Cascadia Kids

Family travel in the Pacific Northwest and BC

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10 Great Places to Eat in Whistler with Kids

Crepe Montagne: A great place to eat with kids in Whistler
Crepe Montagne: A great place to eat with kids in Whistler

1. Crepe Montagne offers beautiful atmosphere and crepe prep. I love the warm lodge-like interior, fresh juices, French-language kids books and savory crepes with egg, ham and cheese. It’s also a great dessert destination, with preschooler-friendly crepes like caramel and chocolate or that tasteful favorite, Nutella and banana.

2. Options are the name of the game at Splitz Grill, which makes it a Whistler restaurant good for kids. Pick a meat (veggie burger, beef or chicken), then pad the bun with your selections of fresh veggie add-ons, sauces and dressings. The dining area is sort of cafeteria-style, but the food is filling, cheap and served-to-order.

3. At the base of Blackcomb mountain, Nagomi Sushi, a kid-friendly sushi joint, dishes up everything from fried edamame to fresh rolls. Sushi in Whistler (IMO) is not all that different from one place to the next  (I’m ducking as I write that). Locals and visitors debate over which one is best (Sachi Sushi and Sushi Village are the other favorites). What do I suggest? Choose the restaurant you can find seats in.

Pasta Lupino: Handmade, kid-friendly pasta
Pasta Lupino: Handmade, kid-friendly pasta

4. Pasta Lupino is a solid pick if you’re not quite ambitious enough to make a full-blown dinner in room, but you don’t want to sit through yet another restaurant meal. Here, mix-and-match a pasta shape (like short radiatore, short spinach cesare, linguini, spaghettini) and a pasta sauce (like alfredo, bolognese, tomato and basil, the spicy sausage arrabiata), for fun, let the kids pick one combo, and then choose another for grown-ups.

5. Pizza is a cheap and delicious way to refuel — but Creekbread takes it to a new level, with lots of all-natural ingredients (free-range pork, locally grown veggies and even housemade organic olive oil) atop wood-fired dough, baked in a clay oven. Flavorful toppings, big broad wood tables, outdoor seating and a gregarious atmosphere. We loved this place so much, we visited twice. A great place to take toddlers and big kids, too.

6. Create a quick deli lunch from the prepared items and fruits at Whistler Marketplace IGA.

7. Veggie dishes and sandwich pitstops at Ingrid’s Village Cafe in Whistler Village.  

8. Portobello for kid-friendly pizza, fresh sandwiches and homemade soups.

9. Lift Coffee Company makes a hot latte and breakfast (including great pastries and oatmeal).

10. If you’re in Whistler in summer, try out Lucia Gelato‘s sorbetto and gelato flavors, including kid favorites like coconut, and banana caramel fudge. There are three stands dotted throughout Whistler. 

This post was updated on January 3, 2020 with new information.

Great Gifts for the Local Family Traveler

What to buy the traveler in your life? Check this list:

Spot It is my favorite new game, hands down. It’s easy to learn (you’ll get it in about two seconds), scales well by age (I’d say 5 and up) and comes in a very portable tin.

Gift certificates to a favorite hotel or restaurant. Many come with bonuses for you, too. I’ve seen a 10% bonus for purchases for the Victoria Clipper, an extra $25 gift card when you purchase one $25 gift card at the Cannon Beach’s Wayfarer restaurant and a few more I can’t really mention — they were only for e-mail subscribers to the hotel e-mail lists. But you’ll find these sort of “secret deals” when you sign up for a restaurant or hotel’s e-mail li.

Reusies are one of our favorite ways of transporting snacks for the kids (particularly crackers, nuts, cheese, etc.) in the car. Children can chow down, then seal up the container themselves — no plastic lids to struggle with. ReUsies 2 Pack Reusable Sandwich and Snack Bag – Pirate

If I were buying just one gift for the family traveler, it would be a picnic backpack. We’ve had ours since our wedding day and have used it over and over again — it’s a fantastic way to save money. Eat oatmeal in your hotel room or create a picnic from yummy things you’ve collected at Granville Island market. Here’s one example: Picnic at Ascot Classic Blue Picnic Backpack for Four with Blanket

A NW-centric book, like Lonely Planet Pacific Northwest Trips or (my book) Northwest Kid Trips: Portland, Seattle, Victoria, Vancouver or The Most Beautiful Villages and Towns of the Pacific Northwest.

