Everyone deserves to take a break, especially when you live in Vancouver where it rains more than 50% of the year. And while we all daydream of faraway places on the other side of the world, sometimes it’s not always feasible to do so.
So maybe you recently had to cancel your flights and plans you had already booked. You’re probably feeling a little disappointed because you’ve been feeling the burnout from work or you miss your family back home. Either way, you’re in desperate need of a getaway.
So you still decided to take those vacation days anyway–but what to do?
How do you find things to do in Vancouver without feeling like you’re “stuck” in town?
Now that your original plans are at a halt, it’s time to think of a plan B, a destination closer to home. It’s not your first choice, but a staycation is what you’ll have to settle for and there’s no shortage of Vancouver staycation ideas in the city.
And I get it–when we think of vacations we think of sandy beaches and exotic experiences overseas, not staying put at home.
When circumstances prevent you from taking that vacation overseas, consider it as an opportunity to explore your city in new detail.
Perhaps it’s about time you take a visit to some of those Vancouver staycation ideas you’ve boasted to your out-of-town friends about but never got around doing it yourself (yeah, we’ve all been there).
So if you’re at a loss or need some new Vancouver staycation ideas, here’s a list of unique Vancouver experiences to consider for your next better-than-vacation staycation.
Our list of things to do in Vancouver for your next staycation
1. Escape to the Jungle at the Bloedel Conservatory
If you need a momentary getaway without actually getting away, take a trip up to Queen Elizabeth Park for one of the most unique Vancouver experiences. Leave all your worries behind as you enter into a warm tropical paradise of colourful and rare birds and plants.
Bloedel Conservatory houses more than 120 free-flying exotic birds, 500 exotic plants and flowers that thrive within its temperature-controlled environment. Funded by a generous donation from Prentice Bloedel, the Bloedel Conservatory was opened in 1969 so the public can better appreciate and understand the world of plants.
2. A Cultural Trip at the Museum of Anthropology
When I attended school at the University of British Columbia, one of my favourite places to hang out was at the MOA.
MOA is a place of world arts and cultures with a special emphasis on the First Nations peoples as the building itself is built on the traditional, ancestral and unceded land of the Musqueam people.
The building itself is designed by renowned Canadian architect, Arthur Erickson, his work can be found throughout the world. Some of his notable works include the Vancouver law courts complex in downtown Vancouver, the Canadian embassy building in Washington, D.C., Expo 70 Canadian Pavilion, Expo 67 Theme Pavilions, Tokyo 65 Canadian Pavilion, the Vancouver Art Gallery…and the list goes on.
Over the years, the MOA has worked on building closer relationships with cultural communities here in British Columbia and around the world through experimental and collaborative research methods and putting on exhibitions that cut across traditional disciplinary divisions to provoke creative engagement and dialogue.
A visit to the MOA is one of the most unique Vancouver experiences you’ll do in the city. You’ll get a chance to connect on a deeper level with the city and perhaps come out of it with a new appreciation of the land that we live in.
3. A Tranquil Oasis at Dr. Sun Yat-Sen Garden
Dr. Sun Yat-Sen Classical Chinese Garden is a Ming dynasty-style garden, one of the first of its kind built outside of China as a joint collaborative effort of community members, the Canadian government, and the People’s Republic of China.
To make your visit even more special, grab a few pastries over at a Chinatown staple, New Town Bakery, and enjoy your treats al fresco on the benches outside the garden entrance above the koi pond behind the statue. Just make sure to clean up after yourself!
Dr. Sun Yat-Sen (born 1866) was a Chinese statesman, physician, and political philosopher, who served as the provisional first president of the Republic of China and the first leader of the Kuomintang (Nationalist Party of China).
Dr. Sun Yat-Sen played a crucial role in the overthrow of the Qing Dynasty, believing that the government was beyond repair and needed to be replaced. He had a strong hunch that China was at a huge risk of being taken over by foreign powers so he led the Xinhai Revolution which led to a successful overthrow of the Qing Dynasty.
4. Visit Vancouver’s First Morgue at the Police Museum
If you’re in the mood to explore the seedier side of Vancouver, take a trip down to the Vancouver Police Museum.
