Things to do in Parksville B.C. During the Summer

We recently just visited Parksville B.C., and it has now become one of my favorite places to visit.  I love exploring B.C, because of it’s gorgeous landscape. We live in the most picturesque and beautiful province in Canada, and I feel like we don’t take enough advantage of what we have in our own backyard.

Because of the travel restrictions due to Covid-19, our international travel plans for this year were canceled. I wasn’t too sad about it because I knew this would allow me the opportunity to travel within B.C.

We decided to do a weekend trip to Parksville B.C. It’s about an hour ferry ride from the Tsawwassen Ferry Terminal. We reached the hub which is Nanaimo and from there we drove an hour to our absolutely stunning Bed & Breakfast.

WHERE TO STAY?

We stayed at this beautiful Bed & Breakfast in Qualicum Beach called Driftwood Island Retreat.  It is situated on a gorgeous property overlooking Qualicum Beach. The owners did such an amazing job with the landscape, and they also have a chicken coop where they fetch fresh eggs every morning for breakfast.

We absolutely loved staying here and would recommend it to anyone we know. We want to come back with the rest of our family that’s how much we fell in love with the place.

The owners made fresh rhubarb muffins one morning, and there’s plenty of coffee for everyone. We loved making our morning coffee and sitting outside of our room overlooking the ocean. It was such a nice and peaceful time away from home. The owners were very sweet and personable and made sure that Milan had everything he needed as well. They even offered us a pack and play for Milan to sleep in!

Another great place to stay at is the Tigh-Na-Mara Seaside Spa Resort. I’ve heard many great things about this resort & spa from various people, they all said it was amazing.

The Grotto Spa was voted the #1 spa in Canada. They also have 2 award-winning restaurants, one of which we tried called Cedars Restaurant and Lounge, which I will talk about later on.

The Tigh-Na-Mara spa has gorgeous ocean view rooms and is family-friendly. We definitely want to come back next year and stay here.

WHERE TO EAT

Gabriels Cafe (Nanaimo)

The ferry docks in Nanaimo and we had taken the 5:15 am ferry (yes, i know we’re crazy). We decided to have breakfast in Nanaimo at a cute little restaurant called Gabriels Cafe.

The food was great. The coffee was not so great, but there is a coffee shop right across the street if you’re craving your morning coffee.

I ordered the Green Eggs Ham Yam I Am.  Scrambled eggs, cilantro, mint pesto, and ham served on yam lentil cakes with kale butter, salsa, harissa sour cream, and served with toast.  It was super yummy and Milan really enjoyed the lentil cakes!

You have an option to sit outside as well, so that was really nice.

Cedars Restaurant & Lounge (Parksville)

This restaurant is located in the Tigh-Na-Mara Resort & Spa.  We ordered their 2-for-1 pizza special and decided to do takeout and eat it at the beach. This pizza was FANTASTIC. It’s more of a Neopolitan style, we ordered the pepperoni and the meat lovers. Cedars Restaurant had very tasty pizza and was more on the lighter side which was nice.

Final Approach Restaurant (Qualicum Beach)

We went here for Sunday brunch and we loved it! They have a kids menu which is nice, I find that a lot of restaurants don’t provide a kids menu.  I ordered the smoked salmon benny. It had the perfect taste of salmon, not too strong.  Their breakfast potatoes were very flavorful, hot, and crispy.  They also had very nice cocktails as well.

Final Approach Restaurant is situated in the Qualicum Beach Airport Terminal. It’s a very small airport, and it was fun to watch the small planes land from the patio while we were eating brunch. Milan loved watching the planes land and would clap his hands every time they would take off. We had an amazing time here, and the staff were super sweet and accommodating.

Tidal Taco Shop (Qualicum Beach)

Sadly we didn’t get to try these tacos out. We wanted to pick them up and head to the beach, but the wait was around 45 minutes and we decided to just grab something else instead. The taco restaurant is a small little hut close to the beach, and they make their tacos fresh, hence the 45 min wait.

I was HANGRY so I didn’t want to wait that long but now looking back I kind of wish I waited. They have amazing reviews and I’ve heard such good things about it. It’s the perfect place to grab takeout to the beach. We’ll definitely check it out the next time we go.

Cuckoo Trattoria and Pizzeria (Coombs)

Cuckoo Trattoria and Pizzeria another restaurant that we wanted to try but didn’t have the time. This place was recommended to me by a friend, she said it was one of the best pizza she’s ever had.

