Lighthouse Park

Families interested in hiking should check out Lighthouse Park in West Vancouver. This is one of the few places in the area immediately surrounding Vancouver that was never completely logged, making it an easily accessible virgin temperate rainforest habitat. The park provides numerous paths for hiking, and most require just an hour or two of your time. If you want to plan a picnic, there are tables and restrooms in the park to accommodate longer visits. The park is also a great place for bird watching with more than 60 different species known to frequent the area. The lighthouse is located at Point Atkinson and features a beacon that has been in operation since 1875.

Granville Island Public Market

There are plenty of reasons to visit this Vancouver landmark, but one of the top ones is that you don't have to pay to get in. Bring the family and wander through the indoor marketplace. Kids will love the many great food options at the market: bubble tea, salmon jerky, delicious pastries, fresh fruits and vegetables. Even if they're not hungry, just seeing all the food is a visual treat. Outside, the market hosts entertaining buskers, rows of sailboats in False Creek and spectacular views of the downtown skyline.

Kids Market at Granville Island

As a kid-sized version of Granville Island’s public market, the Kids Market is one of Vancouver's top family destinations. Housed in a former paint factory and packed with more than two dozen different shops selling toys and gifts, one-of-a-kind games, candy, books and creative crafts, it's sure to have something your kids can't live without. But it's also a place for kids to have fun as they get rambunctious in the many play areas. The Adventure Zone is a two-story, indoor jungle gym with tunnels, ladders and a ball room. Outside, families can enjoy a picnic on the patio or explore the 50-year-old Canadian Pacific caboose.

Granville Island Water Park

Touted as the largest free water park in North America, this kid-friendly attraction is the perfect place to spend a refreshing hour or two in the summer months. Open from mid-May through Labour Day, the park has pipes, pools, slides and sprinklers where the kids can cool off. If you need a place to change their outfits after they get soaked, there's a community centre nearby with restrooms.

Stanley Park

While there are plenty of great attractions in Stanley Park, there are also lots of free ways for families to have fun in the park. During summer, the obvious place to start is the Kids' Free Summer Fun Centre, where the young ones can enjoy arts and crafts, games and organized sports. Take a stroll along the sea wall to check out the public art, playgrounds and the awesome free water park. Or explore some of the easy trails that criss-cross the park and stop in at the Stanley Park Nature House to learn about the birds, animals and plants that call the park home.

Lynn Canyon Park and Ecology Centre

This outdoor destination is the perfect place for a little learning disguised as family fun. Home to 250 hectares (616 acres) of rainforest habitat, a suspension bridge 20 stories above the canyon floor and loads of natural sites, it's a fascinating introduction to Vancouver's natural setting. If you're here in the summer, your kids can swim in the crystal-clear waters of a natural pool. There's also a gorgeous waterfall in the park, which makes the perfect backdrop for a souvenir family photo. The Ecology Centre offers hands-on plants and animal displays, films in a small theatre, puppets to play with and piles of toys. Take advantage of public programs and events designed with kids in mind, many of which are free or require a small donation.

Source: Tourism Vancouver