A Chicco Capri Lightweight Stroller. I don’t have the money for a Maclaren. But I think a Chicco umbrella-style stroller ($65-75) is a great value for those of us on a budget. This particular stroller works well no matter what the streets throw at it — cobblestones, dips, bumps or grass-covered hills. It fits easily into most crowded urban restaurants and the handles work well for my tall husband. If you don’t want to buy from Amazon, head to your local Babies R Us, which typically has this stroller in stock.

A membership to a local zoo or science center. All the better if they’re participating members of the ASTC Passport Program or the Association of Zoo and Aquariums, which allows the recipient to visit nearby cities’ zoos and science centers for free or at huge discounts.

Is there anything you hope Santa brings you this year?

Seaside, Oregon with Kids

Fall might be the perfect time to hit the beach. At least according to Jackie Boucher, a Vancouver, BC mom who also blogs at Wee Life (and that beautiful blog is more than a wee bit addictive). Last year, Jackie traveled over six hours to reach the gorgeous Oregon Coast, along with her husband Adrian and their son, Spenser, then age 5.

The family loved their destination, the outrageous family-fun town of Seaside. “It was quirky and kitschy and fun with loads of stuff for kids,” Jackie says.

Jackie and hubby had been to the Oregon Coast before, pre-baby Spenser. But back then, the coast was only a stopover on a longer trip. “We always knew that one day we would make it our destination and give it the attention it deserves,” Jackie says. “The coastline is simply stunning.”

Q: What did your family enjoy doing in Seaside, Oregon?

We walked the two- or three-mile promenade. We brought hockey and soccer equipment to play on the firm smooth sand, and hung out on the beach. We ate razor clams and candy (in particular, salt water taffy) because that’s what you do when you are in Seaside.

Playing hockey on the Oregon Coast
Playing hockey on the Oregon Coast. Photo courtesy Jackie Boucher

We noted other unique culinary delights too. I wish now I was brave enough to try the chocolate covered bacon at the Buzz on Broadway.

Another must-do is renting a surrey to pedal up and down the main drag. We also took a half-day trip to Cannon Beach where they have a nice playground, gorgeous beach, good shopping and The Wayfarer, a good restaurant with a killer view.

Riding bikes on the Oregon Coast.
Riding bikes on the Oregon Coast. Photo courtesy Jackie Boucher.

Q. What kinds of kid-friendly things did you do in Seaside? Which activities did your son enjoy most?

Seaside’s main drag. We walked up and down that street several times stopping in candy shops, riding the carousel at Seaside Carousel Mall, and spending time on the bumper cars in Funland, the arcade. Our favourite candy store was Seaside Candyman. The Seaside Carousel Mall has a great toy store, Under the Big Top Toys.

We went in last October and stumbled across a captivating pumpkin festival; we witnessed a giant pumpkin smash an old surrey to smithereens. I documented the craziness on my Wee Life blog here.

Q. Where did you stay?

The Sandy Cove Inn was a bit off the beaten track but had a kitchen, a good restaurant across the street as well as a small family run grocery store and the beach/prom was practically right there.

Q. Did you find any kid-friendly restaurants to eat in?

If you love seafood, this is your part of the world. Our favourite was the Bell Buoy at 1800 S Roosevelt Drive. This establishment has two parts, a factory/fish market and a restaurant. The first is the fish market and micro-cannery. They smoke their own salmon and make their own cocktail sauce. This is where you would get your razor clams to take back to your kitchenette (if you are so lucky to have a kitchenette).

Bell Buoy a kid-friendly restaurant in seaside oregon
The Bell Buoy, a kid-friendly restaurant in Seaside, Oregon

The Bell Buoy also offers a family-style restaurant, which cooks up delicious clams, oysters, crab cakes or just simple fish and chips. Oh, and clam chowder.

