Sights in Vancouver
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BC Sports Hall of Fame & Museum
Located inside BC Place Stadium, the small but perfectly formed Sports Hall of Fame showcases top BC athletes, both amateur and professional, with special galleries devoted to each decade in sports. There’s a wealth of medals, trophies and sporting memorabilia on display (judging by the size of their shirts, hockey players were much smaller in the old days) and there are tons of hands-on activities to tire the kids out. Check out the stirring exhibits on Terry Fox and his ‘Marathon of Hope’ run across Canada, plus Rick Hanson and his ‘Man-in-Motion’ worldwide wheelchair journey.
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University of British Columbia
The giant University of British Columbia is more than just your average college campus. Its 402-hectare grounds are part of an area called the University Endowment Lands and are set amid rugged forest. Three of the city’s most treasured and wild beaches – Locarno, Spanish Banks and Wreck – are located around this area. The tranquil Nitobe Memorial Garden and sweeping UBC Botanical Garden flourish nearby. And one of the world’s foremost First Nations museums nestles along the clifftop: the Museum of Anthropology, with its amazing indigenous artifacts and wealth of totem poles. There’s also a modern art gallery and a brand new natural history museum. As if that wasn’t enoug…
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BC Place Stadium
Site of the 2010 Winter Olympic opening and closing ceremonies, the city’s main sports arena was having its dodgy old Teflon roof replaced with a new retractable lid at the time of research, at a cost of around $500 million. On completion (scheduled for summer 2011), it will be the home of both the BC Lions Canadian Football League team and the Vancouver Whitecaps soccer team. Also used for major rock shows, the stadium was expected to resume its popular behind-the-scenes tours once its shiny new hat is in place. Also keep your eyes peeled for the re-opening of the BC Sports Hall of Fame & Museum ([tel] 604-687-5520; www.bcsportshalloffame.com). Closed during the refurb…
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Capilano Suspension Bridge
As you walk gingerly out onto one of the world’s longest (140m) and highest (70m) suspension bridges, swaying gently over the roiling waters of tree-lined Capilano Canyon, remember that the thick steel cables you are gripping are safely embedded in huge concrete blocks on either side. That should steady your feet – unless there are teenagers stamping across to scare the oldsters. It’s the region’s most popular attraction – hence the summertime crowds and relentless tour buses. The grounds here include rainforest walks, totem poles and a network of smaller bridges strung between the trees, called Treetops Adventure. Drop by the souvenir shop, one of British Colum…
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Museum Of Anthropology
With Canada's best display of northwest-coast First Nations artifacts in a spectacular waterfront setting, this is Vancouver's best museum. The totem poles alone - displayed against a wall of glass overlooking the coastline - are worth the admission. Technically speaking, the focus is global cultures - you'll be able to dip into Asian, African and Pacific artifacts - but the best exhibits showcase the intricacies of BC's coastal First Nations, including many works by legendary Haida artist Bill Reid. Take one of the free tours to get the most from your visit, and save time for the Haida village, an outdoor re-creation of a traditional settlement, complete with a longhouse…
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Vancouver Aquarium
Stanley Park’s biggest draw, the aquarium is home to 9000 water-loving creatures – including sharks, dolphins, Amazonian caimans and a somewhat shy octopus. There’s also a small, walk-through rainforest area full of birds, butterflies and turtles. Check out the iridescent jellyfish tank and the two sea otters who eat the way everyone should: lying on their backs using their chests as plates. If you feel like treating your offspring, consider a behind-the-scenes tour (from $25), where you’ll learn how to be a trainer. The aquarium has repositioned itself as a conservation center in recent years and it is in the process of expanding its facilities.
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Vancouver Lookout
Expect your lurching stomach to make a bid for freedom as one of the two glass elevators here whisks you 169m to the apex of this needle-like viewing tower. Once up top, there’s not much to do but wander around and check out the truly awesome 360-degree vistas of city, sea and mountains unfurling around you. If you want to know what you’re looking at, join one of the free tours or just peruse the historic photo panels showing just how much the landscape around here has changed. Tickets are pricey but are valid all day – return for a soaring sunset view of the city to get your money’s worth.
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Granville Island Public Market
A multisensory deli specialising in gourmet fish, cheese, fruit and bakery treats, the covered market is a chatty, visceral place to mix with the locals. It's a great place to pick up picnic fixings (Vanier Park is a short seawall stroll away if you're looking for a spot) and buskers are a regular fixture around the market's exterior. There's a small but good international food court here (eat lunch early or late to avoid the rush) as well as a regular clutch of arts and crafts stalls. Consider a guided foodie tour of the market.
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Fort Langley National Historic Site
A fortified trading post since 1827, this is where James Douglas announced the creation of British Columbia in 1858, giving the site a legitimate claim to being the province’s birthplace. With costumed re-enacters, re-created artisan workshops and a gold-panning area that’s very popular with kids – they also enjoy charging around the wooden battlements – this is an ideal place for families who want to add a little education to their trips.
