Spring Break is just around the corner and local businesses and attractions are gearing up by loading their calendars with events and activities for kids. Whether your child is into space exploration, nature, science, or the performing arts, there’s a day camp in Vancouver that can accommodate, educate, and entertain them all week long:
“Do you have what it takes to be a Mars colonist or an asteroid geologist? Join the Space Centre over Spring Break to learn about the future of space exploration. We will have family friendly activities running daily and are premiering brand new shows and demonstrations in the Planetarium Star Theatre and Groundstation Canada Theatre.”
“AquaCamps offer your children a fun, educational experience never to be forgotten. The Aquarium’s camps are filled with hands-on activities, animal observations, crafts and time to run around outside to fully engage your children in an environment that encourages active learning. Children will learn about local and exotic animals, life cycles, food webs, adaptations, ecosystems and sustainability.”
Stanley Park Ecology Society Art in Nature March 19 to 23, 2018 Forest Explorers March 26 to 29, 2018 Aftercare available from 4:30pm to 6:00pm Camps run outdoors, rain or shine 8:30am to 4:30pm
“SPES offers spring day camps for children ages 7 to 11. Embark on an exciting educational adventure amongst the giant trees, sandy beaches and hidden wetlands of Stanley Park. Spot wild animals like otters and beavers, have a blast splashing at the beach, and learn while spending valuable time outdoors.”
Arts Umbrella Day Camps Granville Island March 19 to 23, 2018 Granville Island March 26 to 29, 2018 South Surrey March 26 to 29, 2018
Youth Camps (ages 3–12) let students get creative in our widest variety of classes – perhaps through imaginative theatre games, plein air painting, or a 35mm camera lens. Teen Programs (ages 13–19) feature practical, project-based classes that help students develop and enhance skills – while building and strengthening their portfolios.
Vancouver Police Museum: CSI Spring Break Kids Camp March 20 to March 22, 2018 March 27 to March 29, 2018 (10:00am to 2:00pm every day) “An exhilarating, three-day crime-solving spree, featuring exciting opportunities for kids and pre-teens to work on criminal investigations and forensic science activities. Designed for Junior Detectives aged 9-12.”
Fans are going to seriously enjoy the food and snack options at BC Place this Whitecaps FC season, with menu items ranging from Chickpea Buddha Bowls and Crispy Fried Cod Tacos, to Pulled Pork Mac & Cheese and a Beer Brined Bacon BLT — you’ll want to come hungry on match day.
Food Options at BC Place for Vancouver Whitecaps FC Matches
Media were invited to the pitch for a pop-up dining event before Sunday’s season kick-off, to preview these menu items and more. President Bob Lenarduzzi and BC Place’s Senior Director of Business Graham Ramsay gave a quick season preview and some of the stadium’s warm up videos played on the big screen.
Whitecaps captain Kendall Waston was also on hand to make some Korean BBQ Chicken Bowls with Centerplate’s Executive Chef Will Tse.
Chef Tse said he’s inspired by Vancouver and so he and his team create dishes and snacks that reflect the city around us.
BC Place Menu Highlights
On top of your regular stadium favourites (at the Lions Gate Grill, Commercial Drive Pizza, Vij’s, Dawson’s Hot Dog, and The Poutinerie), try some of these new creations this year, paired with your favourite pop, juice, coffee, local craft beer or BC wine this season:
BOOM! Kitchen Sections 210 & 244
Korean BBQ Chicken Bowl: Crispy seared chicken thigh, Asian slaw, soy ginger garlic sauce, toasted sesame, served on jasmine rice.
BOOM! Kitchen Nachos & Cheese: Yellow tortilla chips, truffle cheese sauce, olives, green onion, jalapeños, crème fraîche, salsa fresca, *add Korean chicken or pulled pork.
Mac & Cheese: House made three cheese sauce, *add Korean chicken or pulled pork.
Beast on Fire Sections 217 & 237
Beer Brined Bacon BLT: Mill Street Organic Lager-brined bacon (cured and smoked in house), with tomato, sourdough, roasted garlic aioli, served with kettle chips.
House Smoked Beer & Cheddar Sausage: Goose Island IPA, aged cheddar, stone ground mustard aioli, soft bite bun, served with kettle chips.
