Fun at Fort Langley

This week we took a drive out to Fort Langley in what started out as a mini trip to Maria's Gelato for amazing vegan donuts, and turned into a wonderful field trip!

After getting our treats, we discovered Fort Langley by walking to find a place for the kids to run in some grass and use their bubble gloves. We ended up on the ground of the historic fort and decided to drop in for a visit.

One of the wonderful parts of homeschooling is that we get to go explore these amazing sites and often end up having the place all to ourselves! We were able to leisurely explore while speaking with the guides and learn some amazing facts about places in our own backyard.

As soon as you walk in, you are given the option to do a scavenger hunt as you roam through the grounds. In all the buildings with the circles, there's an old metal key hidden. Find the key and you get to place a sticker for the building. Find all the keys and you get a prize! It was a fantastic way to make sure you hit all the sights and keep the kids looking through their surroundings.

My kids' favourite was the bastion, They loved running up and down the wooden walkways and seeing the sights from higher up.

One of the advantages of being one of the only groups in the Fort was that we were able to speak with the local guides and learn so much about the history of the area. We were able to speak with an Indigenous woman who's family had been on the land, and in the Fort, for generations. Her great-grandfather was actually a cook and worked in the outdoor kitchen behind this white house. She taught us about how the barrels were made and how they filled them with salmon, cranberries and potatoes and would ship them to Hawaii (then known as the Sandwich Islands).

She also let us know that when they boil their potatoes, they keep the water after they are done cooking and make soup and broth out of it. We can't wait to try that!

One of the best takeaways from Fort Langley was learning that you can rent an oTENTik inside the actual Fort and camp! We are excited to try this in the summer and see what it's like to camp at Fort Langley!

If you're interested in doing similar, you can check the availability at https://www.pc.gc.ca/en/lhn-nhs/bc/langley/activ/oTENTik