7 Ways to Enjoy a Spring Weekend In Whistler With Kids

From treetop teetering to a game of slide and seek, Whistler offers the perfect backdrop for outdoor adventure with kids during the warmer spring months

There’s a sweet spot between the end of the ski season and the start of the summer surge in July where the pace slows, the crowds die down and the accommodations offer more affordable rates. This is the ideal time for family adventure in Whistler. The spring months offer sun-drenched outdoor excursions, crowdless cafes and swiftly-seated patio dining—the perfect time to visit Whistler with kids in tow. Here’s how to enjoy all that Whistler has to offer as the snow melts and the lush greenery makes its debut.

1. Stay in a spacious room at Crystal Lodge

As you enter the lobby of Crystal Lodge & Suites, you feel an immediate sense of comfort. The entrance is cozy, featuring plush, fireside seating areas, vaulted ceilings with wooden beams, and natural light flooding in through floor-to-ceiling windows.

A welcoming host beckons you to the desk and walks you through the accessible amenities of the hotel. You grin as they mention the adjoining Starbucks, Lululemon, and four restaurants, as well as the hotel’s central location—only steps from the Village Stroll, all confirming your confidence in choosing the Crystal Lodge as your weekend home.The mention of a heated outdoor pool piques the interest of your kids, who start tugging on your arm, excitedly eager to take a dip. As they drag you to your room, your excitement rises.

The Crystal Queen Room is the ideal choice for families of four or more. When you enter the room, you’ll immediately feel at home. The spacious accommodation is more than double the average hotel room size—large enough for your enthusiastic kids to do cartwheels across the floor. The room includes two queen-sized beds and a queen sofa pullout, with a deep soaker tub for evening baths, and a movable flat screen TV for family movie nights after a busy day out and about.  

2. Enjoy a sweet treat on the patio of the Beacon Pub & Eatery

Whistler’s popular patios aren’t just for partying youth; many offer family-friendly fare that both parents and their kids can enjoy. The Beacon Pub & Eatery is a foodie favourite, offering both simple dishes for picky eaters (the macaroni and cheese looked divine), to more sophisticated takes on pub favourites, such as the drool-worthy Beacon Burger, made of charred Wagyu beef, and stuffed with aged white cheddar cheese, pickled jalapenos, Steamworks Pale Ale braised onions, arugula, mustard aioli, all sandwiched between a glazed pretzel bun.

If you still have space, satisfy your sweet tooth with the Beacon Sundae, which includes two warm chocolate brownies, scoops of salted caramel gelato, Chantilly cream, spicebox whiskey chocolate sauce, candied pecans ‘n’ pretzels, and topped with a cherry. Be sure to share as this confection is colossal.

3. Teeter above the trees with a TreeTrek Tour

For outdoor adventures, Ziptrek Ecotours is your year-round, one-stop shop. If you’re travelling with younger kids, you’ll want to start with the TreeTrek Tour, a 90-minute to two-hour excursion where you toddle along a series of nine tree-to-tree suspension bridges and soak up breathtaking views of the forest and river below from platforms perched above the woodland. Learn about the old-growth forest that surrounds you while watching zealous zipliners zoom by. You may even decide to join them—if you think you can brave the heights and fast speeds!

Note: Children five and under can trek for free; however, this walk is best suited for kids who can walk steadily on their own for longer periods of time. Strollers are not allowed.

4. Satisfy your sweet tooth at Purebread

Stop in at Purebread for a caffeinated pick-me-up and a must-try sweet treat. This popular Whistler-based family bakery offers freshly prepared goodies—from savory selections such as spinach feta brioches, turnovers, and mushroom Gruyère tarts, to sweeter confections such as their salted caramel bars, flourless orange cakes and slices of their chocolate buttercream cake. You’ll want to stop in more than once during your Whistler visit as the endless selection of goodies can be a bit overwhelming!

5. Play a game of slide-and-seek at the tree house playground

Located in the heart of Whistler’s Olympic Plaza, and just steps from several coffee shop patios, Whistler’s Inclusive Playground is the perfect spot to let your little ones run free while you wind down after a day of outdoor adventure. Featuring two custom-built multi-level tree-house structures, this playground is perfect for little tree-climbers and fort frolickers. Your kids can scooch down the rolling slide or play a game of hide-and-seek amongst the tangled tree branches while you watch on—coffee in hand and sun on your face.

6. Dine at the Wild Wood Restaurant

Whether you’re looking for a belly-filling brunch Benedict or a grilled-to-perfection sirloin, the Wild Wood Pacific Bistro (located in the lobby of the Crystal Lodge) is the perfect family-friendly dining spot. Featuring spacious booths, friendly service, and carefully prepared cuisine, this spot provides the perfect alternative to your usual family dining destinations. Kids can choose from a range of tasty selections on the kids menu, and channel their inner artists with the crayons and colouring sheets provided, while their parents can sip on Syrah or Americanos and soak it all in.

7. Zoom down the hills at the Coca Cola Tube Park

Snow tubing is an exciting alternative to downhill skiing, providing a fun and exhilarating adventure for kids of all ages to enjoy. Whistler Blackcomb’s Coca-Cola Tube Park is surprisingly thrilling, with seven tube lanes of varying inclines, and a tube lift for easy access to the top of the slopes.

Note: Only open from December to April. Be sure to check the height restrictions. Children must be at least three years of age, and may be restricted to the kids-only lane located halfway up the slope.