Spring is in the air and if you are looking for a fun all ages event to take the family to; or are like me, a grown adult who is young a heart, I suggest a visit to Greendale Acres in Chilliwack. They are a working farm with flowers, farm equipment, and barnyard animals, but focuses on activities for kids.
They are great destination for a birthday party, or a lazy day in the sun. With a well stocked concession stand on site, picnic tables, and running water washrooms.
Today we were visiting to check out their new and first “Sweet Spring Festival”. This will be the first spring season that Greendale is open to the public, whereas they were formerly only known for their 24 years of Fall family fun.
As taken from the website “Titled “Sweet Spring” this festival will feature baby animals, tulip fields, springtime treats and hours of fun for all ages. There will also be weekly events such as earth day celebrations, grandparents day, mothers day, fairytale day, flower crown workshops, apple blossoms, beekeeping exhibits and more. Sweet Spring will run from April 13th through to mid/late May (Bloom dependent).”
As ticket holders we were given the run of the place, literally. And the following is just a handful of the activities you can engage in when you visit.
Their miniature tulip field is a draw in. With large aisles between rows of colourful tulips, it is best described as a tulip festival for kids. This patch of land includes strategically placed stationary bicycles, swings sets, and a wooden bridge for a vantage point.
They even have a maypole that you can run tethered pastel ribbons around. And retired tractors and farm equipment that you can climb into and either play with or take a photo within. There was also a makeshift tire swing merry-go-round that we were too large to ride on.
The typical barnyard animals were all present from sheep and goats, to rabbits, pot bellied pigs, fancy chicken, and even a llama. You can’t pet them or feed them, but most do come to the fence when you call.
There are games like corn hole, tether ball, a pillow jump pad, and a tire fort. Plus an actual playground with a rope and wall climb, that includes slides. And carnival style ball toss, where you aim various sporting balls into holes including basketball, American foot ball, and baseball.
I liked the creativity of their sound garden, which is a wired tunnel lined with old pots and pans that you can bang and clang with wooden spoons and other metal utensils hung above.
But the most memorable of all the attractions is bubble bar. Not only did it blow a continuous stream of small bubbles into the air, but you could make your own to add to it. Using rope tied to two wooden rods, you dip this into the available bubble solution and pull the rods apart, thus allowing the soapy rope to form and release a giant bubble. There is a learning curve, but a fun to do for all ages.
If planning to stay for the day, and with all the running around you might build up an appetite. Luckily Greendale Acres’ concession stand has one of the largest assortment of food and drink of any farm property I have been on.
They grill beef burgers and veggie patties to order and even have an outdoor pizza oven for their pepperoni or pulled pork flat breads. And you can’t eat without pairing your meal with one of their freshly squeezed lemonades.
But for something to help beat the heat on a sunny day, order a fairy fizz. This is an ice cream float combining either a scoop of bubble gum or cotton candy ice cream with 7up soft drink and topping it with “fairy dust topping”.
For dessert they have a donut sundae using their onsite made cinnamon and sugar doughnuts, vanilla ice cream, whipped cream, maraschino cherry, and rainbow sprinkles. This does melt quickly, so eat fast.
For something less messy and melty they also have buckets of cotton candy and bags of salty and sweet kettle corn for sale.
In short, there is so much to see and do at Greendale Acres that you can make a day of it. Bring the family or have fun with friends. There is plenty of sprawling room to lay out in the sun or host a party/gathering at. The latter can be done under the shade of their covered entertaining area that includes a stage.
In the future, I would love to see them utilize their space and said stage for live performances, curated long table dinners, and/or active workshops that include food and drink.
But for now, for a full list of their events and bloom updates during their Sweet Spring Festival and to buy tickets, visit the link below. https://greendaleacres.ca/sweetspring/
Tickets are $15 and can be purchased at greendaleacres.ca
Children aged 2 and under and people over 75+ are free to attend.
Sweet Spring Festival Hours:
* Thursday & Friday, 2pm – 7pm
* Saturday, 10am – 7pm
* Sunday, 10am – 5pm
Hours may be added during high bloom. Check google my business for update hours.
Special Dates:
* April 22nd: Earth Day Activities
Plant a seed to take home, plant a seed to live on our farm,
Compost Demonstration (11am & 2pm) with hayrides to compost station
* April 28th: Grandparents Day & Pro-D Day
Special hours – opening at 10am
All Grandparents are free!
* April 29th: Fairytale Day
Join us as we welcome a fairytale princess to the farm
10:30 & 2:30, appearances story and song time at the Maypole
* May 6th & 7th: Bee Demonstrations
The honeybee center will be set up with hive demonstrations and learning
* May 14th: Mothers Day
All mothers are free!
Greendale Acres
41905 Yale Road West, Chilliwack, BC, V2R 4J4
greendaleacres.ca
