It has been two (2) years since the Amtrak from Seattle to Vancouver has been closed. The covid pandemic did us in, preventing us from exploring a part of the world that is just so close to Washington and right over the invisible border between our two countries.

There is a bus that takes you from Seattle to Vancouver but that trip can take upwards of 9 to 10 hours. Now that Amtrak has announced the rekindling of the daily train from Seattle to Vancouver (one daily trip departing from Seattle at 7:45 a.m. and arriving in Vancouver at 11:45 a.m.), there is a faster and easier way to enjoy these 5 places we can visit in Vancouver with our kids!

1. Burnaby Art Gallery

344 Deer Lake Ave, Burnaby, BC V5G 2J3, Canada 

 

There is nothing like a cool art gallery to have you "catching feels" for a city. I felt that way when I took my then-toddler, Willow, to the Seattle Asian Art Museum, and I know that I will feel that way when I take her to the Burnaby Art Gallery. Burnaby is a small suburb of Vancouver.

“As the only public art museum in Canada dedicated to works of art on paper, the Burnaby Art Gallery endeavors to represent a variety of techniques and practices from artists of diverse backgrounds.”

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2. Vancouver Zoo

5048 264 St, Aldergrove, BC V4W 1N7, Canada 

ed Panda Gives Birth To Adorable Twins! _ Greater Vancouver Zoo 1-3 screenshot (1)
Greater Vancouver Zoo via YouTube
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Washington state has some wicked cool zoos, like the Cougar Mountain Zoo, Northwest Trek Wildlife Park, and the Woodland Zoo, but how about taking the Amtrak to explore the Vancouver Zoo? Click here to see the animals we don’t see much in Washington that have been rescued and rehomed in Canada. We’re talking about animals like the Common Eland, Dwarf Zebu Cattle, the Grey Wolf, Muskox, Nilgai, Red pandas, the Red-Necked Wallaby, and more!

 

3. The Rec Room

1920 Willingdon Ave Unit 2106, Burnaby, BC V5C 0K6, Canada

Grand opening of the rec room In Burnaby bc
Stephen Vloggin via YouTube
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This place has everything. From video games, ping pong, VR games, a pool table, a dance floor, karaoke, a bar, and even a KPop-themed night, The Rec Room in Burnaby is one of the hottest places to take your kids in Canada. It’s only about 20 minutes from Vancouver and you don’t even need a car to get there.

via GIPHY

4. Planet Lazer

4380 Triangle Rd, Richmond, BC V6W 1B1, Canada

REVS Bowling Centre in Canada (1)
Google Maps
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About a half-hour from Vancouver is Planet Lazer, a huge venue that takes laser tag very seriously. They claim to be the largest laser tag place in North America, too! They have won awards for being the best place to play laser tag and up to 50 people, including kids, can play at once. There is also a trampoline park inside the building that says it’s the largest trampoline park in Canada.

5. REVS Bowling Centre (Has glow-in-the-dark bowling, too)

5502 Lougheed Hwy., Burnaby, BC V5B 2Z8, Canada 

 

From Vancouver, you can take the Holtram Station to the Bowling Centre. They have glow-in-the-dark “Cosmic Bowling” times as well as general fun bowling options during the day. On Friday and Saturday nights, they are open until 1 a.m. so if your kids are night owls, this is the spot to take them in Canada. They have 48 lanes of bowling! I’ve heard there is a secret bar upstairs in the Bowling Centre. It’s located in Burnaby, which is a quick hop, skip, and train ride away from the Amtrak station in Vancouver.

“REVS Burnaby features state-of-the-art Cosmic Bowling, delicious meals and handcrafted pizzas at Striker's Bar, big screen sports games in the REVS Lounge, full service Fitness Centre that includes 5 racquetball courts, cardio room, large strength training area, and much more! So what are you waiting for? Check out Western Canada's #1 entertainment destination today!”

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