Families with young children can easily feel cooped up and go stir crazy during Vancouver’s rainy months. Metro’s best indoor playgrounds, listed below, are no-brainers for those days when it’s simply too dreary to head to the park. They offer ample space for kids to exert their energy, and many have cafés and WiFi on the premises, so parents are entertained too.
Designed with kids under the age of five in mind, Circus Play Cafe has an 800-square-foot play space and an adjoining café serving tasty treats for parents and tots alike. Check out their classes, such as Mini Yoga for kids, their educational workshops for parents, such as Raising the Next Generation. The East Van café also hosts free events throughout the year, including the popular “try it” expressive art classes for kids.
While the kids…well…go bananas on Go Bananas’ multi-level play structure, parents can take a breather, either by catching up on email using the facility’s complimentary WiFi or by heading into Capilano Mall for a little retail therapy. Go Bananas calls the latter their “Drop-and-Shop” service, which is good for kids over the age of four for up to two hours.
Some days it feels like the kids are bouncing off the walls. Well, they can do just that – literally – at Extreme Air Park in Richmond. Canada’s largest trampoline park has a whopping 42,000-square-feet of wall-to-wall interlocking trampolines. A great way to keep kids moving when it’s too wet and cold to go outside.
Port Moody’s offering in the indoor playground department, Koko’s, has the standard toddler play area and a multi-level play structure for older children. All of the play areas are clearly visible from the on-site café, so parents can take advantage of the free WiFi while keeping an eye on their littles. There’s also a parent’s lounge here, with satellite television and magazines to keep grown ups occupied while children run amok.
Funtopia, which just opened in 2015, is not your average kids’ climbing gym. The structures that kids get to scale here allow for physical and imaginative engagement. There are firefighter’s towers, a cityscape, a beanstalk and more. The freefall slide is a must-try for little daredevils (and bring your cameras, moms and dads, because kids have to wear a special suit to use this ride). Funtopia also has a toddler play zone and the more standard indoor playground fare, for kids who are a little younger, or a little timid.