29 Unique Things to Do in Vancouver

Looking for something different from the usual attractions? We’ve rounded up a list of unique things to do in Vancouver that go beyond the ordinary, from watching crows fly at sunset to scuba diving in a dragon’s den. Whether you’re an adrenaline-seeker, foodie, or culture lover, these unusual Vancouver experiences will show you a new side of the city.

Catch a Movie in a Morgue

What could be creepier than watching a scary movie screened in the city’s old morgue? You can book a private movie screening with up to 24 of your friends through the Vancouver Police Museum in Gastown, which opens up the historic morgue space right outside the original autopsy suite for private screenings. Pick a movie from their catalogue or bring your own DVD and prepare for one of the spookiest and most unique things to do in Vancouver.

Spend a Night in the Wild

Ever wondered what happens at the zoo when all the visitors go home? The Greater Vancouver Zoo offers overnight Night in the Wild experiences every Friday and Saturday night. Enjoy an evening guided tour with zoo staff, swap stories by the campfire, then set up your tent for an overnight stay! Interpretive tours can be adapted to all ages, and you can even add on extra activities like an animal encounter or scavenger hunt.

Get Scientific After Dark

Once a month, Science World opens its doors after hours for adults looking to rediscover their inner child during its popular After Dark event series. Part field-trip, part social event, grab a drink while you explore the regular interactive galleries, and enjoy adult-focused programs, guest speakers, and access to the OMNIMAX theatre. Past themes have included LEGO builds, performances by Circus West, and science-themed murder mysteries.

Experience Vancouver at its Most Natural

Unique among the city’s sandy spots, Wreck Beach is best known as Vancouver’s clothing-optional beach. Located to the west of the University of British Columbia, down a steep set of stairs that crawl down the cliff, the beach offers a strong community spirit, with regulars that are fiercely protective of both their right to “bare arms” (and bare everything else), and of the beautiful natural surroundings. If you visit, make sure you respect the rules—among them: no photos, no staring, and take your garbage home with you.

Tour Stanley Park the Old-Fashioned Way

Possibly the most relaxing way to take in Vancouver’s urban rainforest, the Stanley Park Horse-Drawn Tours offers one-hour excursions around the park complete with commentary and gentle clip-clopping. Unlike personal carriage rides, the company’s Grey Shires and Clydesdales lead a tram-style vehicle that accommodates up to 26 guests (and is wheelchair friendly!) while your guide teaches you about the area’s historical and botanical roots.

Explore at the Museum of Anthropology

Known for its leading collection of Northwest Coast First Nations artworks, the Museum of Anthropology at UBC is stunning both inside and out. Housed in a stunning building with sweeping ocean views, the museum works with Indigenous, local and global communities to promote cultural understanding. It is home to 50,000 works from almost every part of the world, along with 535,000 archaeological objects. Some of the best-known pieces in the collection are those by one of Canada’s most famous Indigenous artists, Bill Reid.

Travel Coast to Coast

Even if your trip to Canada doesn’t stretch beyond Vancouver, there’s no reason you can’t experience more of our country! Using state-of-the-art 4D technology, FlyOver Experience Canada takes you soaring on a coast-to-coast discovery flight. Strap yourself into your seat, and you’ll feel the wind in your hair as you take off, smell the fresh alpine air over the Rockies, and feel the misty sensation of Niagara Falls.

Eat Breakfast with Grizzly Bears

Join Grouse Mountain’s two favourite inhabitants, grizzly bears Grinder and Coola, for the most important meal of the day: breakfast! Enjoy early access to Grouse Mountain as you learn about bear conservation and watch the bears explore their habitat. Then sit down to a bear-inspired breakfast with items like smoked salmon and French toast with West Coast “bluebeary” preserves.

Scuba Dive for Dragons

British Columbia’s mountains don’t stop when they get to the ocean, making for a fascinating environment for scuba divers to explore when they’re visiting Vancouver. About an hour north of downtown, along the Howe Sound glacial fjord, divers can descend and explore a world of underwater walls, canyons, cliffs and overhangs—such as the creatively named Dragon’s Den. Divers can swim up to 3 metres (10 feet) into the space, which is home to rockfish, crabs, octopi, and plumose anemones climbing up the walls. As a bonus, you might also find statues of dragons hidden in among the nooks and crannies—one of the most unusual things to do near Vancouver. Book a scuba trip with Sea Dragon Charters.

