Vancouver, BC is an excellent destination for traveling with young children. It’s a big city full of international flavor, but it does not lack for natural, open spaces (I see you, Stanley Park!). In fact, there are so many great things to do in Vancouver with toddlers that you might miss the not-so-well-known Maplewood Farm.
But that would be a shame!
Maplewood Farm is a 5 acre (2 hectare) farm in North Vancouver, about 10 minutes from downtown. Yet when you walk onto the farm, you feel like you’re nowhere near a big city! Welcome to dairy farm life.
We visited with a toddler and baby on our weekend getaway to Vancouver. We have some great little farms around where we live, so I wasn’t sure how Maplewood Farms would compare. I was also nervous about visiting by myself with two kids, but it turned out to be a great experience all around!
YOU MIGHT ALSO LIKE
Seeing the animals at Maplewood Farm
Let’s be honest, what toddler doesn’t love farm animals? And Maple Wood Farms has 200 of them! From the cows and pigs coming to snack on grass, to horses trotting around the stable, to donkeys and sheep and all the chickens and ducks you could hope for. We even got to see a scarlet macaw and a stunning peacock!
And then there is the goat enclosure. SO. MANY. GOATS. Which, as my husband would begrudgingly tell you, is pretty much my happy place. My toddler absolutely loved climbing around with the goats and would happily have stayed there all day.
If, like me, you can’t get enough goats – Maplewood Farm’s website even has a live goat cam! Amazing.
You can buy birdseed to feed to the chickens and ducks, and you can even bring your own fresh fruit and veggies to feed the bunnies if you’d like! Some favorites include carrot tops, romaine lettuce, and celery.
How long to spend at Maplewood Farm?
The farm itself is not huge, making it the perfect destination for younger children. My toddler was able to walk the entire time while the baby napped in the stroller-wagon for most of our trip.
I would allow up to a couple hours if you’re just planning to explore on your own. However, you could also sign up for a one-hour “Behind the Scenes” experience with the farm hands, bring a picnic to enjoy in their covered picnic area, and spend some time on the playground just outside of the farm after you leave.
If you’re local to the Vancouver area, they do birthday party packages, including pony rides! They are also a popular choice for preschool field trips.
Maplewood Farm does have a little gift shop, but I found myself wishing they had more healthy food choices on hand. I didn’t come prepared for how long my toddler would want to stay, and when she needed a snack, the options were limited – basically cookies and ice cream. While my toddler was fine with that menu, of course, just know before you go that there isn’t a cafe or anything of that sort.
How to get to Maplewood Farm
Maplewood Farm is just across the water from downtown, in North Van. We had our car with us, and had no trouble finding the farm. We visited on a weekend, although it was a bit overcast. We had no trouble finding parking in their free parking lot, but I can imagine on a busier day it would fill up. There is plenty of street parking nearby, however.
If you’re coming via public transport from downtown, you can get to the farm by seabus and bus, with only about a five minute walk from the closest bus stop.
Where to stay near Maplewood Farm?
Because you can so easily get to the farm from downtown Vancouver, you really could stay anywhere. We actually stayed in North Van during this trip, and really enjoyed it.
We’ve stayed in different areas of downtown in the past, but for this trip we wanted a little more space and a little more peace and quiet. North Van is perfect for that, plus it is close to many of the awesome outdoor activities that we wanted to experience.
North Van is home to a large number of family homes that rent out either the entire house or a basement studio as Airbnbs. This is a great option for families, and what we chose for this trip.
We loved our afternoon at Maple Wood Farm. The people were friendly, the land well-maintained, and the animals were very accessible. It was a great little escape from the big city!
Can I answer any questions about Maplewood Farm, or visiting Vancouver with little ones? Leave them in the comments!
Want to leave all the gear at home?
Did you know that you can rent baby and toddler gear in destinations all around the country and internationally? For rentals in the US and Canada, the industry leader is BabyQuip. You can find them in over 600 locations, including Vancouver! They have incredibly high standards for product quality and cleaning, and you get the peace of mind of having big (or small!) items delivered right to your destination doorstep.
to pin for later:
2 thoughts on “Exploring Maplewood Farm in Vancouver with Kids”
Hi Dani. We love your blog and really love all the pictures. (Of course)! Great job!
Oh, thank you! I can promise the pictures will keep on coming. 😉 ❤