With school being out and the weather showcasing the best Vancouver has to offer, many families are looking for fun and enjoyable ways to pass the days. Fortunately, in our city, there is always plenty to see and experience, all within the radius of greater Vancouver. Camping, of course, is a must for many people but our family found that cleaning up afterward was too much work so we now prefer other ways of enjoying summer. Today I'll share with you our family's top 6 favourite summer activities.
1. Bike Ride
Hitting the local trail (which, for us is Port Coquitlam's Traboulay PoCo trail) is a cool way to take in some nature close to home. What we love even more, however, is loading up all 4 of our bikes onto our Northshore bike rack, hopping into our car and heading to Yaletown for a day of riding along the waterfront.
We choose a weekday when it's less busy, park our car, grab something to eat, and then set off along the seawall. We ride all the way around Science World, taking in the scenery and head to Granville Island where we leave our bikes at Wreckless Bike's free bike valet service while we check out whatever is happening at Granville Island that day. After that, we continue riding along the seawall and head through Stanley Park to Jericho Beach.
These are excursions that everybody enjoys. Most of the roads are paved, making it easy to bike, and the route is clear and easy to read. Being by the water in the city is peaceful and restful and we return home with a deeper appreciation for our city.
2. Golf
All four of us will go golfing together. Usually, we stick close to home and hit the greens at Pitt Meadows Golf Club. They are very open and friendly with kids, especially at the twilight hours (after 4pm). Their driving range is real grass, which is good for getting kids to practice on. Playing 9 holes (which is usually enough) takes about 2 hours.
Golf is my favourite sport. My parents taught me how to play it when I was young and I grew up with the sport. As I raise my family, however, it's more than a sport, it's a place for life lessons. With golf, every shot is different. Even if you've played the same course before, each day is different, so the unpredictability pushes you to be creative. And the game teaches you patience very quickly. Even if you're frustrated, you need to exercise self-restraint and keep your composure. Golf helps me reflect on when things are good and when things are bad. I also like that golf is a sport where you have to have respect for others, etiquette, and manners. The game has rules and certain etiquette such as the attire you wear and certain volume levels you have to maintain (you can’t just yell and shout).
With golf, you can play with other people or by yourself. When I play with my sons, I enjoy engaging them in dialogue as we play; helping them understand the deeper life lessons as well as teaching them how to consider the physics of hitting on a green that isn't straight with a ball that will curve. At almost 11 and 8 years old, they're starting to grasp these things, which makes it even more fun.
3. Backyard BBQ
One of the best parts of summer is that we get to have backyard BBQs. In our family, we'll BBQ once a week or once every two weeks. We have a BBQ as well as a propane fire pit and we eat outside in the back yard. Sometimes we invite friends over and other times, it'll just be the 4 of us. A few times a summer, we'll have block parties with our neighbours. Everyone, especially the kids, looks forward to those.
After we eat, we sit around the fire and chit chat. We'll roast marshmallows and enjoy each others' company. These are the moments that memories are made of.
4. Spray Parks
What's summer without some water fun? Our family's favourite spray parks are Hume Park in New Westminster and Rocky Point Park in Port Moody. Hume Park was recently upgraded with new water features and a rubber surface made from recycled BC tires, making the park both safe and fun. Rocky Point Park is a classic spray park with many fun water features. If you get tired of running in the water, you can also rent a kayak and paddle around the inlet.
Another popular spray park is Confederation Park in Burnaby. Designed with sculpture-like qualities, there are fountains, water pumps, and channels where they can let objects float along or orchestrate the sudden release of water. This is a great park for physical, social, and imaginative play.
5. Cultus Lake Waterpark
Our family went to Cultus Lake Waterpark last year, and it was a great choice to combat the unbearably hot summer weather. The kids loved this place because of all the variety. They have over 25 different slides and attractions ranging from gentler ones to thrilling extreme rides. There's also a playground with spray park elements where kids can run around. As a parent, I'm glad the entire area is gated so I won't lose my child. They have food available for purchase there or you can bring your own picnic and enjoy your food at a picnic table or on the grass.
Across the street is Cultus Lake Adventure Park, which has rides, entertainment, video games, and mini golf. We’ll definitely be back.
6. Village Church Camp
For a week in the summer these past few years, our kids have had a blast at the summer camp run by Village Church. Each year there's a different theme and they provide top-notch activities for the kids. In previous years, they held it at a farm where the kids got to look at animals and even ride on some of them. They brought in various water activities and the kids enjoyed days filled with games, music, activities and lessons. This year it's being held at Surrey Christian Elementary school and is underwater themed.
My wife and I have volunteered at the Village Church Summer Camp and we appreciate that it's a safe community with people we can trust. It's a great place for kids to bring their friends and meet new ones. The camp is for kids going into Kindergarten to Grade 3 and they have Leader in Training program for kids Grades 4-5.
Other Ideas
Aside from these 6 favourites from our family, I polled my friends on Facebook to ask them for their ideas. Here's what some of them said they liked to do:
Go for a nice drive
Patio dining
Beach BBQ
Chilling outside on a nice day
Go RVing
Berry picking at Krause Berry Farms (or another local farm)
Spending the day at White Rock beach
Summer days may be long but the months tend to fly by. Hopefully this blog post will give you some ideas of ways to make these warmer months both enjoyable and meaningful for the whole family!