Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
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Vancouver Maritime Museum
Just a five-minute stroll from Museum of Vancouver is
Vancouver Maritime Museum
(1905 Ogden Ave., 604/257-8300, 10am-5pm daily in summer, 10am-5pm Tues.-Sat. and
noon-5pm Sun. the rest of the year, adult $11, senior and student $8.50), at the end of
Cypress Avenue. Filled with nautical-themed displays that showcase British Columbia's
seafaring legacy, exhibits chronicle everything from the province's first European ex-
plorers and their vessels to today's oceangoing adventurers, modern fishing boats, and
fancyships.BeyondthefrontdeskisahistoricalRoyalCanadianMountedPolice(RCMP)
vessel,
St. Roch,
whichfillsthefirstmainroom.NowaNationalHistoricSite,the
St. Roch
was the first patrol vessel to successfully negotiate the infamous Northwest Passage. Bey-
ond the vessel and easy to miss are the large black-and-white images of local waterways
from 100 years ago—a real eye-opener as to how much and how quickly Vancouver has
grown. Children tend to gravitate toward the back of the museum to the Maritime Discov-
ery Centre, where they can dress up as a fisherman, try their hand at navigation, and crawl
through a pirate's cave. To get there from downtown, take bus 22 south on Burrard Street
or walk down Burrard Street to the Aquatic Centre and hop aboard a False Creek Ferry.
When you're finished inside the museum, wander down to the water to view Heritage
Harbour, where a small fleet of historical vessels is docked.
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VanDusen Botanical Garden
In the mid-1960s, Shaughnessy residents lost their golf course to encroaching residential
development but managed to save a plot of land that was later redeveloped as a public
garden—the city's answer to Victoria's Butchart Gardens, albeit on a smaller scale. Today
the 22-hectare (54-acre)
VanDusen Botanical Garden
(5251 Oak St. at W. 37th Ave.,
604/257-8335,
http://vandusengarden.org
, 10am-8pm daily in summer, 10am-6pm daily
April and Oct., and 10am-4pm daily the rest of the year, adult $11.25, senior and student
$8.50, child $5.50) is home to more than 7,500 species from every continent except
Antarctica.It'stheplacetofeastyoureyesonmorethan1,000varietiesofrhododendrons,
as well as roses, all kinds of botanical rarities, winter blossoms, and an Elizabethan hedge
maze. Look for the display board near the front entrance to see what's best for the time of
year in which you're visiting. The complex also includes a shop selling cards, perfumes,
soaps, potpourri, and all kinds of gifts with a floral theme. At popular
Shaughnessy Res-
taurant
(604/261-0011), the light and airy decor, picture windows, and garden view bring
the outside in. It's open 11:30am-3pm daily for a reasonably priced lunch and 5pm-9pm
for a more expensive, dressier dinner; reservations recommended. To get to the garden
