Studio Bell
This isn’t somewhere I would normally think to bring my kids, but I had heard from a few different people that it was very kid friendly so I really wanted to check it out! The whole building is amazing. It is beautiful, it has high […]
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Pfanntastic Pannenkoek Haus
I haven’t been here for years, and I don’t know what made me think of it but we came this weekend and it DID NOT DISAPPOINT! I’m literally still drooling over it…. When we arrived for lunch it wasn’t busy (thanks to the extremely cold […]
Joso’s Play and Learn Centre
This is a place I recommend to people ALL the time!! I practically lived here when my kids were both under 2. I love it because it is small enough that you can let your older one do their thing without worrying. They should be able to do everything themselves, you can’t lose them and they can’t really get hurt. Now that the kids are older, (Yael is 3 and Grae is 1.5) it is great because they can BOTH do everything themselves. The only time I have to jump in is when Grae is dangling off a ledge because he can’t find the step to get down. LOL
When my kids were both under 2 this place was great because Yael could go play by herself and I could stay at the bottom with Grae and watch her. If she ever got caught up, I could leave Grae at the bottom laying on a blanket on the floor (sometimes asleep haha) and go get her. It is small enough that I wasn’t worried about leaving him alone and I could see both kids no matter where I was.
I got a membership which was only $100/year and it was great because if we just had an hour or 2 to burn, or a small window between nap time, we could go there and it was quick, easy and not overwhelming.
Joso’s Info:
- North & South Locations. Both have a play structure, host birthday parties and have a preschool and kindergarten.
- North is only open to the public on Saturdays. But is open daily to the kids in the school programs.
- South is open daily to the public (check their website for hours)
- Has deal days (ex. $5 family Mondays, double punch card Wednesdays, etc).
- THE PERFECT SIZE for little ones and VERY 2 under 2 friendly!!
- Has a cafe with a few hot snacks, coffee and others.
- For more information visit the Joso’s website
We went on a Saturday and it was quite busy but nothing overwhelming. Kids cried and you just had to double check if it was your kid (haha), but otherwise was totally fine. There were still seats for everyone and lots of variety for the kids to play with.
During the week it is not nearly as busy, except before and after preschool / kindergarten drop off. Those kids typically go in a bit before and a bit after which makes it busier for that short period of time. Sometimes this was nice though because then the kids had ‘friends’ to play with.
Favourite Parts:
- 3 yr old girl: The ice cream
- 2.5 yr old boy: That he could do everything himself.
- 2 yr old girl: The ball pit
- Moms: Love that we can sit back and let the kids do their thing and actually have a conversation!!!!
Like I said, I loved this place when my kids were younger. It’s still great now but since they are bigger we can venture out and try new places as well. If you have a little one, or multiple little ones this is the place for you!
Without Papers
If you’re kids are anything like mine then pizza is probably their favourite food. Yael could literally eat it for every meal and she always requests ranch to dip (she is my husbands daughter!! lol). So today Grae and I went to Without Papers in […]
Krazy Monkey
I hadn’t even heard of this place until a follower asked me about it and I use to live like 5 min away from it! How is that possible!? We finally got to checking it out and it had a lot of great aspects; a […]
Basecamp Resort & Lodge, Canmore
In December we went to Banffs Christmas on the Mountain and decided to make a weekend out of it and stay the night vs. a day trip. Usually when we do this we stay in Banff but we thought we would change it up and stay in Canmore instead!
In September I ran a half marathon in Canmore and I saw the Basecamp Resorts and thought they looked cool so I decided to book there for the weekend. The prices were very reasonable for Canmore and the rooftop hot tub looked AMAZING.
When we arrived we were informed that we booked the LODGE not the RESORT. Even though they are owned by the same company and right beside each other, they are different hotels and have different rules. This meant that we wouldn’t be able to go in the hot tub since we were booked in the Lodge. This wasn’t good because what are you suppose to do with kids all night in a hotel!? We needed the hot tub!! Lol. It’s one of our favourite parts of a weekend getaway!
We asked if we could switch and luckily they did have a room available. We were a bit disappointed that the 2 hotels were separate and we honestly had NO clue about that when we booked. Yes, I saw there was a Resort and a Lodge option but I thought the only difference was the rooms, I figured you’d still be able to use the amenities of both.
The guy working at the front desk was really nice and called the manager to see if he could price match the other room because we weren’t to keen on paying an extra $70/night just to use the hot tub, haha. The manager agreed and we got our new room.
When we got there it was a nice looking room. Not too big, but big enough. If we were staying there longer then a weekend it would feel small, but I’d say most hotels would! Usually when we go away with the kids I like to separate them by a wall at bedtime, whether that’s just around a corner or our personal fav…. putting one in the bathroom (if it’s big enough- lol!). But this room wasn’t big enough to do either, so they were across from each other. I was a bit worried about this but it ended up being fine!
