Here are some free and cost-effective activities for families to enjoy in Vancouver this spring.
Family fun, especially when it’s outside the house, can come with a hefty price tag in a pricy city like Vancouver. But the good news is that there are still a lot of amazing things to do around the city that won’t break the bank. Check out these budget-friendly things to do with your children this spring.
Stroll through Bloedel Conservatory
Transport your family to the tropics this spring with a visit to Vancouver’s Bloedel Conservatory. This domed tropical paradise located in Queen Elizabeth Park has over 500 exotic plants and over 100 free-flying birds, including majestic parrots, macaws and cockatoos, to name a few. Children aged four and under enter free.
Take a ride on the Burnaby Central Railway
Climb aboard heritage-styled miniature trains in Burnaby’s Confederation Park. Open every weekend from Easter to Thanksgiving, Burnaby Central Railway's one-eighth scale steam trains make their way around more than two miles of track. Tickets cost around $4.50 for a single ride and toddlers aged three and under ride free. There’s also a small museum, concession, and a viewing station to visit.
Make art at the Vancouver Art Gallery
The Vancouver Art Gallery offers weekly family programs every Sunday between 12 to 4 pm for children aged 12 and under. After a tour of the gallery’s exhibitions, children can get creative, make some art and explore artistic processes and materials, related to the exhibitions. Gallery admission is free for any child under 12, when accompanied by an adult.
Learn something new, like coding
The Vancouver chapter of Canada Learning Code offers educational programs for children and teens, which cover everything from HTML and CSS to Photoshop and programming languages like Python and Ruby. These day-long programs are a great way to expose your child to something new. The best part? Most of these programs are hosted by volunteers and are pay-what-you-can. Visit canadalearningcode.ca/chapters/Vancouver for a full list of programs happening this spring.
Take a guided walking tour
Uncover new sites, get a gentle workout and learn some interesting nuggets of history with the family on a guided walking tour in Vancouver. The Tour Guys offer walking tours every day of the week in Vancouver downtown, Chinatown, Granville Island, and Gastown. The tours are free, but tips are appreciated by the guides. Visit their website tourguys.ca for more details about the walks.
Photos: Courtesy of events/organizations featured, Albert Law, City of Vancouver, John J Roberts/@jrphotographybc