Want to experience a city in a whole new way? Travel with kids! I’ve been to Kelowna many times as an adult, but this was our first time taking our kids there, and we loved how kid-friendly and fun the whole experience was. We only had 3 days in the city and were coming off another 6 days in OK Falls, so we moved a bit slower and didn’t visit every place we wanted, but we will certainly be back again for more fun!
🛏 Where to Stay: Hotel Zed Kelowna
There are plenty of great hotels, motels, and AirBnBs in the city, but our priorities were to be as close to the action as possible since we were only there for a few days. We chose Hotel Zed Kelowna because:
- Great family-friendly room layouts. We chose a room that had bunk beds off to the side and a king-sized bed for us so we could still sit up and read or watch TV after the kids went to sleep.
- Motel-style doors open into the parking lot. We find this ideal for loading items in and out of the car with kids in tow.
- The amenities were above and beyond! The hotel has a pool, hot tub, sauna, and games room *stocked* with video games, board games, and books for kids. Plus, you can rent roller-skates and bikes at the front desk.
- The location is PRIME at Hotel Zed Kelowna! It’s directly across the street from City Park in downtown Kelowna, which features huge grassy areas, a dog park if you’re bringing a furry friend, a huge playground, spray park, beach access, and a boardwalk to stroll along the water. Within a 5-minute walk, you have a wide variety of restaurants and ice cream shops, and you can book water activities right at the central hub along the boardwalk.
🌈 What is there to do?🌈
There are so many family-friendly activities for all ages. We had a massive list of “must-dos” and only made it through a few, but I’ll list what we actually did and what we *wished* we had time for below!
Day 1: Julia’s Junction 🌸& Truck 59 Ciderhouse 🍹
Ideal for your first day in the city, as it’s right at the edge of West Kelowna and on your drive into the city.
Julia’s Junction is West Kelowna’s first fully inclusive playground. The play structures are all at ground level to make it accessible for all, and the whole playground is fenced in. Julia’s Junction is sensory-rich with 6 different styles of swing, a music and sound circle with light-up buttons, a playhouse for creative play, balance tracks, and an accessible spinner. It’s also located directly next to the Kids Care Spray & Water Park, which was a welcome addition on a hot day! There are benches and picnic tables throughout the playground (not just along the outside), so parents can sit and still keep a watchful eye on their kiddos, and the grass area surrounding the playground features many trees, so every family can find a shady area to set up under.
Just down the street from the playground is Truck 59 Ciderhouse, a family-friendly location for parents to relax and sample ciders. For $24.99, kids can participate in Gnome Roam, a scavenger hunt through the orchard to find gnomes, answer clues, and find the secret code. Then, they can turn in their scavenger hunt sheet to receive a ceramic gnome and a painting pack to work on at the table. Kids also receive a hot dog, popcorn, and a drink as part of the kids’ pack. Not interested in the food? You can still do the scavenger hunt and painting activity for just $15. Truck 59 also has tons of lawn games for kids, and my girls had so much fun that they didn’t want to leave! The best part? My husband and I had a chance to sit and enjoy our cider and meal while the kids played. *Parent hack: on weekends, the Gnome Roam activity is drop-off! For 90 minutes, kids will be engaged with a leader who will take them through the orchard and play games with them while you relax.
Day 2: Don O Ray Farms 🐖 & Frind Winery🍷
Don O Ray Farms is a great place to go if your kids are younger (under 10) because it has play areas, a maze (which we definitely got lost in), free airbrush tattoos, and areas to pet and feed animals. Each area was small enough that little kids could get one-to-one time with the animals, and there were workers in each area with tons of information about the animals and how to feed them. Just outside the farm portion, there is a Farm Market with delicious fresh fruit and vegetables and items you can take home. Picnic tables are available on-site for a snack or early lunch!
Frind Estate Winery was my choice to visit, but we all had a great time! I love locations that take kids and families into consideration, and this was a top pick.
There are 3 ways to enjoy Frind:
- 1) Enjoy a wine tasting (19+, of course),
- 2) Eat lunch on the restaurant’s patio,
- 3)Grab take-out from the cafe or restaurant to eat at a picnic table on the grass or the beach.
Frind is unique in that it features an expansive grassy lawn and exclusive beach and beach access for boats. Out boating for the day? You can pull right up to the dock and anchor your boat while you enjoy lunch at Frind. We opted to eat at the patio restaurant and then spent time relaxing at a picnic table while the kids swam in the lake. If I went again, I would go around the outside of the building to order takeout and eat at the picnic table while the kids played. They offered a colouring sheet for the kiddos to work on at the table, and they also sell a full colouring pack inside for kids or artsy adults to do!
Day 3: Kangaroo Creek Farm🦘 & Flight Museum✈️
The last time we visited Kangaroo Creek Farm was in 2017, and boy, has it grown since then! Be sure to arrive right at opening for the best chance to see the animals active. On warm days and later in the afternoon, the animals tend to get a bit sleepy and just lie around (don’t we all?!) Spend time visiting kangaroos, wallabies, capybaras, sugar gliders, porcupines, goats, pigs, and plenty more animals! It’s a huge space with lots of areas and animals to visit. We easily spent 2 hours here and could have spent more time, but it was already getting hot, and we were ready to cool down!
The KF Centre for Excellence is all about aviation! Take your plane aficionados here to see their historic aircraft collection, interactive aviation exhibitions, and imagine what it would be like to soar above the clouds. The museum is huge, and for only $5/kid and $10/adult, you can easily spend a few hours here exploring the exhibits. A huge highlight was the flight simulator, where kids and adults alike could try their hand at flying a plane!
What Else Is There to Do? ⛱
If we had more time, we would have included the following activities – which all looked amazing, but we couldn’t work them into our short time!
Soma Craft Cidery: Cider and alpacas!
Kelowna Cruises: We wanted to do the dinner cruise, but our preferred date was fully booked. Next time, for sure!
Scandia Golf & Games: A favourite memory from visiting Kelowna during my teenage years!
Kelowna Water Park: Our youngest is not yet 5, and we didn’t want to leave her out, but this is a must-do for our next visit!
Playground Tour: We drove past *so many* incredible playgrounds, but with 30+ temperatures, we only had time to visit a few (Julia’s Junction, City Park, Boyce Gyro Park). Next time we go, we’ll do a full playground tour!
