Kid-friendly Trip Ideas
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15 Haunted Spots in BC, Oregon and Washington
What’s that strange noise in the hotel? Hopefully it’s a ghost, not a blown-out water heater. Here are 15 goofy, ghastly spots in Cascadia to delight your easily-spooked big kids. At right, the Davenport Hotel’s lobby. Can you spot a spectre? (I can’t, either!) Washington Haunted Spots Mt. Baker Theatre, Bellingham Judy didn’t want to leave, but she was evicted from her home to make way for the 1917 theater. So she’s supposedly returned, year after year, to haunt the theatre, showing up as gusts of cold air and the sound of old-timey skirts. Read more about Mt. Baker Theatre’s ghost stories. Roche Harbor Resort, San Juan Island The cemetery…
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Stormwatching at the Coast: Tips and Hints
Winds howl outside at 55 miles per hour – fast enough to tip over a toddler. Waves explode on the beach, each one more spectacular than the last. The lights flicker, but stay on. Your family is inside, dry and happy, playing “Apples to Apples†with a warm drink (Hot chocolate? Hot cider? Hot toddy  — just for grown-ups) in hand. During this season of storms and seas, some upscale resorts even offer a “stormwatcher’s package,†like this one at the Wickannish Inn in Tofino. But you don’t have to spend a fortune to enjoy the wild weather at the coast. Here are tips for enjoying stormwatching in the Pacific…
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Hot Springs in Oregon and Washington with Kids
If you were a miner back in the 1880s, how did you get really clean? You planned a trip to the closest hot springs. Hot spring trips have long been a traditional pastime in the BC-Washington-Oregon region, says Jeff Birkby, author of Touring Washington and Oregon Hot Springs, a history-rich guidebook to hot springs in the Pacific Northwest. Hot springs are formed when ground and rain water sinks below the Earth’s surface, then heats in volcanic pots deep below the surface. The mineral-infused water springs back out once it’s at a boiling point, then cools in pools. “Hot springs were social centers,†Birkby says of olden-days hot spring spots. The hotter…
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The Great Road Trip: 5 fantastic, family-friendly trips
Are the kids are out of school and bickering already? Here are some excellent, longer BC road trips, Washington State road trips and Oregon road trips, along with links to Google maps, so you can customize each one. I tried to choose points en route that are really worth a stop for families, and create circles, so you’re always seeing something new. I suggest always spending a few nights in one destination along the drive — it’s too easy to get burnt out on the road otherwise. 1. Waterpark Fun on Google Maps Starting Location: Vancouver or Seattle Distance: 767 miles / 1,215 kilometres (15 hours drive time) Days: 8 Route: If…
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Family Camps & Adventures in BC, Oregon & Washington State
If you haven’t yet firmed up your summer vacation getaway, consider a family camp, family-friendly ranch or a family adventure program. Yes, the camps are old-school:  rustic rooms and questionable food. But you know you’ll have fun anyhow, just like you did when you were a kid. If you’d rather enjoy a bunk-free stay, check out the aquarium or geology adventures or a family-friendly ranch summer getaway. British Columbia Family Camps BC Family French Camp. Okanagan, Gwillim Lake and Vancouver Island, BC. Say bon nuit to one another at this Francophone camp where all ages learn to speak and sing in French. Family Adventure Camps at Kumsheen Rafting Resort. Lytton, BC. For…