Long weekend getaway with kids
 

We have a long weekend coming up in February and I'm looking for somewhere to go with my family, we have 4 children. We have just moved to Vernon BC and would like to visit somewhere no more than 5 or so hours drive away. Any suggestions of places to visit/stay would be helpful. Thanks!

Just to add to my post above.. we have thought about the weather in the next 2 weeks and are thinking that it might be better to go somewhere like Victoria on Vancouver Island as somewhere like Banff might be too snowy as we can ski etc anytime at the Silver Star resort right here where we live in Vernon.
Forgot to add that we are from Perth Western Australia and are only going to be living in Vernon BC for one year as we are on a teacher exchange, so we need to make the most of our time here.
So now any suggestions on where to stay in Victoria (we have 4 children, need to be comfortable but we are on a budget..) and what is worth seeing as we will only have 2 and a half days before we need to travel home. Thanks!

You should find some reasonable accommodation in Victoria in February - certainly the slow season.

Check out these websites - The Royal BC Museum is a must very kid friendly - hands on and informative - world class.

http://www.bugzoo.bc.ca/

http://www.royalbcmuseum.bc.ca/MainSite/

http://www.tourismvictoria.com/things-to-do/

Try the Admiral Inn in Victoria. They have accommodation with some basic kitchen facilities and are right on the water. It is an older property but we enjoyed our stay there.

Thsnks very much. I will look into that hotel and great tip aout the museum. Thanks for websites also.

going to victoria is going to be much more then 7 hours if driving. it's about 5 hours driving to the ferry (if conditions are good) and then you have the ferry ride. and, conditions in february may not be ideal for driving. if cost isn't an issue, you could consider flying from kelowna to victoria.
i appreciate that you want to explore as much as possible during your stay but february might not be the best time to go too far. do you ski? what about booking a condo in silver star (very family friendly - fun tire tubing for the kids at night) or big white?
or, if you just want a nice drive that isn't too far, in case the roads are bad...consider just driving to explore revelstoke, bc or radium hot springs, bc.

Thanks Itt, a friend has said the same to us about the weather conditions in Feb, so we have decided to do exactly as you suggested. We are going to explore Silver Star on the weekend and save money by sleeping here in Vernon. Kids are keen to tube, ice skate, try snowboarding etc.
Revelstoke and Radium hot springs sound interesting, might google them for a different alternative.
I have booked Vancouver/Victoria for the Spring Break, enough time and better weather.
Thanks!