MVW: Vancouver!

February 17, 2010

*Happy Mini-Vacation Wednesday!

On this momentous of weeks in February, we’re headed directly to where the action is in Vancouver.  I’ve visited once and it indelibly remains one of my favorite cities worldwide.

Breathtaking!

This one makes my heart skip a beat.

And there are tons of wonderful things to do with your adorables.

So let’s dig in for your to-do list:

1. Sail across the harbour, or soar above the city. Heading across Burrard Inlet by SeaBus or travelling around the city by SkyTrain is a highlight for many visiting kids – try for a seat at the front of a SkyTrain and they’ll feel like they’re driving. (www.translink.bc.ca)

2. Check out North America’s largest free waterpark at Granville Island (www.granvilleisland.com), then dry off in the nearby Kids Market. Make sure you take a mini ferry to get there (www.theaquabus.com; www.granvilleislandferries.bc.ca).

3. Head to golden-sanded Kitsilano Beach for a day of sunny fun. Younger adorables can beachcomb and check out the playground, while teens can hit the swimming pool or tennis courts.

4. Stroll from Kits Beach to nearby Vanier Park, complete with the Museum of Vancouver (www.museumofvancouver.ca), Vancouver Maritime Museum (www.vancouvermaritimemuseum.com) and H.R. MacMillan Space Centre (www.hrmacmillanspacecentre.com). Vanier Park is a great spot to fly a kite and it’s also the home of the Vancouver International Children’s Festival (www.childrensfestival.ca) every May.

5. Hit Science World at TELUS World of Science (www.scienceworld.ca) for a plethora of hands-on activities, including blowing giant soap bubbles, playing a piano with your feet and freezing your shadow on a wall. There’s also an OMNIMAX big-screen cinema.
6. For an even bigger screen, head to Canada Place’s IMAX Theatre (www.imax.com/vancouver) on the waterfront.
7. Sway across the river at Capilano Suspension Bridge (www.capbridge.com), complete with a towering rope bridge, rainforest nature trails, a mini-forest of totem poles and Treetops Adventure – a network of smaller bridges strung between the trees.

8. Visit Maplewood Farm (www.maplewoodfarm.bc.ca), where kids can take a close-up look at 200 farm animals and birds, pet the bunnies and pat the horses. Spring is the best – that’s when the baby animals are born.
9. Check out the landmark Vancouver Public Library (www.vpl.vancouver.bc.ca), then head downstairs to the Children’s Library, B.C.’s largest.
10. Tuck into a hearty lunch at Gastown’s Old Spaghetti Factory (www.oldspaghettifactory.ca). Try to snag a seat in the on-site trolley car inside – then stroll up Water Street to the hissing steam clock.

I can’t wait to get back!  Make sure you also allow a day or two in Victoria, the neighboring island.  Gorgeous, I tell you!

Special thanks to Tourism Vancouver and especially Amber who provided ideas and photos the day of Olympic opening ceremonies when it occurred to me that Vancouver was the perfect city to feature this week.  (I teased her that she could sleep in March, but I really do appreciate it!)

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Category: Family Trippin'
Tags: Mini-vacation Wednesday, Vancouver |