5 Things I love about living in Vancouver, with kids

Photo credit: www.pacificcoastal.com

I totally embrace city life, I think I was born to be a city girl.  I like the convenience of things needed, variety of food options as well as entertainment.  Though, admittedly, Vancity can be a plethora of trends and fads, it is not all that the city has to offer. 

Now that I have kids, one of the number one questions I am asked is "why don't you guys move to the suburbs?" 

I know, bigger homes, bigger yards, and you are paying a lot less for those perks.  But despite all that, I do love having the amenities Van has to offer.

Here are some of the things that are awesome to do with kids here in central, busy, jam-packed Vancouver...in no particular order.

1. Granville Island

Everyone loves Granville Island.  Just walking around is entertaining, with entertainers and lots of boats to look at, and kids love boats and water, complete with mini ferry rides.  Visiting the busy public market is always buzzing and fun, great for lunch.  The kids market is great, lots and lots of games to keep the kiddies entertained, complete with a toy store and a candy store.  Last but not least, they have an awesome play area at False Creek, and in the summer an awesome water park.

2. Kits Beach

Vancouver has a large number of options for beaches, all great.  However, our family favourite is Kits.  We love beach-combing there, where our toddler walks along the water and looks for shells and rocks.  I cruise with the baby along the seawall, and then we take out the hibachi and cook dinner on the large green park area, or have a picnic.  Often, we opt for a nice meal at the Boathouse and overlook the beach also.  Not to mention, love the vendors that stop by.

3. The Vancouver Aquarium

The Aquarium is within Stanley park, and I don't think I can say enough how much kids love it.  At 2 years old, my toddler was fascinated.  It was awesome to see him so intrigued, and he toured the whole aquarium.  Where else can you see a giant turtle and sharks up close and have your kid enjoy pressing their face up against the glass saying "whoa!"  I know for sure there will be many more visits there.  It's a great learning experience, but for real...it's fun!

4. No shortage of parks and playgrounds

I know every city has this, however, I am so lucky to be surrounded by parks at every turn.  We have 3 large parks, complete with playgrounds, summer swimming, track and soccer fields surrounding our neighborhood. And then a little walk away, we have Queen Elizabeth...ample areas to run, picnic, watch ducks.  Every little area of this city has great little places for kids to play, so we venture out and checkout other playgrounds often. Some fun ones include: David Lam, Mount Pleasant Park,  Trout Lake, David Livingston, Wesbrook Village and more.

5. Main Street eats

I love eating, and if you take the stroller down Main Street, you have a tonne of options.  All unique and one-off cafes, sushi joints, tacos, Caribbean, Thai, comfort food or good ol'burger bars, and etc.  I love the variety and it is rare to get sick of the options...well I never have.  I love that I can expose my kids to so many types of eats and eclectic vibes, not to mention, it is always buzzing and happening.  I am always happy strolling with my kiddos down Main.