If you’ve ever pushed a stroller through a “charming historic village” only to discover the cute shops have one tiny step at every door and zero washrooms, you already know why I get a little emotional about Steveston.

I counted roughly nine changing tables across Steveston when I was mapping the area for the Map. Nine. In a walkable village that you can cross in fifteen minutes. For context, plenty of much larger Vancouver neighbourhoods barely scrape together three. That single number tells you something important about how this corner of Richmond treats families: like we belong here, not like we’re an inconvenience to be tolerated between brunches.

Here’s why Steveston has become one of our regular family field trip destinations, and the specific spots that make a day out there actually work.

The Farmers & Artisans Market is a Sunday ritual worth driving for

The Steveston Farmers & Artisans Market sets up at Garry Point Park on select Sundays from May through September, running 10:00am to 3:30pm. The 2026 dates are May 10 and 24, June 14 and 28, July 12 and 26, August 2, 16 and 30, and September 13. You’ll find regional farms with piles of just-picked produce (think blueberries, apricots, lettuce, peppers as the season unfolds), plus vendor stands with local honey, candles, artisanal soaps, and the kind of baked goods that justify the trip on their own.

The Garry Point location is a huge win with kids. You can do the market loop, then walk out to the giant grassy field and the jetty for some serious stroller miles and seabird spotting. Bring a picnic blanket. Stay for hours.

The food situation, Steveston punches well above its weight on family-friendly food, and you don’t have to compromise on quality to find a place that won’t side-eye your toddler.

Dave’s fish and chips is incredibly special and has a straight forward, high quality offering! Delicious fish and chips. Highly recommend! With a certified changing table :)

Steveston Pizza Company has been a Steveston Village institution for years. Solid wood-fired pizzas, a menu that includes options simple enough for picky eaters and interesting enough for the adults, and the kind of unfussy atmosphere where a baby fussing isn’t a crisis.

Lavash Seaside Grill is a newer favourite of mine for when we want something a bit more substantial. Mediterranean and Persian-leaning menu, generous portions, and a seaside vibe that makes you feel like you’ve gone somewhere on vacation even though you’ve technically just driven to Richmond. And they have a changing table!

Village Books & Coffee House is the secret weapon. Coffee for you, board books and picture books for the small human, and a cozy spot to regroup mid-outing. If you’ve ever needed to nurse, change, or just decompress for ten minutes, having a bookstore-café in your back pocket is everything.

The shopping that actually makes sense for parents

Steveston Village Maternity is exactly what it sounds like, and it’s such a gift to have a real, dedicated maternity boutique in a walkable village. Pregnancy shopping in big-box stores is often grim. Browsing curated pieces in person, in a shop run by people who get it, is a different experience entirely.

Steveston’s Best of British is the kind of shop that makes browsing fun even when you’re not buying (though of course I always buy something, I have a terrible sweet tooth). Imported British groceries, sweets, biscuits, the lot. My toddler is obsessed with picking things off the shelves, and the staff have always been lovely about it.

What ties it all together

The reason I keep coming back to Steveston, and the reason it earned its own deep-dive on the Vancouver Family Map, is that the infrastructure is already there. The changing tables exist. The washrooms are findable. The sidewalks are wide enough for a stroller plus a passing pedestrian without anyone having to apologize. The shops have doors you can actually get through.

That sounds basic. It isn’t. It’s the result of intentional planning and businesses that have decided families are part of the customer base, not an inconvenience.

Pack the stroller, grab a Sunday morning, and go. Hit the market, get lunch at Lavash or pizza at Steveston Pizza Company, browse Village Books, pop into Best of British for treats, and if you’re expecting or shopping for someone who is, swing through Steveston Village Maternity. You’ll get fresh air, fresh produce, a long walk along the water, and a reminder that family-friendly infrastructure isn’t a fantasy. It just takes a village.

Steveston, as it turns out, is a pretty good one.