The hot tub was not far from our room but it was up a few flights of stairs. This was a bit of a pain with the kids in the cold. In the summer it would be totally fine. But not doable with a stroller!
The hot tub has a blocked off lounge area but it wasn’t fully enclosed so it was still cold getting undressed and dressed. The clean towel bin also wasn’t full the couple times we went so my husband would always scout it out first, then call the front desk to restock and then we’d go.
The hot tub was nice because it was outside on a rooftop so the views were stunning, but it wasn’t very big. I think it could comfortably fit max 10 adults. The fact that it wasn’t big was nice for the kids though. Yael could touch the bottom all the way around and she loved that. She had a blast!
We were a bit chilly after the hot tub and realized the heat in our room wasn’t working. We called the front desk and they told us there was a space heater to turn on. We tried this but turns out we were using the A/C because we didn’t even have a space heater in our room to use. The front desk guy came to help but had to leave and come back a few times before it was fixed. This was not a huge issue, but we did feel like we were calling him a lot (between the heat and the towels). It was funny because the same guy who checked us in also refilled the towels and also fixed our heat. It was a one man show!
Even though we did run into a few snags, the customer service was really good. There was nothing kid specific and it is a no frills hotel (which you can tell by the price) so it isn’t the most convenient hotel for kids (honestly in that area nothing beats the Banff Springs with kids!), but it wasn’t bad. I would totally go back to the Basecamp Resort for a bachelorette party or weekend getaway with just Dan, but I think if I was going with my kids I would pick somewhere else.
Other info:
- There was no restaurant attached to the hotels. The BLAKE is across the street and very good (fairly kid friendly) and downtown there is a cafe called Communitea (VERY kid friendly and amazing food- see my blog post on Communitea here).
- A continental breakfast came with our Lodge room, but we couldn’t access it with the Resort room. It was basic; fruit, yogurt, bagels, cereal…
- Each room in the Resort got their own parking spot. The lodge had a small open parking lot.
- The resort can fit up to 14-16 people in a room in a 6 bedroom suite. If you’re looking to go with a big group I think this would be a great option.
- Communal BBQ for all guests
- It is BUILT GREEN to reduce its environmental impact through less energy, less water and built with less waste. I LOVE this!
- For more info visit their website
Communitea Cafe- Canmore
I was introduced to Communitea years ago when I was pregnant with Yael and I’ve been obsessed ever since. Anytime we are driving to the mountains I always try to get my husband to stop there for food. It is SO GOOD! Communitea info: Only […]
The Beach YYC
My kids loooove playing in the sand so I was excited to check this place out! It is an indoor volleyball centre with a kids drop in on Monday & Wednesday mornings. The Beach YYC info: Kids drop in is Mon / Wed 10-11:30. $7/ […]
The Regal Cat Cafe
Who doesn’t love a place whose slogan is Cats – Cuddles – Coffee!
Since my kids are such animal lovers, when I heard about this place I knew we had to go and we’ve been SO many times since!
This time we went with 2 other families (8 kids total!!!!) and it was fun, but the cats were totally overwhelmed by all of us. They hid most of the time.
When I’ve gone just with my 2 kids, the cats want to check us out and play, which is super fun for them. So if you do go in a big group, being quiet and calm is key.
I am actually quite allergic to cats, but they keep it quite clean and I am careful not to touch the cat and then my face, so they haven’t been an issue when I come. Only one time did they really flare up. Otherwise, I’ve barely been able to tell that I have allergies when I’m there!
Regal Cat Cafe info:
- Open 10:30am- 7:30pm or 9:30pm on weekends
- $10 per person for 45min with the cats (under 1 is free)
- You can request to go in for half the time and only pay $5
- You can make a reservation- I never have but I never go at peak times
- Up to 12 different cats to play with!
- Has a cafe with gluten free and vegan goodies. We tried almost everyone between the 8 kids and it was all good!!
- You can bring your coffee and snacks in with the cats
- All cats are adoptable and they get new cats in all the time (sometimes even kittens!)
- Hosts lots of different kinds of events.
- You can also host an event here
- They have board games to play
- For more information on anything listed above, visit their website
This place is very clean and well maintained. Playing with the cats and then having a small treat makes for a nice hour and a half ish outing. It is good for all ages of kids and since it is in a small room, it is even good with 2+ kids close in age. The $10 per person is a bit pricey (I think I paid $45 total for our entry and for our snacks) but it is fun to do every once and a while for something different.
Go check it out yourself!
Treehouse
We tried Treehouse hoping that it would be Tommy K Play-ish in the way that the kids could burn energy but us parents didn’t have to work too hard. lol. It was mostly like that but to be honest, we weren’t a fan. As a […]
