|
It's a universal
truth of family vacations: if the kids are having fun, everyone is
having fun.
And there's plenty of fun to be had in
British Columbia
this summer. From inter-tidal walks to horseback riding, mountain biking
clinics to water trampolines, BC's resorts, ranches and lodges are
offering more and more ways for kids and parents to enjoy holidays -- and
the great outdoors -- together.
Families can choose from supervised day camps, where staff members run
crafts, sports, swim lessons, and scavenger hunts while parents head off
to dine, ride, or hit the spa; or group activities, where the whole gang
hones their ziplining, paddling or marshmallow roasting techniques as a
team.
A
leader in the “parent-free” category is the intimate, 12-guest,
Siwash Lake Ranch, near 70 Mile House in BC's Cariboo ranching
country. A daily summer children’s program, included in the rates, keeps
four- to 12-year-olds busy learning about ranch life, while their parents
canoe, hike or ride (even without a guide if the head cowboy okays it).
The supervised kids' activities range from orienteering and building forts
to picking vegetables, gathering eggs, feeding the critters and, of
course, horsemanship. Younger children can learn about horse care and ride
a pony in the meadow; over sevens can, if able, ride the range with their
parents or try the gymkhana course at the ranch (the course features
horseback games - including barrel racing - in the meadow).
Kids can also play cowboy at the nearby Hills Health and Guest Ranch.
While parents ride, hike, or get a massage, their four- to
11-year-olds can join the Kids-Fit Kamp, with activities ranging from
hiking to horse awareness, hula hooping to badminton, all under the eye of
childcare staff. Come sundown, it's hayrides and teepee parties for the
whole family.
Trail rides are also an option at Lake Okanagan Resort, set on a mile of
lakeshore and 300 acres of parkland on the lake's peaceful northwestern
shore. During July and August, four- to 16-year-olds can drop by the
resort's kids' camp for supervised archery, tubing, waterskiing, crafts,
tennis, sandcastle building, water trampolining and more during the day,
then -- if they're up for it -- come back for dinner and movie nights.
Grownups have to make do to with a gym, a spa, golf, waterskiing, tennis,
trail rides, mountain biking, hiking, and winery tours.
Families are also spoilt for choice at the Tigh-Na-Mara Seaside Spa Resort
and Conference Centre, near Parksville on
Vancouver Island.
The resort's name is a mouthful, but so is the activity menu: between the
crafts, day trips, and theatre sports for kids, and the wine tasting,
Latin dance, and yoga on the beach for adults, the resort boasts the
largest summer recreation program on the Island. Tigh-Na-Mara is also home
to BC's biggest resort spa and one of Canada's warmest swimming bays.
Mountain resorts prove another savvy choice for family summer holidays,
especially as accommodations are typically kitchen-equipped and summer
usually brings off-season discounts. Panorama Mountain Resort, near
Invermere in the Kootenay Rockies, for example, will even throw in three
days of Kids' Adventure Camp with the Family Super Vacation Package.
The Adventure Camp, open to Labour Day, keeps three- to 12-year-olds (in
three age groups) busy with games, sports, crafts, and hikes, with plenty
of opportunity to learn about the mountain environment. When not at camp,
kids can hit the Panorama Springs pools, climbing wall, inflatable
obstacle course, bouncy castle and mini golf. For parents, there's hiking,
biking, lift-accessed mountain biking, river rafting, and the stunning Greywolf
Golf Course, ranked Second Best Public Course in Canada in 2005.
At Sun Peaks Resort, near Kamloops, seven- to 14-year olds can sign up for
one day or five days of Kids' Sports Camp for a mix of mountain biking,
horseback riding, tennis, canoeing, golfing, hiking and swimming.
And Whistler, of course, has more than enough activities to keep kids
entertained all summer.
In spring, summer, and fall, kids aged 18 months to four years can join
Whistler Kids' counselors for gondola rides, nature walks, visits to the
puppy daycare or fire hall, arts and crafts, outdoor play, and story time.
Five- to 12-year-olds can also take in swimming, outdoor group games,
mini-golf, Frisbee golf, scavenger hunts, and more. If they still need a
break from their folks, kids can join Whistler Kids Night Out, a
parent-free dinner and party for five- to 12-year-olds. Also in Whistler,
the new Core Kids Adventure Zone has supervised drop in play for three- to
nine-year-olds.
Parents and kids together can check out the Blackcomb Base Adventure Zone,
with bungee trampolines, a maze, a luge track, a bouncy castle, a human
gyroscope (a ride which mimics the feeling of travelling through space),
and even a flying trapeze. Or they can try ziplining -- flying above the
treetops while harnessed to a zipline. Kids over six years and 32 kilos,
or 70 pounds, are welcome to try it. Forest canopy walks and eco-tours
are also offered, and both are great ways for kids to help their parents
learn more about ecology.
Junior naturalists will also enjoy the eco-treats in store at the
family-run Pacific Sands Beach Resort, on
Cox
Bay
just south of Tofino on Vancouver Island. Every
summer Saturday, the resort’s naturalist leads an exploration of
Cox Bay's inter-tidal zone. Kids -- and adults -- can learn all about
barnacles, limpets, sea stars, anemones, and shore birds. Summer evenings
are equally intriguing with
scavenger hunts,
marshmallow roasts and sandcastle-building contests.
Adventurous kids,
parents, and even grandparents, can head for Strathcona Park Lodge and
Outdoor Education Centre, at the edge of
Strathcona Park in the
mountainous heart of Vancouver Island. One of Canada's leading outdoor
education centres, the lodge offers six-night, seven-day Family Adventure
packages for parents with kids aged six to 13 (the lodge also
offers packages for families with kids aged nine to 15 and 12 to 18).
Skilled instructors lead families through rock climbing, rappelling,
zip-lining, canoeing, kayaking, orienteering, survival techniques,
wilderness etiquette and more. Healthy buffet meals, phone- and TV-free
accommodation, expert instruction, boats and equipment are all included.
There's even an optional canoe trip and overnight camp-out, and a unique
program specifically for grandparents and grandchildren, where active
boomers can show the grandkids what they're made of.
Another Vancouver Island family camp option runs several times each summer
at Horne Lake Outdoor Centre, in Horne Lake Provincial Park near Qualicum
Bay. Accommodation in teepees or geodesic domes, healthy meals, four days
of caving, rock climbing, canoeing, wilderness survival lessons and, of
course, songs around the campfire and marshmallow roasting sticks, are all
laid on.
So what are you doing on your summer vacation?
And are we there yet?
Contacts:
The Hills Health & Guest Ranch:
www.hillsguestranch.com; 800/668-2233
Horne
Lake
Outdoor Centre:
www.hornelake.com; 250/248
7829
Lake Okanagan Resort:
www.lakeokanagan.com;
800/663-3273
Pacific
Sands Beach Resort:
www.pacificsands.com;
800/565-2322
Panorama
Mountain
Village:
www.panoramaresort.com;
800/663--2929
Siwash Lake Ranch: www.siwashlakeranch.com;
250/395-6541
Strathcona
Park
Lodge & Outdoor Education Centre:
www.strathcona.bc.ca; 250/286-3122
Sun
Peaks
Resort: www.sunpeaksresort.com;
800/807-3257
Tigh-Na-Mara Seaside Spa Resort and Conference Centre:
www.tigh-na-mara.com;
800/663-7373
Whistler Resort:
www.whistlerblackcomb.com/todo/kids
; 800/766-0449
back to top
|
