Find Entertainment, Exercise And Excellent Eats On Day Trips To Vancouver.

Whether you’re looking to entertain out-of-town guests or looking for a few out-of-the-norm activities to keep boredom at bay during the summer months, you will find plenty to keep you busy and entertain all types of personalities when you take day trips to Vancouver. From shopping to people-watching, hiking to strolling, adults to kids, there are many places where you and your group can find entertainment, exercise and lots to eat. Here are a few of our recommendations.

Granville Island  — Locals and visitors alike are equally charmed by this tiny plot of land, which boasts an eclectic mix of restaurants and shops. Stroll through the market to find fresh ingredients for dinner. Grab a bite to eat at one of the many stands and shops littered throughout the area. Find a seat and enjoy all kinds of entertainment, from local buskers to magic acts. Need to keep the kids busy? Pack the swimsuits and sunscreen, and grab a shady spot at the waterpark. (For a full list of ideas and activities, check out the Granville Island website.)

Stanley Park — It’s easily the be-all-and-end-all of Vancouver parks. Home to the Vancouver Aquarium, beaches, lakes, trails, athletic facilities, restaurants, there’s an impressive amount of variety packed onto its enormous 1,000-acre plot of land. The Seawall is an excellent, relatively flat 22-kilometre path for cycling, rollerblading, jogging or strolling. It extends from Coal Harbour all the way to Kitsilano Beach Park. If you’ve got the right shoes for the task, you can easily park your car at the beginning of the day and use the Seawall to get everywhere you need to go.

Another must-see (or, rather, must-try) is the Second Beach Pool. This freshwater pool is surrounded by the beach but, unlike the ocean, it’s heated. Located right off the Seawall, it boasts gorgeous outdoor views with a waterslide and lap lanes for the fitness-focused in your group. When you’re done with it, shuffle your group down to the Variety Kids Water Park. As Vancouver’s largest water park, it has giant water guns, water geysers and canyons. Pools are ankle-deep, making it accessible for kids of all ages (and even kids at heart).

Park Royal — As the second largest shopping centre in Metro Vancouver, Park Royal features both indoor and open-air shopping, including stores like Anthropologie, Aritzia, Free People, J. Crew, kate spade new york, The Men’s Club, Urban Outfitters and more. While you can find all of these stores throughout Vancouver, this is one of the few places where they’re clustered together and easy to shop at the same time. Boasting more than 280 shops, restaurants and services, it’s a gorgeous spot to indulge all of the shoppers (and people-watchers) in your group.

Food Cart Festival — Quickly becoming one of the most popular places to be on summer Sunday afternoon, the Food Cart Fest gathers more than 20 of Vancouver’s top food carts for food, fun and sun at Olympic Village. It also features community markets, live music, DJs, craft food vendors, kids activities, ping pong, urban gardening and more. Admission is free if you’re a Vancity or Car2go member, of if you bring a non-perishable food donation to the Greater Vancouver Food Bank society. It’s on every Sunday, from June 28 until September 6.