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5 Fun European-Style Washington Towns
It’s fair for the kids to get a little confused about geography, if you’re visiting certain Washington towns. You drive a few miles, then tour a burg with a Norwegian flag flying overhead. A clue that you’re NOT in Norway? Everything’s in English, you pay in dollars and you won’t find nude sunbathing on Poulsbo’s cold, rocky beach. Welcome to a European-style Washington town. Next time you’re feeling Europe-sick (and don’t have the funds for a flight), check out these five Washington towns. Okay, some or most may not be “authentic” but more designed to draw the eye and dollar of tourists—but that doesn’t really detract from their charms. Poulsbo:…
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Kid-friendly Resorts of Vancouver Island
Smart families have already made their family resort reservations for Vancouver Island—perhaps for 2024! Want to play catch-up? Here’s a selection of ultra-deluxe Vancouver Island resorts and affordable family accommodations, as I’m doing my own research for a trip through Vancouver Island. I found plenty of resorts where children are definitely NOT welcome; one said that kids were welcome to use the pool — for exactly three hours per day! But there are also resorts that seem to encourage family visitors. And while the pandemic seems to have ended some family programming (childcare, mainly), other resorts are still offering kid camps and childcare. I’ve mostly listed upcoming high season prices.…
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Whistler Winter: 21+ Fun Things To Do with Kids
I love Whistler resort’s Euro-village streets, where you can walk with kids from hotel door to bookstore in just a few snowy steps. Whistler’s joyful, community-minded atmosphere means it seems like there’s always a film festival, children’s art fest or apres-ski happening. Nowhere else is it easy to ski, snowshoe, skate, and swim within just a few miles without retrieving your car. Whistler-Blackcomb is a British Columbia ski resort that’s an accessible, playful, family-friendly town. After you’ve scored a hotel room or AirBnB stay, what can you do with kids in Whistler in winter? What To Do with Kids in Whistler: Outdoor Sports in Winter 1. Go tubing. Coast on…
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Washington Water Parks & Water Slides
Need a way to cool off the kids this summer? Try one of Washington’s waterparks, where children (and parents) can ride down giant water slides, splash in water sprayparks, dump buckets of water on friends, play in a wet-sand playground or just chill in the pool. If you’re within an hour or two of the Washington-BC border, you may want to read this piece on BC Water Parks. Ready? Let’s splash. Water Parks in Western Washington Great Wolf Lodge, Grand Mound, Washington Washington State’s mega-water park that draws visitors from BC and Oregon, this indoor water park offers year-round fun, thanks to day passes and overnight stays. You’ll get admission to…
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Where to Ski with Kids in Oregon: Camps, Lessons, Lodges & Daycares
No way to slalom around it — Oregon offers some fantastic, kid-friendly ski resorts, from Mt. Hood to Mt. Ashland. Here’s your guide to the best in skiing, snowboarding and other family snowplay. Where to Ski with Kids on Mt. Hood This 11,245-foot-tall beauty is the tallest mountain in Oregon, and you can ski 3,690 vertical feet of it. I took my first skittering ski steps in Oregon, sliding-falling down Mt. Hood’s white face. I (eventually) improved here, too — going out for night-ski runs as an older teen. Mt. Hood offers the best of all worlds a diverse terrain, plenty of kid-friendly ski, snowboard and snow play options, along…
