I’m American and instead of going on vacation somewhere in the US this year, we are instead going to British Colombia.
We are still planning, but if anyone has any good suggestions of activities for a family with kids under 10 of things to do on Vancouver island, please let me know!
P.s Sorry our country sucks right now.
Butchart gardens
Royal museum of British Columbia
Legislative Assembly buildings
Walk around the downtown/waterfront area
Chinatown (Victoria has the oldest one in Canada)
Hatley Castle (x men was filmed here)
Craigdarroch castle (it’s more a large Victorian mansion but still cool)
Beacon Hill park (don’t run over the peacocks in the street - seriously - they’re a traffic hazard)
There are lovely beaches in the northern parts of the island and Sunshine coast.
Grouse Mountain (in Vancouver)?!
Granted, I was there a decade or so ago, but you can just take a bus to the trailhead/cable car lower station and then take the cable car up there or just walk the trail up (not hard) and then take the cable car down.
Granted, it’s mainly interesting for people who like Nature.
Also, take the boat to cross the river.
Here are some suggestions with a kids lens:
Vancouver Island
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get mid Island then over to the west coast
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Parksville - large sandy beaches to dig in
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ferry to Denman Island and then to Hornsby Island - fossils! https://hornbynaturalhistory.com/category/fossils/
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Qualicum Beach - gravelly and lots of seniors, but a great place to see bald eagles picking up clams and oysters, dropping them to break them open and diving to eat.
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Cathedral grove on Hwy to Port Alberni, accessible old growth forest
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Alberni - old forestry interpretation site with a logging train in the Cherry Creek area
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Drive to Tofino - an adventure in itself
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Long Beach
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whale watching
If you go to Vancouver, many of the classic stops are worth it
- the Aquarium
- Whale watching
- Grouse mountain gondola and mountain top
- Capilano suspension bridge and the fish hatchery and environs
- Seabus
- UBC museum of anthropology
Wow this is amazing informative and detailed. Thanks for taking the time to write this list out. We looked at parksville (I remember as a really young kid staying at tigh na mara and loved the beach. Glad to see it’s still a recommended area. Thanks again!
Check out some smaller islands off the main island. Lots of little artistic communities. Don’t just hit the big spots. Comox Valley is beautiful There are some old growth cedar walks off the coast in tofino (careful Tofino is as expensive as you can imagine) that are amazing (of you can’t manage the boat ride check out cathedral Grove near Port Alberni). Campbell River is a quaint town with great fishing, BC is full of forestry roads with great little remote campsites (on any given day you can have a lake all to yourself in many places if you just ask around town), surfing is pretty big on the island take a lesson or rent some gear, super fun for everyone. The Northern part of the island is not to be forgotten. The people are amazing and though the terrain can be harsh it is amazingly beautiful and remote.
Amazing. Thanks! These look like some great areas to explore. Added them to my research list.
