langley)
One of our new favorite activities to
do with the kids… wall to wall trampolines!
Awesome exercise and fun for school aged kids.
Lonsdale Quay & ride the Seabus to Gastown
If you are downtown, hop on the Seabus and ride over to the quay…. A fun adventure in itself! We like to explore the shops and go for Beaver Tails. Sometimes they also have live music outside as well.
We like to play on the beach year
round on any nice day. Kits beach is a
great place to people watch, build sand castles, and swim (but only on a very
hot day)
A favorite fall activity of ours: go to the petting zoo, eat fresh corn-on-the
cob & pumpkin pie, shop in the market, go on a hayride, choose a pumpkin
Have fish and chips for lunch, stroll
down the shops on the boardwalk, skip stones on the beach, buy seafood fresh
off the boat
Check out the rides, play carnival
games and eat mini doughnuts! We like to
visit Playland when it is less busy in the spring or fall, and we avoid the
rides during the PNE in late August when the crowds are at their worst. The PNE is definitely worth a visit to see
the shows and exhibits.
We like to park at second beach and
play at the playgrounds, go to the outdoor pool, play at the beach, bike or
roller blade around the sea wall, cool off at the splash park
Van Dussen Gardens/ Queen Elizabeth
Park
An amazing place to have a picnic and
see some amazing beautiful (or go for tea!).
Also great at Christmas time during the Festival of Lights.
Buntzen Lake/ Sasamat Lake
Buntzen Lake is a great place for a hike and a swim. There are a few different beaches
worth exploring in this area… although they are very popular and crowded on
summer weekends.
The fort itself is really cool and
worth a visit, but it’s also fun to walk around the shops and restaurants in that
strip.
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| Museum of Anthropology |
The Anthropology Museum and
Biodiversity Museums, UBC
I went to UBC and I love an excuse to
spend a day there! The anthropology
museum is so amazing (more fun for older kids and adults) and the new
biodiversity museum is very cool. We
like to go to spend some time at the SUB as well… try πr2 (pizza) or the
Pendulum for lunch.
A great place to spend a day. Not a world class zoo by any stretch, but
there are lots of interesting animals to see and you can bring your bikes and
ride around the park if it isn’t too busy.
Go carting, glow in the dark
mini-golfing, arcade, bowling…. Tons of fun stuff to do. It is all the way out in Abbotsford so it’s a
bit of a trek to get there.
Watermania (Richmond Wave Pool)
Compared to other cities the Metro
Vancouver area has amazing public pools.
Most have really good special features like climbing structures,
fountains, lazy rivers, water slides, rope swings, beach entry…. And a few have
all of the above.
If we have snow in the winter it’s a
fun place for sledding, and it’s a great picnic spot with amazing views in the
summer months. Horizons is a really
great restaurant too and was the first “fancy” restaurant we brought our kids
to.
A gorgeous beach and lovely area to
explore. A great place for a photo shoot in any season.
A great little old fashioned village
to explore! There is a nice little
restaurant & ice cream shop, and make sure you ride the awesome old
fashioned carousel. Walking distance
from the museum you can also visit Deer Lake or the Burnaby Art Gallery. If you are visiting in the summer be sure to
check out the farmer’s market at City Hall (a very short walk from the museum).
Visit Dr. Sun Yat Sen Gardens, stop at
a Chinese bakery for yummy cakes and delicious buns, browse for trinkets at the
little shops.
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