Cuckoo Trattoria was opened in 2011 and is located in an Italian-inspired stucco building behind the Goats on the Roof (which I will talk about later on in this post).  The ambiance inside looks great, and I will have to make a visit the next time I’m there.

Chameleons (Parksville)

Chameleons is another restaurant in Parksville that I heard great things about. If you’re looking for fine dining, this one is probably your best bet.  The menu features traditional Canadian comfort food & bistro fare in a hotel restaurant.

THINGS TO DO

Relax at your hotel or bed & breakfast

I feel like the whole reason to go to Parksville/Qualicum beach is to relax. I didn’t want to plan this trip out to a T, because I wanted to take it all in and just go with the flow. In my opinion, when you plan every single minute of a vacation, it starts to not feel like a vacation.

We loved just lounging around and relaxing at our Bed & Breakfast. We would wake up around 8 am and make ourselves a nice cup of coffee and just sit on the patio overlooking the ocean and enjoy. The birds chirping along with the sound of the waves was so relaxing to me. That was probably my favorite time of the day.

As mentioned earlier, we bought our own groceries and decided to BBQ and spend our evening at our gorgeous Bed & Breakfast. It was nice because we were at home and once Milan went to sleep, we were still able to have fun while he slept in the room close by.

 

Englishman River Falls (Parksville)

This was a gorgeous place to visit. They have waterfalls and a loop path to walk around and view the upper and lower falls. We had Milan in his stroller so it got a little difficult trying to maneuver it up and down the paths, so we kind of gave up halfway down the trail. For next time, we’ll leave the stroller in the car!

But it looks beautiful and if you can make your way to the lower falls, you’ll get some amazing pictures!

 

Paradise Fun Park (Parksville)

This is a family-friendly favorite in Parksville.  We didn’t go here this time, but we will pay them a visit the next time we’re in town. Paradise Fun Park is a family attraction with 2 elaborately themed miniature golf courses and a restaurant.

They have golfing, bumper boats in the water, and yummy restaurants so make sure you take out a few hours of your day to visit. Paradise Fun Park is family-friendly, and they’re open daily from 9:30 am to 9:30 pm.

Spend the day at the beach

If you stay a weekend in Parksville, this is a must. Milan had a blast and so did we. The first beach we went to was Rathrover Beach Provincial Park.  This was such a stunning beach, with warm water, sand, and there were quite a few people there enjoying the sunshine.

We did have some issues with the high tide, but we just ended up moving our chairs and beach toys further away. We ended up bringing pizza from Cedars Restaurant & Lounge and enjoyed a nice late lunch at the beach.

There’s plenty of parking which is fairly close to the beach.  I hate having to walk so far with a whole bunch of beach items and get exhausted in the process. So the parking situation is pretty awesome.

Another beach that is absolutely gorgeous is obviously Qualicum Beach. It stretches miles and miles, so you can always find the perfect spot to sit and watch the waves. Our Bed & Breakfast had a trail leading to Qualicum Beach so that was super nice.

It seemed more secluded than Rahtrover Beach, but sometimes you want a little privacy, so that was a nice change. And the sunsets. OMG, the sunsets are literally something else.  I live for sunsets, and Parksville had some of the most beautiful sunsets I have ever seen.

One evening we picked up takeout and sat at a bench and watched the sunset while we ate dinner. I could have stayed here for hours and hours, it was absolutely beautiful.

 

Head to Coombs and visit Goats on a Roof

This is a must! This place was amazing, and yes there really are goats on a roof.  I tried to get a good picture, but they weren’t having it that day I guess.

It’s situated on top of the Old Country Market, which is a charming shop for groceries and gifts.  There are a lot of local goods here. We purchased really nice wooden toys for Milan and also purchased a few items for our BBQ dinner.  Prepare to spend about an hour in here, there is so much to see!

Keep in mind that a lot of restaurants close by 7 to 8 PM daily. We loved our Bed & Breakfast so much that we decided to buy some groceries and make our own food as well.  No restaurant could beat the view that we had at our beautiful BNB.  Also, nothing like a nice home-cooked BBQ meal.

Parksville to Coomb is about a 10-15 minute drive depending on where you’re staying. There is a lot to do in Coombs as well.