Walkthrough the Museum’s authentic historic spaces and learn about some of Vancouver’s most exciting criminal cases, unsolved murder mysteries and the fascinating history of policing in Vancouver.
You could even partake in a “Choose-your-own-adventure” style crime-solving activity that takes place in 1949. The self-guided activity is a great way to see all exhibits and historic spaces in the museum–including the morgue and the autopsy suite.
Sift through case files, take a closer look at the pieces of evidence, and listen to witness statements. Examine the crime scene, and see if you can piece together the evidence and solve the case.
5. Geocaching Fun for Everyone
Why not add a fun global scavenger hunt to your next hike?
Geocaching is a type of global treasure hunt of people looking for “caches”, (stashes of objects). It’s a real-world, outdoor treasure hunting game using GPS-enabled devices. Participants navigate to a specific set of GPS coordinates by clues and then attempt to find the geocache (container) hidden at that location.
If you’re like me and love a good mystery solving activity, this would be a great addition to your next outdoor adventure and an incentive for those that need the extra motivation.
You can download the mobile app to search the area you’ll be in, plan your visit, and play!
6. Sail off into the Sunset
On the market for romantic things to do in Vancouver or want to live out a cheesy movie cliché as one of your Vancouver staycation ideas?
Brush up on the sea shanties you learned from grandpa (or, TikTok) and sail off into the sunset with your lover on a rented boat from Granville Island Boat Rentals.
They’ve been operating on Granville Island in the heart of downtown Vancouver since 1982 and they have boats for 2 or as many as 7 people if you wanted to invite some of your closest friends to share the experience with.
Most of the boats don’t require you to have a boating license except for the “Sports Premium Edition” models, boat operation is supposedly easy and beginner-friendly so you don’t have to worry too much about the technicalities.
7. Steveston Fisherman’s Wharf
On another nautical note, visit the fishing community and its various cozy eating spots and shops at the Fisherman’s Wharf in Steveson Village.
Along the pier next to Steveston Landing is Fisherman’s Wharf, where incredible river views give way to the village’s famed commercial fishing fleet–the largest in Canada.
Pick up some fresh shrimp, Dungeness crab, sea urchin, and spot prawns from the very anglers who caught them. You can learn more about what’s on sale according to the season on their website.
If you want to learn more about Steveston’s interesting past, visit the Gulf of Georgia Cannery. The cannery was built in 1894 in the historic village of Steveston and was once the largest building of its kind and the leading producer of canned salmon in British Columbia.
Steveston Village is usually packed with a lot of tourists in the summer, try going on a weekday or during the off-season so you can take in the beautiful scenery.
The last time we went, Adrien and I played hooky from work on a random autumn weekday. We spent the day walking around the village and sat down with a bottle of wine at a near-empty restaurant watching the fall sunset. It truly was the best ‘sick day’ I’ve ever had.
8. Plan a Tropical Escape to the Shameful Tiki Room
Looking for a unique Vancouver experience to cap off your day?
One of my favourite places for a cocktail is at The Shameful Tiki Room, a bar dedicated to creating a bygone era tiki experience unlike any other bar in Vancouver.
As you enter the dimly lit bar, you’ll notice that there are no visible windows to the real world. The Shameful Tiki Room is like an area of refuge for those who need a break from reality.
Enjoy an exotic cocktail or two and admire the tiki carvings from unique Californian carvers, pufferfish lamps from overseas and on any given evening, you may walk into the serenade of a live surf band, a ukulele player, or a hula dancer.
Spots fill up quickly and walk-ins are usually about an hour wait, so make sure to book a reservation ahead of time.
And that completes our list! Of course, there are way more things to do in Vancouver that we haven’t listed here. We were aiming for more of a low-effort appeal to those that don’t want to bother with planning or having to go too far.
If you think we missed a must-do activity or have a better-than-vacation staycation idea in Vancouver, leave us a note below!
If you’re thinking about more Vancouver staycation ideas, consider taking a short drive up to Whistler where you can do more than just ski and snowboard.
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