SPRING break is looming, a gap in the calendar that elicits fear and anxiety among many of us who are not heading to YVR and boarding planes destined for exotic, sunny locales.
It can be challenging keeping kids busy this time of year, but a well-planned staycation or couple nights away close to home can make a world of difference.
Here’s our top picks for day-long and overnight getaways that will keep you and your kids entertained.
1. On the Spit
Just a half-hour from Richmond across the border there’s a long strip of land that extends like a tongue into the bay beyond it.
At its far end lies Semiahmoo Resort, a great family-friendly property with a heated pool, indoor tennis court and theatre for rainy days.
When the sun is shining take the picturesque drive along the ocean to Birch Bay, where there’s a massive expanse of beach at low tide and a great ice cream and candy store at the C Shop.
Nearby, the Point of Whitehorn Marine Park offers an easy forest hike down to a rocky beach with lots of tidal pools filled with marine treasures.
This charming ocean retreat hasn’t changed much in the past century – so come here to enjoy the birdlife, and cozy up to Semiahmoo’s fire pit with smores after sunset.
For spring break, the resort is offering a USD $273/night room rate that includes two complimentary meals for kids with the purchase of an adult meal. Info: semiahmoo.com or call (855) 917-3767.
2. Foray into Fairhaven
If your only encounter with Bellingham is Bellis Fair Mall, be sure to keep driving until you reach Fairhaven, the next time you cross the border.
The Steveston equivalent of Bellingham, Fairhaven is where it all began, a small, walkable enclave whose historic buildings are now home to a great variety of mom-and-pop stores.
Look out for CreativiTea (creativitea.com) on 11th Street, a cozy teashop, restaurant and pottery painting destination.
Crafty kids of all ages adore a few hours of painting pottery, and parents relish the opportunity to decorate glass platters, coasters or necklace pendants with the store’s beautiful assortment of fused glass.
Village Books (villagebooks.com) is another much-loved Fairhaven destination, an old-fashioned book shop with a great kids’ reading nook and many aisles of literature.
Book lovers can easily lose themselves in this wonderful space, where friendly staff make personal recommendations and there’s no sense of rush or urgency.
On the ground floor of the same building, the Colophon Café offers rich, hearty soups and a wide array of comfort food.
3. Bellevue blitz
There’s way more to Bellevue than the mall, so if you’re making the three-hour trek south, treat your kids to some of the city’s lesser-known attractions.
If your children are eight or younger, head to KidsQuest Children’s Museum, an innovative learning centre in Factoria Mall with various play stations where kids learn through activity.
In Waterways they explore the movement of water through tubes and pipes, learning how it can be manipulated to make musical notes.
At the Lab Table they shape a slimy, playdough-like substance called “gak,” while in the Garage they play with the concept of weight and explore the insides of a truck. There’s a treehouse, a play area just for babies and a craft table where kids draw on a community art wall.
Even the washroom is a learning experience, with a board on the wall that teaches about the scat shape and size of different animals. Admission is $8 per person and hours are 10 a.m. through 5 p.m. Info: wwwkidsquestmuseum.org or (425) 637-8100. If you have tweens or teens in tow, take them to Stone Gardens, a 21,000-square-foot indoor climbing gym at Crossroads Shopping Center. The gym offers 40-foot walls, belay and rappel ledges and climbing terrains with a tilting wall. Special shoes, helmets and harnesses are mandatory and available for rent, and rates range from $15 to $18 per day. Info: stonegardens.com or call (425) 644-2445.
4. Great Wolf Lodge
This massive indoor waterpark five hours south of Vancouver in Great Mound, Wa. is a (not cheap) gift we give to our kids when the weather is bleak.
The water in this 56,000-square-foot facility is kept at a comfortable 28 degrees Celsius and the rides include the Howlin’ Tornado, a six-storey funnel that swishes and swirls riders up its sides, and the River Canyon Run, where families can raft together.
There’s a wave pool, an interactive treehouse with suspension bridges and a special play area for kids two and under.
Yes, you’ll get drenched at this lodge, where overnight stays are mandatory, but the kids will expend their energy.
A one-night, mid-week stay for a family of four-to-six starts at $439 but there’s 15 per cent off two-or-more night stays during spring break. Info: greatwolf.com or (800) 640-9653. Add some education to the getaway by stopping at the nearby Wolf Haven International (wolfhaven.org) in Tenino, a sanctuary for displaced, captive-born wolves.
Head to the Hot Springs
There’s nothing like that first dip in the hot water pools at Harrison Hot Springs Resort. With the air around you still carrying that winter-spring chill, the resort pools offer a respite from the cold and a comfortable dip for families from early in the morning ’til late at night.
The large pools with their nooks and curves easily accommodate many bathers without feeling crowded, and when you need to get away from splashing kids there’s a quieter grownups-only pool for a meditative soak. A one-night spring break package including dinner and breakfast starts at $268 while two nights is $449. Info: harrisonresort.com or (866) 638-5075.
If you’re a foodie at heart, stop in at a few local farms before you head home.
At FarmHouse Natural Cheeses (farmhousecheeses.com; 5634 McCallum Road Agassiz) we snacked on gruyere, goat gouda, peppercorn fromage and brie, marveling at the variety of 30 cheeses the cheese makers produce.
We fed goats and chickens at The Back Porch (6116 Golf Rd), a picturesque farm where a husband and wife team indulge their passions of pottery-making and coffee bean-roasting, using a coffee roaster that dates back to 1910.
And we sampled hazelnuts at Canadian Hazelnut (6682 Highway 7), a farm that produces some delectable hazelnut products including roasted, candied and chocolate dipped.
A Day in the Wild
Maple Ridge’s Wild Play opens March 15, an outdoor playground with tree-top obstacles, zip lines and games suspended up to 18m above the ground.
There’s bungee jumping, swings and three levels of Monkido courses that require you to traverse ladders, tightropes, swinging logs, wobbly bridges and more.
Great for kids and adults aged seven and up, participants wear harness equipment and are monitored from the ground by trained guides.
Bring lunch, drinks and snacks as this is easily a day-long activity that requires a spirit of adventure and a willingness to push your boundaries.
The park is open rain or shine and prices range from $23 to $43, with 10 per cent group discounts for 10 or more. For more information, go to Wildplay.com or call (888) 50-7274.
Love the lush Lynn Canyon
If you’re looking for some lush greenery but not too long a drive, head to Lynn Canyon in North Vancouver. (http://lynncanyon.ca/)
There’s a beautiful suspension bridge (which you don’t have to pay for) and numerous hiking trails, as well as big fallen logs to scramble over. A good hike for smaller legs is Twin Falls (about 45 minutes round trip.)
Make a stop at the lodge at the parking lot to check out an exhibit that tells of the various plants and animals in the area. Bring a lunch, as the concession won’t be open this time of year.
Head home via the Iron Workers Bridge so you can make a stop at Maplewood Farm (http://maplewoodfarm.bc.ca) where kids can ride a pony or feed some of the friendly farm animals.
Historically, Maplewood was a thriving dairy, today it has been preserved, aiming to offer a rural experience to urban kids.
z Send us photos of your spring break adventures and we will include them on our website. Put “Spring Break” in the subject line.
