Saturday 12 April 2014

100+ Things to do with Kids in Abbotsford, BC




I have been looking for a good list of things to do with kids in my home town (Abbotsford, BC, Canada) and so far I haven't found one, so I decided to do some research, ask fellow parents, talk to childcare workers, consult city resources, and scour the internet for ideas.

I figured I'm not the first parent to ask the same question, so I thought I'd share my list! If you live in the area and have some suggestions of things to add I'll do an update every once in a while with new things!




100 Things to do with Kids In Abbotsford

  1. Matsqui Recreation Center: Swimming, skating, classes, events, parties
  2. Abbotsford Recreation Center: Swimming, gym, classes, skating, events, parties
  3. Abbotsford Recreation Centre Open Playtime: Open gym playtime for NB-5 yrs (Check ARC Gymnasium schedule for time)  
  4. Mill Lake Park: (Central Abbotsford) Water park, 3 playgrounds, walking trail, picnic shelters, baseball diamonds, and Centennial Outdoor Pool
  5. Ellwood Park/Fishtrap Creek: (Clearbrook/West Abbotsford) 
  6. Jubilee Park: New playground! (Downtown)
  7. Swensson Park: (Aberdeen)
  8. Garden Park: (West Abbotsford)
  9. Grant Park: (Clearbrook)
  10. Delair Park: (East Abbotsford)
  11. Callaghan Park: (East Abbotsford)
  12. High Street Mall Playground: (West Abbotsford)
  13. McDonald Park: Fraser Valley Astronomers Society Dark Sky Park (light pollution free park)
  14. Albert Dyck Lake (Molson Lake): Beach, swimming, waterskiing & wakeboarding
  15. Clearbrook Library
  16. Mt. Lehman Library
  17. Abbotsford Community Library 
  18. Central Abbotsford Community School Programs: Programs for kids and summer camps
  19. Summer Day Camps: (Check with the City of abbotsford, or local churches/community organizations)
  20. Parachute Games and Storytime in the park: check with abbotsford early childhood education committee for more info.
  21. StrongStart: Parent/caregiver & tot drop in program 
  22. Family Centre: Abbotsford Community Services provides programs including drop-in programs, best for babies, perinatal support, triple p parenting courses & abby dads programs.
  23. Abbotsford Community Cruiser (summers only): Kids activities in local parks, check website and newspapers for locations 
  24. Abbotsford Circle Farm Tour: Self-drive tour of local farms
  25. Maan Farms: Berries, wine, baked goods, vegetables, market, playground, petting zoo, pumpkin patch
  26. Taves Family Farms & Apple Barn: Apples, pumpkins, market, corn maze, petting zoo, playground and more
  27. Willow View Farms: Berries, apples, fruit, pumpkins, hayrides, petting barn, playground
  28. EcoDairy: Demonstration farm & Nutrimarket
  29. Birchwood Dairy: Ice cream, farm tours & country store
  30. Devan Greenhouses: Plants, play area & petting zoo 
  31. Neufeld Farms: Chicken, market, berries, soft ice cream
  32. Campbell's Gold Honey Farm and Meadery: Bees, honey, mead, crafts
  33. Tanglebank Gardens & Brambles Bistro: Boutique gardens & bistro 
  34. Goat's Pride Dairy: Goats & Goats milk products
  35. Kensington Prairie Farm: Alpaca Farm
  36. Lepp Farm Market: Market, deli, events
  37. Tuscan Farm Gardens: Lavender Farm
  38. Fraser Valley Trout Hatchery: Learn to fish programs, parties and education 
  39. Silverbrook U Catch Rainbow Trout Farm: Fishing
  40. The Reptile Guy: Reptile rescue and education
  41. Happy Kids Club at Seven Oaks Mall: Contact customer service for children's activities
  42. Abbotsford Farm & Country Market: Local Farmer's Market
  43. High Street Mall: Shopping, restaurants, movie theater, playground, events
  44. Clayburn Village: Heritage Village, museum, store/tea room
  45. Abbotsford Sunday Flea Market: Find what you're looking for
  46. The Book Man: Used books
  47. Hemingway's Book Stores: New & used books
  48. Downtown Abbotsford: Shopping, activities
  49. Sticky's Candy: Candy Store (sorry!)
  50. Tracycakes Bakery Cafe: Cupcakes, high tea, parties 
  51. Sound of Music: Music retail & music academy
  52. The Clay Cottage: Ceramics Studio
  53. Strung Out On Beads: Beads, jewelry, classes
  54. The Reach: Art Gallery and community events
  55. Kariton Art Gallery: Art Studio
  56. Tretheway House: Museum, Abbotsford history & heritage site
  57. Gur Sikh Temple Historical Site: Sikh history in BC & religious heritage site
  58. Granny & Grumpa's Antiques: 37936 Wells Line Road, Abbotsford, BC V3G 2A1 Phone: 604-854-1033
  59. Play Abby: Indoor Playground and Laser Tag
  60. Castle Fun Park: Mini Golf (indoor & outdoor), arcade & games
  61. Abbotsford International Airport: Watch planes land & take off
  62. SRY & CP Train crossings: (Vye Road near Sumas Rd) watch trains cross and move cars to build trains 
  63. Geocaching: Real world treasure hunt