The I-5 Drive: Stops from Portland to Seattle

Three hours is just too long to sit in the car. The infamous slog between Seattle and Portland invariably adds a few more hours due to bizarre traffic snafus. (What is the energy vortex causes the mysterious slowdowns in Tacoma, Olympia and Chehalis, anyhow?) Put it all together, and you’ve got a real tantrum starter for parents and kids alike. Unless you give up for a little bit, pull over and chill out. Here are a few of our favorite kid-friendly stops along the Seattle-to-Portland I-5 route.

the salmon creek burgerville in vancouver is a fine place to stop along i-5 with kids
The Salmon Creek Burgerville.

Exit 7: Burgerville. This Salmon Creek Burgerville (on the edge of Portland) is a fast-food diner that thinks it’s a restaurant – thank goodness. There’s outdoor seating, an indoor play area with crayons and a few toys and small kid-size picnic tables. Eat your local blackberry shake, Walla Walla onion rings or juicy natural-beef burger; on some weekends, you’ll also encounter no-cost kids’ events. Free wifi, too. Exit 76: Recreation Park and Penny Playground. If a three-year old designed a fort, it might look a bit like this park’s peaked playground: a delightful maze of levels, hiding spots and peek-a-boo corners. Even the stairs surprise here – they shake beneath your feet while leading you up to tunnels and turrets. A large grassy area encourages running, if you packed a boomerang, kite or frisbee. Cool off with the on-site spray park and pool in summer.

penny park in centralia a good stop for kids off of i-5
At the Penny Park in Centralia

Exit 81: Olympic Club Hotel & Theatre. This historic building in the McMenamins chain offers lovely outdoor dining next to a train track, so kids can watch rail cars hustle through downtown Centralia. A cozy pub-style interior restaurant serves breakfast, lunch and dinner; the movie theater and last-minute hotel may bail you out if there’s sudden snowfall or a four-hour traffic delay on the freeway. Exit 82: Burgerville. Yes, another Burgerville. But the Centralia location is the first that southbound travelers encounter and the last that northbound roadtrippers can dine at. Pick up a healthy kids’ meal (served with apples instead of fries, if you like) right at the halfway stopping point between Portland and Puget Sound.

Exit 88: Great Wolf Lodge. If you decide you’d like to make a stopover between Portland and Seattle, this is a popular destination. Read more about what to do in Grand Mound at 18 Tips for Visiting Great Wolf Lodge. 

Do you have a favorite kid-friendly restaurant, activity or playground along I-5?

The Best of Spokane with Kids

Our family first passed through Spokane back in 2001, on our I-90 Washington-to-New York driving adventure (with a toddler – yeah, we’ve always been crazy!). Spokane was cute — historic, turn-of-the-century buildings, a riverfront park and bustling college scene. I threw Spokane into my “bucket list” of destinations to visit in the future.

Fast-forward 9 years, and life finally afforded the opportunity to return. Here’s my guide to the best of this Inland Northwest city with kids:

Best place to spend the day in Spokane:

Riverfront Park is one of the most adorable urban parks ever. The park’s 100 acres are packed with preschooler-friendly amusement park rides, an IMAX theater, the fast-spinning 1909 Loof Carrousel (a tiger and a giraffe are two of the unusual animals aboard) and a not-at-all-scary gondola over the Spokane Falls.

Spokane Riverfront Park's Golden Arm
Trying to grab the ring from the Looff Carrousel's "Golden Arm"

Families meander along picturesque, Euro-style bridges and beneath a 1901 Clocktower, slide down a giant Radio Flyer wagon and feed a garbage-eating metal goat. Save money and buy the day pass (in summer, add-on the Skyride and get the whole deal for around $20).

Best way to spend a too-hot afternoon or too-rainy morning:

The deceptively humble Mobius Kids Children’s Museum, housed in a downtown Spokane River Park Square mall. While the 16,000 square foot facility doesn’t look like much at first, my kids loved driving little plasma cars around the streetlight-enhanced Cooper’s Corner; buying fish and sundries from a Filipino market and paddling a canoe in the Bayanihan exhibit; and dressing up in the Globe Theatre. It’s a cute stop worth an hour or so, particularly with preschool-aged kids.

Riding a plasma car through Mobius Kids' streets

Best place to chill out in Spokane:

Families nestle into Auntie’s Bookstore’s nooks and cluster upon the  carpeted steps in the children’s area. You’ll find new and used, board books and chapter titles, cool kits and collectible tomes on the shelves. One of the best little bookstores I’ve seen in Washington State, and right next to Uncle’s Games, where you’ll find games to keep the kids entertained on the way home.

