Photo via VanDusen Botanical Garden
We’ve had the showers, now it’s time to enjoy those spring flowers! If your neighbourhood isn’t really delivering on that front, we know just the place to get your fix…
VanDusen Botanical Garden packs 55 acres of cultivated beauty with over 7,500 plant species from around the world. You’re in the heart of Vancouver, but you’ll feel a million miles away.
Walk along the pathways and take in the picturesque ponds, serene waterfall, garden architecture, and 70 different botanical collections.
Pro tip: it’s also a great Mother’s Day activity!
Here are 5 things to do at the VanDusen Botanical Garden this spring.
Kids and adults alike will love the Elizabethan hedge maze made up of over 3,000 pyramidal cedars. Don’t worry, it’s not big enough to get really lost, but we won’t judge you if you feel like pretending!
This one is great to do with kids! VanDusen Botanical Garden has recorded over 85 different bird species. When you arrive, pick up a Junior Birder challenge at the admission desk and make note of which birds you spot on your visit.
If your family can complete the challenge, you’ll get a Junior Birder button as a prize!
An experience that’s fun AND educational? If only your elementary school teacher could see you now. The Vancouver Botanical Gardens Association (VBGA) offers classes for adults and children like art, photography, gardening, botany and ecology – right there at VanDusen!
There are even Summer camps and nature school programs for kids in case you have a budding nature enthusiast on your hands.
That’s right! If you want to spend the whole day there – you can! Bring your own blanket, pack your favourite snacks, and have a little picnic on the lawn.
Alternatively, if you didn’t pack enough to fill your belly, you can grab a bite at the Shaughnessy Restaurant, made with ingredients harvested from the on-site vegetable garden. Talk about farm to table.
We want to say something like “It’s better to be a mem…” but we’re pretty sure that tagline is trademarked and we don’t want to get sued.
But you know which one we’re talking about, and in this case, it’s true!
VanDusen membership offers all kinds of benefits. Like year-round access to VanDusen Botanical Garden and Bloedel Conservatory, along with express entry, discounts at the Garden gift shop, select special events, educational classes and programs, and partner discounts at Shaughnessy Restaurant and local businesses and garden centres.
There are also Dual Memberships that you can share with a friend, and you can even purchase a membership as a gift (hint, hint: Mother’s Day is on May 12th).
It’s great for those who like to visit the gardens often, which is totally worth it because blooms change throughout the season, so it never looks the same twice!
There are also a number of special ‘bloom-related’ events coming up in the next few months, and members will be the first to know.
Buy a membership online here and pick up your card for express entry on your next visit to the Garden.
When: Open daily
Where: 5251 Oak St, Vancouver
Cost: Adults tickets $12.85 online, $13.85 at the door
Memberships range from $35 – $135 per year
It's about time!
The countdown starts now!!