Need More Fun Ideas?

Bowling – ages 5 and up! – Even have parents and kdis bowling leagues, with “tots” included.

Curling

Lawn Bowling

Skating

Skiing/Snowboarding

Snow Tubing

Walking/Hikes - Take a Hike - The hills and valleys surrounding Vancouver are crisscrossed with hiking trails for all skill levels. Throw on a daypack, bring plenty of water and get out there and explore.

Skateboarding - lots of skateboard parks available for kids!

Roller-skating

Bike – Go Biking or Rent bikes at the eastern end of the park and ride around the sea wall to English Bay. Relax for a bit at a cafe or on the beach, then ride back through ancient old growth trees. Or, you can also rent bikes on Denman St., near the corner of Georgia St.

Bike, Walk or Roll Around the Seawall - It doesn't matter how you get around the Seawall, what matters is that you do it! Whether you bike, walk, run or rollerblade, a day spent under bluebird skies drinking in the amazing mountain and ocean vistas offered by this famed piece of urban infrastructure is a day beyond compare. You can rent bikes and rollerblades from numerous shops on Denman St. near Georgia. Unfortunately, this is one of the more popular choices for anyone looking to capitalize on a nice, sunny days. The Seawall is long and wide, but it still gets mighty busy. Try it early in the morning or just accept the slower pace and enjoy it all with the crowd.

Boating – Rent a boat or take your boat out for some water sports, fishing or sightseeing!

Library – visit your local library and borrow some books, or call and ask about kid reading programs, kid events, kid sing alongs, puppet shows and kids storytimes! See our web page Children’s resources in Kids Vancouver.

Drop-in Gyms - Most recreation centres in your own community have drop-in gym times! Call your local recreation centre to see if they have one!

Forests and Bogs – Go to a forest and enjoy the nature, walking, biking, hiking, bird-watching, critter exploring, and maybe some mammals! Visit Deltas Burns Bog, Stanley Park and many more!

Park/Playground

Water Park

Vancouver’s many attractions!

Frisbee Disk Golf

Miniature Golf or Golf

Kite-Flying – depending of course on the weather, go to the beach, school field, even yoru backyard and fly a kite!

Camping - Take the family, get out of the city and back to nature!

Swimming & Water Parks - indoors or outdoors, see the parks & playgrounds web page in our web site for locations in your area.

Fitness Programs for kids and parents to do together – Aquafit, yoga, swimming lessons, golf, dance, table tennis, curling, lawn bowling, badminton, martial arts, walking, running and lots of other sports!

Horseback riding

Paintball – depending on age and discretion of parents!

Mountain Biking - The folks at Cove Bikes, (604) 929-1918, in North Vancouver can set you up with gear and a trail map for North Shore (read: challenging) riding. Or try one of the hundreds of city paths that wend their way along the seawall or on city streets: no visit here is complete without a ride around the 8.8-kilometre, oceanside loop of Stanley Park. Denman Bike Shop, (604) 685-9755.

Skiing/Snowboarding - Whistler Blackcomb is home to more than 7,000 skiable acres including 12 alpine bowls, three glaciers, 200 trails, 33 lifts and the highest vertical drop of any ski hill on the continent, (604) 932-3434. Locally, find Grouse, (604) 980-9311; Cypress, (604) 926-5612; and Seymour, (604) 986-2261.

Ice skating – Indoors or Outdoors depends on the season! Local ponds are available to skate on or go to your local recreation center! Even get your kids enrolled in skating lessons, lots of fun!

Vanier Park - On-shore breezes and long stretches of lawn make Vanier Park a kite’s best friend. Pick up a single-line delta (the beginner’s model) at Kites & Puppets on nearby Granville Island, in the Kids Market, (604) 685-9877, and put your Charlie Brown phobias to rest. 1000 Chestnut St., (604) 257-8400.

UBC Botanical Garden - is a fascinating world of plants. With more than 10,000 different plants on display, visitors can stroll through 110 acres of gardens to see Alpine & Asian treasures, medicinal and culinary plants and the towering trees of a B.C. coastal native forest. Mobility scooters & audio guides available. Shop in the Garden/Plant Centre specializes in gifts, books and rare plants and seeds. While visiting the UBC campus, see the Nitobe Memorial Garden, one of the best traditional Japanese gardens in N. America. University of British Columbia, 6804 S.W. Marine Dr. (at 16th). Info: (604) 822-9666.

Mount Seymour - Ski, Snowboard, Lessons, Snow Tube & Snowshoe. Enjoy an authentic outdoor experience where the locals come to play. Located 30 minutes from Vancouver, Mount Seymour is a complete winter mountain facility offering quality lesson programs, equipment and clothing rentals, snowshoe drop-in tours, adventurous snow tubing, tobogganing, shuttle service and much more. Great Family Rates available. 1700 Mount Seymour Road, North Vancouver.
Tel. 604.986.2261
Website: www.mountseymour.com

Lower Seymour Conservation Reserve/Rice Lake Loop
The birthplace of North Shore-style mountain biking (steep, fast and tricked out with jumps), the Lower Seymour Conservation Reserve is renowned as some of the “sickest” mountain biking terrain on the planet — so if you’re looking to test your mettle on some classic trails, this is the place to be (check out Darrin Polischuk’s Mountain Biking British Columbia [Gordon Soules] for the inside scoop). There are tamer pleasures to be had, including 25 kilometres of hiking trails that vary in length and strenuousness. There’s even a paved, 10-kilometre wilderness path around Rice Lake that’s ideal for strollers and in-line skaters. North end of Lillooet Rd., North Vancouver, (604) 990-0483.

