Would you choose Vancouver or Acadia?

[Anonymous]

Would depend on where I live. Dc to Bgr is an easy cheap flight.

[Anonymous]

Does your family prefer "bought entertainment" (things you have to buy tickets for) or exploring nature? Playing in tidepools? Being tired at night from hours in the sun and near the sea? Playing games in your cabin when it rains or after dinner? That is the kind of summer memories I created for my kids. They can check out cool cities when they are teens and adults.

[Anonymous]

Show them some cool images from the top of Cadillac mountain, they will want to go there.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Been to both - Acadia, hands down. In Vancouver, you have to really work at finding the fun. I enjoyed my trip to Vancouver as an adult, newly married. It's like any other big city, really.

But, with kids, Acadia is the place to go. Ice cream stores, hiking, natural beauty everywhere, lobster, the national park.

Really? We were there last summer and I didn't feel that we were "working" to find fun?

explored Stanley Park our first day (went to the aquarium, took a carriage ride, saw the totem poles, rented bikes and rode along the sea wall, walked along the beach at low tide looking at tidal pools)
did the Capilano Suspension Bridge and Cliff walk
rode the aquabus to Granville Island
checked out the the Chinese Garden
rode the gondola up to Grouse Mountain and did the aerial obstacle course
drove up the Sea to Sky highway, stopped at Shannon Falls and Brandywine Falls, and did the Sea to Sky gondola
Went whale watching
took a seaplane to Victoria, walked around the harbor area, had a nice lunch at the Empress hotel

NP here. We did many similar things a few years back (plus saw the Women's World Cup). There is so much to do in Vancouver. If your girls don't love to hike, then I vote Vancouver. You can still do lots of active things (and lots of walking too) but balance it out with other activities.

OP here. Do you have any other activities to add to this list?

Not the PP, but that's a solid list, and a few other nice things in Vancouver:

VanDusen Botantical Gardens (if you are into plants/flowers/gardens it's amazing)
Kitsilano Beach/English Bay Beach
The food! Such good food, especially various East Asian and Indian

Hence, the nickname, Van Kong.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Does your family prefer "bought entertainment" (things you have to buy tickets for) or exploring nature? Playing in tidepools? Being tired at night from hours in the sun and near the sea? Playing games in your cabin when it rains or after dinner? That is the kind of summer memories I created for my kids. They can check out cool cities when they are teens and adults.

Unfortunately, my kid prefers cool cities to any of that.

[Anonymous]

This is one example, I think, of a taste that we can influence powerfully by what we expose them to and what we model (in terms of enjoyment and relaxation)

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Does your family prefer "bought entertainment" (things you have to buy tickets for) or exploring nature? Playing in tidepools? Being tired at night from hours in the sun and near the sea? Playing games in your cabin when it rains or after dinner? That is the kind of summer memories I created for my kids. They can check out cool cities when they are teens and adults.

I see your point but Acadia by your definition would be "bought entertainment " since there is an entrance fee. And there is quite a lot that can be done in urban vacations that would not be "bought entertainment ".

[Anonymous]

You are paying a very under resourced Federal agency to ensure that nature is preserved versus a for profit company that markets artificial experiences (like Disney).

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:You are paying a very under resourced Federal agency to ensure that nature is preserved versus a for profit company that markets artificial experiences (like Disney).

What company are you referring to?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:You are paying a very under resourced Federal agency to ensure that nature is preserved versus a for profit company that markets artificial experiences (like Disney).

I don’t think Vancouver is the same as Disney...and cities can be experiential for kids also.

[Anonymous]

The question should be “Chicago or Vancouver” or “Yellowstone or Acadia”. I could make a fun vacation in either Vancouver or Bar Harbour. You will have fun no matter what you choose.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Does your family prefer "bought entertainment" (things you have to buy tickets for) or exploring nature? Playing in tidepools? Being tired at night from hours in the sun and near the sea? Playing games in your cabin when it rains or after dinner? That is the kind of summer memories I created for my kids. They can check out cool cities when they are teens and adults.

What a snotty answer. How about “does your family love the arts and a cosmopolitan culture? Do the enjoy being exposed to cuisines from around the world and lucious botanical gardens? Or would they rather eat crustaceans dipped in butter with a bib around their neck and wait for low tide to see hermit crab you can find at your neighborhood pet store? My special snowflakes prefer the former, but yours might enjoy the latter when they grow into fat Americans.”

[Anonymous]

Vancouverite here - I cant imagine anyone choosing scars I over Vancouver or saying there’s nothing to do. Are you mad? This is an amazing Cory for kids!! Totally walkable and July is the best time of year to visit. Sunset beach, Capilano suspension bridge and tree top park, the sea wall, Stanley park, day trips to whistler and Victoria, grouse mountain, Granville island, science world etc. This is a world class city and if you love the outdoors this is paradise.

[Anonymous]

*acadia not scars!!

[Anonymous]

Vancouverite again, adding it the list:

- UBC rose gardens
- kitsilano
- false creek and Olympic village
- side trip to Victoria (it’s so beautiful it even makes Vancouver look like a dump and that’s hard!!)
- white rock
- Shannon falls
- lynn canyon
- kayak or paddle boat on the water in false creek
- bike around the sea wall
- English bay and coal harbour

There is so much to do on beautiful vacnocuver I can’t believe anyone would say there’s nothing to do. That’s mind blowing. I didn’t even have a drivers licence until I turned 30, because Vancouver is totally walkable and the public transit is excellent. Amazing food.