Oh my goodness… What a whirlwind weekend! While there was a time in my life when i headed to the island every other weekend, with two little ones it tow, having what’s essentially a day and a half away feels too short. That being said, we had a fabulous time in Victoria this past weekend and managed to sneak all kinds of fun into our mini getaway.
The best part? Undoubtedly seeing Grandma Sue! While my family moved to BC while I was still in elementary school, over the years everyone – my dad, my brother, and my mom – eventually made their way back to Alberta, leaving me here alone in BC {though truthfully, I spent most of those years in the Middle East}. Either way, it’s so nice to have my mom back and just a ferry ride away! {I see many island trips in our future.}
After a lovely week on the island, today we headed back home to the mainland which meant another ferry boat ride and an excited Miss G (the person who decided to put a playground in at the terminal line-up and kids’ play areas on the boats deserves a hug.) Now to round out our spring break with a visit from Grandma Charlotte and a trip up to the Okanagan. ☺
The park boasts several different play structures, a rope climbing apparatus, a couple of different swing sets, a giant slide, and an open-mouthed dinosaur-esque creature which is perfect for climbing on.
But the one thing all of the kiddos were after? This green chair swing. Grae seriously stood next to it for over 15 minutes patiently waiting for her first turn. Luckily when we came back later, the park was less busy and Miss G got several turns in.
The other amazing thing about this playground is it’s huge zip line. Grae was all for testing it out at first, became a little anxious when she got to the front of the line, and then loved it once she gave it a shot. She enjoyed the ride several times, and Papa may have snuck in a turn too. ☺
Of course there are features to please the love-to-spin crowd too (barf – how do kids do it?) Plus there are bathrooms nearby, park benches to relax on, picnic tables to eat at, a water fountain, and an adult fitness circuit too. 
Last night we finally went out to ReBar. Been waiting for a long time to go there, but since we are underage our ID cards would not let us buy drinks. After conducting much research online we found a very helpful website for where to buy a 
The restaurant, which prides itself on carefully and conscientiously preparing food that is local and nutritious, had an awesome {mostly veggie} menu and a fun kids menu to boot. After going through the options, Miss G confidently selected the ‘Curious George’, a peanut butter and banana sandwich with a honey drizzle on delicious bread with an almond milk to drink.
During the wait for her meal, she was given paper and crayons to use, but they weren’t needed for long as her food arrived before we’d even put in our orders. Though our food wasn’t quite as timely (there was a large group ahead of us), it was absolutely delicious when it arrived (even Brad loved his vegetarian meal!) and the servers were all very friendly.
Yummy food, local ingredients, and lovely servers in a munchkin-friendly joint? Now that’s my kind of place.
The slides, climbing structures, and bouncing bridge are all favourites, as is the red car/truck/fire engine and the usual swings. 
But what really makes this park a hit for Miss G is its two big, blue “microphones”. Our little lady’s become quite the singer recently and can most often be found belting out Adele, Alicia Keys, Fun, and Taylor Swift songs into a makeshift microphone of some sort. Make it GIANT and echoey, and it’s even better.
The other lovely thing about this playground is because it’s located within Beacon Hill Park, there’s tons of cool stuff around it too… flowers to smell, ducks to watch, and trees to climb all included. ☺
The only difference is the photos with the killer whales… Those certainly weren’t around during my first Victoria trip. Gracen adored them and wanted to visit and touch each one we saw. Perhaps I have a new photo project on my hands? ☺