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Seawall Promenade
The 9km (5.5mi) Seawall Promenade - ideal for cycling, walking, jogging and in-line skating - hugs Stanley Park's shoreline. Keep in mind that cyclists and skaters, like vehicles, must travel counterclockwise around the park, and it can get crowded on weekends.
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George C Reifel Migratory Bird Sanctuary
Across the South Arm of the Fraser River, this smashing 300-hectare sanctuary attracts feathered fowl and curious visitors in almost equal measure. Bald eagles, Siberian swans, peregrine falcons, blue herons and 264 other species choose to roost here and there are plenty of opportunities for viewing. Undoubtedly the most spectacular sight is when up to 80,000 snow geese drop by in the fall en route to Wrangel Island, off Siberia’s eastern coast. October is the best time to catch the early arrival of these birds, when they move around the area in huge, surging flocks of up to 20,000 in search of tasty marsh plants. In contrast, springtime brings millions of Western Sandpip…
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Canada Place
Vancouver’s version of the Sydney Opera House – at least judging by the number of postcards it appears on – this iconic landmark is shaped like a series of sails jutting into the sky over the harbor. Now a cruise-ship terminal and convention center (the large, grass-roofed convention center expansion opened next door in 2010), it’s also a pier where you can stroll out from the waterfront for some camera-triggering views of the North Shore mountains and the busy floatplanes splashing into the water. If it’s raining and you have kids in tow, duck inside to the Port Authority Interpretation Centre ([tel] 604-665-9179; www.portvancouver.com; admission free; [hrs] 8a…
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Stanley Park Seawall
Built between 1917 and 1980, the 8.8km seawall trail is Vancouver’s favorite outdoor hangout. Encircling the entire park, it offers spectacular waterfront mountain-fringed vistas on one side and dense, forest canopy on the other. You can walk the whole thing in two or three blister-triggering hours. Alternatively, consider renting a bike from Spokes near the park entrance; once on two wheels you’ll be able to cover the route in about an hour. Keep in mind that cyclists and rollerbladers must travel counterclockwise on the seawall, so there’s no going back once you start rolling. If you enjoy yourself, consider dipping into the 24km of trails that crisscross the park’s i…
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Second Beach & Third Beach
Second Beach is an ever-busy, family-friendly area on Stanley Park’s western side, with a large, grassy playground, a greasy-spoon snack bar that also serves ice cream, and the Stanley Park Pitch & Putt golf course. It’s also close to Creperly Meadows, where free outdoor movie screenings often take place in summer. Its main attraction, though, is the seasonal outdoor swimming pool that sits on the waterfront overlooking the gently rippling waves. But if you’re craving a more relaxing hangout, head to Third Beach. A lovely sandy expanse with plenty of large logs to sit against, this is possibly Vancouver’s best sunset-viewing spot, where the sky often comes alive with …
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Science World
Nestled under the city’s favorite geodesic dome (OK, it’s only one), the two levels of hands-on science and natural history exhibits here bring out the kid in almost everyone. It’s an ideal place to entertain the family – the gallery exploring sustainability issues is especially recommended, along with the water course of ball cannons and bridges. Expect to spend a half-day here as your sprogs run themselves ragged. Level three holds the 400-seat Omnimax Theatre, screening large-format documentary movies to those who need a sit down. If you fancy exploring without the kids, check out the adults-only After Dark events (entry $19.75). During research, a revamp of th…
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Vanier Park
Winding around Kitsilano Point and eventually connecting with Kits Beach, waterfront Vanier Park is more a host site than a destination. Home to three museums, it’s also the evocative venue for the tents of the annual Vancouver International Children’s Festival and the Bard on the Beach Shakespeare extravaganza. If you want to avoid the sweaty crush in English Bay during the Celebration of Light fireworks, bring your blanket and spread out here; you’ll have great views of the aerial shenanigans among a convivial and family-friendly crowd. The park is also a good picnic spot – bring some takeout from Granville Island (a 15-minute stroll away via the seawall) and watch …
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Capilano Salmon Hatchery
Located in Capilano River Regional Park, about 2km north of the Capilano Suspension Bridge, this fish farm is run by the Federal Department of Fisheries and Oceans to protect valuable Coho, Chinook and Steelhead salmon stocks. Visit from July to November – October, when the Chinooks return, is the optimum month – and you’ll catch adult salmon swimming through fish ladders past the rapids in an heroic effort to reach their spawning grounds upstream, after which they promptly die in a scripted lifecycle that must have been written by Samuel Beckett. Eye-level tanks display the creatures and enlightening exhibits help explain the entire mysterious process. Drivers head north…
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Wreck Beach
