Here's the real truth about March break. Kids love it. Parents fear it. And if you're a parent who neglected to make arrangements for warm weather fun, well, you fear March break more than anyone. Because there's nothing more grating than hearing the words, "I'm boooored!" lobbed at you for nine straight days with little or no chance of escape.
Not to mention the guilt as you pop in Finding Nemo for the 57th time in four days. Shouldn't you be inspiring your children to explore their world? Expand their minds? Get their muddy shoes off the coffee table before you burst a vein?
But here's the problem: Your kids know the local movie cineplex, library and museum like the back of their dinosaur-stamped hands. Or maybe you're visiting grandma in another city and need to give her a break from your particular gaggle of ankle biters. She's slipped you the car keys -- and a hundred dollars -- proclaiming, "I've forgotten what it's like to have them around."
Before you know it, you're hustling your energized clan into the SUV ready to hit the road on a quest for the perfect day trip. From fossil digging with preschoolers in Alberta to caving with tweens near Ottawa, we bring you the top kid-friendly excursions within two hours of some of Canada's major cities. Because, as most parents know, two hours is the limit before "Are we there yet?" reaches a deafening roar. And we've thrown in some overnight ideas and city diversions too -- it's a long week.
Vancouver
Hot springs: There's something about water and kids that makes for smooth sailing. A 1½-hour drive from Vancouver, on the south tip of Harrison Lake, Harrison Hot Springs can keep you busy for days.
Originally a stop on the miners' route from the Fraser River to the goldfields, today your kids will get a kick out of swimming in a warm natural mineral outdoor pool at the Harrison Hot Springs Resort and Spa (100 Esplanade, 604-796-2244, www.harrisonresort.com).
Bypass the adult pool and check out the family pool with a gradually sloped entrance for toddlers. The water temperature is about 33 C.
Cool falls: Or take a quick 15-minute drive east of Chilliwack to the Bridal Falls area and crack open a picnic lunch at Bridal Veil Falls Provincial Park (604-924-2200, www.britishcolumbia.com), a scenic day-use area.
To check out the falls, which tumble 60 metres, take a 15-minute hike on a trail suitable for even the littlest feet.
If you stay in the city: Sometimes the best vacation is one that happens even closer to home. Families with small children and their older siblings flock to Granville Island Hotel (1253 Johnston St., 1-800-663-1840, www.granvilleislandhotel.com) on kid-friendly Granville Island to stay the night and enjoy the park and playground right next door.
There's a kids-only mall a five-minute walk away that sells toys, stamps and anything else that appeals to children.
The hotel is also pet-friendly, if you can't bear the thought of leaving Fido at a kennel.
And if you need a break at the end of the week, the hotel offers babysitting and in-room massages.
Calgary
Dinosaur bones: Ask any six-year-old. Dinosaurs are hot. And for that reason, the Canadian Badlands Trail is the premier road trip for any dino-lover who can not only say, "Xiphactinus," but can probably spell it too. Start by visiting Horseshoe Canyon, Canada's mini-Grand Canyon -- a spooky pocket of Badlands in the middle of the Prairies. Continue on to Drumheller, where the Dinosaur Trail begins, and check out the world's largest fibreglass Tyrannosaurus rex. Then swoop into the Royal Tyrrell Museum of Paleontology (Highway 838, Midland Provincial Park, 1-888-440-4240, tyrrellmuseum.com), with its more than 800 fossils on display and 35 complete skeletons, one of the largest collections in the world.
Buffalo jumps: Not only will the name impress your kid's subversive sensibilities, but so will the slightly macabre story of Head-Smashed-In Buffalo Jump (Spring Point Rd., www.head-smashed-in.com, 403-553-2731), a UNESCO World Heritage Site 18 kilometres northwest of Fort Macleod. It preserves a place used by aboriginal people for more than 5,500 years. Kids will be mesmerized by how hunters chased buffalo to a precipice, then gathered the meat at the bottom. Today, there's an interpretive centre built into the sandstone cliffs. And don't forget the 10-minute film showing a re-enactment of a buffalo hunt. It's no scarier than the first scene in Finding Nemo.
If you stay in the city: The Village Square Leisure Centre (2623 56th St. NE, 403-280-9714) is hardly the local pool you grew up with. Kids ride the swells of the wave pool then zip down a six-storey waterslide. For landlubbers, there's ice skating and rock climbing too.
