Five great, kid-endorsed Canadian trips
These destinations come recommended by the choosy offspring of a travel writer
From digging for dinosaurs in Alberta to watching swooping puffins in Newfoundland, budding travellers can find many fun-filled destinations right here in Canada. But don’t just take my word for it. I surveyed a panel of critics, namely my three children: Perdida, 17, Carmelo, 11, and Rocco, eight.
My kids have had the great fortune of seeing more of our beautiful home country than most people, and consequently they have strong opinions on which destinations have impacted them most. Here are their five favourite trips (a mix of vacations and press trips taken for my work as a travel writer), and what makes these places so special.
For the supersized dinosaur experience: Drumheller, Alta.
Canada’s dinosaur central is an easy win for a family trip — and given its location in the Alberta Badlands, with its hoodoo rock formations and vast canyons, it’s a fascinating break for grown-ups, too. “That whole trip was so cool!” says Carmelo, naming the Royal Tyrrell Museum of Palaeontology as particularly memorable. “The museum had so many dinosaurs and even prehistoric lizards that are still alive today.” On the Dig Experience ($15 per person), kids can even “find” an Albertosaurus leg with a student paleontologist. Other on-theme sights in town include “the World’s Largest Dinosaur,” a T-rex shaped roadside attraction that offers a lookout point from its jagged teeth, once you’ve climbed 106 steps. Drumheller’s accommodation options tend to be of the nofrills variety (and fill fast in the summer), but our kids loved staying at the Dinosaur Trail RV Resort.
For a quieter pace: Hornby Island, B.C.
For two years running, we’ve spent a weeklong vacation on Hornby Island, home to protected bays with shallow water, glorious white-sand beaches lapped by gentle tides, and forested trails for hiking. The sweet Gulf Island’s low-key attractions also include the tiny Hornby Island Natural History Centre, a small cluster of upscale hippie boutiques, fruit stands and a busy farmers’ market. “I love climbing on the rocks, and looking for sea animals on the beaches, and buying frozen mango on a stick at the market,” says Rocco. Here, cell coverage is patchy and shoes are optional. It’s the perfect chill escape where kids can run wild. The best accommodations are found on Airbnb, and there are also plenty of campsites on the island, including glamping at Fossil Beach Farm, which has a cider bar and fantastic BBQ.
For the incredible wildlife: Eastern Newfoundland
On a June trip to the perfectly named village of Happy Adventure (where we stayed at the familyfriendly Happy Adventure Inn), we had a boating experience straight out of a tourism ad, encountering icebergs, breaching humpbacks and minke whales, playful seals, and hundreds of puffins. At the Elliston puffin viewing site, we crawled thrillingly close to the cliff’s edge to watch the birds swooping in and out of their nests, and later played on the white sands of Sandy Cove as locals netted capelin in the surf. “The whole trip was just magical,” says Perdida. Rebuilding a whale skeleton at the nearby Terra Nova National Park visitor centre was another standout on this trip, as was touring the idyllic towns of Trinity and Bonavista.
For chilled-out beachfront camping: Cape Breton, N.S.
It’s a travel tradition we’ve had for almost a decade: For a few days each summer, we stay in one of Parks Canada’s Otentiks (rustic tent/cabin hybrids) at Ingonish Beach in the Cape Breton Highlands National Park. “I love running to the beach and jumping in the sea every morning, and hiking to places like Mary Ann Falls where you jump off the rocks into a massive swimming hole,” Carmelo explains. The community of Ingonish is relaxed, with great places to eat fried clams or scallops, plus the wonderful gallery space/eatery Salty Rose’s & the Periwinkle Café. “It’s my favourite café in the whole world,” says Perdida. “It’s so whimsical and welcoming.” The beaches along this coast are spectacular, and Parks Canada has fun activities, such as sunset beach bonfires with costumed interpreters explaining the area’s fishing history.
For a sophisticated, cool-kid city break: Montreal
“I can’t imagine a teen who wouldn’t love exploring this city,” says Perdida, who recently travelled with me to Montreal — just the two of us — and enjoyed every minute. “Touring the Musée des beaux-arts de Montréal, eating at amazing restaurants, seeing the Aura experience at the Notre-Dame Basilica, and shopping at thrift stores along rue Ste-Catherine,” says Perdida when asked for a few of their favourite activities. We stayed at the luxurious Auberge du Vieux-Port in Old Montreal, browsed fascinating art galleries, nibbled pastries at trendy cafés, and found exquisite vegan Japanese food at Fleurs et Cadeaux (the restaurant kept the name of the old Chinatown gift store it took over).