This experience was courtesy of Tofino Resort & Marina.

“You covered a lot of ground!” our guide Liam exclaimed when we floated our stand up paddleboards up to the boat and rolled in like seals. My group was out for over 2 hours in the waters of Clayoquot Sound on the west coast of Vancouver Island, slipping across underwater kelp forests, surrounded by mountains — covered in old growth giants — that dipped right down into the sea.

Stand Up Paddleboarding in Clayoquot Sound

Earlier that morning I walked over to Coal Harbour in Downtown Vancouver and got on a floatplane to Tofino. The plane pulled right up to the dock at Tofino Resort & Marina, our group checked into our rooms and got our wetsuits from the Adventure Centre on site, and we were back down at the water within an hour for our first expedition.

We hopped on a boat with Liam, who had secured 4 rental paddleboards for our journey, and ran us up Clayoquot Sound. Another tour offered by Tofino Resort & Marina is a boat-based bear tour. The perfect preview of that happened as we rounded Warne Bay and Liam spotted a black bear on the beach.

“This is the bread and butter of bear watching,” he turned off the engine and we floated in the water while the bear strolled along the bear, snout down, looking for something to eat. “They look pretty small from back here but they’re probably a good 400lbs, it’s just that they’re standing in front of old growth trees.”

We continued on our journey, up another arm of the sound and Liam stopped the boat and pulled off the boards in a cove surrounded by old shipwrecks. It was quite the scene. After a quick refresher lesson, he set us free to roam and roam we did.

I paddled along the coastline and snapped photos of the group out on our adventure. One of my colleagues ducked into a quiet cove and laid back on her board, drifting peacefully toward the forest. It was easy to be at peace, the only sound was the lapping of my paddle in the emerald waters and the occasional hollow reverberation of a bull kelp bulb bumping under my board.

I had heard of Clayoquot Sound as a child, during the War in the Woods protests (1980s-1990s) related to clearcutting. 900 people were arrested in 1993 during the largest act of civil disobedience in Canadian history. In 2000, the entire Sound was designated as a Biosphere Reserve by UNESCO. The ecological importance and legacy of this stunning and majestic place was not lost on me. I was simply in awe. Not only was I literally balancing on the water, I was balanced between nature, adventure, and living history. I had a lot of time to think out there on that board.

We paddled on for about 5km, Liam in the resort boat spotting us along the way and pulling up to an estuary which would be our exit point from the water.

Back at the resort, Liam took care of our boards and we headed up to our rooms to get ready for dinner. It almost feels like summer camp at Tofino Resort & Marina. You have a clean room and comfortable bed but you barely see it because you’re out enjoying the amenities found right on site.

The Adventure Centre is Your Home Base

At the Adventure Centre you can book sightseeing (bear, whale watching) tours, a paddleboarding tour, and there’s also trips up to the legendary Hot Springs Cove. The Hatch and 1909 Kitchen (home of current Top Chef Canada winner, Chef Paul Moran) are right outside your door at the resort for breakfast, lunch, or dinner. You can also rent bikes, which will be the focus of a follow up post.

From the corn field to the streets of Gastown, you can find family-friendly, slightly spooky, or or ultra scary events, tours and attractions around Metro Vancouver this season:

Forbidden Vancouver Walking Tour

Where: Cathedral Square
When: Every night October 14-31, 2019
Tickets: Available online for $25-$28
Details: Relive the dark history of Vancouver’s earliest years on the Lost Souls of Gastown. From the tragic story of the “woman in the well” to the gruesome murder of gold prospector John Bray, the Lost Souls of Gastown weaves a tale through back-streets and alleyways to a dramatic finale in historic Maple Tree Square. Designed for adult audiences, the Lost Souls of Gastown is both a walking tour and a theatre piece – led by one of Forbidden Vancouver’s cast of professional actors.

Haunted Vancouver Trolley Tour

Where: Departing from Canada Place
When: October 11th-31st (no tours on October 13th and October 14th)
Tickets: Available online now for $59 ($40 with promo code Haunt 40 before October 8, 2019)
Details: Hop on a Vancouver trolley and your host will tell the historic crime tales that took place in familiar neighbourhoods of Stanley Park, Gastown, Shaughnessy and more. You will drive by eerie locations and hear gruesome stories about Seaforth Armory, Gabriola House and local socialite Janet Smith’s untimely death. The tour stops to visit Prospect Point in Stanley Park and Mountain View Cemetery in East Vancouver where the troubled spirits occupy their time. Your tour walks through the cemetery to visit the graves of some of the souls that have been featured throughout the tour. 