Follow Trail 6 into the woods then head down the steep steps to the water and you’ll find Vancouver’s only official naturist beach, complete with a motley crew of counterculture locals, independent vendors and sunburned regulars. The pants-free bunch are in a continuing battle with the University of British Columbia over the building of residential towers that threaten their privacy, so be sure to offer your support as you peel off. Time your visit well and you can take part in the annual Bare Buns Fun Run. And if you fancy connecting with other local naturists during your stay, check in with the Van Tan Nudist Club ([tel] 604-980-2400; www.vantan.ca) for events, incl…
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Gulf of Georgia Cannery
Once you’ve perused the boats hawking the day’s fresh catch, check out Steveston’s excellent cannery museum, illuminating the sights and sounds (and smells) of the region’s bygone era of labor-intensive fish processing. Most of the machinery remains – polished and cleaned of its permanent film of blood and fish oil – and there’s an evocative focus on the people who used to work here before the plant closed in 1979. You’ll hear recorded testimonies from old workers percolating through the air like ghosts and see large black-and-white blow-ups of some of the staff who spent their days immersed in entrails in order to roll thousands of cans down the production line. Take one…
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Brockton Point
Stanley Park’s eastern peninsula, this picturesque kneecap of land contains Brockton Oval cricket pitch (both Don Bradman and Freddie Trueman have played here), the squat Brockton Point Lighthouse (where Arnold Schwarzenegger handed the Olympic torch to Sebastian Coe before the 2010 Winter Olympics) and the electrically fired Nine O’Clock Gun. But the highlight is the clutch of eight colorful totem poles. A favorite tour-bus lure, these are actually photogenic replicas of the originals that were moved here from Alert Bay. In 2008 they were joined by three n-shaped carved ‘gateways’ created to welcome visitors by the First Nations who originally called the park home.…
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Lost Lagoon
This rustic area near Stanley Park’s entrance was originally an extension of Coal Harbour, but by 1916 the bridge was replaced with a causeway, and in 1922 the new body of water was named, transforming itself into a freshwater lake a few years later. Today it’s a nature sanctuary – keep your eyes peeled for beady-eyed blue herons – and its perimeter pathway makes for a wonderful stroll. The excellent Lost Lagoon Nature House ([tel] 604-257-8544; www.stanleyparkecology.ca; admission free; [hrs] 10am-7pm Tue-Sun May-Sep) provides exhibits and illumination on the park’s wildlife, history and ecology. Ask about its fascinating park walks, covering everything from bi…
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Prospect Point
One of Vancouver’s most glorious lookouts, this lofty spot is located at Stanley Park’s northern tip. In summer you’ll be jostling for elbow room with the tour groups as you angle for a view of the passing cruise ships – heading down the steep stairs to the viewing platform usually shakes some of them off. Look out for scavenging raccoons here and remember that it’s never a good idea to pet these semi-tame, rabies-carrying critters. The cairn here commemorates the 1888 wreck of the SS Beaver, a Hudson’s Bay Company steamship that was the first to travel the entire west coast of North America. Prospect Point Café offers refreshments – aim for a table on the de…
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Christ Church Cathedral
Completed in 1895 and designated as a cathedral in 1929, the city’s most attractive Gothic-style church is nestled incongruously among looming glass towers. Undergoing extensive renovations in recent years, it’s a busy site and is home to a wide range of cultural events, including regular choir and chamber music recitals and the occasional Shakespeare reading. Self-guided tours of the 32 stained-glass windows are available, but if you’re short of time just head down to the basement for the highlight: a colorful Edward Burne-Jones beauty created by the William Morris Company. Also check out the church’s dramatic hammerbeam ceiling as well as its newest window: the stunning…
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Steam Clock
Halfway along Water St, this oddly popular tourist magnet lures the cameras with its tooting steam whistle displays. Built in 1977, the clock’s mechanism is actually driven by electricity while only the pipes on top are fueled by steam (this might cause a riot if you reveal it to the patiently-waiting tourists). It sounds off every 15 minutes but marks each hour with a little whistling symphony. Once you have the required photo, spend time exploring the rest of cobbled Water St. One of Vancouver’s most historic thoroughfares, its well-preserved heritage buildings house shops, galleries and resto-bars: cast your gaze above entrance level and check out some cool old-schoo…
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Vancouver Art Gallery
Once a disappointing regional gallery with nothing more than a clutch of Emily Carr canvases to recommend it, the VAG – housed in an old courthouse but rumored to be moving to a new downtown location soon – has dramatically transformed in recent years, becoming a vital part of the city’s cultural scene. Edgy contemporary exhibitions, often showcasing Vancouver’s wealth of internationally renowned photographers, are combined with blockbuster traveling shows. The gallery comes into its own on select Fridays for FUSE, a late-night party where you can hang out with the city’s arty types. In summer the mezzanine-level café is among downtown’s best sunny haunts.
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