Little Qualicum Cheeseworks on Morning Star Farm

This little farm in Parksville is amazing!  Morningstar Farm is a local food hub featuring self-guided tours, petting farms, trails, and Canada’s first “milk on tap” dispenser dispensing fresh cows milk.

We saw horses, bunnies, cows, and goats. Milan really loved the horses and was so mesmerized by them! I love that this farm is self-guided so we were allowed to roam around the farm as we pleased.

They also offer guided tours upon request, where they show you how they make cheese. They also include a wine and cheese pairing, but due to Covid-19, they weren’t offering that when we went.

Mount Arrowsmith Brewing Company (Parksville)

It was such a hot day and we decided to hit up a brewery. I’m not really a fan of beer, but the beer here was amazing!  Parksville has a few breweries, but this one is one of the more popular ones.  They had so many different flavors from German-style Weissbier to West Coast IPA, their list was pretty impressive. We ordered a couple of flights and enjoyed our crisp beer on this hot summer day.

Chateau Wolff Estate Winery and Vineyard (Nanaimo)

We didn’t get the chance to go here because they were closed from Monday to Wednesday. Chateau Wolff Estate is a family-run, boutique wine producer in Nanaimo.

Due to Covid-19, they will only offer outdoor tastings.

Their winery produces Pinot Noir, Syrah, Chardonnay, a White Blend, and a fortified red called Rogue.  I love that their approach to wine is focused on growing high-quality grapes, so you know the wine is going to be magnificent. We will be paying this beautiful winery a visit the next time we go to the island.

Grotto Spa at Tigh-Na-Mara

If you’re looking for the perfect time to relax, head to the Grotto Spa. Treatments include body wraps, body glows, massages, manicures, and pedicures, and what I love is that they focus on West Coast natural ingredients.

The Grotto Spa was named #1 spa in Canada by Spas America and has been known to maintain the highest hygiene and customer service standards in the industry.

At the spa, you can access the Grotto Mineral Pool which has a beautiful waterfall. This pool was designed to emulate a natural stone grotto and the warm pools are infused with natural minerals and trace elements that detoxify the body. If you’re looking to relax, then make sure you check out the Grotto Spa!

Travel Tips for Toddlers

• I recommend purchasing a wagon such as this Radio Flyer 3-in-1 Folding Wagon. These are so useful especially when you’re lugging so many things to the beach. I saw a few parents with these wagons at the beach and thought that was a great idea.
• Bring a Pack-and-Play if you don’t want your babe sleeping in the bed with you.
• We purchased this Summer Infant lounge chair, and it was so useful not only at the beach but at our bed & breakfast as well. It’s a good alternative to his highchair, it’s lightweight and so convenient.
• Bring suntan lotion. Our favorite is Babyganics Baby Sunscreen Spray. 
• Bring an Ipad, especially during long car rides. We don’t really let Milan go on the iPad or the phone but it’s a good idea for trips like this to keep them occupied.
• Bring hats for the kids. The weather was beautiful but so hot. We made sure to bring a few hats to protect Milan from the sun
• Purchase a Lobster Chair. It’s a chair that screws onto tables and acts as a highchair but way less bulky.  We bought this when Milan was around 6 months old and we absolutely love it. We love taking this to restaurants and would rather use these than the highchairs that are provided.
• Bring more change of clothing than you would normally.  Make sure to pack more pajamas and a few sweaters for the cool evenings. We let Milan crawl around a lot on the Bed & Breakfast property, so I was glad that we brought a few more pairs of clothing than usual.
• Bring a water bottle for babe.  It was really hot when we went and we made sure to keep Milan as hydrated as possible.
• Purchase a tripod to take beautiful family photos. We purchased this one a few days before we left, and OMG is it ever a game-changer. We were able to get so many beautiful family photos of the three of us, without having to ask someone to take pictures. Definitely worth the $25.

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I’m so happy and grateful to be living in such a beautiful province. Parksville is a beauty and I will be bringing my family there more often. We had such an amazing time in Parksville/Qualicum Beach. There are so many things to do, but most importantly it was just the relaxing trip that we needed.

I’m happy that we finally made the time to explore BC for all it has to offer. It’s such a gorgeous province, and I’m excited to explore BC more this summer!

I hope these tips helped! If you have any questions please comment below.

What are some other fun and interesting things to do on the Island? Comment Below