Vancouver Things to Do Tips by jamiesno

A contingent of people come to the Island every day to do a job at one of the diverse shops, galleries and marketplaces, or the private businesses squirreled away in the upper floors, attics, nooks and crannies of the Island edifices and in separate buildings off the beaten path.

For me I remember the relaxing casual atmosphere. The smells of fresh food in the market, the entertaining buskers that bring life to the streets, the pacific ocean small, the birds and artists. Any visit to Vancouver should include Granville Island and for me it included a couple of visits to eat and just enjoy the atmosphere and shops. It's a cool place to hang out.

I also provided a web site with plenty of more detailed information on what you will find on the island.

Be sure to rate my tips and leave your comments I love them all.

When you are on the Island you will see maps like the one in this picture so it is very easy to find your way around. Everything is relatively close so don't worry about getting lost, just enjoy your stay!

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Website: http://www.granvilleisland.com

One of the things that brings such atmosphere to Vancouver's famous Granville Island is the local entertainers.

They bring life to the area and it's important to show your support for the work they do.

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Website: http://www.granvilleisland.com

Buskers on Granville Island are a great way to break up your day if your tired of touring Vancouver.

I remember this guy claiming to be from England really got a lot of attention. He involved the audience a lot of was very funny.

Not to mention talented throwing around this fire all day.

I really enjoy Buskers in every city but Granville Island has some great ones so be sure to take the time to stop and enjoy.

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Website: http://www.granvilleisland.com

If you are into local breweries you should stop by the Granville Brewing Company. Actually in BC and Alberta these brewing companies put out some great beer.

At GIB for less than $5 CDN you can sampe 5 different beers that are made on site. I tried the English Pale Ale, Cypress Honey Lager, Gastown Amber Ale, Island Lager and one seasonal ale. Personally I enjoyed the lagers best.

You can also get tours of the brewery twice a day. The tour can only accommodate 14 people at a time so it obviously fills up quickly. I missed the tour because I tried to walk on, not realizing, so be sure to put your name on the list prior to the tour.

There is also a nice gift shop where you can obviously buy more beer or lots of beer and wine drinking accessories.

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Phone: 604.687.BREW
Address: 1441 Cartwright Street
Directions: On Granville Island
Website: http://www.gib.ca/

I really don't know what to say about the Aquarium other than it was amazing. It was $16.5 CDN to enter for an adult. There is cheaper pricing for children and seniors.

I was really blown away by the Beluga Whales, there are several at the Aquarium.

"Kavna" is a female beluga who is approximately 3.8 metres in length and weighs about 1000 kg. At about 32 years of age, Kavna eats 11 kg of herring, squid and capelin a day.

"Allua" is only a teenager at about 19 years of age. She is 3.2 metres long and about 794 kg, eating 10.5 kg of herring, squid and capelin.

"Imaq" is the only male beluga, he's a bit heavier at about 1340 kg and 3.9 metres long. His daily diet is 14 kg of herring, squid and capelin. Imaq is about 15 years old.

"Aurora", a 16 year old female, weighs approximately 800 kg and is 3.2 metres in length. She gets fed 11 kgs of herring, squid and capelin a day.

"Qila" is almost 8 years old. She gets fed 9 kg of herring, squid and capelin. She is now 3.3 metres long and approx. 595 kgs in weight.

"Tuvaq" was born July 20th, 2002 to mother Aurora. He is the newest addition to the belugas at the Vancouver Aquarium! At 6 months of age, he measured 1.98 metres and weighed 186 kg.

I highly recommend you also visit the Aqaurium web site where they have a live web cam on the beluga whales.

Be sure to rate my tips and leave your comments, I enjoy them all.

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Directions: Located in Stanley Park
Website: http://www.vanaqua.org

When you first enter the Vancouver Aquarium the times for all the shows will be listed on a board.

I recommend you take in the dolphin show. The day of our visit, they were high energy and I couldn't beleive how high out of the water these dolphins could go. It was amazing.

How well trained they are is equally amazing. Just a flick of the hand, their trainers can get them to do whatever. You will really enjoy this show.

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Directions: Located in Stanley Park
Website: http://www.vanaqua.org

All sharks are predators and if your not into swimming with the sharks in the Caribbean, the Vancouver Aqaurium is a great place to stick your face up against the glass and get some great pictures of sharks.

Even standing next to the glass gives you an erry feeling but don't worry I am sure your safe :-).

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Directions: Located in Stanley Park
Website: http://www.vanaqua.org

As you can see from some of these facts below, sea lions are becoming very rare making your visit that much more special to the Vancouver Aqaurium.

Since 1980, more than 75 per cent of the Steller sea lion population has disappeared, leaving the current wild population with less than 75,000 individuals. In 1990, Steller sea lions were listed as "threatened" under the United States Endangered Species Act. In 1997, the U.S. National Marine Fisheries Service reclassified some populations of Steller sea lions in Alaska as "endangered".

Who are the Steller sea lions at the Aquarium?

Tag is a 8 and a half year old male Steller. He is 2.7 metres in length and 375 kg in weight. He eats 12 kg of herring, squid and capelin daily.

Hazy is a 4.5 year old female who is 2 metres long and 131 kg heavy. She eats a daily herring, squid, and capelin intake of 9 kg.

Sitka, a 4.5 year old female Steller, is 2.1 metres long and 154 kg heavy. She eats 9 kg of herring, squid, and capelin a day.

There are also 5 juvenile Steller sea lions.

Source: Vancouver Aquarium

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Directions: Located in Stanley Park
Website: http://www.vanaqua.org

Like my tip on sharks, if you are not into swimming with sharks or wrestling crocodiles, you can safely view them at the Vancouver Aqaurium.

They look pretty relaxed but still very impressive. Enjoy your stay here.

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Directions: Located in Stanley Park
Website: http://www.vanaqua.org

Probably a little less exciting as apposed to the sharks but there are also plenty of Jelly Fish at the Vancouver Aqaurium.

Jellyfish belong to the Phylum Cnidaria, which has three major classes: Hydrozoa, the primitive fern-like creatures, many of which produce small jellyfish, Scyphozoa, the large jellyfish, or scyphomedusae, and their polyps, and Anthozoa, or sea anemones. Although many of these animals produce a jellyfish part of their life cycle, there are only about 200 species of large jellyfish that people are likely to notice - most of these are in the Scyphozoa.

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Directions: Located in Stanley Park
Website: http://www.vanaqua.org