Robert WebbDid you know that you can take a peek at some adorable otters doing their thing on the Vancouver Aquarium’s live cam?
How about watching some grizzly bears hibernate (or fascinatingly wake up) without setting foot outside? Well, yes, you can!
But that’s just the start of the virtual adventure we’ve rustled up for you. So grab your coffee, bubble tea, or even crack open a cold one, and keep reading for more!
- What are the most popular virtual activities in Vancouver?
- Enjoy Classical Music with the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra
- Watch the Pacific Great Blue Herons via Live Cam
- See Grouse Mountain Bears Hibernate Online
- View Indigenous Art from the Bill Reid Gallery
- Enjoy a Virtual Tour of the Vancouver Art Gallery
- Look at Cute Otters at the Vancouver Aquarium’s Live Cam
- Marvel at Cool Aerial Shots of Vancouver by Drone
- Immerse Yourself in a Virtual Visit to the UBC
- Time Travel at the Victorian Roedde House Museum
What are the most popular virtual activities in Vancouver?
Enjoy Classical Music with the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra
Website: https://www.vancouversymphony.ca/vso-online/
Contact Details: +1 604-876-3434, [email protected]
Fees:
- Virtual – $15
- Processing Fee – $5
If you’re all about soaking up classical vibes while lounging on your couch, the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra offers a must-watch virtual concert series for you.
The first thing to do is join their online subscription. Then, you can dive headfirst into the live Orpheum broadcasts and wander around the digital vault when a concert is available.
The cherry on top? No sweat if you miss a concert on its opening day! Members would still get a whopping 72 hours to bask in the musical glory from the start of the broadcast.
Pro tip:
Want to elevate your virtual concert game? Strap on a pair of quality headphones with noise cancellation when tuning in to the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra. Your ears will thank you for the distraction-free experience.
Watch the Pacific Great Blue Herons via Live Cam
Website: https://vancouver.ca/parks-recreation-culture/heron-cam.aspx
Wildlife enthusiasts might love this virtual treat: The City of Vancouver’s got you covered with the Pacific Great Blue Herons’ livestream from Stanley Park!
The park boasts one of the biggest urban heron colonies in North America. And get this—you can peep into 40 nests via their live cam! This is available from March until the summer breeding season wraps up in August.
Now, what’s even cooler for us is that you can take control of the camera for 1-minute intervals and zoom into specific nests. The way we see it, it’s like playing director in the world of herons!
And it’s not your run-of-the-mill birdwatching session either. Get ready for a show—courtship, nest building, delicate egg laying, and heroic stand-offs against eagle attacks.
Pro tip:
Want to do more than watch the Pacific Great Blue Herons? Consider adopting a nest through the Stanley Park Ecology Society for $54 per nest.
Unfortunately, you won’t actually get the heron at home. Instead, you’ll score a certificate of adoption and some sweet periodic updates on the heron colony’s happenings throughout the season. Still, this is already a big help!
See Grouse Mountain Bears Hibernate Online
Website: https://www.grousemountain.com/webcam-winter/bear-den-cam
Contact Details: (604) 980-931, [email protected]
Fascinated by grizzly bears but don’t ever want to come close to one? We hear you! Grouse Mountain’s live webcam feed allows curious viewers to see the hibernation antics of two grizzly bears—Grinder and Coola.
Thanks to the magic of infrared technology, the camera can take you right inside their hibernation den without disrupting their beauty sleep.
Spoiler alert: what you’ll watch involves deep sleep and no eating or drinking for up to 5 months. In 2023, the bears woke up on May 3—you may note this as your handy reference.
Realistically, you’ll get a bit of stretching, rolling over, grooming, and even some sleepwalking outside the den into the surrounding snow shed.
For us, waiting for the bears to go on and about is like watching a very long nature soap opera—a marathon for the real animal enthusiasts!
Pro tip:
Maximize your Grouse Mountain experience with its other webcams! Catch a city view of Vancouver and the Burrard Inlet, peek at the chalet (a cozy wooden house), or check out the snow cam.
View Indigenous Art from the Bill Reid Gallery
Website: https://www.billreidgallery.ca/
Contact Details: 604 682 3455, ext. 221, [email protected]
Fees:
- Regular Admissions
- Adults – $13
- Seniors (65+) – $10
- Students (with valid ID) – $8
- Youth (13 to 17) – $6
- Children (<12) – Free
- Family (2 adults and 2 youth in the same household) – $30
- Indigenous Peoples – Free
- Gallery Members – Free
- Goup Admissions (10 or more people)
- Adults – $11 each
- Seniors – $8 each
- Students (with valid IDs) – $6
The Bill Reid Gallery is where you can find some interesting indigenous art. It started in 2008 and focuses on Haida (an indigenous group) artist Bill Reid’s masterpieces and Northwest Coast artists’ contemporary works, all accessible online.
Whether online or in Vancouver, you can witness Bill Reid’s masterpieces, including monumental sculptures and intricate jewelry. We also like that the gallery features rotating exhibitions to give people something new to look forward to.
For us, art galleries like this offer people a fresh cultural experience. Acting as a community hub, it connects diverse populations through exhibitions and programs, like art bringing people together.
Pro tip:
If you want more hands-on experiences, check out the Bill Reid Gallery’s live events! Here, you can learn some cool stuff, like crafting a beautiful bentwood chest or even creating your own cool mini comic book.
Enjoy a Virtual Tour of the Vancouver Art Gallery
Website: http://www.vanartgallery.bc.ca/
Contact Details: +1 604-662-4700, [email protected]
Feeling bored out of your wits? A virtual tour of the Vancouver Art Gallery using Google Street View should be a fun, easy option.
