Things to do on Canada Day: take an adventure by transit
Things to do on Canada Day: take an adventure by transit
This year, we’re going to have to celebrate Canada’s 153rd a little differently. The Government of Canada’s hosting a virtual celebration and you can read this Vancouver Sun article for a list of local virtual celebrations.
But if you haven’t made plans yet and prefer something a little more hands-on, we have a last-minute Canada Day adventure by transit for you!
Bus and SkyTrain service will be operating on a Sunday/holiday schedule, and the SeaBus will operate on a 30-minute service on a Sunday/holiday schedule. As usual, holiday fares will be in effect, which means you’ll only need a one-zone fare to travel across all zones. If you can, please wear a face covering while waiting for or on transit.
Please keep in mind that to ensure physical distancing, tickets for most of the activities will need to be purchased in advance for a specific entry time.
Let’s get right to it!
Breakfast
White Spot
Start your day with a Nat’s Hearty Breakfast from White Spot, the iconic and locally owned B.C. restaurant. With more than 40 locations in Metro Vancouver, there’s one near you and near transit!
Depending on the location, curbside pickup, food delivery service and in-restaurant dining are all options.
Morning Activity
Museum of Vancouver
Address: 1100 Chestnut St, Vancouver, BC V6J 3J9
Phone: 604.736.4431
Nearby Transit: 2
The Museum of Vancouver’s celebrating Canada Day this year by offering discounted admission all day long, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Celebrate by walking down the memory lane and diving into the story of Vancouver from the early 1900s to the 1970s. Enjoy the nostalgia of big city lights of Neon Vancouver Ugly Vancouver. Experience a visual feast of innovation and tradition with Haida Now and witness the power of protest art with Acts of Resistance.
Tickets are only available online with a 10-person limit to each 15-minute timeslot. Due to new health and safety procedures put in place to prevent the spread of COVID-19 admissions are limited and no tickets will be available at the door.
Lunch
La Belle Patate
Address: 1215 Davie St, Vancouver, BC V6E 1N4
Phone: 604.569.1215
Nearby Transit: 2, 6
What’s Canadian cuisine? It’s a debate as old as time, but one thing most can agree on is poutine is Canadian cuisine, so it wouldn’t be Canada Day without it. Stop by La Belle Patate for takeout authentic Quebecois poutine. Delivery is also available from DoorDash.
Afternoon Activity A
Vancouver Aquarium
Address: 45 Avison Way, Vancouver, BC V6G 3E2
Phone: 604.659.3400
Nearby Transit: 19
Meet some of the most iconic and quintessentially Canadian marine animals at Vancouver Aquarium, including otters and sea lions. Take in the sights and sounds, as you encounter over 70,000 animals and over 30 unique exhibits. After a three-month closure, the aquarium has recently opened its doors to the visitors again, reinventing the space to make it safe.
You can now pre-order timed tickets, which will enable you to safely explore the exhibits for 90 minutes while maintaining physical distancing. All the tickets purchased will ensure the future operation of our beloved nonprofit.
Visit their website to purchase the tickets: https://www.vanaqua.org/
Afternoon Activity B
FlyOver Canada
Address: 201 – 999 Canada Place, Canada, Vancouver, BC V6C 3E1
Phone: 1.855.463.4822
Nearby Transit: Waterfront Station (Expo Line, Canada Line and SeaBus), R5 Hastings St RapidBus, 5, 19, 22, 209, 210, 211 and 214
With travel within Canada and internationally out of the question this summer, now is the perfect time to experience both FlyOver Canada and the new FlyOver Iceland! Take off on an exhilarating flying ride that lets you soar, dive and dip through incredible Icelandic landscapes without leaving Vancouver. Hang suspended, feet dangling in front of a 20-metre spherical screen on this state-of-the-art ride of a lifetime.
For a limited time, it’s two rides for the price of one – visit their website to purchase your tickets.
https://www.instagram.com/p/CBoN-YMpxrm/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link
Dinner
Salmon n’ Bannock Bistro
Address: 1128 W Broadway #7, Vancouver, BC V6H 1G5
Phone: 604.568.8971
Nearby Transit: 9, 99 B-Line
Salmon n’ Bannock Bistro is a First Nations restaurant showcasing Aboriginal cuisine with a variety of “nationwide” inspired culinary delights, using the freshest seasonal ingredients, certified organic game and wild fish.
The restaurant isn’t open for dine in, but is available for delivery via Uber Eats or take out by calling 604.568.8971. They’re open to 1 p.m. to 7 p.m. on Canada Day and they have salmon barbeque on special.
We recommend you call in advance to place your order and pick it up on your way home.
https://twitter.com/SnBVancouver/status/1277756207319539712
Evening Movie
Wrap up your day with a little bit of on-screen entertainment! Here’s a mix of Canadian TV shows and movies:
Disney Plus
- Check out their O Canada Collection featuring movies starring Canadians or filmed in Canada
Netflix:
- Kim’s Convenience: While running a convenience store in Toronto, members of a Korean-Canadian family deal with customers, each other and the evolving world around them.
- Anne with an E: A plucky orphan whose passions run deep finds an unlikely home with a spinster and her soft-spoken bachelor brother. Based on “Anne of Green Gables.”
- Frontier: In 18th-century North America, ruthless trappers and entrepreneurs fight to wrest control of the fur trade from the mighty Hudson’s Bay Company.
- Visit OnNetflix.ca for more Canadian movies and TV shows
Available for free
- Suck it Up (CBC Gem): Two Calgary friends (Grace Glowicki, Erin Carter) drive up to Invermere for the Canada Day weekend – and to finally confront a shared tragedy – in this small, potent dramedy from director Canning (We Were Wolves) and writer Julia Hoff. It’s oddly charming for a movie steeped in grief and pain.
- Check out the full list from Now Toronto
