First Saturday Festival celebrating Arts, Culture & Heritage

Kimberley has long been considered an ideal family-friendly vacation spot, and for good reason. It’s a true kids’ playground here, with plenty of cruisy and accessible bike trails, restaurants to suit both picky palettes and foodies alike, plus enough variety in adventures and attractions to delight older, more daring, or more hard-to-please family members. Whether you stick close to our downtown core, or set your sights on further-out adventures, rest assured there’s plenty of summer fun for all members of the family here.

• Splash Park
  
  Beat the summer heat within city limits with a visit to our local Splash Park. In addition to the Slash Park, find a full playground, public washrooms and plenty of shade from the deciduous trees on the grassy slopes here. Bring a towel, some sunscreen, and an appetite for fun
  
  The Rotary Splash Park is open 9am - 8pm daily during the summer months, and can be found on Rotary Drive in the Rotary Park grounds

• Paved Paths
  
  Connect from our downtown Platzl to our Ski Resort or Townsite neighbourhood on our in-town, cruisy paved paths. Or, strike out for a stride, glide, or roll along the 26km North Star Rails to Trails that stretches between Kimberley and neighbouring Cranbrook
  
  Bonus: for kiddos looking to part ways with pavement, enjoy over 100 km of established nature trails in our Kimberley Nature Park, Lois Creek, Nordic Centre, or Bootleg Mountain Trail Networks. Shout out to our fabulous volunteer trail societies, Kimberley Trails Society and Kimberley Nature Park volunteers, who thoughtfully build and maintain the most incredible playgrounds for us to enjoy

• Sandy Beaches
  
  Kimberley is surrounded by pristine, mountain lakes to splash around in during the summer months. For those looking for warm waters and sandy beaches to build sand castles on, however, we recommend heading to Wasa Lake Provincial Park to enjoy the sandy shores at the four bouyed swimming access areas there. Looking to head a little further out? Lake Koocanusa offers plenty of sand, and fun, family-friendly activities like the Lake Koocanusa Water Park

• Mini Golf
  
  Head to the Kimberley Riverside Campground to enjoy a fun and challenging round of miniature golf with the whole family. The putting course here is wheelchair accessible, appropriate for all ages, and is open daily from early May to late September
  
  Looking for a more challenging round of golf? Kimberley is home to three championship golf courses that offer 9 or 18 holes of fun fairways and dramatic mountain views

• Kootenay Trout Hatchery
  
  A short day-trip from Kimberley will bring you to the fun, interactive and educational Kootenay Trout Hatchery. The Kootenay Trout Hatchery rears up to 3 million trout each year to enhance recreational fishing opportunities in the region. Enjoy the extensive interpretive area and turtle pond, before embarking on a self-guided tour or practicing your angling skills at the stocked fishing pond on-site. Rods are available for loan and a guide can help to set up your fishing gear

• Fort Steele Heritage Town
  
  Step back in time to 1898 with another great day-trip from Kimberley. Fort Steele Heritage Town is a historical and interactive place to learn about the region and find a little fun along the way. Don't miss the Wild Horse Theatre, the Famous Bakery, and all of the livestock animals and Clydesdale horses that pepper the Fort Steele fields

• Kids Camps
  
  Looking to keep the kids busy during the day, while the adults in the family enjoy a little adventure of their own? Check out the summer day-camps happening throughout the season. Spirit Rock Climbing Gym, Funk Haus Craft Lab, the Kimberley Aquatic Centre, and Centre 64 all regularly offer day camps during the summer months

• Sweet Treats
  
  Sometimes you need a little sugar to help fuel all of the summertime fun. Enjoy the downtown sweet treats at La Lune Candy Shoppe, Summit Snacks, Deer Park Diner, or Grow Cake & Chocolate. Plus, don’t forget to head south to our Marysville neighbourhood to enjoy refreshing ice cream cones at Lickity Split after a day spent riding the Rails to Trails or walking along the Marysville Falls trail

• Hikes
  
  Hiking is one of our favourite summer activities here. Surrounded by two mountain ranges, options to explore both the Purcell and Rocky Mountains are plentiful. For youngsters looking for easier and shorter hikes, head to the Marysville Falls & Eco Park, set out for Purcell views atop Sunflower Hill in the Kimberley Nature Park, or take in the Canadian Rockies from the Wycliffe Buttes. For families who want to explore slightly more challenging day-hikes, we recommend striking out on the Turtle-Yankee-Canuck Loop at Premier Lake Provincial Park, wandering to Fish Lake in Top of the World Provincial Park, or diving into the subalpine Hourglass Lake in the Purcell Mountains
  
  Reminders: be sure to familiarize yourself with our basic planning, safety, trail etiquette and wildlife tips, then stock up on relevant maps, apps and guidebooks. Check all of your gear before setting out, and remember to play within your ability levels along the way

• Kimberley’s Underground Mining Railway
  
  Want to dig deep and uncover our town’s history? Then hop aboard a 9-ton locomotive and journey through the picturesque Mark Creek Valley and into the Underground Interpretive Centre with Kimberley’s Underground Mining Railway. The full tour runs 3 times daily Thursday-Monday from June until September. For those looking for a shorter option for their wee ones, wake up to the 45-minute express train ride that runs Saturdays, Sundays, and holiday Mondays at 10am

• Kid-Approved Eats
  
  Hungry as a horse, but picky as can be? No worries. Kimberley’s got plenty of family-friendly food options for both parents and kids to enjoy. Feast on Mickey Mouse pancakes at Our Place, mac n’ cheese at The Shed, woodfired pizza at Stonefire Pizzeria, and mucky fries at the Pedal & Tap. Then, get ready to devour plenty of goodies at our other kid-approved establishments throughout town

• Playgrounds
  
  Swing to new heights, climb atop a jungle gym, and run until you can’t run anymore. Children’s playgrounds can be found dotted through town in most of our local neighbourhoods, such as: Rotary Park, Lois Creek Park, Triangle Park, Stemwinder Drive Park, Swan Park,and Lion’s Park. Looking for more? Head to any of our elementary schools or to McKim Middle School for more playground fun

Looking for more kid-approved fun? Check out our curated family itineraries for all-ages Kimberley adventure throughout the year.