Click here for the 2014 Gift Guides
Struggling to find the right gift for the person who seems to have everything? How about giving the gift of a truly ‘Vancouver’ experience? There’s always something to explore, learn, sip, taste, and even paddle around here so I thought I would highlight some unique experiences that you can gift to a special someone this year:
Explore
The Forbidden Tour returns in April with their “Lost Souls of Gastown” and “Prohibition City” tours. Tickets are *$22 and you get an educational and entertaining walk around some of the city’s most historic (and notorious) places. They have Christmas Cards available for purchase so you can book someone on any future 2013 tour. There’s a 2 ticket package (*$49), 4 ticket package (*$98), and private tour package (*$224).
Being a big fan of local history, I love the line-up of walking tours from the Vancouver Heritage Foundation. They haven’t posted their 2013 schedules yet but check back in January. In the meantime, if you know someone that loves local history too, you can purchase a Tribute Card in their name to support the Vancouver Heritage Foundation.
Taste Vancouver Food Tour in Gastown
Food and Drink
The Original Vancouver Food Tour offers a Gastown Tasting Tour, a Vancouver Brewery Tour at Molson Coors, and a Craft Beer n’ Bites Tour. Gift certificates are available from *$25 to *$500 that can be spent on individual tours or used for group tours.
Taste Vancouver Food Tours are currently offering a Christmas Culinary Tour until January 8, 2013 but their main attraction is the Gastown Food Tour which you can book individually or as a group. This walking tasting tour is hosted by “Gassy Jack” himself. Gift certificates for future tours can be purchased for either tour, for *$39 (includes 9 food and beverage tastings).
Vancouver Foodie Tours does a Guilty Pleasures Gourmet Tour and the World’s Best Street Eats tour along with private/group tour bookings. You can purchase gift certificates for both. Street Eats tickets are *$49 and Guilty Pleasures (described as 5 courses, 14 tastings, 8 stories, 3 hours of bliss) is *$69.
Deep Cove
Get Outside
Deep Cove Kayak is our place to go for local kayaking adventures and I discovered that they offer gift cards that are valid for retail store purchase, tours, or lessons in 2013. Try your hand at canoeing, kayaking, and stand-up paddle boarding in beautiful Deep Cove.
The Vancouver Park Board has gift cards available now that you can use in 2013 for community centres, swimming, skating, VanDusen Botanical Garden admission or an afternoon at Stanley Park Pitch and Putt. Gift cards come in *$50 increments and you also receive a *$10 bonus coupon which is valid from February to May.
Be Entertained
A night at the theatre is a fantastic gift since it includes so much more than the pure entertainment value of the production you’re going to see. It’s a night out of the house, perhaps with dinner beforehand, and time well-spent.
The Arts Club Theatre Company is currently offering 6Flex Packages (*$329) for 6 show tickets for productions at the Stanley Industrial Alliance Stage, Granville Island Stage, and Revue Stage. They also have Granville Island 4Flex Packages (*$159) for 4 show tickets at the Granville Island Stage and Revue Stage. Both packages contain ticket vouchers that are are valid now to August 17, 2013.
The Cultch offers gift certificates in any denomination for their season of programs as well.
If film is more your thing, you can purchase 10 Double Bill Passes (*$98) for Pacific Cinémathèque programming and Festival Cinemas gift cards for the Park Theatre, Fifth Avenue Cinemas, and The Ridge Theatre.
Museum of Anthropology
Feed Your Brain
Some of Vancouver’s best attractions are the most educational as well (you don’t have to tell the kids that though). Here are some top picks for annual attraction passes:
Science World has a variety of membership and annual pass options like the “You and Me” (1 adult, 1 child) passes for *$95 or the full family pass for *$165.
Family memberships for the Vancouver Aquarium are *$138 and there are a variety of combinations available such as 1 adult and 1 child pass for *$90.
The Vancouver Art Gallery has gift membership options for households (*$120), students (*$45), out of town households (*$75), and more. As a side note, the Gallery Store has some great artsy gift options as well.
One of my favourite (and most-recommended) places to visit is the Museum of Anthropology at UBC and I have discovered that they offer a UBC Museum and Garden Pass. Valid for 6 months from the purchase date, you can have unlimited visits to the Museum of Anthropology, UBC Botanical Garden, Nitobe Memorial Garden and Beaty Biodiversity Museum, plus discounts at other campus locations. Passes are available for adults (*$36.96), youth/student/senior (*$31.36), and families of 2 adults and up to 4 kids under 18 (*$95.20). Passholders also receive discounts at the UBC Bookstore and savings on admission to the Greenheart Forest Canopy Walkway.
Vancouver Aquarium
I’m certain more suggestions will flow in once this post is published so I’ll be updating it with new information for the next week or so. Hopefully this list can inspire your gift-giving this season, or perhaps your general activities list for the year. Happy Holidays!
*Prices listed in this post may or may not include HST and other online processing fees that may apply. Please consult the websites of the companies and organizations directly for exact pricing and information.
Vancouver-based My Little Green Shop is a hip online boutique that carries hundreds of healthy and environmentally sustainable products for kids and families.
From organic swaddle blankets and cotton diapers, to bamboo eating utensil and BPA-free food containers. They also offer a variety of fun and stylish clothing, bags, accessories, stationary and toys.
Mindful of the unfortunate fact that healthy, eco-friendly items tend to come with hefty price tags, they do their best to find items that are as affordable as possible. They also offer specials and host a deals page to pass on the savings to their customers.
