Vancouver, British Colombia is famous for a variety of things, including an incredible year round climate. It is a major city with great museums, a thriving food scene, and seemingly endless options for outdoor fun. But Vancouver has a few surprises up its sleeve, too.
With a metropolitan population of almost three million people, Vancouver is a something for everyone kind of place. And with an extremely diverse population from around the world, there's a lot of explore. It's the kind of place where you can get off the beaten path pretty easily.
Two Spirits Carving
If you were going to make a list of places you absolutely had to go in Vancouver, Stanley Park would be high on it. This stunning green space is a great place to spend the day and is home to the Vancouver Aquarium. But it is also home to a mysterious wooden sculpture called the Two Spirits Carving. No one has ever admitted to the work, making the story as compelling as the art.
Dr. Sun Yat-Sen Classical Chinese Garden
Established more than a century ago, Vancouver's Chinatown is one of the few neighborhoods in the city that is truly culturally distinct. As such, you'll find several interesting spots there, including the Dr. Sun Yat-Sen Classical Chinese Garden. This was the first garden of its kind created outside of China and was heavily inspired by the garden homes of Ming Dynasty scholars.
Vancouver Maritime Museum
Like many big cities, Vancouver has a thriving museum scene. That includes the Vancouver Art Gallery, an almost overwhelming collection of art and culture representing the depth of the region. At the same time, you can also go to the Vancouver Maritime Museum. It provides a historical overview of both major and minor maritime histories as well as other times like the Prohibition Era.
Dude Chilling Park
This is likely the most Vancouver name for a park of all time. Heck, it's probably the most Vancouver name fore anything ever. The actual name is Guelph Park, but a sculpture installed in the early 1990s literally looks like a dude chilling there. Naturally, the nickname for the park became Dude Chilling Park. The official name hasn't changed but there is a newer art piece with nickname on it.
VanDusen Garden's Elizabethan Hedge Maze
When they say that the VanDusen Garden's Elizabethan Hedge Maze is unique, they mean it. This is only one of six mazes of its kind in North American that maintain the European traditions at the core of its design. The thousands of cedars used to make the maze were planted in 1981 and have been meticulously maintained since then, making it both beautiful and fun.