Fresh air, flowers so tall they form a shady canopy, and plenty of photo ops. Sunflower events have become a late summer tradition and thanks to open spaces, physical distancing and timing of entry, they have been made COVID-safe! Check out these sunflower festivals in the Lower Mainland:
Chilliwack Sunflowers
Sunflower Festivals Near Vancouver
Chilliwack Sunflower Experience When: Thurs-Mon 7:00am to 6:00pm, Tues-Wed open at 9:00am. Where: 41310 Yale Road, Chilliwack (entrance off Royalwood Dr) Tickets:Available online About: The fields are alive with 25 different varieties of sunflowers, and more than 50 varieties of dahlias. This year the team has also planted an array of colourful gladiolas. Roam more than three kilometres of pathways throughout the fields.
Richmond Sunflower Festival Where: Richmond Country Farms (12900 Steveston Hwy, Richmond) When: Mon-Fri, 10:00am to 6:00pm; Sat/Sun until 7:00pm Tickets:Available online About: To ensure a safe experience on the farm they have doubled the planting of over 20 varieties of Sunflowers and Dahlias on 15 acres, with additional wider paths. The farm is now twice the size. You can also enjoy the estate winery tasting room on site and farm-fresh goods like seasonal fruits and vegetables.
Abbotsford Sunflower Festival Where: Maan Farms (790 McKenzie Rd, Abbotsford) When: Sunrise and Golden Hour options, check schedule for hours Tickets: Available online with a variety of package options About: Take pics at designated photo ops, snip your own flowers at the U-Pick field, and bask in the glow of the sea of sunflowers. Snack on a picnic from the Country Kitchen or sip estate wine from the tasting room.
All of these events require pre-purchased tickets in order to maintain safe capacity limits and social distancing. All are open now and have closing dates around Labour Day but stay tuned for updates to see if they will be open later in the season.
Remember to stay home if you feel sick, wash your hands, don’t gather in large groups, hang with people you know (your small bubble), and keep your distance. Goodtimes!
Register for the final virtual trivia series event on Friday in support of BC and Alberta Guide Dogs and test your travel trivia skills for the chance to win great prizes. It’s also the final Coquitlam Summer Concert Series show at 5:00pm on Friday with Sarah Wheeler and the Black Salt Sea. Find these events and more things to do in Vancouver this weekend (online and beyond) here:
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by Steffani CameronDisclosure: Review — Experiences courtesy of Tourism Victoria. Views and opinions are those of the author. Please review the Policy & Disclosure section for further information.
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The following has been contributed by Steffani Cameron, who recently completed a 4-year worldwide adventure that she chronicled at FullNomad.com.
Victoria Harbour. Rebecca Bollwitt photo.
Signature Experiences in Victoria
Some towns, there are things you’ve just got to do if you’re visiting. For Victoria, there are several, but some that hold the most resonance for me are included here.
Anyone who’s ever visited Victoria knows it’s up there as being one of the most water-surrounded city centres there is. That means two things, apparently – one, it’s a pretty good place to do anything involving the ocean, but two, there be ghosts.
You can get a lot of things delivered in the city right now and thanks to Vancouver Mysteries, you can get game night delivered! They have just relaunched their popular Case of the Hotel Detective, which they will deliver to you wherever you are with contactless delivery and quarantined game gear.
Vancouver Mysteries Pop Ups
In the weeks and months to come and with the uncertainty of COVID-19, The Case of the Hotel Detective delivers an escape from pandemic stress while more than meeting Covid-19 safety guidelines. The Pop Up Mystery can be played in your living room, backyard, anywhere you are! For those looking for a reprieve from binge watching TV, Vancouver Mysteries can bring some fun and adventure back into your life.
Take your game night or staycation to the next level with The Case of the Hotel Detective. One member of the Private Investigator League will drop the evidence at your door, another will interact with you live by video feed. You have 90 minutes – can you solve the mystery?
Adapting Vancouver Mysteries
Pre-pandemic, Vancouver Mysteries was running games for up to 120 players at a time, had a record breaking February and bookings into summer. The goal is to keep this Vancouver business going by adapting, re-engaging and reminding folks there’s a way to play that’s safe, fun and allows you to stay in your bubble too.
“We had to re-think how to run games with new protective measures: quarantining game kits between use, incorporating contactless delivery, re-writing scripts and even designing our own face masks to match our costumes,” says Vancouver Mysteries owner Tanya Bennett.
“All of our games are completely private and can be played outdoors. Plus our newest offering, The Case of the Hotel Detective allows players to enjoy the game in a location of their choosing.”
Available seven days a week, every half hour from 9:00am to 9:00pm. Plan for about 2 hours to solve the mystery.
Enter to Win
I’m giving away a pop up mystery game for 2-5 players (value $250). Here are all the ways you can enter to win and try to solve Case of the Hotel Detective*:
The Granville Island Delivery Co has just launched, evolving from a pandemic pivot into a community support campaign and more!
Granville Island Delivery Co.
In March, Michelle Ng, founder of Vancouver Foodie Tours launched Granville Island Foodie Delivery days after pausing food tours due to the pandemic. The initiative even caught the eye of Entrepreneur Magazine which featured Michelle on the July cover: “137 faces of entrepreneurial ingenuity during the pandemic”.
With deliveries in full swing, Michelle and her team took on the challenge of finding more ways to give back to the Granville Island community. The new Granville Island Delivery Co. (“GIDC”) website is now up and running, as well as their #GranvilleIslandLUV campaign to further rally community support.
Customers can shop on the new and improved website, GranvilleIslandDelivery.co for public market favourites from popular merchants such as Lee’s Donuts, Oyama Sausage Co., Benton Brother’s Fine Cheese, and much more.
The GIDC team has put their 10 years of market expertise to good use in building curated baskets, including Wellness in a Box, Charcuterie and Cheese, Yes Please!, and Sweet Treat, perfect for gifting. For specialized seasonal goods, don’t miss the monthly Market Box, with items personally selected by Michelle to reflect the best of the season. Whether to select a few items or opt for curated baskets, the new site allows shoppers to browse and order easily online.
The website also features “Meet the Artisans” series, a detailed behind-the-scenes look at the talented artisans of the market.
#GranvilleIslandLUV
Along with the new website, GIDC launched #GranvilleIslandLUV to directly benefit the merchants of Granville Island who are struggling due to the pandemic. The first goal is to raise awareness of the community’s plight, with many vendors reporting a 50-90% reduction in sales.
As most vendors do not have an avenue to sell their goods online, every purchase made through GIDC helps support small businesses. With a purchase of any curated baskets or monthly Market Box, $5 of each sale goes directly to merchants in need. There is also a social media contest featuring the hashtag #GranvilleIslandLUV asking followers to share a photo of Granville Island or goods purchased from the market to win the monthly Market Box.
The delivery service offers free shipping for orders $99 and over in Vancouver, or $10 discount on flat rate shipping in Greater Vancouver via local courier Novex. Follow on Facebook and Instagram for more info.
