18 Fun Things To Do On Vancouver Island With Kids In 2024
Looking for fun things to do on Vancouver Island with kids?
With mild weather, a fabulous coastline, mountains, rainforests, lakes and waterfalls, Vancouver Island is an ideal destination all year for outdoor enthusiasts. But is Vancouver Island good for kids?
Absoutely!
If you are visiting Vancouver with kids (see our guide to family-friendly activities in Vancouver), don’t miss Vancouver Island. It is just a short 90-minute ferry ride from Vancouver to Vancouver Island (or see here for more travel options).
Kids will enjoy searching for treasures on the beach, explore secret waterfalls and swimming holes, observe seals and whales and get adventurous in the wonderful outdoors.
This guide is written to help you have your best vacation on Vancouver Island with kids.
Most of the family attractions on Vancouver Island are outdoors but there are a couple of indoor things to do with kids on Vancouver Island at the end of the post in case of bad weather.
Visiting more of Canada with kids? Don’t miss our favourite things to do in Whistler in the summer.
We did an epic road trip from Vancouver to Calgary, taking in Whistler and Jasper and Banff National Parks if you’re looking to do something similar.
This post contains affiliate links. If you click on one and book or buy something, we may earn a small commission but this is at no extra cost to you.
So let’s see all the fun things to do on Vancouver Island with kids…
We have split this post of things to do on Vancouver Island with kids into outdoor and indoor sections.
But before you plan anything, we recommend this Victoria BC scavenger hunt/walking trail as a great way to get to know the city.
Outdoor things to do on Vancouver Island with kids
Walk in the Butchart Gardens
Victoria, the provincial capital of BC, is a great place to start your Vancouver Island vacation with kids.
There are lots of things to do in Victoria, BC with kids and Butchart Gardens is one of the best places to visit on Vancouver Island with kids.
It offers plenty of exciting things to do for families all year round. Half an hour drive away from the city center, The Butchart Gardens, the most famous botanical garden in Canada, is one of those places that everyone in the family will love.
Walking in the 118 year old Butchart Gardens feels like walking in the garden of one of those majestic French castles. Only there’s no castle, but over 900 different plants, grouped in beautiful tematic gardens.
Plantings change with the seasons, so any time you visit, there’s something colorful to see. If you are visiting at Christmas, they have a beautiful Christmas light trail.
The paths are stroller-friendly, and young kids will enjoy the Rose Carousel that features 30 hand-carved animals and chariots.
You can read more about visiting Butchart Gardens with kids here.
Have fun in Beacon Hill Park, Victoria
Beacon Hill Park is definitely worth including in your itinerary if you visit Victoria, BC with kids. It offers scenic, easy walking trails, picnic areas, monuments and playgrounds.
Water fountains and the wading pool are popular summer attractions.
Peacocks roam freely in the park. Parents will appreciate the pretty Rose Garden and Alpine Garden.
Kids can find exciting stops around the park, like Beacon Hill Children’s Farm where they can pet baby goats, sheep, rabbits, birds or donkeys.
Finlayson Point looks across the Juan de Fuca Strait, and you can watch seaplanes landing. On the way there, make sure to stop by the World’s tallest free-standing totem pole.
Best of all, Beacon Hill Park is walking distance from the Inner Harbor, so it’s a great break from sightseeing in Victoria with kids.
Read more about Beacon Hill Park here or see here for a private tour of Beacon Hill Park.
Go on a whale-watching tour
Vancouver Island is among the best places in the world for whale watching. You can often spot dolphins, porpoises, orcas, sea lions, harbor seals or otters swimming in the water.
Humpback whales, gray whales and minke whales can be seen between March and October (their migration season).
Whale-watching tours depart from several cities, like Victoria, Sooke, Campbell River, Nanaimo or Tofino.
We recommend this Gold Certified Green Tourism Canada Zodiac tour (for age 6+). It departs from Victoria and lasts 3 hours.
If you have younger children, this tour in a covered boat (departing from Victoria) is more suitable.
See here for tours departing from Campbell River (not suitable for children under 2).
These tours are definitely one of the most exciting things to do on Vancouver Island with kids.