Snowshoeing - Find dozens of designated, groomed snowshoe trails on Cypress, Seymour and Grouse mountains. Check out A Vancouver Guide to Snowshoeing by Devon Girard for maps and route descriptions or call the snowshoe centre at Mount Seymour, (604) 986-2261.
Sailing - Yacht cruise charters, boat rentals and daylong or multiday sailing classes can be booked at Granville Island through Cooper Boating, (604) 687-4110.

Windsurfing - Jericho Beach is good for beginners, and the school there has lessons for all levels; Windsure Windsurfing School, (604) 224-0615. Squamish is more challenging and offers some of the best windsurfing in the country (www.squamishwindsurfing.org).

Paddling - Rent a canoe from Mountain Equipment Co-op (604) 709-6241, and head an hour north of the city toward Squamish to paddle the Squamish River Estuary (www.mysquamish.com); sea kayak at Deep Cove (604) 929-2268; or Jericho Beach (604) 689-7575.

Kayaking – From Deep Cove up Indian Arm is the place for the novice (and glorious views of the mountains). Rent canoes and kayaks at Deep Cove Canoes and Kayak in Deep Cove. http://www.deepcovekayak.com/

Visit a Beach – visit a beach to swim, play in the sand, play sports, lots of beaches to visit in Vancouver!

Lounging at the Beach - The city is blessed with an abundance of fabulous beaches, from the long stretches of sand along Jericho and Spanish Banks to the secluded wonder of Third Beach in Stanley Park. These beaches are extremely popular and parking can be a bit of a headache after midday, so get there early, stake your claim and get down to some serious lazing. (Of course, you'll be sure to bring plenty of sunscreen, right?)

Slip-Sliding Away - Hop in your car and head out to one of the Lower Mainland's waterparks for a day of unabashed, waterlogged fun!
• TransCanada Waterslides (Chilliwack - right off Highway 1)
10 heated slides, including the infamous "Black Hole" as well as minigolf. Right next to the

Dinotown Amusement Park
• Cultus Lake Waterpark (Take Highway 1 to Exit 104)
Full-service waterpark that features night sliding and one particularly cool slide with a 72-ft. drop.
• Splashdown Park (Tsawwassen - right off Highway 17)
Located on 13 sprawling acres just minutes from downtown Vancouver, this popular spot gets crazy-busy when it's hot out. But it's big enough to handle the volume. The "Black Hole" tube ride is a must (if you dare)
• You can also find free kids' waterparks in your community, check the parks & playgrounds section in our Kids Vancouver web site.

Canada Place – This is where cruise ships dock and the site of one of the city's poshest hotels. Built to look like an enormous sailing ship, it also houses an IMAX theater and convention center with seasonal events. But what's really fun for kids is going up and down the hundreds of steps at the back of the building, getting a great view of Coal Harbor and looking at the super cruise ships docked on either side. Drop a quarter in the telescope to spy on Stanley Park, North Vancouver, or a big cruise ship.

SeaBus Terminal – Take the ferry to Lonsdale Quay. It's a big 400-passenger catamaran, Burrard Beaver or the Burrard Otter SeaBus, with lots of windows, and completely enclosed (which is good in rainy or foggy weather.) On the way, you'll have a good look at the big ships in Burrard Inlet. It's about a 15 min. trip each way.

Gastown – The "old town" part of Vancouver, built right after the big fire at the turn of the century. Cobbled streets, gas lanterns, a steam clock add charm to the authentic Victorian buildings. A mixture of touristy shops and restaurants, it's a very pretty walk from The Lookout or Canada Place and leaves you close to Chinatown and the Sun Yat Sen Gardens. Year-round buskers can be found on almost every corner, and this is also the main site of the summer's Jazz Festival.

Ride a Big Bus! - Kids love the Big Bus! Wee ones are thrilled to see Vancouver from up high, on a vintage double-decker or an open-top bus. Our fully narrated tours give a great overview of Vancouver. Then hop off and on to explore all the downtown attractions. Kids can visit us at our Welcome Centre in Gastown and sample our ice cream. (Shhh, watch for the moose!) Tickets are valid for 48 hours.
www.bigbus.ca

Road Trip – take a road trip to a nearby lake or just go anywhere just pick a place and check it out!

Crescent Beach / Blackies Spit - For a little tranquility and quaint beach village atmosphere, take a relaxing stroll down the graveled walkways of Crescent Beach. Go for a swim in the warm waters of the protected swimming area or build sandcastles on the sandy beach. Wander through the charming stores and enjoy the varied restaurants along the main strip. Next to the beach area is Blackies Spit, one of the best bird watching areas in Canada, with almost 200 species of birds recorded over the different seasons.

The sandy spit, surrounded by tidal marsh and Eelgrass beds, is an important stop for migrating and wintering waterfowl and shorebirds as they make their way up and down the coastline of North and South America. Fall migrants start arriving in late August and September, with spring migrants arriving in mid-March and leaving by the end of May. The park is managed as a wildlife conservation area and habitat enhancement activities are ongoing throughout the park. The sand bars are a favourite resting place for harbour seals and their pups.

Softball City - Softball City is a premier Sports and Entertainment complex consisting of four championship calibre diamonds, surrounding a 120-seat fully-licensed restaurant with 200 seat outdoor patie.
http://www.softballcity.bc.ca/

Playland - BC's famous amusement park features over 30 exhilarating rides, unique attractions and fun midway games! Playland is also home to Kids Place special zone filled with soft-play areas and exciting rides for kids under 48 inches! Open from April 14 - October 1, Playland is sure to provide fun and excitement for the entire family!
Tel: 604-253-2311
Website: www.pne.ca