The kids are out of school and you really want to spend time with them and make wonderful memories but for whatever reason, financial or otherwise, your family just can’t swing a vacation this year.
If you’re wondering how you’ll keep the kids entertained while you stay-cation instead, have no fear! Here are seven days worth of fun, active summertime activities and day trips, all located in and around the HRM, that are great for kids of all ages. And best of all, they are all FREE!
Sunday: Pack a cooler of snacks, a blanket and a few toys and take the family to the Public Gardens for a low key picnic and a free afternoon concert in the bandstand.
Monday: Beat the summer heat in one HRM’s great local outdoor pools and let the kids run around and play to their hearts content – choose from spray pools for the little kids to outdoor pools supervised by HRM staff.
Tuesday: Spend the day exploring the Dingle. Walk or bike the Sir Sanford Flemming Park trail along the Northwest Arm, race to the top of the stairs of the Dingle Tower, or explore the nearby Frog Pond Nature Trail.
Wednesday: Escape the city mid-week for a mini road trip – Peggy’s Cove is a little over a 30 minute drive from Halifax and is a great morning or afternoon family activity. Be sure to stop in for a free visit at the Peggy of the Cove museum first, then let the kids (carefully) explore the Lighthouse and the rocks, discovering the periwinkles and other neat sea creatures that wash up during high tide. (The rocks aren’t really stroller friendly, fyi.)
Thursday: Be a tourist in your own town and head to the waterfront in Halifax, Dartmouth or Bedford for a few hours. Enjoy a cold treat as you and your family walk along one of the Harbourwalks, stopping to play on one of the playgrounds and checking out the beautiful scenery along the way.
Friday: Get your fill of fresh air and burn off the kids excess energy with a Sport Smorgasbord Day at the Halifax Commons. Bring a Frisbee, soccer ball, baseball bat and gloves, bubbles, hula hoops, a skipping rope – whatever you can easy shove into a large backpack and the trunk of the car – and let the kids loose in one of Halifax’s amazing green spaces.
Saturday: No summer staycation is complete without a trip to the beach and you have your pick of the litter in Nova Scotia. Pack your cooler with lunch, snacks, sunscreen and plenty of water and head out for a day building sandcastles, beachcombing, and splashing in the waves.
Is your family staycationing this year? If so, share some of your fun plans with us!
Dalplex, Dalhousie University’s main fitness and recreation facility, has been proudly serving the community for over 30 years, offering a wide variety of fitness, wellness and recreation programs and classes for adults, children, youth and seniors. Visit their website or follow them on facebook.
