Summer vacation is upon us and many families are planning their next great adventure. Excitement can be found close to home as our great nation boasts many amusement parks, natural wonders and exciting museums right on travellers’ doorsteps.
Day trips and weekend getaways are the key to creating fun family summer memories. Planning mini-trips with the kids every other weekend will keep them busy and give them something to look forward to.
1. Algonquin Park, Ontario: With campsites in 12 organized campgrounds, 14 different hiking trails, and almost 8,000 sq km of semi‑wilderness, Algonquin Park is a must-visit destination for adventurous Canadian families who love to bike, hike or just enjoy the great outdoors.
2. Niagara Falls, Ontario: Children will be amazed by the mist of the most powerful waterfall in North America. With one of the best views of the falls, the legendary Maid of the Mist offers affordable daily tours.
3. Fort Edmonton Park, Edmonton, Alberta: A museum trip is a great activity to keep kids thinking over the long summer months. Ignite imagination and interest in the past with a visit to Canada’s largest living history museum at Fort Edmonton Park.
4. Churchill, Manitoba: The “Polar Bear Capital of the World” is more than a winter wonderland – Churchill offers summer snorkeling and kayaking alongside thousands of beluga whales in Hudson Bay.
5. Victoria Bug Zoo, Victoria, British Columbia: The Victoria Bug Zoo offers an excellent opportunity to view and experience multi-legged creatures from around the world, like giant walking sticks, hairy tarantulas, and glow-in-the-dark scorpions – even Canada’s largest ant farm.
6. Valcartier Vacation Village, Valcartier, Québec: Only 20 minutes from Quebec City, with over a dozen water-themed rides, including the six-lane Turbo 6, and the Pirates’ Hideout, Valcartier Vacation Village is the perfect hot summer day out for a family with eager kids.
7. Bay of Fundy, Hopewell, New Brunswick: Hopewell Rocks is a natural wonder with 100-billion tonnes of salt-water, which slowly fills the Bay of Fundy creating the highest tides on the planet. When the tide is low, kids can play around the four-storey flower-pot shaped rocks gouged out of the cliffs. Vote to make the Bay of Fundy one of the New 7 Wonders of Nature at VoteMyFundy.com.
8. Grouse Grind, Vancouver, British Columbia: For active, young families seeking a challenge consider the Grouse Grind also known as Mother Nature’s Stairmaster – a gruelling 90-minute climb up the mountain. After a long climb, the Skyride aerial tramway brings sleepy kids back to the base.
9. Dinosaurs and the Royal Tyrrell Museum , Drumheller, Alberta: The dinosaur capital of the world is home to the best badlands scenery in Canada, the richest deposits of fossils and dinosaur bones in North America, and the world-famous Royal Tyrrell Museum.
10. Metro Toronto Zoo, Toronto, Ontario: Discover the wild, ferocious and seemingly cuddly animals beyond Canada’s backyard. From the 10-acre Tundra Trek with Polar bears to the Gorilla Rainforest, Splash Island, Waterside Theatre and rare African Penguins, the Metro Toronto Zoo is a full day of fun for the whole family.
There is one place I’ve recently discovered and fell in love with. It is called Bata Shoe Museum and I think it is a perfect combination of entertainment and education for both children and adults. I’ve been to lots of museums and I think a lot of them are pretty much the same, However, this one is really different! It’s the perfect place to attend with kids because once they get bored of displays there are lots of other things to keep them entertained.
Happy Summer, everyone! An absolutely great place that is missing on this list, and is fabulous for children is Galiano Island, British Columbia. Admittedly, I am biased, having lived here for ten years…but it is a wonderful, small, rural community that is very safe and friendly towards children…here are my top reasons:
1. Lots of Friendly critters: Deer abound in the forests, orcas frequent Active Pass, lots of birds to spot
2. No-Unfriendly critters: Galiano has no bears, cougars, wolves, coyotes, or anything that is harmful. That makes walks in the woods more worry-free for children.
3. Beaches, beaches, beaches….Galiano Island was named as one of the 10 Best Beaches in Canada…the only thing is we have LOTS of them! Pebble, sand, sandstone, shell
4. Kunamokst Mural….world-famous mural, at the Galiano Oceanfront Inn and Spa, has lots of enjoyment for children to find the bears and seals and wildlife hidden in its 231 individual pieces of art: http://www.kunamokstmural.com to order a mural book and assemble it yourself (great for children) or view the interractive version at http://www.muralmosaic.com/kunamokst.html
5. Sea Lions and Whales and Seals oh my …. get out on the water. Even inexperienced Urban Mommies can feel confident on a kayak day tour with the great guides at Gulf Island Kayaking or get out on a boat…you can do it! Or go on an Eco Tour with Outdoor Vision or Salish Sea
6. Fiesta…quirky island parade of locals dressed to impress, antique cars and fun floats, all in good family fun; every August long weekend.
7. Speaking of “quirky”, Galiano Island’s mayor was in the parade this year…Mayor Bogart the Bengal Cat (only on a Gulf Island would the Mayor be a cat)
8. Family-friendly food: world’s best wood-fired pizza on the waterfront at the Galiano Inn, near the ferry dock, fish and chips at Scoops in the Village, BIG cinnie buns at the Bakery in the Village, lunch at the Marina watching the boats come and go.
9. Kid-Friendly activities planned for all of August at the Activity Center, drop off your 5 and up and have a spa treatment in a waterfall cottage at Madrona del Mar Spa
10. BC Ferries: last but not least…Galiano is a place where getting here really IS half the fun: lots to keep the children busy and so-o-o-o-o much better than hours in a hot car: Galiano is only 50 minutes away!
I love camping at Algonquin Provincial Park, Ontario. Home to 45 species of mammals, 262 species of birds, 30 species of reptiles and amphibians, 50 species of fish, and approximately 7,000 species of insects, there is bound to be something that will thrill any child in Algonquin.