Five Favourites: Places to Visit on Transit With Kids
As we mentioned earlier this week, kids love transit. A trip on the bus, SeaBus, SkyTrain or a ferry can turn an ordinary outing into an adventure for a three-year-old. If you’re on the search for great, kid-friendly transit destinations in Vancouver, we’ve got you covered. Here are our five favourite places to visit on transit with kids.
Five Kid-Friendly Vancouver Favourites on Transit
1. Lonsdale Quay
Lonsdale Quay is a short SeaBus ride from the Waterfront Station, which just happens to be the terminus for two SkyTrain lines. This makes this market on the North Shore a great place to visit via transit. Lonsdale Quay itself is a lot of fun with kids. There’s lots of food, a fabulous view of the city, and all the sights and smells of a public market. Kids Alley features a place for the little ones to get their haircuts, clothes, treats and toys.
2. Science World
Steps from the SkyTrain’s Expo Line, and within easy walking distance of the Aquabus and False Creek Ferries in the former Olympic Village, Science World is both kid-friendly and easy to reach via transit. Science World admission isn’t cheap, but a membership pays for itself within only a couple of visits. Add in transit fare, and you have a very affordable Vancouver outing.
3. YVR
When the Canada Line was completed, the Vancouver Airport suddenly became much more accessible by transit. Parking at YVR is super-expensive, but SkyTrain fare is very affordable. The Public Observation Area on level four of the domestic terminal is free for everyone, and your little airplane buffs will love it. There’s also lots of food at the airport, and elsewhere along the Canada Line, so you can make a day of it.
4. Granville Island
Granville Island offers a lot of kid-friendly Vancouver fun, from the water park and playground, to the Kids Market, to the sights, sounds and smells of the Public Market, to the food, to the fabulous productions from Carousel Theatre and more. The Aquabus and False Creek Ferries stop here as well. You can take the Canada Line to the Yaletown-Roundhouse station and hop a boat, or you can catch the bus from the Olympic Village station.
5. Kits Beach and Vanier Park
There’s lots of kid-friendly fun at Kits Beach and Vanier Park, and by visiting on transit you can avoid the headache of trying to find a place to park on a sunny Vancouver day. Dig in the sand, visit the playground, fly a kite, or check out the planetarium. There’s a False Creek Ferry stop at the Vancouver Maritime Museum in Vanier Park, or you can take a bus from Burrard Station in downtown Vancouver.
Photo credits: Ferries – Dave O on Flickr, Granville Island Sign – Qantas Travel Insider on Flickr