Experience saltwater marshlands in Witty’s Lagoon Regional Park
Witty’s Lagoon Regional Park is surprisingly unknown and diverse only half an hour drive from Victoria.
This relatively small shoreline park has woodlands, marshland, a freshwater creek, a waterfall, a sandy beach and a rocky headland, offering excitement for the whole family.
More than 160 species of birds live here, you can find countless crabs under the rocks on the beach at low tide.
You are almost guaranteed to spot harbor seals, sea lions or sea otters near the rocky headland.
Altogether there’s 5 km of trails which makes it suitable to explore even with small kids.
You can read more about Witty’s Lagoon Regional Park here.
Learn about local sea life at Shaw Centre for the Salish Sea
The Salish Sea is British Columbia’s inland sea that includes the waters of Vancouver, Puget Sound and the San Juan Islands.
The Centre for the Salish Sea is an aquarium that gives insight into local marine life, but it’s also a learning center.
Kids can interact with the ocean through different attractions, like microscopes to watch the miniature world of marine life or hands-on experiences with creatures found in tide pools.
They organize special events for kids from time to time, like games, storytelling and crafts.
Shaw Centre for the Salish Sea is located in Sidney, only minutes away from Victoria International Airport and the Swartz Bay Ferry Terminal.
You can read more about the Shaw Centre for the Salish Sea here.
Bike the Galloping Goose Trail
How about a family bike tour on Vancouver Island? The Galloping Goose Trail is a 60 km long biking trail that connects Victoria to Sooke, gently winding through lovely forest.
It’s long, but you can do only sections of it, and it’s an easy trail that’s suitable for beginners and families.
The most scenic sections of the Galloping Goose Trail are the trestle bridges and the lookout area in Sooke Potholes Provincial Park.
You can read more about the Galloping Goose Trail here.
Take a plunge in Sooke Potholes
Sooke Potholes Provincial Park is named after the most famous attractions: deep rock pools naturally carved into the bedrock of the Sooke River.
They’re popular swimming holes in the summer, and you can also walk the short trails that run above the canyon walls and get a view of the potholes from the lookouts.
If you visit Vancouver Island with a toddler or baby, walk further upstream on Sooke River to find two sandy beaches. They might not be as unique as the potholes, but they provide easier water access.
This is mainly a summer attraction. Though the rushing water with the small waterfalls is picturesque in the winter months, the level of the river is also higher, and you might not even be able to see the potholes.
You can read more about Sooke Potholes Park here.
Go waterfall hunting along the Juan de Fuca Highway
The Juan de Fuca Highway is a 70 km long coastal drive between Sooke and Port Renfrew.
The best thing to do on the Juan de Fuca Marine Trail is stopping for beaches and waterfalls. And beach waterfalls!
The waterfall on Mystic Beach cascades from the high coastal cliffs onto the beach and Sandcut Beach also has a small beach waterfall.
Nearby Sombrio Beach has two of them. One is waterfall hidden in a lush green canyon behind the beach. The other one flows into the ocean as you start hiking the Juan de Fuca Marine Trail towards Chin Beach.
Any of these beach, sand and waterfall combos are ideal for a family picnic.
Marvel at giant trees in Cathedral Grove
Cathedral Grove in MacMillan Park is a great place to stretch your legs when driving from Nanaimo to Tofino. This easily accessible roadside family-friendly attraction on Vancouver Island is home to some of the oldest trees in Canada.
The flat loop trails on both sides of the road are a few kilometers long, so it’s doable even with small kids (or a massive sports stroller).
Looking up to the giant Douglas firs, Western Hemlocks and Western Red Cedars will impress hikers of any age.
You can read more about MacMillan Park here.
Explore Pacific Rim National Park Reserve
Pacific Rim National Park Reserve spoils you with a real West Coast charm, Long Beach is the most easily accessible area of the park, and a great place to start your explorations.
This 16 km sandy beach is a giant playground, and you can marvel at the powerful waves and the surfers while walking or playing on the beach.
Combers Beach can be accessed on a short, but steep trail, and driftwoods (and other treasures) are swept to the shore here.
The Rainforest Trail offers two walkways on the two sides of Highway 4 that leads you into a lush green, quiet world of tall Western Red Cedars and Western Hemlocks.
You can read more about Pacific Rim National Park Reserve here.
