Inside Vancouver

Top 5 Vancouver Parks for Strollers & Wheelchairs

by Dana Lynch in Outside on April 12, 2011

Paved walkways perfect for wheels at Queen Elizabeth Park Quarry Garden. Photo: Dana Lynch

As the mother of a one-year old, I’m always looking for places to take the kid. When the weather is gorgeous, one of Vancouver’s beautiful parks should be the ideal day trip. But not all of Vancouver’s great outdoor spaces are stroller- or wheelchair-friendly. And there’s nothing more disappointing than reaching your destination only to realize that you can’t actually do anything while there.

So I’ve compiled a quick list of the Top 5 Best Vancouver Parks for Strollers & Wheelchairs:

1. Queen Elizabeth Park
Queen Elizabeth Park is the perfect wheelchair- and stroller-accessible park. Not only can you wind your way through both its quarry gardens on wheels (there are even wheelchair symbols painted on the pathways to guide you), you can enjoy the top of the park, too, including the dancing fountains and Bloedel Floral Conservatory.

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Top 5 Vancouver Parks for Strollers & Wheelchairs

Vancouver Summer Gardens: Queen Elizabeth Park

by Dana Lynch in Family Friendly on July 4, 2010

Flower bed at Queen Elizabeth Park. Photo by Dana Lynch

I often think that, given all the hype Vancouver beaches get every summer (rightly so—our beaches are amazing), people forget about our other, equally gorgeous outdoor spaces: Vancouver’s gardens.

I know I’m not alone in loving Vancouver’s gardens; they attract millions of visitors every year. And summer is the time to visit: the weather is better and seeing everything in bloom is just magical.

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Vancouver Summer Gardens: Queen Elizabeth Park

New Life for Vancouver’s Tropical Conservatory

by Remy Scalza in Family Friendly on May 3, 2010

A story in the Vancouver Sun last week announced a new proposal to save the Bloedel Conservatory, the giant biodome high atop Queen Elizabeth Park that houses a range of exotic plants, birds and fish. According to the report, authorities are considering merging the conservatory with nearby VanDusen Gardens, creating a kind of one-stop shop for garden and nature lovers. This is promising news for fans of the conservatory, who learned last year that the iconic landmark was losing money and threatened with closure by the city.

I recently had a chance to check out the conservatory, which – at 43 meters in diameter and 21 meters in height – is the second largest domed conservatory in the world. The moment you step into the giant dome, you’re greeted with a blast of warm, moist tropical air (especially nice on a rainy Vancouver weekend). Pass through the tiny gift shop, pay your admission (a steal at $5 for adult tickets) and suddenly you find yourself in a a dense rainforest.

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New Life for Vancouver’s Tropical Conservatory

Rumble in the Jungle: Bloedel Conservatory Fundraising Gala January 30

by Dana Lynch in Events on January 27, 2010

A couple of weeks ago, I posted about the upcoming closure (due to a budget shortfall) on April 30, 2010, of the Bloedel Floral Conservatory, the domed nature conservatory that sits atop Queen Elizabeth Park.

If you’re as upset about the impending closure as I am, you have a chance to do something fun and helpful this coming weekend: attend the Rumble in the Jungle fundraising gala on January 30, 2010.

Organized by the non-profit Friends of the Bloedel to raise funds to keep the Conservatory open, the Rumble in the Jungle gala will be a night to remember. Taking place at the Conservatory itself, 200 – 300 guests will enjoy jungle-themed food and drink, Tahitian fire dancers, live music from Vancouver musician Dal Richards, and “surprises galore”.

Tickets for Rumble in the Jungle are $125 each or $200 for a pair, and are available from Southlands Nursery, 655 Balaclava St. (604-261-6411), Bacci’s at 2788 Granville St. (604-733-4933) and Thomas Hobbs Florist, 2129 West 41st Ave. (604-261-5998).

For more information, call Terri Clark at 778-866-9875 or John Coupar at 604-818-2756, two of the event’s organizers.

Bloedel Floral Conservatory Scheduled to Close March 1, 2010

by Dana Lynch in Town on January 12, 2010

Image from Friends of the Bloedel

If you’ve been following local Park Board news, you already know that the Bloedel Floral Conservatory is slated for closure March 1, 2010, due to lack of funds.

I’ve written before about how much I like the Bloedel Conservatory. Aside from its iconic triodetic-dome exterior—without which the top of Queen Elizabeth Park would seem utterly naked—visitors love this Vancouver attraction for the same reasons I do: it’s the city’s only “garden under glass,” home to 500 species of plants and flowers and to 100 exotic birds.

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Bloedel Floral Conservatory Scheduled to Close March 1, 2010

Top 5 Vancouver Parks for Strollers & Wheelchairs

Vancouver Summer Gardens: Queen Elizabeth Park

New Life for Vancouver’s Tropical Conservatory

Rumble in the Jungle: Bloedel Conservatory Fundraising Gala January 30

Bloedel Floral Conservatory Scheduled to Close March 1, 2010

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