Take a Day Trip to Bowen Island

In less than 30 minutes, you can travel from Horseshoe Bay to the idyllic island getaway of Bowen Island. When you dock on Bowen, you'll be in the center of Snug Cove, where a number of small shops, restaurants, and cafes pepper the area. Bowen offers everything you could want for a day or weekend trip, from beautiful beaches, lush trail systems, great food, and beautiful mountain and ocean views. Check out our guide to the perfect day trip to Bowen Island to help you plan your stay.

Pick from 238 Flavours

With a Guinness World Record–holding selection of 238 flavours available at any given time, a summertime pilgrimage to La Casa Gelato is an annual event for many Vancouver families. Located in a bright pink building in East Vancouver, the company has created 588 flavours to date. Along with mainstream favourites, you’ll also find some for more adventurous palates like vodka Caesar, blue cheese and curry.

Indulge in High Tea

Taking afternoon tea at the historic Fairmont Hotel Vancouver harks back to the city’s British influence. But this is no normal tea – instead, you’ll find a fun and fancy take on the traditional, with themes that change throughout the year. Served in Notch8 Restaurant’s private dining room, transformed each quarter to match the theme, past editions have included Enchanted Forest, Mad Hatter’s Tea Party and Old World Carnival, with the in-house pastry shop fully embracing their creative brief to produce sweet and savoury nibbles to pair with your tea.

Snowshoe then Fondue

They say that if you can walk, you can snowshoe! This low-impact activity allows anyone to get out and enjoy the winter wonderland on Vancouver’s North Shore mountains. Head to Grouse Mountain for a private snowshoe experience, such as their Snowshoe Fondue Tour. After snowshoeing beneath glistening evergreens, cozy up at Altitudes Bistro for incredible views and an indulgent two-course traditional European fondue feast.

Devour Richmond’s Dumpling Trail

Some har gow here, some siu mai there: the Richmond Dumpling Trail is one of the tastiest food crawls around! Located just south of Vancouver and home to Vancouver International Airport, Richmond is renowned for its vibrant Asian culinary scene. This self-guided "trail" highlights some of the best dumpling destinations in North America. Clustered along No. 3 Road, you can walk between many of the restaurants, making it easy to stretch your meal out between a few of them. Grab a group, because dim sum is always more fun with a big table!

Barbecue in the Middle of False Creek

Set sail along False Creek, and grill yourself some burgers while you’re out there! Joe’s BBQ Boat rents out seafaring vessels that look more like giant orange hot tubs with a portable barbecue in the middle, allowing you and seven of your friends to grill and chill while you motor along False Creek, just south of downtown. No boating licence is needed to captain the electric vessels, so just bring your mates, your food, and non-alcoholic refreshments to enjoy a waterfront view like no other.

Night Ski on the Local Mountains

Vancouverites are big on outdoor adventure, and even in the middle of winter, they’re not going to wait for the weekend to get out there. After work, locals pack up the car and hit any one of the city’s local mountains to ski and snowboard on a weeknight. All three local mountains offer lift access to limited runs, with lighting available until 10 pm, seven days per week when conditions allow.

Conquer the Grouse Grind

The Grouse Grind is often called “Mother Nature’s Stairmaster,” but that doesn’t truly convey the challenge that this 2.9 km (1.8 mile) trail up Grouse Mountain presents. Gaining 853 metres (2,800 feet), you’ll grind your way up over 2,800 stairs carved into the side of the mountain, before emerging at the top, right by the Peak Chalet. The average person takes 90 minutes to complete the gruelling uphill battle, although the record sits at 25.01 minutes. Once you make it to the top and enjoy the view (and perhaps a well-deserved coffee), head back down on the gondola, as returning to the base via the trail is not permitted.

Watch Shakespeare and the Sunset

From June through September each year, Bard on the Beach presents a number of Shakespeare’s works, both the well-known and the less familiar, in a waterfront, open-backed tent at Vanier Park in Kitsilano. As the actors bring Shakespeare's works to life on stage, Vancouver provides a spectacular backdrop, with views of the West End, downtown skyline, and North Shore mountains framing the performance. The company is known for staging versions that swap the original setting for a new era, adding thought-provoking context to a story you thought you already knew: A Midsummer’s Night’s Dream plays out among the Industrial Revolution, or maybe Love’s Labour’s Lost comes to life in a Chicago speakeasy!

Check Out the Eastside Culture Crawl

The Eastside Culture Crawl sees around 500 artists in almost 70 buildings open their studios to the general public over four days in late November. The annual event has a real festival feel as families and groups of friends wander between workshops, galleries, ateliers and studios, getting to know the artists and craftspeople that live among us.

