From Metro Vancouver’s largest climbing gym to bowling, escape rooms and some fancy puppetry, here are 10 family-friendly reasons to head to Coquitlam on a rainy day.
10 Indoor Activities You’ll Want to Try in Coquitlam
1. Reach for new heights
How would you like to burn tons of calories, strengthen your core and tire out your kids? Sound good so far? Indoor rock climbing is a great way to keep active during winter, and at ClimbBase5 in Coquitlam – Metro Vancouver’s largest climbing gym – you’ll find climbing options and programs for all ages and skill levels.
2. Line up a strike
Black lights and glow-in-the-dark balls take bowling to a whole new level during Cosmic Bowling nights at Zone Bowling in Coquitlam. Order food from any of the restaurants in the concourse to make it an easy night out. This alley offers five- and 10-pin bowling and a video arcade with pool tables. Strike!
3. Escape the winter blues
Gather up some friends to beat the clock and locks inside an escape room. In a nutshell, you’re trapped in a room with a set amount of time to crack the clues and make your way out to safety. Two to try: Countdown Escape Rooms and Trapped.
4. Let them entertain you
There’s just something about marionettes that can’t fail to put a smile on your face. Add into it a whimsical princess tale and delightful ticket prices, and you’ve got yourself a winner. Families won’t want to miss Sleeping Beauty Dreams at Evergreen Cultural Centre on February 9th, with pay-what-you-can admission. ECC is located at the Lafarge Lake-Douglas SkyTrain station. Continue reading this post ⟩⟩
The Vancouver Heritage Foundation is taking part in Heritage Week in BC and across Canada February 19-25th. With the theme of “heritage stands the test of time”, Vancouver Heritage Week will be comprised of three free or low-cost events.
Vancouver Heritage Week 2018
Celebrate the lasting value and significance of our city’s historic sites and buildings, their role in telling community stories and their rich contribution to our lives today.
Places That Matter: Community Celebration and Reading of Official Proclamation
When:February 21, 2018 from 6:30pm to 9:00pm.
Register: Free
Where: Kitsilano Neighbourhood House, 2305 W 7th Ave
Celebrate the local, cultural and lesser known history of our city with a free evening of storytelling, community and refreshments. With local storytellers, refreshments, community displays and Master of Ceremonies, comedian Morgan Brayton.
Gastown Revisted Walking Tour
When: February 24, 2018 from 10:00am to 12:00pm
Register: Register here, $15
Historian John Atkin explores some of the more recent interventions in evolving Gastown, a heritage district since 1971.
Sunday Morning at Punjabi Market
When: February 25, 2018 from 9:30am to 12:00pm
Register: Register Here, $25
Where: All India Sweets & Restaurant, 6560 Main St
Enjoy a morning of cultural stories and local history, authentic chai and treats from All India Sweets and Restaurant and hear about the people, businesses and stories that make this area so special.
Check out #HeritageWeek2018 on Facebook and Twitter to learn more.
The following has been contributed by Steffani Cameron, who is in the middle of a 5-year worldwide adventure that she is chronicling at FullNomad.com.
With a mission to write about the Okanagan’s food and wine industry for a cheese magazine, I packed my fat pants and hit the road in my Honda HRV. Naturally, my good pal Miss604 wanted a report on all things foodie about my adventures.
Here’s a thing I learned along the way: You may think there is such thing as “too many cheeseplates,” but I’m here to tell ya, there ain’t. So, let me share with you some of the great places I’ve explored cheeses, wines, and other tasty experiences.
Eating in the Okanagan, Cheese Plates Galore
Black Hills
Within days of my visit, the BC Wine industry was jaw-dropped to learn that Black Hills had been acquired by Peller Estates. GM Glenn Fawcett promised the winemaker will keep up its industry-leading quality. Good thing, too, because their Nota Bene is one of BC’s best premiere red blends, year after year.
But let’s talk about their cheese plate. When that thing was sat in front of me, I told the chef it was one of the sexiest cheese plates I’ve ever seen in my life. Featuring all Upper Bench cheeses, the accompaniments really set it apart. Think pickled melon, thyme-roasted grapes, the juiciest of fresh Okanagan nectarines, and so much more. An assortment of meats, fruit, breads, and cheeses always sounds great, but when so much care goes into making the fruit and preserves offered as unique as the cheeses and meats are, that’s when it’s other-level stuff. Continue reading this post ⟩⟩
Family Day in BC is coming up on Monday, February 12, 2018. Check your local community centre, arena, or pool for their Family Day lineup and browse the dozens of local listings below!