Just with a few clicks, you can navigate through the gallery’s halls with ease. Also, don’t miss the stunning Douglas Coupland exhibit from 2014.
In our book, the gallery is like an art paradise, with 11,000 works, including killer Dutch paintings from the 17th century.
But it doesn’t stop there. We love that the staff keeps bringing in cool pieces from Western Canada and beyond, like a constantly evolving art adventure!
Highlighted masterpieces include Roelof de Vries’ “Landscape with Stream and Windmill,” Joseph Wright of Derby’s “The Captive from Sterne,” and Henry Fuseli’s “Dream of Belinda.”
Pro tip:
Level up your Vancouver Art Gallery virtual tour game—consider checking it out on a larger screen, like a smart TV or a roomier second monitor, if possible. We think those finer details would look even better with these upgrades.
Look at Cute Otters at the Vancouver Aquarium’s Live Cam
Website: https://vanaqua.org/
Contact Details: +1 778-655-9554, [email protected]
The Vancouver Aquarium’s live cam brings you some adorable otter action right to your couch! Watch these cuties munch, play, groom, and explore—all without leaving your comfy spot.
Since 1956, the Vancouver Aquarium has been a hotspot for thousands of ocean species. It’s Canada’s first public aquarium, connecting over 40 million people worldwide to the wonders of the ocean.
One of the most popular options is watching the sea otters for their adorable antics and playful personalities.
Just so you know, the sea otters were rescued as orphaned pups and deemed non-releasable by Canadian and U.S. government agencies. So best believe they’re living their best lives here!
Pro tip:
Want to impress your friends with your otter knowledge? Determining whether it’s a girl or boy sea otter can be tough, but here’s one trick: watch them pee and check out those pee streams!
Male otters’ urine goes on a bit of a backward journey, while the ladies keep it straight and angled downward. Fun, right?
Marvel at Cool Aerial Shots of Vancouver by Drone
Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3WGP0tJb-gk
Rainy day or not, you can bring some fun into your home by watching Vancouver Downtown’s aerial shots in 4K! This virtual tour is a visual treat, flaunting lush greens, towering mountains, and a jaw-dropping sea-to-sky backdrop.
The footage will whisk you through Vancouver’s vibrant energy, showcasing iconic spots like Stanley Park, False Creek, and Coal Harbour. From our view, it’s like a magic carpet ride through the city’s scenic wonders!
Plus, we appreciate that the footage is as clear as day, paired with a groovy soundtrack that makes each frame postcard-worthy. Shot with a GoPro 4, it also looks stunning in HD or high definition.
Pro tip:
Turn the Vancouver Downtown Aerial Shots into your chill-out zone! Make it the backdrop for your yoga, pilates, or meditation sesh, and let those stunning visuals take your relaxation game to a whole new level.
Immerse Yourself in a Virtual Visit to the UBC
Website: https://you.ubc.ca/tours-events/virtual-tour/#
Contact Details: 604 822 2211 (UBC Directory Assistance)
Fees:
- Free
Thinking of applying to The University of British Columbia? A virtual tour of the Vancouver campus is a self-guided experience that lets you stroll through key spots, giving you a taste of UBC life.
The narrator there would guide you through residences, study nooks, recreational hubs, and academic buildings, providing a campus experience from the comfort of your screen. In our opinion, the gardens also add a touch of beauty everywhere you look.
But if we’re picking a favourite spot, the UBC Botanical Garden, a peaceful haven featuring plants from across the globe, is a must-visit. And don’t miss the Beaty Biodiversity Museum either—it boasts Canada’s largest blue whale skeleton!
You can also take a virtual stroll through the wonders of the Biodiversity Museum and get a sneak peek into the residences, recreational facilities, lecture halls, and more.
Pro tip:
For an authentic Japanese garden experience in Vancouver, check out UBC’s Nitobe Memorial Garden.
This traditional Japanese stroll garden and tea house captures the essence of the seasons, featuring cherry blossoms in spring, irises in summer, maple leaves in fall, and trees beautifully pruned in the winter.
Time Travel at the Victorian Roedde House Museum
Website: https://www.roeddehouse.org/
Contact Details: 604 684 7040, [email protected]
Time travel to 1888—the Roedde House Museum offers a virtual tour of the ancestral home, brought to life by The VR Voyage and narrator Paige Sotham.
For a bit of context, Gustav and Matilda Roedde made Vancouver their home in 1888 and moved into their newly built house in the West End in 1893.
Designed by renowned architect Francis Rattenbury, the house is a City of Vancouver-designated Class A Heritage House.
Here are the available tours:
- Gustav Roedde’s Den – Gustav’s private retreat, now an archival space with historical records and exhibits
- Master Bedroom – features middle-class furnishings, including a dresser for the gentleman and a mirrored one for the lady
- Kitchen & Pantry – skillfully restored kitchen setup by modern handymen, preserving its original design with its era
- Collections Room – former servant’s quarters transformed, now displaying rotating exhibits and items from the museum’s collection
- Original Bathroom (1893) – shows the house’s history before plumbers completed the sewage connection
- Boy’s Bedroom – filled with artifacts reflecting historical pastimes for boys, including military memorabilia
- Matilda’s Sewing Room – Matilda’s favorite space to do some sewing and embroidery with views of mountains and sunsets over English Bay
- Girl’s Bedroom – represents a shared space for children during a time of large families and small houses
- Dining Room – a versatile space for the family’s meals, homework, and family activities
- Parlor – the best room for entertaining guests, with outstanding acoustics and furnishings from 1893 to 1925
Pro tip:
Prefer an audio tour so you can multitask? No problem! Dive into the Roedde family’s late Victorian life with immersive podcast tours. You can find them on Spotify, Podcast Addict, or iTunes.