Catch a Movie Al Fresco

Stanley Park is a Vancouver must-visit, so why not combine a stroll through the park with catching a movie? EVO Summer Cinema in Stanley Park happens once a week in July and August, with the screen coming to life right as the sun starts to set. Bring a blanket, pick up dinner from one of the food trucks, and settle down for a summer screening surrounded by stunning Stanley Park views.

Stroll the Canvas Corridor

Sandwiched between the high-end shopping and luxury boutiques on both Robson and Alberni streets is unassuming Eihu Lane. But look a little closer and you’ll discover one of downtown’s best-kept art secrets: the Canvas Corridor. In the two blocks between Burrard and Bute streets, there are 45 laneway doors and vents that have been transformed into a showcase for works by local artists.

Take an Artful Walk

One of the very best things about the Vancouver Mural Festival is that you don’t even have to be in the city during the event to enjoy it. While the festival itself spans 10 days in early August, the colourful murals remain as a legacy, and now more than 100 works grace the streets and back alleys of the city, centred around the Mount Pleasant neighbourhood. During the festival, take part in guided art walks, street parties, and even a 5K run!

Fly Over Alpine Lakes and Glaciers

There’s nothing quite as jaw-dropping as realizing how quickly Vancouver’s urban sophistication melts away into infinite alpine forests, rugged mountains, and glacier-fed lakes. One of the most unique things to do in Vancouver is hop aboard Harbour Air’s Spectacular Glacier tour, departing from Whistler. Soar beyond Whistler Valley to discover the dramatic landscapes of the Coast Mountains, from rugged peaks and towering glaciers to alpine lakes and wildflower-filled meadows.

Run the Vancouver Marathon

While the distance of a marathon might be the same wherever you run it, what you see along the route can be very different. The BMO Vancouver Marathon has made a name for itself thanks to its “stunning running” route, being named one of the “Top Marathons Worth Travelling For” by Forbes. Held at the beginning of May, the marathon takes you through some of Vancouver’s most beautiful neighbourhoods, waterfront roadways, and green spaces, including all the way around the city’s jewel, Stanley Park.

Stroll Mountain View Cemetery

Take a self-guided walk through the 100-acre Mountain View Cemetery, Vancouver's only cemetery. Established in 1886, just months after the city was incorporated, it is the final resting place of more than 145,000 people, including 14 former Vancouver mayors. The historic grounds stretch from 31st to 43rd Avenue along Fraser Street.

Watch Vancouver’s Crows Fly East at Sunset

If you look up just as the sun is setting, you’ll see ribbons of black curling east across the city: between 3,000 and 6,000 crows head home to their roost in Burnaby each night. Lower numbers make the daily pilgrimage in the summer, when some are nesting on the city’s residential streets, but they’re still a sight to be seen. They fly in from all over Metro Vancouver to the roost, on average, a 30-40 minute commute. And the next morning, you’ll see them heading back west to do it all over again. This is a local secret and one of the most unique things to do in Vancouver at dusk.

Listen for the 9 O’Clock Gun

At precisely 9 PM every evening, a boom can be heard across the City of Vancouver. That’s the 9 O’Clock Gun, a 12-pound, muzzle-loaded naval cannon that sits on the Stanley Park sea wall, close to Brockton Point. While it hasn’t been in continuous use, it was first fired on October 15, 1898, to help residents and sailors accurately set their watches and chronometers each night.

Spend the Night at Skwachàys Lodge

A unique mix of social enterprise and boutique accommodation, Skwachàys Lodge (pronounced “skwatch-eyes”) offers an authentic hotel experience for travellers interested in Indigenous culture. Located right in the heart of Gastown, the bottom floor features a fair-trade Indigenous gallery (complemented by an urban Indigenous artist residence), while the roof is home to a sweat lodge. The design of each of the 18 suites is the result of collaborations between hotel designers and Indigenous artists who created original artworks and installations, making each room unique.

Climb the Spiral Staircase to Nowhere

The atrium of the iconic Woodward’s Building in Gastown is home to a real head-scratcher of a feature: a spiral staircase that seems to go nowhere. Designed by the building’s architect, Gregory Henriquez, the staircase rises from a small pool of water and first deposits people on the second floor, which is home to the National Film Board’s office. But continue around further, and it stops just short of the next floor, leading to nothing but a view of the atrium below. Henriquez has said that the structure is supposed to resemble an umbilical cord, representing the “re-birth” of the area when the complex opened.

Unique Things to Do in Vancouver

These are just a few of the unique things to do in Vancouver that capture the city’s creative, adventurous spirit. Whether you’re chasing mountain views or cultural moments, you’ll find plenty more to explore in our Vancouver events calendar.