My Little Green Shop has offered up a $40 gift certificate for one lucky Miss604 reader. The winner can purchase products in the e-shop and they will receive free shipping within the City of Vancouver. Here’s how you can enter to win:
I will draw one winner at random from all entries at 12:00pm on Tuesday, December 18, 2012. Follow My Little Green Shop on Twitter, Facebook, and Pinterest to check out their products.
Update The winner is Krissy!
The Vancouver Block Building marks 100 years on Granville this year and according to a Twitter update from user @jesswads to Bob from Vancouver is Awesome, there was cake to celebrate this week. With its neon clock and photogenic white tower, it’s today’s Vancouver Icon photo feature:
(Left) 1910s Archives item# M-11-77. (Right) 1920s Archives item# Str N185.
The building, at 736 Granville Street, is currently owned by Equitable Real Estate: “Completed in 1912, the Vancouver Block is one of Vancouver’s most distinctive landmarks. Characterized by the large illuminated clock tower set atop its fifteen-storey height, the Vancouver Block was one of the most impressive structures designed by the prolific architectural firm of Parr & Fee.”
“The heritage value of the Vancouver Block lies in its location near the intersection of Granville and Georgia streets in downtown Vancouver, as a symbol of the Edwardian optimism and rapid growth in Vancouver’s economy and urban fabric in the early twentieth century, in its association with the architectural firm of Parr and Fee, in its landmark status, and in its unique representation of the Edwardian Commercial style.” [Historic Places]
“The Vancouver Block was built by Dominic Burns, whose brother Pat built Burns Meats into a cross-Canada powerhouse. Burns hired prominent architects John Parr and Thomas Fee to design a 17-storey building that stretched over three lots and soared 265 feet into the sky.”
“The clock face is 21 feet in diameter, was made of sand-blasted glass, and weighed two tons when it was installed. In 1927, the familiar red and blue neon was added. For many years, the clock was topped by neon signs for three gas companies, “76” (Union Oil), Shell and B/A (British-American).” [Vancouver Sun]
Back in 1998 the neon was removed from the clock, only to return 2 years later. Frances Bula found the answer to this mystery.
Other Vancouver Icons posts include: Bloedel Conservatory, Centennial Rocket, Canada Place, Old Courthouse/Vancouver Art Gallery, Dominion Building, Science World, Gastown Steam Clock, SFU Burnaby, Commodore Lanes, Siwash Rock, Kitsilano Pool, White Rock Pier, Main Post Office, Planetarium Building, Lord Stanley Statue, Vancouver Library Central Branch, Victory Square, Digital Orca, The Crab Sculpture, Girl in Wetsuit, The Sun Tower, The Hotel Vancouver, The Gassy Jack Statue, The Marine Building, and The Angel of Victory. Should you have a suggestion for the Vancouver Icons series please feel free to leave a note in the comments. It should be a thing, statue, or place that is very visible and recognizable to the public.
Brentwood Town Centre celebrated its 50th anniversary last year and now it’s helping Burnaby Hospital celebrate its 60-year milestone with the gift of health for thousands of patients through the Burnaby Hospital Foundation.
Brentwood has decorated a 25-foot Giving Tree to celebrate the holidays, under which you can purchase festive candle holders. Until December 24th you can pick up a small ($8) or large ($20) candle holder with proceeds supporting Burnaby Hospital’s highest priority equipment needs.
You can also make an online donation to the Burnaby Hospital Foundation through the Brentwood Town Centre campaign. The foundation was established in 1982 to raise financial resources needed for life saving diagnostic, surgical, and medical equipment, innovative tools for patient care, and other community healthcare needs.
Brentwood is conveniently located at Willingdon and Lougheed, and is accessible from the Brentwood Millenium Line SkyTrain station. They have anchor stores like London Drugs, Zellers, and Sears along with clothing and accessory shops, Bryan’s Bride, Ricki’s/Bootlegger, American Eagle Outfitters, Carlton Cards, Coles Books, Starbucks, and more. The IHOP is my favourite breakfast spot when I drop off my car for servicing in the area every few months. You can’t go wrong with pancakes, free WIFI, and some shopping.
Triple O’s recently launched their new Giant Burger in honor of the Vancouver Giants. It packs a whallop with beef, bacon, and pulled pork rolled into one mega-bite from the legendary burger maker.
In partnership with the Vancouver Giants, Triple O’s stores around the Lower Mainland are giving away 2-for-1 vouchers for Vancouver Giants home games and are running a contest for a lucky guest to win tickets to join 24 of their closest friends at a Vancouver Giants home game.
Triple O’s has locations is Vancouver, Burnaby, Langley, Coquitlam, Maple Ridge, New Westminster, Richmond, Surrey, Delta, Chilliwack, and in roadtrip stops like Hope, Penticton, Kamloops and Kelowna. If you would like to try out the Giant Burger and other great menu offerings from Triple O’s I have a $50 gift certificate to give away. Here’s how you can enter to win:
- Leave a comment on this post (1 entry)
- Post the following on Twitter (1 entry)
I will draw one contest winner at 12:00pm on Thursday, December 20, 2012. Follow Triple O’s on Twitter and Facebook to learn more about their menu, locations, and special deals.
Please note that Triple O’s gift certificates are not valid at outlets such as Rogers Arena, Pacific Coliseum, The PNE, on BC Ferries, River Rock Casino or Boulevard Casino. They are available at all other Triple O’s restaurants including Chevron locations.
Update The winner is @Chat2Michelle!
