Things to do with kids on Vashon Island are epic! Everything from walking the beaches during low-tide exploring under rocks, looking for sand dollars and catching site of whales playing in the water to visiting light houses, tree’s that eat bikes, crashed UFO’s to llama farms, hiking and bike riding! Vashon Island is a great place for kids.
Kids are outside, listening, enjoying and appreciating nature, which is hard to do in the city. Vashon Island residents are guardians of the land and environment so everyone has a place to come to remember what the Puget Sound was like 50 years ago.
Staring with the ferry ride over here, your kidddos will love their Vashon Island adventure! Here are some suggestions on what to do with kids on Vashon Island and if you want some more suggestions, just contact us!
- Visit a working lighthouse! The Point Robinson Lighthouse is a great place to explore. Beaches are full of driftwood and often times whales are swimming close enough to hear! Details and more pictures here. Nice little walk down to the beach. Lots of drift wood and stuff to explore.
- Find the bike eating tree! The bike in the Tree is a popular destination on Vashon Island and some parents make up a story about a bike eating tree, take their kiddos on a walk and ask them to find the tree that ate the bike. Not a long hike at all in. In fact almost right off the main drag here on the island. Here are some details and pictures of Vashon Island’s Bike in the Tree.
- Hiking on Vashon Island with kids. Hiking is a great first activity to hit in the morning to get the blood flowing and to get the wiggles out of the kids before exploring more of Vashon. We have a TON of trails that are great for kids. If I had to pick the best one, it would be the Judd Creek Trail https://www.alltrails.com/trail/us/washington/judd-creek-loop-trail. I might be bias as this is where me and my dad use to fish as a kid. It’s about 1 mile and there are (or were) lots of trout in the creek.
- Glass Bottle Creamery. So, so, good. If the kids like the ice cream, I would suggest hitting this place.
- Crashed UFO. At the Vashon Island airport there is a crashed UFO that is real cool to visit. I love making up stories and having them look and find the UFO on a walk. My son loved it. Here are the details on Vashon Island’s crashed UFO.
- Explore Vashon Island Beaches. We have some great beaches on the island as well. My favorites are KVI Beach (locals call it KVI, but the actual name is Point Heyer) and Lisabuela Beach. But the best beach for kids is probably Dockton Park as it has a playground and a dock. Keep those kids safe around water!
- Visit a Llama Farm with the kids! – Kids LOVE llamas! Vashon Island has a great llama farm that you get go to pet and interact with some adorable, lovable furry llamas! A great place to have a llama themed birthday party! Get details about Vashon Llamas here and have Jefferson Cakepan make your cakes and treats!
- Vashon Island Library – I know it sounds crazy, but Vashon Island has one of King County’s newest libraries and there are lots of kids activities and events that are happening at any given time at the library. I would suggest checking the Vashon Island Library event calendar.
- Fly kites with the kids on Vashon Island at Point Robinson. As mentioned above, Point Robinson is a great place to spend some time with the kids, not just because of the lighthouse, but flying kites is also a great activity the kiddos love.
- Bike riding with kids on Vashon. Biking around Vashon Island with kids is always fun. Swing into Vashon Bikes to rent some wheels and peddle around exploring our little island. If you are thinking about biking down to a beach, might want to look at an electric bike as we have lots of hills outside of downtown Vashon.
- Horseback Riding with the family! There are many places to ride horses on Vashon Island. Nothing funner then riding horses on the beach! Check out various places offering horseback riding on the island here.
- Rock Wall climbing Adventures with Vashon Recess Lab! Getting the kids to challenge themselves and grow is one of our responsibilities as parents. I love rock climbing because it gives my son confidence and self esteem. The Vashon Recess Lab is a great spot to swing in and help your kiddos grow.
- Kid Camps on Vashon Island! Here is a list of some of the awesome camps we have here on Vashon Island!
- Swimming on Vashon Island! Bring your swim trunks and suits Vashon Island has a couple of great pools open to the public. A great way to cool off and cool down during those hot Northwest days.
- Play some golf, tennis and pickleball with the kids! Get a day pass at Vashon Island Golf and Swim Club!
Some great links from other spots:
https://www.parentmap.com/article/a-day-away-on-vashon-island
