Your guide to activities and fun things to do with your preschoolers, toddlers and kids in vancouver, CN

Best Places to Take in the Spring Blossoms

April 07, 2009

While almost every street in Vancouver if finally starting to bloom and green up there are a few places that are exceptional in the spring. With the daffodils and tulips just starting to bloom and the cherry trees and rhododendrons starting to bloom spring is finally starting to feel like, well, spring. So where do you go to take in lots of spring beauty? I am so glad you asked.

For beautiful well kept gardens in Vancouver proper you can't beat either Queen Elizabeth Park or VanDusen Gardens. Both have exceptional gardens full of flowering trees and spring bulbs. If you take in QE Park you can also take in some Par 3 golf as well. If VanDusen is where you decide, take your kids for a spin through the hedge maze.

If you want to make a weekend of it heading across the water to Victoria is a safe bet. Butchart Gardens is beautiful and is like a combination of both Queen Elizabeth Park and VanDusen Gardens. Then head into the capital itself for a walk around the Provincial Legislature and the Empress Hotel. The gardens at Royal Rhodes University are also well worth a look. Just don't get frightened if you hear shrieking from the trees, that is just the peacocks.

Best Places to See the "Fish"

by Gwendolyn Floyd

August 19, 2008

I like fish and I have a small aquarium, thought right now it is not a good place to actually see the fish because of an insane algae bloom I can't seem to get rid of. So if my son wants to see some fish we need to go a little further afield to actually get a good look at some. My first suggestion for some fish watching is a Petcetra . They have a huge wall of different fish  Read more...

Queen Elizabeth Park, From Quarry to Beauty

by Gwendolyn Floyd

June 06, 2008

One of the lovely things about history is that sometimes something ugly can be made into something beautiful as Queen Elizabeth Park . As the remnant of a quarry, the scared landscape was left for a long time before it was restored to a garden in1949. It took more years for the garden to become the respite from city life that it is now. I like to take my son to the park and let  Read more...

Cultivating a Green Thumb: VanDusen Botanical Gardens

by Gwendolyn Floyd

June 02, 2008

In Vancouver we are very lucky to have many parks and gardens around to play and learn in. One of my favourites is the VanDusen Botanical Garden . Located on a reclaimed Golf course, the garden is a lovely respite from city life. With lots of programs for children ages 4-11 Saturdays and Sundays all year long, family time in the garden can be fun and educational. Exploring topics  Read more...

Lions, Tigers and Bears: Exploring the Urban Jungle, Bloedel Floral Conservatory

by Gwendolyn Floyd

May 30, 2008

For a piece of Urban Jungle right in our own backyard one need look no further than the Bloedel Floral Conservatory . Full of lush plants, under a dome out of the rain and filled with over a hundred free flying birds of various species it is a beautiful place to take your preschooler. After looking out my window at the cold rainy day, even peeking at the lush scenery in their 360  Read more...