Top 10 Free Indoor Things to do with Kids in Vancouver and Clark County
Summers in the Pacific Northwest are unbeatable, but the cloudy, rainy winters can be tough for families who love to play outside. Thankfully, Vancouver and greater Clark County are home to lots of fabulous indoor play spaces, and even a few that are free for families to enjoy year-round. Here are our top 10 picks for free indoor things to do with kids in Vancouver.
Free Indoor Things to do With Kids in Vancouver and Clark County:
FVRLibraries and Camas Public Library
Topping our list of free indoor things to do with kids in Vancouver and Clark County is Fort Vancouver Regional Library District (FVRLibraries) and Camas Public Library.
With 15 FVRLibraries locations scattered throughout Clark, Cowlitz, Skamania and Klickitat Counties, plus Camas Public Library (not part of the FVRLibraries network, but just as beloved!) are accessible and beloved by citizens of all ages in Southwest Washington, especially children. And books are only the beginning. Both FVRLibraries locations and Camas Public Library host storytimes and events for all ages throughout the year and at various times of day to suit the schedules of all kinds of families. Vibrant and comfortable reading nooks invite kids to curl up with a book or play a game with a new friend.
Go here to learn more about FVRLibraries.
Go here to learn more about Camas Public Library.
Pearson Air Museum
Home to historic aircraft and aviation activities and situated on one of the oldest operating airfields in the U.S., Pearson Air Museum is an easy pick for free indoor things to do with kids in Vancouver. The museum is operated by the National Park Service and Fort Vancouver National Historic Site and features four vintage aircraft, including Leah Hing’s 1931 Fleet Model 7. Hing was the nation’s first Chinese American woman pilot, and flew the Fleet Model 7 from Pearson Field.
Also operating on-site at Pearson Air Museum is Airway Science for Kids (ASK), a nonprofit “with a mission to remove barriers for children and youth who have been systematically excluded from STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Art and Math) education and careers.”
ASK runs Open Saturdays at Pearson Field each week from 10 am-3 pm, with a flight simulator, a vertical wind table, story time and other educational programs. Admission to Pearson Air Museum and Open Saturdays with ASK are free. Pearson Air Museum hours are Tuesday through Saturday, 9 am-4 pm. Learn more about ASK here.
Location: 1115 E 5th St, Vancouver, WA 98661
Fort Vancouver National Historic Site Visitors Center
Less than a half mile away from Pearson Air Museum is the Fort Vancouver Visitor Center—a great place to learn about our region’s history with interactive exhibits that are free to access (though the reconstructed Fort itself does charge a $10 fee to tour). Art supplies are available in the visitor center, as well as exhibits and miniature models, a bookstore, rangers on staff and more. The visitor center theater occasionally screens historical documentaries and hosts speakers on site.
Location: 1501 E Evergreen Blvd, Vancouver, WA 98661
Vancouver Community Library
Yes, we know we already mentioned FVRLibraries, but their Vancouver Community Library branch in Downtown Vancouver deserves its very own entry in our list of free indoor things to do with kids in Vancouver. Built in 2011, and reported to be the second largest library in the Portland metro area, Vancouver Community Library is located across the street from Providence Academy and walking distance from Fort Vancouver, standing in complementary contrast to the historic buildings surrounding it.
The library’s Grow A Reader Exploration Center (formerly known as the Early Learning Center) can be found on the third floor and is truly a treasure, with multiple exploratory exhibits and art supplies on hand. If you’ve got a little one, plan to spend quite a while in this special spot. Note that the Grow A Reader Exploration Center does close a bit earlier than the rest of the library, at 5 pm daily.
Location: 901 C St, Vancouver, WA 98660
Water Resources Education Center
Next on our list free indoor things to do with kids in Vancouver is the City of Vancouver’s often overlooked, and certainly underutilized, Water Resources Education Center. The center is located on the banks of the Columbia River and adjacent to walking paths along the watershed.
With a mission to foster learning about our community’s water systems, the Water Center features hands-on exhibits, nature programs and volunteer opportunities, all centered on our local ecosystem. Your kids may have visited the Water Center on a field trip, but it’s also open to the public Monday-Friday, 10 am-5 pm, and admission, of course, is free.
Location: 4600 SE Columbia Way, Vancouver, WA 98661
Photo courtesy City of Vancouver.
Columbia Play Project
With a mission to cultivate the power of play in Southwest Washington, Columbia Play Project (CPP)’s ultimate goal is to eventually build a brick-and-mortar children’s museum. In the meantime, CPP’s mobile museum can be found popping up at events all over Clark County.
Through March 2025, CPP is hosting free indoor exploratory play activities regularly at Fourth Plain Community Commons at 3101 E Fourth Plain Blvd., Vancouver. All ages are welcome at these free indoor things to do with kids in Vancouver. Go here for upcoming dates and times.
Go here to learn more about Columbia Play Project.
Vancouver Mall Kids’ Play Area
Bowling, movies, a pet store, mini golf, bungee trampolining, shopping, a selfie studio, a library, life size chess and tons of restaurants? Vancouver Mall is the place to be. And it continues to be the place for little ones and their grownups (for multiple generations now) to go to get out their wiggles inside the mall’s free children’s play area.
The area, intended for kids 3’6” or taller, currently features play equipment shaped like local landmarks like Cedar Creek Grist Mill, Fort Vancouver and Mount St. Helens. The play space is open during mall hours, making it a great pick for free indoor things to do with kids in Vancouver.
