Whether you get active at your local rec centre, get creative with LEGO, or get busy at the museum – or all of the above – there’s plenty to see and do this Family Day.
In Victoria, visit the Vic West Community Centre for the free Family Fun Day from 10 a.m. to noon Monday, when free activities include crafts, board games and the kindergym. From 1 to 4 p.m, make a splash at the Family Fun Swim at the Crystal Pool & Fitness Centre.
Esquimalt Recreation Centre has a free, activity-filled Family Day planned. From 10:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. get busy with a large bouncy castle, face painting and children’s art station. In the pool enjoy the inflatable aquatic crocodile and the water runway. Esquimalt Lions will host a barbecue by donation after 11 a.m. in support of the Splash Park at Memorial Park.
Saanich’s Pearkes Recreation Centre celebrates with skating and kindergym from 2 to 4 p.m. Admission is by donation, with proceeds to Saanich KidsFUND.
A Family Day Skate is also on the calendar at Oak Bay Recreation Centre from 1:30 to 3 p.m., when the rink hosts family-friendly music and games, a pre-school area and an off-ice colouring and craft station. From the rink head to the pool for an Everyone Welcome swim from 3 to 5 p.m., that includes games for all ages.
West Shore families will find plenty to do in both the arena and pool at the Juan de Fuca Recreation Centre. Things get under way on-ice with a Toonie Skate from 10 to 11:30 a.m., followed by a Parent & Child, Sticks & Pucks skate from 12:15 to 1:45 p.m. and an Everyone Welcome skate from 2 to 3:20 p.m. Make a splash in the pool with a Leisure & Lengths swim from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m., followed by Public Swim from 1 to 4:30 p.m.
Offering free admission Feb. 10, the Royal BC Museum invites families to enjoy self-guided activities all day, with special nature-themed activities planned from 1 to 3 p.m. Make a bookmark, sketch in the Natural History gallery, dress-up and have your family portrait taken with a mounted Golden Eagle, and much more.
At the nearby Robert Bateman Centre, kids under 18 can visit for free this Family Day, when an exciting scavenger hunt will have families searching the gallery for nature trivia and visual clues.
Maritime Museum of BC visitors can create a sailor’s Valentine for their special someone, Feb. 8 to 14.
Family Day at Victoria Film Festival features a line-up of family-friendly films showing at the Vic Theatre. Relive memories of sneaking downstairs for Saturday morning cartoons with Jammies and Toons at 10 a.m., featuring nostalgic National Film Board and retro cartoons like The Cat Came Back, favourite Looney Tunes screenings and more. Linsanity arrives at 2 p.m. Learn how at the lowest point of his career, talented point guard Jeremy Lin found the courage in himself and the game to turn it around and live the life he was born to lead.
Bear Mountain Resort invites families to explore nature via golf cart with a self-guided winter eco-tour of the Valley Course, nestled in 102 acres of mature forests. Learn about the rich natural habitat, the creatures who live there and the course’s restoration efforts. The resort offers a special Family Day Weekend rate of $20, Feb. 8 to 10 for a golf cart for two and blanket, with partial proceeds to the Goldstream Volunteer Salmonid Enhancement Association. Book at 250-744-2327.
On the Saanich Peninsula, the annual Sidney Family Day LEGO weekend has grown to three full days, Feb. 8 to Feb. 10. Discover displays, a town-wide LEGO treasure hunt, the Sidney Museum’s exciting LEGO exhibit, the new LEGO movie and more.