Inside Vancouver

Vancouver by Trolley – Stop 11 Westin Bayshore (Red 3)

by Inside Vancouver in Town on April 23, 2011

Coal Harbour is a fantastic area to explore. When I hopped off the Trolley at the Westin Bayshore, the sun was shining over the ocean with views of Stanley Park and the North Shore Mountains, while the surrounding cherry trees were displaying beautiful pink blossoms. There is a current public art display throughout downtown called Vancouver Biennale; the red statues that you see below make up the Meeting display and have been a fantastic photo op here since the fall of 2009. Continue reading:
Vancouver by Trolley – Stop 11 Westin Bayshore (Red 3)

April in Bloom – Top 5 Vancouver Spring Gardens

by Dana Lynch in Outside on March 30, 2011

Stanley Park Rose Garden. Photo: Dana Lynch

You can be forgiven for thinking that spring hasn’t really arrived yet; our frequent gray-and-rainy weather can sometimes make late-March and April seem like just an extension of winter. But there are places in Vancouver where the seasonal change is beautifully apparent: Vancouver’s public gardens.

Vancouver’s public gardens—many of which are free—are gorgeous year-round, but spring is a special time for many of our top gardens. April is traditionally the peak bloom time for seasonal tulips and bulbs—Minter Gardens has 10,000!—as well as magnolias, camellias, Japanese cherries, and early rhododendrons.

Top 5 Vancouver Spring Gardens

1. Stanley Park Rose Garden – Free
Late March – April is one of Stanley Park’s peak bloom times, and that extends to the famous Rose Garden. The Rose Garden’s combination of early bloomers and spring bulbs makes it well worth a spring trip. Plus, you can explore Stanley Park’s other gardens while you’re there!

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April in Bloom – Top 5 Vancouver Spring Gardens

Find your happy place at Minter Gardens

by Inside Vancouver in Outside on August 30, 2010

Minter Gardens (Photo: Calvina Wai)

We pretend it’s not going to happen, but it is: summer is coming to an end. Don’t fret, there is still time to take that road trip outside the city while the sun is still shining. Not too far from Cultus Lake and Harrison Hot Springs is a 32-acre sanctuary called Minter Gardens.

You’ve heard of it but have never actually been there. I was in the same boat, until recently, I finally made the 1.5-hour drive east of Vancouver. As I drove into the Minter Gardens parking lot, I knew this place was going to be special. The garden is set against a backdrop of magnificent mountain ranges and carved out by a landslide centuries ago. When Brian and Faye Minter saw this unusual landscape back in 1977, it was their dream to build a garden, and their team has been carefully tending it for the past 30 years.

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Find your happy place at Minter Gardens

Zimsculpt Returns to VanDusen Botanical Garden August 13 – September 26, 2010

by Dana Lynch in Outside on August 8, 2010

Square Chikwanda's Seated Girl from the 2009 Zimsculpt exhibition at VanDusen Botanical Garden

A huge hit in summer 2009, Zimsculpt—the famous exhibition of Zimbabwean shona (stone) sculpture—returns to the VanDusen Botanical Garden August 13 – September 26, 2010.

VanDusen Botanical Garden is stunning in summer, and seeing some of Zimbabwe’s most moving and deeply personal sculptures exhibited throughout the Garden only enhances the beauty of both the landscape and the art. If you missed this show last year, don’t miss it this year. (VanDusen Botanical Garden is Zimsculpt’s only North American tour-stop!)

For 2010, curator Vivienne Croissette brings more than 150 pieces of sculpture to VanDusen, from over 80 artists. Artists Passmore Mupindiko and Patrick Sephani will be on site to answer your questions; you also get to see Mupindiko and Sephani at work. (I got to meet both artists last year; they were very approachable and a great resource for anyone interested in both the shona sculpture and Zimbabwe.)

All of the pieces displayed in Zimsculpt are for sale, with partial proceeds going to support the Garden.

Admission to Zimsculpt is included in the regular admission to VanDusen Botanical Garden: $9.75 for adults, $6.75 for seniors/youth, $5 for kids 6 – 12, or $21.25 for a family of four.

Did you go to Zimsculpt last year? Please share your opinions of the exhibits below!

Summer Concerts: Enchanted Evenings at Dr. Sun Yat Sen Chinese Garden

by Dana Lynch in Entertainment on July 6, 2010

Dr. Sun Yat Sen Chinese Garden in Vancouver's Chinatown

One thing I adore about summer in Vancouver is the way great entertainment gets taken outside, with the outdoor Theatre Under the Stars at Stanley Park, the open-backed tents of Bard on the Beach, and the Enchanted Evenings Concert Series at Chinatown’s exquisite Dr. Sun Yat Sen Chinese Garden.

With its setting among Dr. Sun Yat Sen’s classical beauty of weathered rocks, calming waters and stunning architecture, the Enchanted Evenings Concert Series is definitely one of Vancouver’s summer delights.

Continue reading:
Summer Concerts: Enchanted Evenings at Dr. Sun Yat Sen Chinese Garden

Vancouver by Trolley – Stop 11 Westin Bayshore (Red 3)

April in Bloom – Top 5 Vancouver Spring Gardens

Find your happy place at Minter Gardens

Zimsculpt Returns to VanDusen Botanical Garden August 13 – September 26, 2010

Summer Concerts: Enchanted Evenings at Dr. Sun Yat Sen Chinese Garden

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Vancouver photo essays