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TVan Photos: Coast Mountain Photography; Al Harvey
FROM SEA TO SKY
A scenic drive from downtown
Vancouver to neighbouring
Squamish, the Sea to Sky
Gondola soars 885 metres
(2,900 feet) above sparkling
ocean, taking you to an
outdoor paradise featuring
hiking trails, a suspension
bridge and a First Nations
interpretive trail. No car? No
problem. Scenic Rush lets you
cruise the Sea-to-Sky coastline
in a series of four luxury sports
cars. Or book Landsea Tours
& Adventures' full-day
Sea to Sky Tour, a seven-
hour journey that includes
transportation, a pit stop at
Shannon Falls and visits to
the gondola as well as the
Britannia Mine Museum,
a National Historic Site that
encourages kids to dig deep
into Vancouver's mining history.
Stanley Park
Lush Stanley Park is one
of Vancouver's most
cherished jewels with over
400 hectares (nearly 1,000
acres) of evergreen forests,
cricket pitches and beaches.
(The world seems to agree:
TripAdvisor's 2014 Travellers'
Choice Awards named
Stanley Park the top urban
park in the world.) Immerse
yourself in this massive green
space by playing tennis at one
of 21 courts, trying your hand
at the 18-hole Pitch and Putt,
lounging at English Bay beach
or exploring 64 kilometres
(40 miles) of forested trails.
Viewing the totem pole
"forest" is a must, and
there's no better way to get
a historical rundown than by
hopping on a Stanley Park
Horse-Drawn Tour.
Underwater encounters
Watch the animals play at the Vancouver Aquarium, home
to more than 70,000 residents hailing from the Arctic, Africa
and beyond. Visitors can chill with the penguins at Penguin
Point, hang out with sloths in the exotic Amazon gallery – a
true-to-life re-creation of a South American rainforest – and
check out the current show playing at the 4D Theatre. But
for a stay-with-you-forever experience, sign up for an Animal
Encounter and make fast friends by feeding belugas, dolphins,
sea otters and sea lions (don't forget your camera!). And be
sure to ask about the Aquarium's Marine Mammal Rescue
Centre. Every year, the organization rescues more than 100
marine mammals so they can return to their natural habitat.
