Things for your Victoria Summer Bucket List
As the temperature rises and the sun shines brightly, our postcard-perfect city offers a plethora of exciting activities and cool adventures ready to be explored this summer. If you are looking for fresh new ideas or inspiration for how to make the most of your Victoria summer, we have all the tips you’ll need right here.
Embrace the Ocean
A Day at the Beach
Whether you’re a water enthusiast, a beach lover, or simply someone who seeks tranquility by the sea, our city’s coastal charm can often be forgotten in the hustle and bustle of our daily lives. Taking time in the summer to add ocean activities and embrace our seaside living is sure to rekindle our gratitude for where we live.
Ensure you are packed with all the essentials to make the day an easy-breezy effortless success. The perfect bag for a day trip is dual-purpose.
It can keep your lunch cool and store some of your additional needed items. Don’t forget the small extras such as sunscreen, cool pair of shades, and a full-coverage hat like this one from Ricki’s.
Ensure that your footwear is waterproof and sand proof. These sandals from The Shoe Company are perfect as sand can easily be rinsed off.
Staying hydrated is important especially when spending long days at the beach. There is no shortage of cool water bottles out there. A hack we love is to freeze one or two of your water bottles ahead of time and use them to keep your lunch cold. That way you aren’t lugging around ice packs and by the time lunchtime arrives, your water bottles have thawed and you’re ready for your lunch and water.
Make the day simple and when you are on your morning coffee run stop by Hillside’s Food Court and grab your lunch-to-go. Throw it in your beach bag and bring on the sand, sun, and great eats.
If you have little ones, creativity happens at the beach! While tech and kids’ toys have evolved over the years, some things withstand the test of time. Go back to basics with a sand bucket, shovel, and accessories. This can buy you countless hours of fun and may even provide you with an hour to catch up on your summer reading.
Backyard Fun
Looking for a fun and engaging way to combat summer boredom for your kids? Why not empower them to set up their very own mini Olympics right in the comfort of your backyard? Let them brainstorm different activities such as hopper races, obstacle courses, and even mini versions of popular sports. Once they have determined their events, they can make a list of needed items. Many items you already have and anything you don’t can be a quick excursion to Hillside. Some essential backyard items like pylons, hula hoops, and of course medals can be found at Dollarama, Walmart, or Canadian Tire.
You will find that kids will have as much fun planning out the event as they do on the actual event day. So let the games begin and watch as their backyard Olympics create memories that will last a lifetime!
BikeLife
Did you know that Hillside Centre introduced a Bike Valet program in April. So those items you needed to complete your mini-Olympic day, grab the crew and bike on down to Hillside to fill that bike basket. Except maybe if you needed Hula Hoops, that may be better suited to driving! Once you park the bikes be sure to head to our Guest Services desk and have the kids pick up a complimentary Tim Horton’s 10 Pack Tim Bits! (one per child). While quantities last. Children 3-12 years of age.
Get Grillin’
As soon as the thermometer rises so does our desire to host friends and family for outdoor gatherings. Keeping it casual and effortless is the name of the game with summer events. In order to keep stress low, plan ahead and keep that checklist handy.
Share the Work
This is a simple life hack that we all need to get better at. If you are hosting and your guests say, can I bring anything? Say, “Absolutely” and delegate out a dish. From an appy to salad to dessert, it takes something off your to-do list, guests are happy to contribute and it is one less thing you need to do!
If you are attending someone else’s BBQ, we love the idea of combining a small hostess gift with food prep. Bring your salad in a cute acrylic bowl or appetizers on a summer acrylic platter and let the hosts know that there is no need to return the serving wear. You have contributed a delicious food item, plus they now have some additional serving wear for future gatherings. Check out Walmart, Marshalls, or Canadian Tire for options.
Trays and utensil caddies also make things easy for transporting everything. The caddy also gives off a less formal vibe and keeps the event casual in nature.
Tastes of the Season
Thrifty Foods has many great recipes on its website, so when we need some cooking inspiration we head straight there. Our fav recipe for small gatherings is this Cedar Planked Salmon with Citrus and Pepper recipe. If you have a large group, the Cherry Balsamic Marinated Pork Tenderloin Kebabs are a great prep-ahead dish.
Friendly Competition
A little pre-dinner competition is good for laughs and will keep guests entertained while you do any last-minute dinner prep. Backyard games like Corn Hole are perfect as all can play regardless of age or how many times they have hit the gym in a week. Other games we love are bocce, spike ball, croquet, and tumbling block games. Check out all the games in our curated list here.
Summer Style
We would be remiss to not talk about our fav summer style finds to complete your sizzling summer look! This cotton eyelet smocked midi dress from Cleo’s is the perfect casual dress. We love the idea of pairing the white with a pop of colour and these jeweled flats from Ronsons give you just the right amount of splash.
Think Outside the Box
There is so much happening in Victoria this summer that it can be challenging to stay on top of the latest announced events. We do our best to curate a list of what’s happening in the community and post it in-centre and on our website.