Family Day Events in Metro Vancouver
Abbotsford
Feb 12: Kit & Caboodle Family Day
Feb 12: Family Day Photos at High Street
Feb 12: Family Day Fun Fest
Burnaby
Feb 12: Family Day Winter Festival
Feb 12: Burnaby Family Day
Feb 12: Family Day at the Carousel
Chilliwack
Feb 10: Spirit of the People Family Day Pow wow
Feb 12: Family Day Free Skate at Twin Rinks
Coquitlam
Feb 12: Family Day Story Time
Feb 12: Family Day at Poirier Street Sport & Leisure Complex
Delta
Feb 10-12: Family Day Long Weekend at Tsawwassen Mills
Feb 12: Family Day in Delta
Fort Langley
Feb 10-12: Family Day Weekend at Fort Langley National Historic Site
Langley
Feb 12: Langley Family Day at Timms Community Centre
Maple Ridge
Feb 12: Children’s Entertainer Rick Scott at the ACT
Feb 12: Family Day Youth Services
New Westminster
Feb 12: Family Day in New West
Feb 10: Massey Madness Family Arts Festival
North Vancouver
Feb 12: Family Day at Lonsdale Quay
Feb 12: Grouse Mountain Family Day
Port Coquitlam
Feb 12: Family Day Shinny Hockey
Feb 12: Family Day Public Skate
Feb 12: Family Day at Hyde Creek Recreation Centre
Port Moody
Feb 12: Family Day at Port Moody Station Museum
Feb 12: Family Day Skate
Richmond
Feb 12: Family Day at Oakridge
Feb 10: Family Day Open House
Feb 12: Family Day Public Skate
Feb 11-12: Britannia Shipyards Family Day
Feb 12: Family Day at the Cannery
Feb 12: Family Day at the Richmond Olympic Oval
Feb 12: Steveston Museum and Visitor Centre
Feb 12: Steveston Tram Family Day
Feb 10-12: Richmond Museum Family Day
Feb 10-11: Richmond Library Family Day
Feb 10-12: Family Day in the Richmond Art Gallery
Feb 12: Children’s Arts Festival
Feb 10-12: Richmond Community Centres, Events for Family Day
Squamish
Feb 10-12: Family Day Weekend at the Sea to Sky Gondola
Surrey
Feb 12: Lunar New Year Fest at Central City
Feb 12: Family Flags Day at Historic Stewart Farm
Feb 12: Family Day Swim at South Surrey Indoor Pool
Feb 12: Family Fun Day Drop-In at Chuck Bailey Recreation Centre
Feb 12: Family Fun Day Drop-In at Cloverdale Recreation Centre
Feb 12: Family Fun Day Drop-In at Guildford Recreation Centre
Feb 12: Family Fun Day Drop-In at Fleetwood Community Centre
Feb 12: Family Fun Day Drop-In at Fraser Heights Recreation Centre
Feb 12: Family Fun Day Drop-In at South Surrey Recreation & Arts Centre
Feb 12: Arts & Crafts at Newton Recreation Centre
Feb 12: Parent & Preschool Play Day at Newton Athletic Pavilion
Vancouver
Feb 12: musica intima Family Day Concert
Feb 11: Kids Take Over UBC
Feb 12: Family Day on Commercial Drive
Feb 12: Family Day at the Museum of Vancouver
Feb 12: Family Day Walk
Feb 12: Family Day at the Roundhouse
Feb 12: Family Day Ultimate
Feb 12: Family Day at Kits
Feb 12: Family Day at the Vancouver Art Gallery
Feb 9-12: Family Day 2 for 1 at VanDusen
Feb 9-12: Family Day 2 for 1 at Blodel Conservatory
Feb 12: Family Day at the Vancouver Lookout
Feb 12: Vancouver Architectural Walking Tours for Family Day
Feb 12: Free Family Day Event to Celebrate the Canadian Arctic
Feb 10-12: Red Mitten Weekend at the BC Sports Hall of Fame
Feb 10-12: Family Day Weekend at the Vancouver Aquarium
Feb 12: Family Day at Douglas Park Community Centre
Feb 12: Family Day at Killarney
Check back often as this list will be updated every day until BC Family Day 2018.
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The full February event list is available now. If you have an event to list, please send it in by email for a free listing. Follow Miss604 on Twitter for more daily updates.
Guest post contributed by Lisa Kadane, SnowSeekers.ca
I fondly remember the ski areas of my youth. There were double chairs that allowed time for great conversations (and to rest the legs) between runs, a cozy day lodge with tasty grub and a chill vibe and, most importantly, mantles of downy snow covering newbie runs, fun tree trails and alpine terrain. On a ski outing you felt like you’d been let in on a big secret—how else to explain why you had the mountain all to yourself?
Photo credit: Lisa Kadane
When I heard that such a good-value, crowd-free place still exists in the south Okanagan, my husband and I packed up the gear and the littles and made tracks to Baldy Mountain Resort, a 50-minute drive north and east of Osoyoos.
Find out more about skiing Baldy here »
Located at an elevation of 5,900 feet — Canada’s highest ski resort base — and blessed with 25 feet of snow each season, Baldy makes for a no-brainer family ski weekend, staying overnight in Osoyoos. There’s just one day lodge, two chair lifts and one ticket office selling lift passes that are almost 1980s-priced ($55 for adults, $35 for youth ages 7-15, $10 for kids 6 and under).
Photo credit: Lisa Kadane
The resort’s 35 runs cover a manageable 600 acres, and range from groomed beginner trails where my son can practice his snowplow, to steeper chutes in the glades where my daughter can master her tree-slaloming. What’s more, all of Baldy’s trails lead back to the base so parents don’t have to worry their kids will get lost.
We drop our son off in a lesson and take the Eagle Chair to the summit. From there, the views of the valley are unreal—the best in the Okanagan by some accounts. After snapping a few pictures it’s go-time. Should we warm up with some GS turns on Baldy Trail, or look for powder stashes between the snow-covered evergreen trees in the Honky Tonk Glades?
Photo credit: Lisa Kadane
As the weekend unfolds and that famous Okanagan powder begins to collect in soft pillows, I come to realize we have, indeed, been let in on a big secret. The proof is in our family’s big smiles.
Want to learn more about exploring Osoyoos and skiing Baldy?
Head on over to SnowSeekers »
