There comes a point in our everyday lives wherein all we wanted to do is to sit back and relax. We just wanted to lay our heads on the softest strands of grass, maybe do a little biking so we can feel the air touching our skin, be bathed by the sun’s wonderful warmth or just sit on a bench while reading a favored book.
Parks are usually the best place to go to when you wanted to experience the aforementioned scenarios. Parks are huge patches of developed or undeveloped land wherein people from all walks of life commune without really talking, just being united on a single place at a single moment. Lots of activities can be done and you’re your own boss. When it comes to parks, one name pops into mind, Stanley Park in Vancouver, Canada.
Stanley Park is one of the city’s main tourist destinations, attracting approximately 8 million visitors each year. Featuring numerous lovely beaches, miles of well-maintained paved and dirt trails, Canada’s largest aquarium and an array of can’t-miss kid-friendly spots, this haven is recognized as one of the greatest urban parks in the world.
As Vancouver’s first park, with its ever-blooming gardens, pristine coastal areas and roughly 500,000 cedar, fir and hemlock trees, Stanley Park has continued to live up to its “greenspace” designation for more than 120 years. For these reasons and more, this tranquil oasis is the perfect city escape.
LOCATION
Stanley Park is specifically located around downtown Vancouver, Canada.
This 1,001-acre space of land is a public park which is almost entirely enclosed by the Vancouver Harbour and the English Bay.
CLIMATE
Unusual for a Canadian city, Vancouver has relatively mild winters with little snow. The cold air from the Arctic that sweeps over the rest of Canada in winter is unable to reach Vancouver. The Rocky Mountains block it.
Combine the lack of Arctic air with the mildness of Vancouver’s location on the shores of the Pacific Ocean and it’s not surprising that Vancouver is the warmest of Canada’s major metropolitan cities in winter by far.
Vancouver has one of the wettest and foggiest climates of Canada’s cities. At times, in winter, it can seem that the rain will never stop. Compensating for the wet winters, Vancouver usually enjoys excellent summer weather characterized by very pleasant, warm days with abundant sunshine.
TRANSPORTATION
With its proximity to downtown Vancouver, Stanley Park is easy to access whatever mode of transportation you choose.
Pedestrians and cyclists can take advantage of a number of routes linking the peninsula of Stanley Park to downtown Vancouver and beyond. Access the west side of the park off English Bay along the Seawall, using the Seaside Bike Route.
If you are cycling, make your way to Second Beach and the interior of the park. Those on foot can continue walking around the park on the Seawall.
Or access the park from the Georgia Street entrance, which connects to major transportation links like the Sea Bus and Sky train via the Coal Harbour Route portion of the Seawall.
TransLink’s #19 buses will get you in to Stanley Park.
Access the park from the main entrance at the west end of Georgia Street, west of downtown Vancouver. Alternately, depending on your planned destination, enter the park from the English Bay side via Beach Avenue.
If you are planning to drive to Stanley Park for the day, consider buying a daily parking pass. A daily parking pass lets you move your car and park at any location within Stanley Park.
Hourly parking passes are valid only in the lots or spaces closest to the parking meter where you purchased the ticket.
WHAT TO SEE
The Vancouver Aquarium
The Vancouver Aquarium is Canada’s largest aquarium and one of the most visited sites in Stanley Park. It is home to more than 70,000 creatures including dolphins, sea otters, anacondas, three-toed sloths, eels and more.
Visitors can learn more about the region’s marine life through the numerous exhibits. Adults and kids alike will love the entertaining and educational “encounters” program, which allows visitors to go behind the scenes and get up close and personal with the animals and the people who train them.
This includes feeding, helping train and learning about the habitats and lifestyles of dolphins, beluga whales, sea lions, sea otters, sea turtles and other sea creatures.
The Stanley Park Pavilion
The Stanley Park Pavilion is one of the most distinguished buildings in the entire park – and it’s also one of the most historic having been built in 1911. It’s an architectural draw located in the park’s famous rose gardens. The main draw is its restaurant, Stanley’s Park Bar & Grill.
The eatery, which opened in March 2007, features a menu using many local ingredients and a beer and wine list that focuses on Vancouver and British Columbia producers. Inside there are tables that seat about 60, but perhaps the most alluring detail of the restaurant is its patio.
It’s a 200-seat dining and drinking area that is the largest outdoor area of all of Stanley Park’s restaurants. It overlooks the gardens surrounding the Pavilion.
Seawall
It’s an impressive 8.8-kilometre (5.5-mile) paved route that loops around the park and, along with adjoining seaside pathways, connects the park to downtown Vancouver and skirts its entire inner waterfront.
Created in 1917 with the goal of staving off erosion, the Seawall took 60 years to complete. Today, it is the park’s most popular walking, jogging, biking and rollerblading path and, because of its relatively flat terrain, it’s a wonderful route for all ages and abilities.
The Brockton Point Lighthouse
The Brockton Point Lighthouse can be seen from various points along the Seawall, but it is the views offered from the point that are truly some of the best in the park.
Gaze at Burrard Inlet and Lions Gate Bridge or just watch the myriad cruise ships slip past while standing next to one of the Port of Vancouver’s two lighthouses — the other is in Lighthouse Park. This historic building has been standing since 1914.
Jubilee Fountain
Jubilee Fountain was built in the middle of the Lost Lagoon as a part of Vancouver’s Golden Jubilee anniversary celebrations in 1936. There was some controversy at the time whether the hefty price tag was worthwhile.
It would appear so some 80 years later, as the centerpiece continues to spout water in brilliant fashion and even gets decorated as a Christmas tree each holiday season.
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