Exploring Khao Yai National Park: A Visitor's Guide

The Vancouver Art Gallery is the city's premier arts institution, located in Downtown Vancouver. The gallery presents innovative, world-class exhibitions year-round featuring the works of local and international artists on a rotating basis. The gallery's collection includes paintings by renowned BC artist Emily Carr (1871-1945), as well as contemporary works by Asia-Pacific and First Nations artists.

The British Columbia climate is ideal for producing spectacular displays of flowers, and there's no better place to see them in their full glory than the VanDusen Botanical Garden. The garden is conveniently located a short distance from downtown on Oak Street near the aforementioned Queen Elizabeth Park.

The main whale watching season runs from March through October. Options for seeing the whales range from aerial viewing from a float plane to Zodiac boats, or for those looking for a more stable platform, larger tour boats. If you are lucky, you might even spot a few whales from the BC ferries that transit between Vancouver and Victoria.

South of Vancouver, Richmond is Vancouver's second Chinatown, hence you'll see many shops with Chinese characters on their signs. If you crave authentic Chinese food, you are in the right spot. Hundreds of restaurants line the streets, serving delicious food.

The futuristic sphere-like building of Science World is home to a child-friendly exploration center that explains phenomena through 12 hands-on exhibits and demonstrations. Themes include water, air, motion, and invention.

Things to do in the park include pitch-and-putt golf, tennis, disc golf, and visiting the extensive outdoor arboretum. If the day is grey and cool, escape to the tropical environment of the Bloedel Conservatory with its free-flying birds.

In Vanier Park near Burrard Bridge, the Museum of Vancouver is a large institution devoted to all things Vancouver. It covers the city's history from the first Coast Salish communities to Japantown, Kitsilano hippie days, and urban development. One of the more fascinating permanent exhibits is Neon Vancouver/Ugly Vancouver, a showcase of vintage neon signs that are a significant part of Vancouver's urban history.

The main hub of activity on Robson Street is centered between Burrard and Denman Streets. Over these three blocks, you'll find over 150 stores and restaurants. Take a stroll up and down the street, and see if you can snag a patio seat to engage in some serious people watching. For more retail, head over to Alberni Street between Burrard Street and Bute Street for high-end luxury brands, in Vancouver's so-called "Luxury Zone".

Eight pickup points are strategically placed around the downtown waterfront. It's a great way to take a mini-tour of False Creek, offering unique perspectives on the city skyline, Granville Island, and Science World from the water.

Vancouver's first tourist attraction, the Capilano Suspension Bridge opened in 1889 and has been thrilling visitors with its swaying bridge over a plummeting canyon ever since. The footbridge spans a 70-meter deep river canyon leading to an activity park filled with forest trails and a treetop walk through old-growth giants. There's also a collection of totem poles and a transparent suspended platform known as the Cliffwalk.