Things to do: I get asked quite often what are some things we should do while we are visiting...below are some of my family's favorite things to do around town: Tiger Lily Farms   - Children can get up close to farm animals, there are pony rides, trail rides and in the fall a Harvest Festival with Pumpkin Patch!   Last spring we saw baby goats less than an hour old! Located just outside Parksville on Englishman River Falls.  Phone: 250-248-2408. Butterfly World - This place is great for children and adults!  More than just stunning butterflies, there are reptiles, tortoise, tropical birds, bugs plus orchid and tropical gardens.  Great photo opportunities!  They are located in Coombs (not far from Tiger Lily Farms)  Phone:  250-248-7026.   Open March til early winter. Parksville Community Beach Park - In downtown Parksville, not only does the beach have beautiful white sand (and when the tide is out you can walk for hours!), there is an enormous kids park  for kids of all ages (even a zip line), an adjacent water park, skateboarding track & concession stand.  The entrance to Parksville Community Beach is at the traffic lights along Hwy 19A at Corfield Street. Nanaimo Aquatic Centre - Pools, children's water playground, river and wave pool.  Located at 741 Third Street, phone 250-756-5200.  Best to call ahead to ensure there isn't a swim meet going on that day  (as if there is, they sometimes close the entire facility!)  Buttertubs Marsh - If you feel like taking the kids out for a walk in nature, this is a nice choice!  It is 4.5 kms of trails and is home to blue herons, mallards, Canada geese, birds and the occassional deer.  It is easily accessible for wagons, strollers & bikes. Located off Bowen Road on Buttertubs road. Feeding the ducks at Bowen Park - This old, beautiful park has a great childrens park, walking trails (easy for strollers & bikes), & even a outdoor pool in the summer.  The ducks congregate in one area (about a 5 min walk to the water from the parking lot) Bring lots of duck food as there are plenty of ducks!  To get to Bowen Park from downtown, drive north to Comox Rd (the south-eastern portion of Bowen Road) turn left and look for right-hand turnoffs starting with Wall  St, after the railway crossing. Maffeo Sutton/Swy-a-Lana Lagoon Park - this park is located on Nanaimo's downtown waterfront (50 Arena Street).  The children's park is huge (and spread out, so if you are bringing multiple children it is handy to have two caregivers), there is grassy areas for picnics and a sheltered tidal pool.   There is free 2 hour parking. A side note to visiting Maffeo Sutton Park:  After an afternoon of fun, take a 5 min walk south on the promenade, (towards downtown) to Waterside Confections (Unit6 90 Front St) and say Hello to Bob and Georgia and you will discover the best homemade gellato & icecream, candy that we grew up to & their flavoured popcorn is amazing too!  Beban Park - Located  at 2300 Bowen Road .  Beban has a fantastic children's park with the largest climbing structure on the island.  There is a figure 8 paved track around the playground so kids can ride their bikes, runners and scooters or parents can get some exercise while their kids play!