-British Columbia

Eat / Play / Shop

Things to do in Vancouver:

-Granville Island (artisan shops; great food market that’s perfect to buy stuff for a picnic)

-Pacific Spirit National Park (on UBC campus; my favorite walk)

-Botanical Garden at UBC or Van Dusen Garden

-Museum of Anthropology (UBC)

-3^rd beach on Wednesday = drumming circles and tons of people dancing

-Wreck beach (nude beach)

-Spanish banks (good boardwalk)

-Dr. Suu Yat Sen Chinese Garden (I’ve never been but looks interesting)

-Stanley Park (it’s in the West Coast rainforest with nearly ½ million trees – some are hundreds of years old; you can walk on the Seawall (great views of city) or rent bikes (amazing); food at Stanley’s Bar and Grill is pretty good – great setting with big porch overlooking the park)

-Capilano River (in North Van) – it’s in a canyon; there is a salmon hatchery so you can see through glass the salmon swimming up stream; nice hike by river (lots of fisherman in the water); “Giant Fir trail” is nice

-Bowan Island (take a ferry at Horseshoe Bay); eat at Artisan Eats café; shop at the Nik Nak Nook (junk store); good swimming beach = Maunion Bay (next to Snug Harbor) and in Bowen Bay (in the west)

-Lighthouse Park (has an old growth forest)

-Squamish: Sea to Sky Gondola – great hikes at the top and amazing view;  Eat at the Watershed Grill in Brackendale (nice to sit by the water; great food; eagles)

-Shopping: there’s not the best shopping in Vancouver but people go to Robson St. for chain stores; South Granville has some smaller boutiques; Gastown is fun to walk around

 

Things to do in Whistler:

-day trip to Joffre Lakes, east of Pemberton; also Nairn Falls PP

-Squamish-Lil’wat Cultural Centre

-Peak 2 Peak Gondola (4 km journey)

-Whistler Sliding Centre

-mountain biking (Whistler Mountain Bike Park)

-Giant snow walls

-rock climbing

-easy hike around Lost Lake

-gondolas take hikers above tree line (Garibaldi PP – day hike to Garibaldi Lake, Cheakamus Lake and Wedgemount)

 

Things to do in Kelowna:

-do not plan on shopping here (I can’t even recommend one store to check out)

-here are some activities I have researched (I haven’t done any of these yet):

Spa at the Grand, Sncewips Heritage Museum, Freedom Flight Park (paragliding), Zipzone or Oyama Zipline Forest Adventure (zipline), The Jammery, Okanagan Lavender Herb Farm, Monashee Adventure Tours; Kettle Valley Railway Cycling Co. (bike tour); Kempf Orchard; Arndt Orchard (u-pick cherries – end June), Arlo’s Honey Farm, Air-Hart Aviation (floatplane tours)

-there are wonderful wineries in the area to visit; check out this link for the 8 most stunning ones: ; you can also go to OkanaganBucketlist.com

-we did a bunch of hikes – it’s a really beautiful area. Here are some ideas: Rose Valley Regional Park, Kalamoir Park (beachfront/woods), Glen Canyon RP, Christie Falls (only 15 min to top), Scenic Canyon RP, Myra Canyon Tresles, Knox Mountain (near downtown; Apex Trail and Paul’s Tomb), Mill Creek RP (small falls), Bear Creek PP (Canyon Rim trail), Crawford Fall (good workout; great falls), Canyon Falls, Mount Boucherie: Eain Lamont Loop

-like the shopping, the food isn’t anything to write home about but some tasty places are: Bouchon (French), Raudz, Little Hobo (pigged out here on fries and macaroni), Bohemian Cafe (good for breakfast; closes at 2:30), Basil and Mint, Zabb Thai (cheap and cheerful), Krafty Kitchen + Bar (Sunday brunch: 10:30 – 2:30 pm), The Jammery (breakfast; watch You Gotta Eat Here)

-a 45 minute drive from Kelowna is the ski hill Big White; it’s hugely popular; we rented a condo that had a hot tub on the desk so the kids were in heaven; there are limited food options so it’s best to do a huge food shop in Kelowna to stock up for the week; we ate the Woods and Globe Trattoria which were both delicious

http://www.foodnetwork.ca/shows/you-gotta-eat-here/episode-guide/the-jammery-shut-up-and-eat-cacao-70/

Good site for reference: www.tourismkelowna.com

 

Things to do in the Sunshine Coast:

Gibson

-shops, galleries, cafes

-overlooks Howe sound

-where Beachcombers was filmed

-Sunshine Coast Olive Oil Company

-eat at Smitty’s Oyster House

-Gibson Public Market (10-6)

Roberts Creek

-community Mandala

-off-beat hippy types (woodworking studios; community garden)

-eat at Gumboot Restaurant and Cafe

-nice to walk on beach (lots of driftwood)

-sunset paddle along shore of Georgia Straight near Roberts Creek

Sechelt (30 min from Gibson)

-great base to explore the Sunshine Coast

-Sechelt Inlet (nice hike in Hidden Grove)

-nice to see the sunset at the Sechelt waterfront; there is a paved walkway

-Hikes: Suncoaster Trail, Skookumchuck Narrows PP (4 km trail to see them; not so impressed but okay hike)

-Princess Louisa Marine PP (long fjord; Chatterbox Falls; never went but looks nice)

-places to eat in Sechelt: Basted Baker, Shift Kitchen and Tapas Bar, The Wobbly Canoe (also recommended were: Lighthouse Pub, Lucky’s Smokehouse, The Old Boot Eatery, Saffron Restaurant)

Halfmoon Bay

-take a water taxi to Thormanby Island (check the schedule here: http://www.buccaneermarina.com); we had the best day – we brought a picnic lunch and just chilled all day checking out the marine life

-good mountain biking

-hiking at Smuggler’s Cove PP; beach at Sargeant Bay PP

Further up the Sunshine Coast (we never made it past Sechelt):

-Pender Harbour (rich and famous; good kayaking)

-Powel River (take Earl’s Cove Ferry across Jervis Inlet to Saltery Bay then drive up);  good swimming at Willingdon Beach

-Lund (3 hours from Sechelt) -fishing village w/ boardwalk; eat cinnamon buns at Nancy’s Bakery; take boat tour to coves and bays of Desolation Sound Marine Park (lots of wildlife; warm water; upland trails; hidden lakes); water taxi to Savary Island (tiny inslet; white sand and warm clear

Things to do in Tofino and Uclulet:

-eat at Sobo’s restaurant

-e-bike with Ebike Uclulet – Contact Mario at mario@ukeetours.com

Things to do in Salt Spring Island:

-Saturday morning farmer’s market

-hike in Ruckle Provincial Park; Burgoyne Bay Provincial Park

-Mt. Maxwell has amazing views (but we found it quite treacherous to drive to the top)

-Salt Spring Wild Cider (go for a snack – get the stuffed figs, and get the Cider Tasting tray)

 

Some good websites:

BC Ferries-

http://www.bcferries.com/schedules/mainland/vasc-current.php

Sunshine Coast Itinerary-

http://www.hellobc.com/british-columbia/trip-idea/sunshine-coast

Float Plane

https://www.harbourair.com/tours/sechelt/

Sechelt Bike Routes

http://www.sunshine-coast-trails.com/sechelt-trails.html

 

 

 

 

 

 

Itinerary

Great places I have visited:

• Vancouver
• Vancouver Island (visiting Victoria and Tofino)
• Whistler
• The Sunshine Coast (based in Sechelt)
• The Okanagan Valley (based in Kelowna)