  64. Heart for Gold Excursions: Gold panning on the Fraser River 604-859-2386
  65. Glass Hive Studio: Glass studio, learn & create your own
  66. Home Depot Kids Workshops: Projects & education for kids
  67. Michaels: Parties, classes & events for kids
  68. Abbotsford Community Gardens: Plant a garden
  69. Gallery 7 Theatre & Performing Arts: Live theatre productions & drama camps 
  70. Fraser Valley Stage: Live theatre productions
  71. Abbotsford Children's Theatre: Live Theatre productions & drama camps
  72. Abbotsford Fire Rescue Service: Education and demonstrations for groups
  73. Abby Sports Hall of Fame: Memorabilia & recognition of athletes in Abbotsford
  74. Abbotsford Pilots: Junior hockey
  75. University of the Fraser Valley Cascades: Watch games, sports camps
  76. Columbia Bible College Bearcats: Watch games, sports camps
  77. Twisters Gymnastics: Drop-in gymnastics
  78. Skateboard Parks: McMillan & Mouat skateboard parks
  79. BMX Track: Racing & practice
  80. Viking Icelandic Horse Riding Tours: Horseback riding
  81. Galaxy Bowl: Bowling
  82. Project Climbing Centre: Rock climbing gym
  83. Mountain biking: Local trails & rider information/community (search Abbotsford, BC)
  84. Chadsey Lake: (medium) hike to the lake for a picnic
  85. Sumas Peak: (medium) hike to chasedy lake, then continue on to sumas peak
  86. Sumas Mountain Trail: (difficult) hiking trail
  87. Discovery Trail: (easy, paved, accessible) waslk the 30+ km paved trail spanning Abbotsford
  88. Willband Creek Park: (easy) Bird watching, wetlands, hiking
  89. Matsqui Trail Regional Park: (easy/medium) Walk along the Fraser river and through fields
  90. Trans Canada Walking Trail : Walk the abbotsford portion of the Trans Canada Trail (includes some of the trails listed above)
  91. Other Walking Trails in Abbotsford: find other walking trails in abbotsford
  92. Abbotsford Centre: (formerly Abbotsford Entertainment Centre) Event centre, various events, see calendar for children's events
  93. TradeX:  Event centre, various events, see calendar for children's events
  94. Abbotsford International Airshow: (August) Airplanes, airplanes, airplanes
  95. Berry Beat Festival (Berry Festival): (July) Celebrate the berries with music, dancing, food & fun in downtown abbotsford
  96. Agrifair & Rodeo: (August) Country fair & rodeo
  97. Jam in Jubilee: (summer) Music & art 
  98. Envision Concert Series: (summer) Coffee houses & concerts in the park
  99. Passport to Christmas: (December) Christmas shopping and events at local places
  100. Fraser Valley Tulip Festival: Tulips (April)
  101. Abbotsford Diwali Festival: Late October/early November. October 23, 2014 (this year's date) Check local papers for locations of events and times.
  102. Bradner Flower show: Daffodils (April)
  103. Bradner May Day Celebration (May - check with Bradner PAC for more info)
  104. Mt. Lehman Canada Parade (July 1st)
  105. Canada Day Festival: (July 1st) Parade & family activities
  106. Abbotsford MCC Festival for World Relief: (September) Food, auctions/shopping, children's activities, music
  107. Prospera Valley Grandfondo: Cycling race
  108. AbbyFest: Multicultural Festival
  109. Trick or Treat: (October 31) Downtown Abbotsford businesses provide a safe, fun environment for trick or treating on Halloween
  110. Abbotsford Car Show: (August) Fabulous cars  
Other Great Resources
  1. Abbotsford Parks, Recreation & Culture Program Guide: Abbotsford City program guide to activities & events sponsored by the city.
  2. Tourism Abbotsford: what's happening in Abbotsford
  3. Mrs. Abbotsford: Follow on Facebook for local events
  4. Find Family Fun: Great list of things to do in Vancouver & area 
  5. Freshair Cinema: Outdoor Movie Company - find one in your area 
  6. Kids Bowl Free: Register kids to get 2 free bowling games per day (@Galaxy Bowl and others in the area)
  7. Abby Dads: Father involvement program and activities
Updated June 3, 2014

Help me make this list current and helpful to parents and childcare workers in the area! 

If you know of an annual event, business, activity, or place in Abbotsford that is great for kids, please add it in the comments and I'll update the list occasionally. If you come across something that is no longer in operation or the information is incorrect, please let me know! I will also try to create a list for other areas nearby eventually.

Please note: This list is strictly a collection of my research for my own use that I am sharing with other parents and childcare workers in the area - there is no advertising or $ involved. 

1 comment:

  1. I just wanted to say thank you for making this list. Im coming from out of town and have been searcing the internet for things to do with my six year old. This really helped!

    ReplyDelete