Whether you've made the great decision to move to Nanaimo or you're just here for a quick visit, you might be wondering “What is there to do in Nanaimo?” Here are some of my favourite things to do in the area!
Shopping!
I thought I'd start out with this topic since it's not my favourite thing to do BUT I'm sure you might be wondering if there is some good shopping in Nanaimo. The answer to that is YES! I was super surprised when we moved here and I walked into our local shopping center called Woodgrove Center in North Nanaimo and saw all of the shopping that there was in the mall! I'd say that it's on par with some of the bigger shopping centers in Vancouver! There are stores inside Woodgrove Center like Lululemon, which began as a pop-up but I guess it was super popular and that one stuck around! In Nanaimo, you'll find all of your big box stores such as Canadian Tire, Lowe's, Home Depot as well as Walmart. Basically, anything that you would need is in the city.
If you're like me and shopping at the mall is not your favourite, then I'd recommend maybe taking a trip downtown to Commercial Street. There, you can shop locally and explore some of the fun boutiques that downtown has to offer! I have found lots of unique gift ideas there and I would highly recommend it.
Kids Need to Have Fun Too!
My son has had no problems finding things to do in Nanaimo from indoor playgrounds like Jumping Jiminy’s to escape rooms like the Exit Room, there are so many things to do on the weekends!
If you're a little more adventurous you can head out to Wild Play. It’s an outdoor adventure park, the type that's gained a lot of popularity in the last little while with zip lines and rope courses! It's something that the whole family can do together!
There's also the Nanaimo Aquatic Center if your family likes to swim and the local skating arena where you can go and rent some skates and hang out for the afternoon.
My kid LOVES Airhouse. It is an indoor trampoline park and the sessions that they offer are an hour and a half long. Spots fill up quickly, so I'd recommend looking ahead and booking your spot early so you can make sure you get in! If you're not into jumping on the trampolines with your kids, there are some really nice viewing areas where you can sit and have a good bird's eye view of what your kids up to in the park! Inside, they also have a mini skate ramp so you can book a skateboarding session. They often offer Pro D-Day or summer camps for your kids!
Enjoy the Harbourfront!
One of my son's favourite activities that he took part in this summer was crab fishing! It's all he could talk about afterwards! Crab fishing takes place at Swy-A-Lana Lagoon Fishing Pier, downtown Nanaimo. While doing a little bit of research for this blog, I actually found out that Dungeness crab fishing is open all year round! This would make the perfect winter activity with Nanaimo's milder temperatures! While you're already downtown, you can explore the harbourfront and if you really want to make a day of it at that point, you could hop on one of the whale-watching tours that depart from the Nanaimo Harbour.
Also departing from Nanaimo Harbour, you can hop on a 10-minute ferry ride to Newcastle Island. This island offers some really nice walking trails and a campsite in the summer; there's also a cafeteria if you get hungry! It's a really fun place to go beachcombing, check out some local Wildlife or even just take in the views of Nanaimo!
History!
Nanaimo offers some really great museums. One of these is the Vancouver Island Military Museum. I had the chance to take some Cub Scouts recently for Remembrance Day. The guides at the Museum are very knowledgeable and do an amazing job of telling some of the stories of our local war heroes.
So many lakes!
I know I talk about this a ton in my videos but you can always check out all of the amazing beaches in Nanaimo. If instead of the beach, you're looking for maybe a freshwater swim, Nanaimo has some really great weights that you can check out! I haven't had the chance to visit them all yet but we've been to Long Lake quite a few times as my son did a kayaking camp there! There's also Westwood Lake which is a popular swim spot and many more!
Leave the Kids at Home.
If you're craving some adult time there are a lot of local breweries to check out in Nanaimo! One of them that I recently had the chance to visit was Longwood Brewery. This isn't to be confused with “Longwood Brew Pub”... I did make the mistake of thinking I was meeting my friend there and had to turn around and go all the way down to the other location. It was such a nice little spot to sit outside and since they don't have food you can actually order food to be delivered to you, which is an added touch if you get hungry! I've got a long list of all the breweries I want to visit here in Nanaimo!
Last but not least and I'm sure this list is going to grow but there are two movie theatres in Nanaimo. Both of them are located in North Nanaimo. One of them is “Landmark” which is a smaller movie theatre located in Woodgrove Center. The other bigger theatre is called Galaxy. That's your “big ticket” theatre with reclining seats - all the good stuff!
I sincerely hope this has helped you come up with some fun activities to do if you're visiting Nanaimo or if you plan to relocate here!
