Splash around with friends and family in the ankle-deep ocean.
Explore trails leading to alpine meadows. Discover the peace of country backroads. Watch a dimpled golf ball sail over emerald green links. Shop 'til you drop at a renowned roadside market famous for the goats on its roof. In brief: The year-round to-do list in Parksville is long and colourful.
Nowhere in Canada is the expression "life's a beach" more appropriate than Parksville. The sandy, kilometer(mile)-wide (at low tide) waterfront is a fresh-air delight 12 months a year, but the June to September holiday period is primetime for swimming and high-rise sandcastle developments, especially during the Parksville Beach Festival, and its famous sand sculpting competition. Also in the area are a handful of kayak rental/adventure companies and several fishing/sailing charter operators.
Lasquiti and Texada islands are within relatively easy reach of the French Creek Marina, as is the lovely Jedediah Island Marine Provincial Park. South Winchelsea Island, managed as an ecological reserve by The Land Conservency, is a good daytrip option from Nanoose Bay's Schooner Cove.
Land Activities
Mountain biking – both recreational and professional – is a major focus of the Top Bridge recreational area, a short peddle from Resort Drive. Generous expanses of parkland and 60km/37mi of hiking trails can be found within the sea-to-sky embrace of the Mount Arrowsmith UNESCO Biosphere Reserve. Go it alone or sign up for a guided trip with the experts at area tour operators Coastal Revelations and Pacific Rainforest Adventure Tours.
Relax with a lingering soak at Tigh-Na-Mara's magical, rock-walled mineral pool, one highlight of the resort's full-service Grotto Spa. Explore the many shopping options in Parksville and Coombs. Check out the birds at Hamilton Marsh, a prime piece of wetland between French Creek and Qualicum Beach. Tackle any of six year-round golf courses in the Parksville/Qualicum Beach area. Parksville itself is arguably the mini-golf capital of Western Canada.
Festivals & Events
Parksville's Brant Wildlife Festival heralds the spring annually in this migratory part of the world. A hyper-busy summer calendar is highlighted by Canada Day fireworks and the Canadian Open Sand Sculpting Competition. And Christmas brings craft fairs, lighting displays and the unique Bethlehem Walk celebration.
Food and Wine
Local produce is sold on Saturday mornings from early May to late September at the Errington Farmer's Market (in the community park next to Errington War Memorial Hall). Little Qualicum Cheeseworks, sells award-winning cheeses and its own line of fruit wines in a farmgate store (403 Lowry's Road, Parksville). French Creek Seafood and Hilliers' Sausage are also prime draws for foodies.
Family Attractions
A few minutes southeast of Coombs on Highway #4A is Butterfly World & Gardens, a wonderland of tropical birds, indoor waterfalls, steamy orchids, and hundreds of butterflies. Some 700 plus brightly coloured birds of paradise squawk happily at the nearby World Parrot Refuge.
In Errington, Tiger Lily Farm offers trail rides through the forest and is a special place for kids with a petting zoo. Not far away is the North Island Wildlife Association, which is renowned for its success in rehabilitating injured bald eagles, ravens, owls and bears.
Arts & Culture
Local artist and artisans showcase their work at the Oceanside Community Arts Council. The complex of galleries, teaching studios, and a gift shop are on the upper floor of an old wooden schoolhouse downtown (corner of MacMillan and Hirst streets). The Arrowsmith Potters Guild sells art and functional pottery in the Station Gallery near the red railway water tower on the Alberni Highway.
Pick up Parksville/Qualicum's annual blue guide to artists and studios at the Visitor Centre. The Englishman River Gallery (on Mariner Way in the San Pareil neighborhood adjacent to Rathtrevor Beach) is open daily year-round. Original watercolours combined with a lovely garden setting at the ocean's edge make the gallery a unique stop on any Vancouver Island arts tour.
Theatre & Performing Arts
The community theatre troupe Bard to Broadway presents lively musicals, comedies and light-hearted family fare daily throughout July and August at Parksville's Chrysler Theatre. Coombs has been the site of a popular folk and bluegrass festival (on the BC Heritage Day weekend in early August) for more than three decades.
Driving Routes
Access Parksville's outdoor adventure activities, festival and events, food and wine, family entertainment, art galleries, and theatre and performing arts along four driving routes. Learn more about driving routes through Parksville here: Driving Routes.
For maps, brochures, and more information about things to do in Parksville, drop by the Visitor Centre.
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