Winnipeg
Town time: TheLord of the Rings fans might already know that Gimli means "Home of the Gods" in Icelandic, but for the rest of us Gimli is the beautiful little town located along the west shore of Lake Winnipeg, known for its waterfront and beaches. During low season, explore the shops and then duck into one of the family restaurants. Although the kids might not be keen to think about school, the historic six-classroom Gimli Public School, built in 1915, is worth a visit.
Ice age: If the kids aren't bored with history yet, visit the New Iceland Heritage Museum (94 1st St., 204-642-4001) in Gimli, which presents the story of the arrival of the first group of Icelanders to Lake Winnipeg in 1875. The museum is open from 9 a.m. until 5 p.m. in March.
Winter beach: After days in front of the TV, your kids might not even hate you when you propose a trip to Grand Beach Provincial Park (Highway 12, Grand Beach, 1-800-214-6497, www.gov.mb.ca). Best known for its beaches and huge sand dunes off Lake Winnipeg, it also has some of the area's best cross-country ski and snowshoe trails.
If you stay in the city: It's too cold to swim outside, but summer starts early at the Aquatic Hall of Fame and Museum of Canada (25 Poseidon Bay, 204-986-5890). In 1967 and 1999 Winnipeg hosted the Pan-Am Games. The jewel of the games was the Pan-Am Pool, which also houses the museum. The complex covers more than five hectares and the museum includes items such as copies of Olympic medals of 240 AD. The hall pays tribute to competitors in swimming, diving, water polo and synchronized swimming. Free admission.
Toronto
Falls and flying saucers: Niagara Falls ( www.infoniagara.com) is kid heaven. Not only can they survey the 52-metre Canadian Falls, get soaked by its mist or kick around in puddles that often line the viewing area, there's a whole other kitschy world to explore. A world that includes non-stop fudge (Oreo cookie flavoured for the kids, Baileys Irish Cream for you), tacky wax museums, and the opportunity to be served lunch in your car at the Flying Saucer Drive-In.
If you decide to stay the night, try the Embassy Suites Hotel Niagara Falls Fallsview (6700 Fallsview Blvd., www.embassysuitesniagara.com, 1-800-420-6980). With two separate rooms, you can put the kids to bed in one, while you relax in the other. Or if you want to really let loose at the casino, Niagara Quality Childcare provides caregivers who come prepared with an activity pack filled with books, puzzles and crayons -- and pagers for panic-prone parents.
Bold art: If you've had enough kitsch, count on the McMichael Canadian Art Collection (10365 Islington Ave., 905-893-1121, www.mcmichael.com) in Kleinburg to add some culture to your small fries' lives.
Unlike other hush-hush museums that tend to frown on yelling or running through the galleries, McMichael is family-friendly with huge windows, hands-on exhibits and March break activities to keep kin inspired by the bold works of Emily Carr, the Group of Seven, Inuit and other aboriginal art.
Nature trails: Just south of Kleinburg, there's the Kortright Centre for Conservation (9550 Pine Valley Dr., www.kortright.org, 905-832-2289), with exhibits and hours of animal and bird watching on 16 kilometres of trails that wind through the scenic valley of the Humber River.
But even better, from today to April 12 maple syrup is on tap at the Sugar Bush Maple Syrup Festival. Learn traditional and modern methods of maple syrup production. Eat a stack of pancakes in the afternoon. And turn a blind eye to sugar highs, while your offspring load up on maple sugar treats to eat at home (or walking out to the car). It's natural sugar right?
If you stay in the city: Build a last-minute holiday by booking a room at the Delta Chelsea (33 Gerrard St. W., www.deltachelsea.com, 1-877-814-7706). The hotel features a family pool, children's creative centre for T-shirt decorating and crafts, and an arcade for older kids. The biggest draw? The four-storey indoor waterslide.
Or sign the kids up for Camp Chelsea, a supervised on-site camp that lets mom and dad get reacquainted with the idea of lingering over lunch sans enfants. Rooms start at $219 a night.
Ottawa
Bat caves: Pack a warm sweater and head underground at Laflèche Caves (near Val-des-Monts, Que., 819-457-4033, or visit the website at www.aventurelafleche.ca ) for a one-hour tour that's suitable for anyone with a good pair of sturdy walking shoes and a tolerance for cramped quarters.