Chickpea Buddha Bowl (V)
Roasted and spiced chickpea, fried cauliflower, sautéed onion and mushroom, salsa fresca, fresh parsley, served on brown rice.
Steveston Fish N Chips Located in the Food Court
Crispy Fried Cod Tacos: Battered cod, green cabbage slaw, salsa verde, pickled red onion, served with kettle chips.
Southwest Burrito Bowl: Cajun chicken, roasted corn, brown rice, black bean, salsa fresca, green onion.
Gluten free and vegetarian options are also available at BOOM! Kitchen. And, our favourite, The Thirsty Pigeon (for local craft beer) is located in Sections 203, 234, and 248.
The club is hoping that fans will arrive early to take part in pre-match festivities, which begin at 1:30pm, and if you’re a member of the Southsiders, there are some new and exciting updates for you too!
1. Happy Hour: $5 beers will be sold via hawkers in the supporters’ section stands (sections 207-248) in the hour prior to kickoff (2:00pm to 3:00pm on Sunday). Make sure to get into the building early to take advantage of this great deal (offer only available to those with tickets in the supporters’ section).
2. Opening presentation: The largest and most ambitious game presentation update the club has undertaken since moving into BC Place in 2012. The completely redesigned procession features state of the art effects, a brand-new team intro video, player walkout from the supporters’ section, and more. Make sure to be in your seat early so you’re not missing out on the new opening! The club has also completely redesigned every videoboard production element along with a substantial update to the layout of the LED Ribbon board to create one of the most sophisticated presentations in MLS. Continue reading this post ⟩⟩
Mt. Seymour will once again host the Vans Hi-Standard Snow Series World Tour, which will circle the globe and stop in North Vancouver for one day only on March 10th.
Vans Hi-Standard Snow Series World Tour at Mt. Seymour
Vans is thrilled to announce the return of the 2018 Vans Hi-Standard Series, Vans’ annual international snowboard event. The tour will visit Canada, China, South Korea, Finland, and the US, bringing this all-ages snow series around the world to invite riders to showcase creative expression in a fun open-jam format.
Featuring a big air session where participants are judged solely on their individual style with no inverts or spins over 720 allowed, regional MVPs will win an all-expenses paid trip to the grand finale show at Sierra-at-Tahoe for a chance to snowboard with the Vans snow team and battle it out for the 2018 Vans Hi-Standard Series MVP series title.
When the world tour hits Mt. Seymour on March 10th, all participants will get free registration, lift tickets and lunch vouchers. Register as a rider online today! There are only 45 spots available for online preregistration and the rest on site the morning of the event. There is a limit of 90 riders total.
With more than $50K in cash and prizes up for grabs, this all-inclusive snowboard event challenges riders to push the limits with creative tricks while keeping in mind that “style is everything.” The “Van Doren Rail Best Trick” will handout cash on the spot for most innovative maneuvers while Vans rewards the “Most Improved Rider,” “Worst Bail,” and crowns an MVP on each stop of the tour. With no rotations over a 720 permitted, only the most creative competitor with pure style and originality will be awarded with the MVP title.
Mt. Seymour Event Schedule
8:30am to 9:30am Registration
10:00am to 11:00am Free practice for all categories
11:00am to 11:45am Paid session – 15 and under and 30+
11:45am to 12:30pm Paid session – 16+
12:30pm to 1:15pm Lunch and course maintenance
1:15pm to 2:00pm Paid session – 15 and under
2:00pm to 2:45pm Paid session – 16+
3:00pm to 4:00pm Van Doren Rail Best Trick
4:15pm Awards ceremony
2018 VANS HI-STANDARD SERIES OFFICIAL DATES
January 13 – Mount St. Louis, Ontario, Canada
January 20 – Mont Avila, Quebec Canada
January 28 – Nashan Mellow Parks, Beijing, China
February 3 – Mount Snow, Vermont, United States
February 3 – Welli Hilli Park, South Korea
February 17 – Mount Norquay, Alberta, Canada
March 3 – Talma Ski, Finland
March 4 – Copper Mountain, Colorado, United States March 10 – Mt. Seymour, British Columbia, Canada
March 17 – GRAND FINALE – Sierra-at-Tahoe, California, United States
Spectators welcome! Follow Mt. Seymour on Facebook and Twitter, and use the tag #VansHiStandard, for more information.
