Summer may look different when it comes to large events and festivals but in terms of activities, there are a lot of creative options popping up on the calendar. On Friday there’s another Coquitlam Summer Series concert, with Warren Dean Flandez, and there’s a list below of more things to do in Vancouver this weekend:
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It’s the season for ice cream and icy desserts and in Coquitlam, we’re not just talking about plain old vanilla. These fantastic summer dessert spots in Coquitlam offer a world of cool treats that go well beyond the usual. Here are some local favourites.
Snowy Village. Photo courtesy of Visit Coquitlam.
Summer Dessert Spots to Try in Coquitlam
Crêpe Delicious: Their menu offers so much more than crêpes including incredible frozen treats, such as the Gelato Cookie Sandwich or the Gelato Shake. You’ll find them inside Coquitlam Centre.
Cup Full Dessert Café: Within the Henderson Place Mall food court, this charming Korean-inspired dessert café specializes in shaved ice bingsoo, which tastes as amazing as it looks.
Xpress Donair House: What’s a donair shop doing on a dessert list? Not only does this place have fantastic donairs but they also serve over 25 flavours of creamy gelato. Located on Glen Drive in City Centre.
Snowy Village: Dig into delicious desserts including bingsoo, which includes snowflake shaved ice topped with sweetened condensed milk, whip or ice cream, and your choice of fruit or sweet topping. It’s located near Coquitlam Centre.
Marble Slab Creamery: So many flavours. So many topping options. You can also take home an ice cream cake for a celebration. You’ll find them in Pinetree Village.
Miracle Waffle & Miracle Sandi Egg: Freshly baked Belgian waffles topped with ice cream and fresh fruit? Yes, please! Stop by during the day or after dinner for a sweet, cool treat. They’re located on the foodie strip of Glen Drive near Coquitlam Centre.
PappaRoti: Summer calls for ice cream buns. Try their signature coffee caramel bun warmly wrapped around frozen ice cream, located just steps from Coquitlam Centre.
Passion8 Dessert Café: Locals rave about this cute café, where you can pick up Korean shaved ice desserts that almost look too pretty to eat. You won’t find a website for this hidden secret but you’ll find them inside Lougheed Village Shopping Centre, 403 North Road.
It’s a great time to be a tourist in your own town, supporting local operators and businesses while getting better acquainted with your home. While many activities have been scaled back due to COVID-19, these summer walking tours in Vancouver are up and running, with physical distancing and other safety protocols in place. Grab your small group/bubble and enjoy learning about nature, culture, and history outdoors:
5 Summer Walking Tours in Vancouver
Talaysay Tours: Talking Trees Tour in Stanley Park When: Tuesdays and Wednesdays at 12:00pm Book:Online here Details: Each plant, each tree has its own special story. Explore Vancouver’s iconic Stanley Park, Beaver Lake, with a local Indigenous guide/cultural ambassador who will highlight how the local trees and plants of the Pacific Northwest are harvested by Indigenous people for food, medicine and technology. Talaysay guides, who are members of the local Indigenous communities and the surrounding region, will share with you our ecological practices, ancient and contemporary history, stories, legends and Indigenous ways of living.
Talking Trees Tour. Talaysay Tours Photo.
Talaysay Tours: Spoken Treasures Tour in Stanley Park When: Tuesdays and Wednesdays at 2:00pm Book: Online here Details: Explore the rich history of Stanley Park and Vancouver through Indigenous eyes. On this tour you will join an Indigenous Ambassador-Guide along the Stanley Park seawall, for an enriched, leisurely, 1.1 km, historical and cultural walk. Many of these stories and historical accounts remain in Indigenous oral traditional, yet to be in history books, of the Indigenous and settler history of the development of Vancouver.
VJLS-JH: Historic Powell Street Walking Tours When: Thursdays at 1:30pm and Saturdays at 11:00am Book:Online here Details: The Vancouver Japanese Language School and Japanese Hall (VJLS-JH), which was recently designated a National Historic Site by Parks Canada, just launched this tour. Learn about the hidden history of the thriving Japanese-Canadian historic neighbourhood community prior to World War II, the strength displayed by Japanese Canadians during internment, and the resilient Downtown Eastside community of today.
Forbidden Vancouver: The Really Gay History Tour of Vancouver When: Sundays at 10:00am Book:Online here Details: From drag kings and two spirit warriors, to queer church ministers and transgender crime fighters, this walking tour is a celebration of the unsung heroes who forever changed the social fabric of our city. Hear about the bravest pioneers of the LGBTQ2+ community, the famous “kiss-in” of Granville Street, drag queens who made a difference, and more.
Forbidden Vancouver: The Lost Souls of Gastown When: Tuesdays, Thursdays, Fridays, Saturdays at 7:00pm Book:Online here Details: Follow the lamplight of your guide into Vancouver’s earliest and most gruesome history. You’ll step inside a world of murder, revenge, and true grit in a dramatic retelling of Victorian Gastown’s earliest stories. Tales of deadly fire and smallpox emerge from the shadows as you venture through cobblestone streets to the shocking finale in this unique performance-theatre experience.
This season your family can take part in the Explore the Shore Summer Challenge for a chance to win great local prizes. Compete in 30 ocean-friendly challenges on your own time while enjoying local beaches and supporting ocean conservation.
Explore the Shore Summer Challenge
Register with a $20 or $30 donation (tax receipt available)
You’ll be sent a weekly email with 3 challenges and a bonus challenge. Complete your challenges from now until September 30, 2020
Record your points each week
Share your explorations on social media
The Challenge is presented by Sea Smart, which inspires and empowers people to love and protect our oceans through fun school programs, workshops, and summer camps.
Once you register, you’ll receive 3 challenges and a special bonus challenge each week. Each challenge takes place outdoors for 5-45 minutes and is ideal for kids ages 6-13. Complete challenges to gain points and move up the leaderboard. Prizes will be awarded to the top 3 participants.
You’ll also get a free Sea Smart guide, partner discounts, and the chance to win prizes from Arc’teryx, The Soap Dispensary, Save-on-Foods and more when you register. Follow #ExploreSeaSmart @seasmartschool on social media for bonus points.
All proceeds support ocean education through Sea Smart’s bursary program.
The following has been contributed by Steffani Cameron, who recently completed a 4-year worldwide adventure that she has chronicled at FullNomad.com.
Victoria’s Legislature at Sunrise. Rebecca Bollwitt/Miss604 Photo
Tips for Enjoying A Trip to Victoria in COVID-19
I’ve just moved back to BC after living in Ottawa. Something about living there during the start of the pandemic sent me deep into an agoraphobic state, where I didn’t even want to do takeout food. Big city, too many people, higher risks.
But I wanted to move back to BC, to be closer to friends and family, to have the “bigger spaces, fewer faces” that Victoria offers, and that meant conquering my fear of outdoors – flying to my new home, staying in hotels for a month, and even having to dine out.
In the end, it was a gamble worth taking, because, after travelling in 25 countries over four years, I am qualified to say that Victoria really is a magical little city.
