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Well, if you live in Victoria like me, you will agree that the weather has changed! The rains have started. It has been POURING! And since my poor little blog is in part about fun things to do with your kids in Victoria I have been negligent in posting- because what the heck do you do in the rain?? I suppose this will be the challenge for me over the next few months. My instinct is to curl up with a good book and read all day- but as I have children this is NOT HAPPENING! So stay tuned, I guess, for some creative ways to entertain children in crummy weather.

This past Sunday was no exception. Cabin Fever was setting in hard core, so we decided to suit up and get out. We went over to Willow’s Beach in Oak Bay. It was really only sprinkling so it wasn’t so bad…and once you are out there and engaged it’s easy to ignore the rain. Willows Beach is a pretty great all season beach. There is a play ground there, with a big and little kid area. There are swings for both age groups. There is a giant field to run around in. There is a little tea room- where you can warm up on brisk day. And of course there is that beautiful long sandy beach to roam around on.

On this day we found a stream that must have been an exit point for all the rain that the city received. It cut a thick path through the sand and into the ocean. Hudson had a ball mucking around in it, making giant sand avalanches drop into the stream by stomping sand down the small embankment, and by sending little bark pieces down in the rushing water to float out to sea. We helped some other kids gather sticks and small logs and try to build a damn. Baby Hank was even entertained by putting small stones on a log and crawling hell-pell towards the ocean.

After Willows Beach you can (and we did) walk up to Estevan Village. Here there are places to Eat and to Shop!

We went for a Hot Chocolate and Mini Cupcake at Crumsby’s Cupcake Cafe. This is a great great place to go with kids. It is Victoria’s only cafe with a good sized dedicated play area. There are ton’s of cars and trucks, a little kitchen area, a train table, books and more. The food is really good and fresh. The room is charming as charming can be. However, don’t be fools like us and go on a rainy Sunday…it was MENTAL in there!

Also in Estevan Village is Bungalow Gifts- which is for the mama’s. They have kitchen stuff, gift stuff, greeting cards, paper, and all sorts of home stuff that is fun to look at (and buy). Next door to that is Buddies Toys, which is one fab toy store. One of those stores where their merchandise is well curated. You won’t find a bunch of crap here! There are a few other shops and restaurants here as well…so it is a fun block to poke around!

Here is a map of the area and some pictures of our Lovely Day!

Willow’s Beach

Playground at Willow’s Beach

The Stream

Drizzly Day

Found Treasures

Cute Baby

Walking Along

Little Hands

Mucking Around

Dirty Baby

The Damn

Good Shopping lives Here!

And Here!

I love Crumsby’s

Yum

And Yum

Crazy Sunday Play Area!

Hudson took this one

Husband

Playing!

Ogden Breakwater

Driftwood Beach

Ogden Point Breakwater

Hello Bird

Foggy City View

Into the Deep

Number Three

Fisherman

Lighthouse in the Fog

Tugs in the Fog

Fishing Gear at Ogden Point

Hello Foot

Hello Dog

Ogden Point Cafe

The Ogden Point Breakwater just outside of downtown Victoria is a lovely way to spend an hour or two. It is a low commitment trip (depending on where you are coming from). We live just a few minutes by car from here, so we can just go for an hour and then come home- and it’s not big deal.

The breakwater does not fulfill my eat, shop, play criteria (it lacks the shop element)- but it is forgiven because there is nothing about this excursion that is a hassle. Here is what it has going for it:

• Free and Easy Parking
• A sand beach that is adrift with drift wood and pebbles
• A stroller friendly walk that ends up at a light house (it’s around 20 minutes round trip- more if you take the low level or have a slow walker)
• For those more adventurous (and without a stroller) a walk along the wild side
• A cafe to warm up with a hot chocolate and a treat
• The chance to see- tug boats, cruise ships, sea life, murals, a light house, big waves, fog, fishing boats, a helicopter, people fishing from the lower level

