Brunching with little kids at the Wildflower Restaurant and an adventure in art at the Audain Art museum in Whistler

What do you do with little ones who don’t yet ski when the rest of the family is out adventuring in Whistler?  My sister and I were visiting friends at their cabin in Whistler over the holidays and everyone else went out skiing and we stayed back to adventure with her three year old twins.  These kids are energetic and just got their first pair of skis too but they are still on the ‘learning’ route and everyone else was off skiing crazy runs.  My sister and I decided we would have a more leisurely day, starting with brunch and then some time exploring exhibitions at the amazing Audain Art museum.  We even managed to find the best hot chocolate in Whistler too.

Wildflower Restaurant at the Fairmont

We started our morning at the Wildflower Restaurant at the Fairmont.  Here you can order a la carte or brunch but when we saw the brunch we didn’t even have to look at the menu.  This is a lovely brunch place and next time we go without kids we will get more pictures but when we visited we found out that littles under 6 are free and 6-12 year olds pay half price of the grown-up buffet.  I thought I read on the website that parking is complimentary at the Fairmont when you eat there but we were directed to the parking lot and paid the $5 an hour fee.  (Now that I re-read the site we should have brought our ticket to be validated by the server.  Next time!) The buffet was worth it.  It had an assortment of pastries, made to order omelets, smoothies which were a hit with the kids, French toast and many delicious things in warming dishes that we didn’t get to try because we were so stuffed.  Even just walking around the Fairmont is like a feast for the eyes and we had to sit in various chairs all around the hotel to take in all the views.

Audain Art Museum with kids

The Audain Art Museum is about a 20 minute walk from the Fairmont and it was a great excuse to take the kids on a walk through all the sparkly snow.  My sister has a membership to the Audian museum so I was able to visit for 10% off and kids under 18 are always free.  If I lived closer and thought I would go more often I would definitely consider getting a membership too.  (I have quite a few Seattle memberships and often get the Vancouver Aquarium membership as well. Memberships support these local activities and they are often a great way to save on activities for families too.) If you are visiting on a Tuesday the museum is most likely closed. (Always check the actual website before you visit ANYWHERE especially with kids!)

The architecture of this museum is absolutely stunning.  There is a walkway to the exhibits that makes you feel like you are both inside and outside at the same time.  And this museum features local art that helps give a sense of place in British Columbia and when we went there was a visiting exhibit from Australia as well.  I’m not a true art afficianado-I like to look at art and I love visiting museums but I only know a handful of artists at the top of my head.  My sister on the other hand knows so much about the backstory of so many artists and their works so going to the museum with her is like having my own personal docent.  Her kids can also spend a long time thinking about different art pieces and they have been to the Audain enough times that they have their favorite art exhibits here.

On Sundays the Audain has family art experiences and my sister and her family love going to this.  We also spent a lot of time in the kids’ corner making our own art and this was such an inviting space we could have stayed here all afternoon, except you cannot eat snacks in a museum and after all this arting we needed a little more snack.

Hot chocolate at the Four Seasons in Whistler

I had heard about an incredible hot chocolate at the Four Seasons Whistler that has snowman marshmallows inside and I promised the kids (never promise kids something) that we would get hot chocolate after our long walk back to the car.  I follow the Four Seasons Whistler Instagram and they do the most innovative things for guests at this hotel.  So when we arrived with two kids looking for hot chocolate and saw that the Patio Camper where the hot chocolate comes from was closed, I did not know what to do.  I asked at the Sidecut restaurant if there was a way to order the hot chocolate and she told me they were setting up a hot chocolate stand if we we could wait a few minutes.  Of course we could wait.

And this was the best hot chocolate ever and arguably the best hot chocolate in Whistler. It did not have snowmen but the kids waited patiently and were thrilled.  Our walk back to our car was made all the more magical by this delicious hot chocolate treat.

And my sister ended up going back for the snowman hot chocolate on another Whister day.  When she went she found out that the stand was open from 4-6pm (maybe these are the winter hours?) and it’s in the most picturesque spot for hot chocolate ever-you can even roast s’mores here too.

Isn’t this the cutest hot chocolate you’ve ever seen?  And isn’t this the most perfect hot chocolate trailer?

We had the loveliest day exploring all the art and eating the loveliest foods-it didn’t even matter that we missed the best Whistler ski day ever according to the rest of the group.  I would love to go back and repeat this whole day again!

Have you been to Whistler?  Do you have favorite things to do on the days that you don’t ski? Do you have more tips for Whistler with kids?  I’d love to hear about them!

Terumi

Terumi Pong is a Seattle-based family travel writer and mom of twin teenage boys.  She loves coffee and pastries, shopping local and looking for greener ways to live.  She is also known as Scout’s mom (Scout is a 5ish pound little black yorkie-poo)