Ghostly New Westminster Walking Tour

Where: Start from Hyack Square
When: Every Saturday at 8:00pm (Mon, Wed-Fri Halloween week)
Tickets: Available online for $23
Details: The original capital of BC, New Westminster has a lot of history, and a lot of dark secrets. Join a spine-tingling 90 minute walk and learn the chilling history of BC’s “hanging judge”, one of BC’s oldest houses, a haunted tattoo parlour and much more. ​Not recommended for anyone under the age of 12. All minors must be accompanied by an adult. 

Haunted Corn Maze at Maan Farms

Where: Maan Farms (790 McKenzie Rd, Abbotsford)
When: Thursday through Sunday until November 2, 2019
Tickets: $20-$38 available online
Details: Maan Farms Haunted Corn Maze is a heart-pounding adventure featuring nightmare-ish installations, shocking visuals, live actors, chainsaws, and excerpts out of classic horror movies. Participants will not be touched in the corn maze. To amp up your multi-sensory experience, try the 15 minute Pitch Black attraction.

Potters House of Horrors

Where: Potter’s House of Horrors (12530 72 Ave, Surrey)
When: October 4 to November 2, 2019
Tickets: Available online now
Details: The “scare crew” at Potter’s spends months planning this annual maze of terror — complete with the latest high-tech animatronics and digital sounds. There are two ultra-scary haunted houses to explore (if you dare), including the “Death Valley Motor Inn” (new for 2019) and Li’l Haunters which is a cute, not-too-scary pair of mini-haunted houses.

Haunted Village at Burnaby Village Museum

Where: Burnaby Village Museum
When: October 25-28, 2019 from 6:00pm to 9:00pm
Tickets: Available online now, free for members
Details: Watch out for black cats, huge yellow moons, over-sized pumpkins and all things that could go BOO! Come have a ghost of a time at this local historic site in the heart of Burnaby.

For more events, tours, shows, and fun things to do, check out the October event list for Metro Vancouver here »

This Saturday, TELUS World ofScience’s Free Day (presented by BC Hydro) welcomes everyone to come down to the dome during opening hours from 10:00am to 6:00pm to check out their newest exhibit, Cats & Dogs on now until January 5, 2020, and all that they have to offer.

Free Day at Science World

Where: Science World at TELUS World of Science (1455 Quebec St, Vancouver)
When: Saturday, October 5^th 2019 from 10:00am to 6:00pm

Upcoming Events

While you’re at Science World for the free day of fun, consider how much fun you’d have at these fall-friendly, seasonally-themed events!

SWEET: Hocus Pocus Focus October 11, 2019
(Science World Extravagant Evening for Teens)
Youth will learn how to train their brains to focus under pressure. Friends can put their powers of concentration to the test with memory games, reaction time trials, EEG brain wave measurements, Virtual Reality and a live show on the science of Illusions! Register Here

After Dark: Murder Mystery Edition 2019 October 18, 2019
The After Dark: Murder Mystery Edition 2019 brings together the baffling elements of time travel, marketing mayhem, unsavoury suspects, deadly diseases, forensic clues and, of course, an unsolved murder that requires your detective skills to solve. Costumes encouraged. Must be 19+. Buy Tickets

View Science World’s full line up of events and programming for the season here and follow along on Twitter and Facebook for the latest event information.

The Spark Animation Conference and Festival (October 24-27, 2019) in Vancouver will host a full program of discussions with industry experts along with screenings of award-winning films, and a career fair.

Spark Animation Festival and Conference

• Conference & Workshops: October 26-27, 2019
• Career Fair: Saturday, October 26, 2019
• Festival: October 24-27, 2019

The 11th annual festival opens on October 24th with a celebration honouring this year’s Lifetime Achievement Award recipient, Academy Award®-nominated producer Bonnie Arnold.

Also honoured on opening night will be this year’s festival award winners including Vancouver locals Babak Bina and Ricardo Bonisoli whose film The Seahorse Trainer was awarded “Winner – VFX” as well as the Rising Star Award from the Visual Effects Society Vancouver Section. The evening will conclude with an exclusive preview of Netflix’s much anticipated animated feature, Klaus and a conversation with director Sergio Pablos and Glen Keane.

The festival continues at the VIFC Vancity Theatre from October 25-27 with screenings of number of BC premieres including Anca Damian’s Marona’s Frantastic Tale (France), about an “average” dog and her extraordinary life, Kat Alioshin’s Animation Outlaws (USA), a documentary about the rise and importance of Spike & Mike’s Sick and Twisted festival to the world of animation, Masaaki Yuasa’s Ride Your Wave (Japan), a surreal story of romance, grief and self-discovery; and Gints Zilbalodis’ Away (Latvia).

