Summer 2020 isn’t one we will forget any time soon. Everyone needs to navigate their own level of COVID-comfort, while ensuring we are following the measured and caring advice from Dr Bonnie Henry. But let’s be honest, most kids don’t get social distancing. They just want to be outside and playing. To help parents and caregivers, Family Fun Vancouver has put together a list of 60 activities, outings, events you can enjoy NOW. As the summer progresses we will keep updating this list. Grab those kids and get outside! Let’s change those COVID-blahs into COVID-yahs (too cheesy?!)
- Soar over majestic Iceland when you visit FlyOver Canada this summer. And until July 16 use the code KIDS0620 to get a FREE child ticket for every full-priced adult ticket.
- Water slides are an essential part of summer so be sure to visit the iconic Cultus Lake Waterpark.
- Need a day of play? Why not explore one (or more) of these playgrounds with serious WOW Factor?
- Check out the 36th annual Whistler Children’s Festival July 12.
- Soar about the forest floor when you visit the Greenheart TreeWalk at UBC Botanical Garden.
- Visit the world of imaginative play at Richmond’s Kidtropolis. If you are looking to avoid the crowds, don’t visit on a cloudy / rainy day.
- Pack a picnic and have a family dinner either on the beach or at one of these 5 lesser known picnic spots.
- Carnaval del Sol, the largest festival of it’s kind in the Pacific Northwest, is going virtual for July 2020! And in August, head to participating restaurants for some in-person Carnaval del Sol!
- The Aldergrove Fair Days goes virtual July 17 – 18.
- Roller coasters, bumper boats, mini golf and so much more! Have a great time at the Cultus Lake Adventure Park.
- Grab a bag full of birdseed and feed the geese at Granville Island and ride the water taxis.
- Start hiking as a family! These 7 Kid-Friendly Hikes are great for kids of all ages.
- There may be fewer rides in 2020 (thanks to COVID) but Playland is ready to welcome thrill seekers this summer. Which is your favourite ride?
- Raise your pinky finger and practice your English accent at high tea! Try the Secret Garden Tea Company in Vancouver.
- Embrace all things aviary and visit the Reifel Migratory Bird Sanctuary (the sanctuary will be opening in early July).
- Burn off some of the endless kid-energy at the ultra cool – and completely free – parkour park in Langley.
- Bring popcorn and watch a FREE outdoor movie in a number of communities across Metro Vancouver.
- Go for a drive and explore Harrison Hot Springs!
- Does anything scream SUMMER like a bucket full of fresh berries? Kids need to experience picking berries and there are U-Pick farms all over the Lower Mainland!
- Bring your rollerblades or bikes and have fun on the hills at the Lower Seymour Conservation Reserve
- Spend a day in historic & charming Fort Langley. We love visiting the birthplace of BC…check out our top 6 reasons!
- Climb in the trees at WildPlay. An air-borne obstacle course perfect for tall 5 year olds & up. The kids love it – especially the zipline!
- Play a round of mini golf
- Soar over the trees and explore the Capilano Suspension Bridge
- Visit your local library and sign up for the summer reading club. Lots of prizes to be won!
- Find treasures in your backyard or wherever your summer ramblings take you. Geocaching is a FREE family activity you can do literally anywhere.
- Say hello to some exotic animals at the Greater Vancouver Zoo in Aldergrove. Bring your bikes because the paved pathways are perfect for 2-wheeled fun.
- Slurpees are FREE in July at your local 7-Eleven store. For 2020 get a FREE slurpee voucher online.
- Get soaked at one (or many) of the spray and water parks in Vancouver and the Lower Mainland.
- Take a walk back in time and go to a drive in movie at Twilight Drive-In out in Aldergrove.
- Got a little detective on your hands? The Police Museum is the place for you.
- Exhaust the kids at Bear Creek Park: play a round of mini golf, splash around at the water park, have a picnic in the beautiful gardens. Please note the train is closed for 2020 due to COVID.
- Swim in an outdoor pool.
- Go on an ice cream tasting comparison. Be sure to check out: Earnest Ice Cream, Beta5 Chocolates, Rain or Shine, and Bella Gelateria.
- It is worth the drive. Visit Hell’s Gate Airtram
- Ride the SkyTrain from one end to the other. Explore all three lines: Expo Line, Millennium Line, Canada Line. Try and get the front seat and then pretend you are the driver!
- Queen Elizabeth Park offers entertainment such as lawn bowling, tennis, roller hockey, disc golf, pitch & putt and more.
- Buy local and support the farmers at the many local Farmer’s Markets.
- Explore an independent, locally owned toy store: Splash Toys (Richmond), The Village Toy Shop (Port Moody), and Dilly Dally Kids (Vancouver)
- Head in the other direction and go West to the Britannia Mine Museum. The kids will love the underground train.
- Grab the kids and go explore Richmond’s Larry Berg Flight Path Park. While the planes fly overhead, kids can scramble over the globe and run up & down their own runways.
- Have you tried the crazy game of disc golf? Give it a go at Little Mountain, Jericho Jill, Eastview Park, Rockridge or Qualichena.
- Visit the spectacular Sea to Sky Gondola in Squamish.
- Absorb the beauty with the walls of the Vancouver Art Gallery.
- Visit the FREE Lynn Canyon Suspension Bridge
- Spend a rainy summer day in the Bloedel Conservatory
- Enjoy a peaceful walk through the Dr Sun Yat-Sen Classical Chinese Gardens. Why not pack a picnic and make an afternoon of it?
- If the weather is being disagreeable but the kids want to dig in the sand, head to 6Pack Indoor Beach and experience an 18,000 sqft indoor beach. Lots of digging fun for the kids!
- Hike the trails that surround the beautiful Cleveland Dam in North Vancouver.
- Bike the seawall.
- The Burnaby Village Museum re-opens on July 15. Please note the carousel won’t be open this summer.
