A Summer Road Trip To British Columbia
Part One: Two Days in Vancouver
We usually travel to Canada’s Okanagan Valley in the fall, spending a few days with friends in Okanagan Falls before heading home through the agricultural country surrounding Wenatchee. Wenatchee is referred to as the "Apple Capital of the World" due to the valley's many orchards.
Years ago, we discovered a wonderful little fruit stand along the way. It isn’t fancy, but the prices are reasonable and the quality is excellent. The apples are what I call “field run”—an assortment of shapes and sizes instead of rows of perfectly matched fruit. They may not look uniform, but they certainly taste good.
This summer, however, we decided to change our usual route and begin our trip with two nights in Vancouver, British Columbia.
A Home Base in Kitsilano
We stayed at a great Airbnb in Kitsilano, a relaxed neighborhood on Vancouver’s west side. The location was ideal. We could walk to grocery stores, restaurants, and the beach was only a few blocks away.
Exploring Grandville Island
Vancouver greeted us with an unusually rainy day, so we spent our first afternoon exploring Granville Island.
Located along False Creek, Granville Island is one of Vancouver’s liveliest shopping and cultural districts. If you’ve visited Pike Place Market in Seattle, it has a similar energy—but with a distinctly Canadian character.
At the heart of the island is its bustling public market, surrounded by restaurants, artists’ studios, workshops, theatres, a marina, a hotel and the False Creek Community Centre. It’s an easy place to spend several hours browsing, eating and watching people go about their day.
Indigenous Art and Culture at UBC
The following morning brought clearing skies, and we headed to the Museum of Anthropology at the University of British Columbia.
The museum—often called MOA—is home to an extraordinary collection of Northwest Coast Indigenous art, including monumental sculptures, totem poles and historic cultural objects. Its collections also reach far beyond the Pacific Northwest, offering visitors a window into cultures and traditions from around the world.
We spent several hours exploring the exhibits, although it would have been easy to stay much longer.
An Afternoon in Stanley Park
From the museum, we made our way to Stanley Park.
We walked along the waterfront, enjoyed the scenery and spent some time people-watching while taking in the activity around Vancouver’s harbour. Stanley Park provides a remarkable combination of forest, ocean and city views—and it’s easy to understand why it is one of Vancouver’s most popular destinations.
Dinner by the Beach
That evening, we had dinner at The Galley Patio & Grill at the Jericho Beach Kayak Centre.
The Galley is something of a hidden gem. The food was good, the atmosphere was casual and the view across the water toward the city was hard to beat.
After dinner, we took a leisurely walk along the beach before returning to our Airbnb. It was a peaceful ending to our brief stay in Vancouver—and a perfect beginning to our summer road trip.
Next, we leave the coast behind and travel into British Columbia’s Interior for a two-night visit with friends in Okanagan Falls.
Coming next: Part Two—Summer in Okanagan Falls