Go sea kayaking in Ucluelet
Sea kayaking is an unforgettable way to enjoy ocean and coastal scenery, but it can be rough.
However, Ucluelet has a very calm inlet which is perfect for beginner kayakers and families.
Rent a kayak at several companies at the harbor, or sign up for one of the guided kayak tours to explore the waters with a professional guide.
Hike the Lighthouse Loop in Ucluelet
Looking for kid-friendly hikes on Vancouver Island?
One of the best things to do in Ucluelet is hiking the 8 km long Wild Pacific Trail, which offers breathtaking views of the rocky coastline.
A family-friendly version of the hike is the 2.6 km long Lighthouse Loop on a well-maintained trail and with some of the best views.
You’ll also find access points to two smaller beaches along the loop.
Get adventurous at WildPlay
WildPlay is an adventure park that focuses on adrenaline-pumping challenges in the great outdoors. Ziplines, gravity-powered plummets, suspended bridges, ladders, nets or a giant swing make your experience unforgettable.
Adventure courses include a series of obstacles that get more challenging as you progress, and there are courses designed particularly for kids.
They have several locations across Canada, two on Vancouver Island: in Victoria and Nanaimo.
The Nanaimo Park offers exciting activities over the Nanaimo River, like bungee jumping or swinging over the river. Ziplines are available both at the Victoria and Nanaimo locations.
There are attractions for kids from age 5 and up. You need to check the minimum requirements for each attraction.
You can read more about WildPlay Victoria here and WildPlay Nanaimo here.
If you are visiting Nanaimo, keep some time aside to catch a stunning sunset.
Cross Elk Falls Suspension Bridge
Stretching 18 meters above Campbell River Canyon, the 64 meters long Elk Falls Suspension Bridge is an exciting (and free!) experience.
It is one of the best free things to do on Vancouver Island with kids.
Moreover, you get a fantastic view of Elk Falls and the river canyon from the bridge.
Getting there is a 1.5 km walk in old-growth forest. You can park in the day-use parking area of Elk Falls Provincial Park, just off of Highway 28. It’s one of the best things to see near Campbell River.
You can read more about Elk Falls Suspension Bridge here.
Indoor things to do with kids on Vancouver Island
Whilst Vancouver Island is predominantly an outdoor destination, there are some fun indoor activities on Vancouver Island for kids should you need them.
Don’t miss the Royal BC Museum
There’s that stereotype that museums are not that exciting for kids. Well, this might have been true when I was a kid, but those times are long gone.
We love visiting the London museums with kids and one of our favourite museums in Canada is the Royal Tyrrell Museum. It is one of the best things to do in Drumheller with kids.
Museums are always a good shout and the Royal BC Museum is great if you’re looking for rainy day activities for kids on Vancouver Island.
These days many museums offer attractions particularly for the younger visitors, and Royal BC Museum in Victoria is one that would impress the whole family.
Walk through a “language forest”, visit Woolly, the full-size Mammoth, see the replica of the vessel by which Captain George Vancouver came ashore in BC in 1778.
Or stroll through the streets of “Old Town” Victoria replica, feeling how it could have been living at the turn of the century.
You can read more about the Royal BC Museum here.
If you have time, you might also like to check out Miniature World which is virtually next door or take a look at the beautiful architecture of the Legislative Assembly of BC.
Find a tropical paradise in the Victoria Butterfly Gardens
Is there a kid who doesn’t like chasing butterflies? Enter a tropical paradise, only a few minutes drive from the Butchart Gardens.
In the Victoria Butterfly Gardens, children can watch colorful butterflies feasting on fruits. There are over 75 species of butterflies, and they fly freely inside the indoor facility of the gardens.
There are outdoor gardens, as well, where you can see flamingos, turtles, tortoises, lizards and tropical birds.
You can read more about visiting Victoria Butterfly Gardens with kids here. Buy your admission ticket here.
If you like this, you might also like the Victoria Bug Zoo located in Downtown Victoria.
We hope you enjoyed these recommendations for things to do on Vancouver Island with kids.
About the author:
Bea is a passionate traveler, hiker and founder of In Love With BC, a blog that focuses on traveling and outdoor activities in British Columbia.