We went on a foggy morning which made everything seem so calm and still. It was really beautiful, and a bit erie. There are two area’s to walk on. The top and main level is smoothly paved and has railings along either side. This is perfect for a stroller and for responsible toddler walkers. The lower level however is compiled of giant stones slabs. There are gaps between each slab- most small, but some are huge! You can hear the ocean slapping, gurgling, and crashing between the gaps down below. From this level you can also spy starfish, barnacles and clusters of mussels clinging to the walls in between the gaps. When a bigger boat goes by the wake can send a gyser of freezing salt water into the air.  It is fun to hop from one slab to the next (but can be slippery- so look out!).  There are always guys fishing from these levels- one time we saw someone catch and club a fish right in front of us. It was a bit gruesome, but neat to see. On this day we ran into some fisherman who had seen a pod of whales swim by them the day before! Of course my eyes were riveted to the ocean hoping to see them again. But they did not show up.

On the end of the Breakwater is a lighthouse , which makes a fine destination. On the way back we walked back along the top- where you can see the tugs and pilot boats in the protected harbor.  Sometimes there are seals poking around in this calm area as well.

Right at the entrance of the breakwater is Ogden Point Cafe, which is a good place to get a little snack and warm up when the weather is cold.

After this you can spend some time beachcombing on the little sandy beach.  There are always interesting finds down here.

All in all a lovely couple hours!

Here is what makes a lovely day in my eyes. Well, lets clarify, a lovely day with kids. First, there has to be a good destination for them. Second, there has to be a good destination for me. Be it a shop or two, or maybe just a good latte and probably a treat. And total bonus if there is some good eats and we can wrap it all up into a nice picnick package!

Here is one of my favorite playgrounds in Victoria BC- plus it’s fantastic surrounding area ‘amenities’.

I’ll separate it into Eat, Play, Shop so you can see what is so fantastic about this little trip to Vic West.

Eat: Let’s start with Eat, because who doesn’t like eating?? We went on a Sunday and got to experience Fry’s Bakery Pizza. This stuff is so good! It’s italian style of pizza- thin crust, few toppings (but fresh and quality). They use local ingrediants and it’s all cooked up in a wood burning oven.  There were around 4 choices, plus a kids cheese pizza.  There are a couple of sweet check clothed tables outside…but we took ours to the park. They are open from noon until they sell out of Pizza- so go early and maybe have a back-up plan.

If you go on a non-Sunday they sell THE BEST crossiant in Victoria. This is no lie. They also have a few other pastery type things as well as bread. And, rumor has it they make sandwiches now.

They are closed Monday & Tuesday.

Right beside Fry’s is The Spiral Cafe. They make a good coffee, and are very kid friendly. There are some toys, a couple of high chairs, and what have you. They sell Mount Royal Bagels and lot’s of other treats.

Play: So, take your pizza/sandwich/coffee/muffin across the street to Banfield Park. This is a great park with two structures (one for littler and one for bigger kids). It’s all fairly new and sturdy. There is a swing set with baby and big kid swings. It is in a big field so there is lot’s of room for your kids to RUN around. There is a walkway at the bottom of the park that takes you along side The Gorge. If you take a right on the trail (towards town) you will get to a cool old trestle that you can walk across. It’s a around 10 minute walk to the trestle and then another 10 or so to go across…you are looking at 30 to 40 minutes round trip…so know your crowd. You can definitely take a good quality stroller or bike on this path- which will cut down on walk time.

Shop: A few shops down from the Spiral is a kids consigmnent store. Sailor Jacks. They have a  selection of clothes, toys and baby gear.

If you walk up one more block there is Impressa Antiques- which has an ever changing selection of shabby chic type furniture.

All in all Banfield Park and the surrounding area score pretty high on our ‘Lovely Day’ meter. Food, Fun, and Shopping- what a great way to spend the day with Kids in Victoria!!

Hudson and The Ballon Mural