The line-up also includes a very special 20th Anniversary screening of Disney’s Tarzan (USA) with directors Chris Buck and Kevin Lima in attendance for a post-screening Q&A as well the BC premiere of Bombay Rose, Indian filmmaker Gitanjali Rao’s exquisitely drawn and beautifully moving tale of the quest for love on the chaotic streets of Bombay.

Along with animated feature films, the festival includes a selection of animated short film programs including “After Dark” a 19+ screening of animation of a more adult nature, “Spotlight on France” which celebrates projects produced in France, “Not Just for Kids” a family friendly screening of films for children including the award winning story of a dragon in training: Zog , and “Made in Canada” which highlights some of the best animation from across the country.

Mothers of a Medium

Miss604 is pleased to co-present the “Mothers of a Medium” program which showcases the work of female animators from around the globe. This year, the program will open with the world premiere of The Butterfly Affect with special guests; director Stephanie Blakey, writer Jen Davreux, producer Amanda Konkin, animation director Kaitlin Sutherland, and art director Maisha Moore in attendance.

The project is the first produced by Five in Focus, an innovative program designed by Women in Animation Vancouver and Women in View to advance gender equity in the animation industry. Five in Focus aims to significantly advance women’s careers through extensive mentorship from the WIA community, exposure to a wide range of industry activities, master classes, pitch training and more.

SPARK CG is proud to support Covenant House Vancouver in their effort to help the more than 1,400 homeless and at-risk youth, aged 16 to 24, who will reach out to them for help this year. Net proceeds from this year’s film festival screenings will be donated to Covenant House Vancouver.

Full schedule, details and tickets available online and follow Spark CG on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram for more info.

Win Tickets to Mothers of a Medium

I have a pair of tickets to give away to the Mothers of a Medium program on October 27th, at the VIFF Vancity Theatre (on Seymour at Davie), which includes the of a collection of international shorts from female creators.

Here’s how you can enter to win:

• Leave a comment on this post (1 entry)
• Click below to post an entry on Twitter

I will draw one winner at random from all entries at 12:00pm on Friday, October 11, 2019.

 Miss604 is a proud sponsor of the Spark Animation Conference and Festival

UPDATE The winner is Shelley!

Gateway Theatre’s production kicks off its 2019/20 season and marks the Western Canadian premiere of China Doll from Toronto playwright/librettist Marjorie Chan (October 17-26).

Gateway Theatre Presents China Doll

When: October 17-26, 2019
Where: Gateway Theatre Main Stage (6500 Gilbert Rd, Richmond)
Tickets: From $29 online or call the box office at (604) 270-1812. China Doll will be performed in English, and to welcome a wider audience, surtitles in traditional and simplified Chinese characters will be presented at all performances.

In China Doll, Su-Ling is bound by tradition. Her grandmother is determined that she will marry well and bring prosperity to them both. But when she learns to read, Su-Ling’s intellectual awakening sets her on a dangerous path to independence.

This Dora and Governor General’s Literary Award-nominated play is set in the early 20th century Shanghai, when the practice of foot-binding had reached its peak in popularity. This universal coming-of-age story tells of one girl’s journey trying to honour her family’s values in an increasingly changing world.

Chan’s work has been performed in the USA, Scotland, Hong Kong, and Russia. She is the Artistic Director of Toronto’s Theatre Passe Muraille, recipient of four Dora Awards, one for Outstanding Performance and three for Outstanding New Opera.

Special Performances

• Thursday, October 17, 2019 pre-show – Pizza Preview
• Sunday, October 20, 2019, 1:00pm – Gateway Forum (free)
  • Dangerous Books: When Reading is Seen as a Subversive Act
• Wednesday, October 23, 2019 pre-show – Wine Wednesday
• Wednesday, October 23 & Friday, October 25, 2019 post-show Discussion
• Tuesday, October 22, 2019 pre-show at 12:00pm – Tea Matinee
• Thursday, October 24, 2019 post-show – Talkback Thursday

Follow Gateway Theatre on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram for more information. 

Win Tickets

I have a pair of tickets to give away to opening night on October 18th, here’s how you can enter to win:

• Leave a comment on this post (1 entry)
• Click below to post an entry on Twitter

I will draw one winner at random from all entries at 12:00pm on Thursday, October 10, 2019.

UPDATE The winner is Kirsten!