Most unique Spokane park:

Kids will always remember the accessible Discovery Playground, situated about 20 minutes outside downtown Spokane in the town of Spokane Valley. You’ll find adult-sized flowers, a sprinkler-filled play area, climbable rock walls and built-in trampoline. Caveat: No shade here – it’s you and smokin’ concrete and flamboyant sun. Perfect for heat seekers.

A child-friendly Spokane park
Hatching out of an egg at Spokane's Discovery Park

Best Spokane hotel with kids:

The heartbreakingly beautiful Davenport Hotel, which offers multiple floors of 1914-era details, a pool, a high-ceilinged reception area (complete with fish pond) and restored ballroom upon restored ballroom. My kids and I loved wandering the second story hallways, where photos are framed by elegant, restored moldings and take-your-breath-away ballrooms fit for a Queen. When booking a stay here, be sure to stay in the historic, restored hotel (not the newer tower), because the pool is in the historic building. If you’re staying with a train-crazed toddler, ask for a room that’s nearer to downtown Spokane’s rail line, and you’ll hear trains all night long (in our family, that was a good thing).

The gracious lobby at the Davenport Hotel

Best kid-friendly foodie restaurant in Spokane:

Sante places some of the best food this side of the Cascades on the table, in the form of omelettes, sandwiches, soups and risottos. We ate breakfast here on our last day. Had I known about the quality beforehand, I would’ve eaten here for breakfast, lunch and dinner on every occasion, bathed in the restaurant’s wall of window light. The charcuterie and dining menu changes weekly, so I won’t bother telling you what we had — but suffice it to say that they’ll always make something delectable for adults and kids to eat. Don’t miss the pastry and sweets case – we picked up hand-made sour fruit candies for the kids.

An omelette at Sante, a kid-friendly Spokane foodie restaurant
An omelette at Sante, a kid-friendly Spokane foodie restaurant

Best kid-friendly crepe restaurant in Spokane:

Madeleine’s Café and Patisserie, located right downtown, whips up seasonal crepes from scratch. Order from the counter, then sit inside among the bistro-chic tables or head outside (like local families do) to eat al fresco beneath Madeleine’s blue awnings. Before you leave, pick out an eclaire or macaron for later. Yeah, it’ll get smushed in the backpack, but it’ll still be delicious.

Best kid-friendly Italian in Downtown Spokane:

The plush, floral-fabric chairs might make you a little nervous about the quality and kid-friendliness of Europa’s cuisine. But those chairs are awfully comfortable after a day of sightseeing, and the classical music soothes jangled nerves. Tangy bread is delivered to your table – you’ll probably be fighting over the crumbs before your main dishes arrive. I recommend anything made with the pesto cream sauce. The kids loved the “make your own pizza” option; even a small pizza was too much for my kids to polish off.

Best place to pick up food to eat in your room:

The interior of Moxie restaurant is a better fit for couples — and a little fancy for my children after a full day of sightseeing. However, quality Asian-fusion cuisine is always a hit in our home. Excellent, not-too-spicy (unless you want it) fare; it’s not cheap, but the ingredients are top-notch, as is the preparation.

Best place to buy toys in Spokane:

With little kids, head to Whiz Kids Toys, where I was interested to find all the toys organized by subject (toy shop owners: this is a great idea). All the horse books, toys and other equine gear is in one place. If you’re in the market for big-kid jokes, cool collectibles, awesome books and vintage fun, check the shelves at Boo Radley’s. With so many eclectic finds, you’ll be sure to pick up an oddball gift you’ve never seen anywhere else.

Best place to stop on I-90:

Ellensburg, Washington, located about midway between Seattle and Spokane. In Ellensburg, families can dig into breakfast or lunch at the popular Yellow Church Café, where the only thing sinful is the cinnamon roll. Afterward, walk a block to Dick and Jane’s Spot, a fun-show of odd lawn art. Kids will either love the house or get spooked.

Have you been to Spokane with kids? Do you have any recommendations for our readers?

Read more about Spokane’s kid-friendly options at Visit Spokane.