Location: 8700 NE Vancouver Mall Dr, Vancouver, WA 98662
Cedar Creek Grist Mill
While Vancouver Mall’s play space features a fun and climbable miniature model of Cedar Creek Grist Mill, visiting the real thing is also a fantastic experience for kids who are old enough to appreciate a bit of history and a gorgeous natural setting.
Currently open 1-4 pm on Saturdays, the mill is a working museum run by volunteers who grind grain using historic equipment. Visitors can take home a bag of freshly ground flour or cornmeal (donations appreciated!) and explore the mill’s stunning surroundings, including walking trails and a covered bridge.
A highlight of every Clark County autumn season is the mill’s Apple Cider Pressing Event, where volunteers and visitors press around 10,000 pounds of apples into fresh cider, also using historic equipment. The result is one of the tastiest beverages you’ll ever drink, which is why crowds happily stand in line for hours to get a jug of it, in exchange for a donation.
Even if you’re not up for a swig of cider, the live bluegrass music, water flume, river views, fall foliage and nature trails make the trip to rural Clark County (about 45 minutes from Vancouver) absolutely worth it.
Other annual Grist Mill events include Fry Bread Day, Strawberry Shortcake Day and Blueberry Pancake Day. Go here for information on this year’s Apple Cider Pressing Event.
Location: 43907 NE Grist Mill Rd, Woodland, WA 98674
North Clark Historical Museum, Amboy
Also located in North Clark County, and also honoring the region’s heritage, North Clark Historical Museum in Amboy is next on our list of free indoor things to do with kids in Vancouver and Clark County.
Formerly a church, and still recognizable as such with its white exterior and modest steeple, the structure was built in 1910 before falling into disrepair. It languished for a few decades before volunteers banded together to save and restore it. The renovation project took 12 years, but the space finally reopened its doors to visitors, now as a museum, and on the National Register of Historic Places, in June 2000.
Today, the museum pays homage to its religious roots with vaulted ceilings, pews (some original to the building) and an organ on a small dais. Also on display are hundreds of artifacts revealing the 19th century way of life for settlers and loggers, as well as Indigenous people including antique home goods, toys, tools, furnishings, clothing, photographs, books and handicrafts. Kids often enjoy ringing the large bell, meeting the stuffed “people” created by a local artisan that are seated throughout the exhibits and watching the miniature moving model sawmill.
Outside on the museum grounds, more larger exhibits such as a windmill, farm equipment and historic barn can be viewed even by passersby and even on days when the museum is closed.
North Clark Historical Museum always accepts donations, but admission is free and the museum is open to the public on the second and fourth Saturday of each month, 12-4 pm. Seasonal hours may vary, and private tours can be arranged by appointment. Go here to learn more.
Location: 21416 NE 399th St, Amboy, WA 98601
Marshall Community Center (West Vancouver) and Firstenburg Community Center (East Vancouver)
Rounding out our list of free indoor things to do with kids in Vancouver are Marshall and Firstenburg Community Centers. While both community centers do charge a fee for use, the City of Vancouver began partnering with Vancouver and Evergreen School Districts in 2017 to expand free access to the centers for youth.
Now in its seventh year since rolling out, the City of Vancouver’s free Youth Opportunity Pass (YOP) is available during the school year to any middle or high school student who is currently enrolled in Vancouver or Evergreen Public Schools, or who lives within Vancouver city limits, even if they are home-schooled or attending a private or charter school.
A code of conduct must be signed and followed by all students using a YOP, and parents must give consent in person when the application is dropped off. Once those requirements have been met, tweens and teens can enjoy their selected center’s pool, open gym, after-school programs, teen late night (for middle schoolers only), fitness center (age 14+ only) and track (age 14+ only). Select times may apply for some activities.
Go here for more information about the YOP, including the application. Note: YOP applies only to the student. Parents and siblings who don’t qualify for the pass must either purchase their own pass or wait for their child in the centers’ public areas.
Firstenburg Community Center: 700 NE 136th Ave, Vancouver, WA 98684
Marshall Community Center: 1009 E McLoughlin Blvd, Vancouver, WA 98663
Photo courtesy Vancouver Parks, Recreation & Cultural Services.
Check out more free family activities on our Community Calendar!
Mary Sisson
Under Columbia Play Project in your story on free play spaces, it looks like the info is from the fall of 2023. Thanks to a grant from the Cowlitz Tribe, we’re able to offer a free indoor playground through the end of March 2025 at Fourth Plain Commons, 3101 E. Fourth Plain Blvd. Hours are 1-4 on Sundays and 9-noon Mondays.
Nikki Klock
Thank you, Mary! We have updated the CPP information!
Mel
just a minor note, ….read through your article on the Chinese pilot and see if there is a word, but not the right word in a sentence…(spell check and proof reading go hand in hand) to help the search….when someone flies an airplane…do not “few” it…..good work and I know how it is when people just glance through and don’t examine…speed reading might be OK for some, but never for me.
Nikki Klock
Oops, thanks for catching that typo! It’s fixed now.
Shantelle Tobias
I’m having a hard time finding a good free event for my 2 kids on Halloween day
Nikki Klock
Hi Shantelle! Check out our calendar with tons of Halloween-day activities going on around town: https://vancouverfamilymagazine.com/calendar/