If you like rocks, rocks and more rocks, this is the tour for you. And did we mention the bats? Don't worry -- they're asleep in other areas of the cave.
The year-round temperature in the cave ranges from 3 to 7 C. A family pass is $45.
Wild car ride: If your family hankers to see wild animals up close -- as close as a vehicle can get you without you actually leaving it -- then head east to Parc Oméga (Route 323, Montebello, Que., www.parc-omega.com, 819-423-5487).
The animals include bison, wapitis, black bears and boars, all in natural settings. Tune into the radio for bilingual commentary. Don't forget binoculars.
If you stay in the city: Want to travel someplace exotic, but forgot to book a ticket in time? Make the short drive across the river to the Canadian Children's Museum, located in the Canadian Museum of Civilization in Gatineau (100 Laurier St., www.civilization.ca, 1-819-776-8294) and check out the Pack Your Bags! A Kid's Ticket to Travel exhibit.
From March 15 to 19, the museum is hosting a spring break camp based on the exhibit that helps campers learn about different cultures through food, clothing and games.
The cost is $145 a week (per child), and $135 for a second sibling or for members of the museum. Individual day spaces are also available. Advance registration is required.
Montreal
Sugar shack: While the end is in sight for some Quebec parents (across Canada spring break starts as early as late February or as late as mid-April), maple sugar day trips never lose their appeal. For a classic, Quebec operation follow the road signs for La Sucrerie des Normand, near Orford (426 rue Georges-Bonnallie, 450-297-2659).
Its log-and-plank-sided building is a traditional sugar shack where the sap in now gathered from more than 13,000 trees. Pouring syrup onto long trays of snow and rolling up the maple taffy onto Popsicle sticks gives kids a taste of candy before it all started fizzing and popping.
Call ahead for a reservation at its casual restaurant to eat hearty Quebec cuisine including thick pea soup, baked beans, hefty breads and a wide selection of maple desserts. There's enough choice to satisfy even the picky eaters.
Racing dogs: Or if one of your children is going through a dog phase, you couldn't make them happier than by signing him or her up for a one-hour to whole-day dog sledding outing with A'Crocs d'Aventure (450-228-4121, www.toutelaventure.com). It's a quick hour drive to the Entrelacs location, but the memories will last for much longer -- and you'll provide your children with bragging rights come Monday morning.
If you stay in the city: Without leaving the bright lights of the city behind, you can treat your children to the beauty of a rural night sky at the Planetarium de Montréal (1000 rue St-Jacques, 514-872-4530, www.planetarium.montreal.qc.ca ) right in the middle of the downtown core.
Shows projected on the 20-metre dome amaze and educate astronomy buffs and their formerly bored siblings alike. Shows in English alternate with those in French.
Halifax
Dinosaur picnic: Driving north to Truro then west to Parrsboro takes you to the Fundy Geological Museum (6 Two Island Rd., 902-254-3814, www.museum.gov.ns.ca) where the family can explore the mineral treasures of Nova Scotia, exposed when the great Fundy Tides washed away the sea cliffs.
The museum also displays some of the oldest dinosaur bones in Canada. During March break it hosts special programs that include anything from a movie day to a dinosaur picnic and Irish dancing. Who knows how these are related, but it sounds fun anyway.
Be sure to call ahead for reservations.
Harbour tour: If you think your family needs more exercise, but can't imagine convincing the clan to walk around the neighbourhood, drive to Lunenburg and pick up a walking tour brochure from the tourist office (902-634-8100, www.explorelunenburg.ca) and get moving.
One of Nova Scotia's most historic villages, Lunenburg houses the Fisheries Museum of the Atlantic and local tour operators offer boat outings from gentle inner harbour forays to three-hour whale watching tours.
If you stay in the city: March break at the Discovery Centre (1593 Barrington St., 902-492-4422) means you get a big fat break as the kids run around like Evel Knievel checking out the more than 80 hands-on exhibits. They also get a little science out of the bargain.
When they're ready to drop, sit them down to watch one of the daily March break science shows with titles such as Up in the Air, Bed O'Nails, Ecstatic Electricity, Great Balls of Fire and The Big Chill. At the very least, it's a change from Nemo and the gang.