It’s not every day that we get together with my family-in-law, the top reason being that they live in Iowa and we’re in Vancouver, but we took pretty much a trip of a lifetime with John’s siblings earlier this year thanks to support and suggestions from the team at Visit Greater Palm Springs.
We rented a vacation home and along with our rental car, we mixed complete and total relaxation poolside with some epic adventures. If you’re planning your own visit to this desert oasis, here are my top 10 things to do in Palm Springs:
10 Things to do in Palm Springs
Palm Springs Air Museum (745 N Gene Autry Trail, Palm Springs) The museum is dedicated to the restoration, preservation and operation of America’s legendary fighters, bombers and trainers, and it contains one of the world’s largest collections of flying WWII airplanes. It was really interesting to visit, especially with my brother-in-law being in the AirForce, so we spent a lot of time with the collections and even sat in a few planes. They also have a cafe so you can stay for lunch.
Joshua Tree National Park Such an incredible natural wonder, like nothing you’d see in BC at all. View photos from my 2014 photowalk here, and stop by the visitor centre when you arrive to get some maps and plot out some trails to walk. Come prepared for the elements – and be mindful that it gets COLD when the sun goes down.
Pappy & Harriets (53688 Pioneertown Rd, Pioneertown) Stop in on your way to Joshua Tree. Enjoy great barbecue, perhaps some live music, and take some photos at the Pioneertown which you will surely recognize from some famous Hollywood Westerns.
Salton Sea A giant “sea” or salty lake in the middle of the desert. It used to be a Hollywood playground, and there are ghost billboard signs reflecting that once-great beach-town getaway destination. It’s a bit like a seaside ghost town now, but it’s so intriguing. There are some real oddities here: crusty salt-dried shoreline with fish bones baking in the sun, bubbling mud pots – it’s fascinating. Stop for lunch at the Ski Inn (9596 Avenue A, Bombay Beach, Niland), which you’ll also recognize from movies, and have a patty melt before you venture on to nearby Salvation Mountain.
Salvation Mountain (603 Beal Rd, Niland) Unlike any other outdoor art installation – this colourful creation by the late Leonard Knight is part mural, part Bible verses and totally folk art, made from adobe, straw and paint. Since Knight’s death in 2014, volunteers have maintained the site, and a charity has been established to support its future care.
Ace Hotel (701 E Palm Canyon Dr, Palm Springs) for lounging (meals & cocktails) While this wasn’t our accommodation we still had to stop by because John Biehler loves the Ace from his YesAndYesYes experiences. Great food, excellent drinks, awesome vibe. While we were in the area we also went to Bootlegger Tiki (1101 N Palm Canyon Dr, Palm Springs) for even more great cocktails.
Villagefest Night Market (401 S Pavilion Way, Palm Springs) The downtown area came to life even more at night time, with a cool breeze wafting delicious aromas of outdoor cooking our way. We followed our noses to a tamale stand – which was a great way to end that night!
Bootlegger Tiki
El Paseo Shopping District Eat, shop, walk, shop, eat and walk some more! This outdoor shopping district has a lovely mix of designer and local boutiques, along with galleries to explore.
Coachella Valley Preserve (29200 Thousand Palms Canyon Road, Thousand Palms) Surrounded by dry, rocky valley peaks and pale desert sand, this pocket of wetland was a true desert oasis with lush, towering palms and Desert Pupfish swimming in the Salton Sea tributary fed by underground springs. A really cool spot John and I visited in 2014 as well but I won’t lie, it was a bit nerve wracking to stand right on top of the San Andreas Fault line! Walk the boardwalks or go for a little hike up a rocky peak for an awesome view of the whole valley.
Sherman’s Deli (several locations) Any restaurant that drops off a pickle to my table before I even order is top notch in my books! This is my absolute favourite spot for breakfast. Have to have the corned beef hash – so good! Solid food, great atmosphere.
For my final ‘thing to do in Palm Springs’ I have to say… “relax!” Kick your feet up in the warm air or splash into the pool. You’re on vacation! You’d had some good times, great food and cocktails, and the sun is shining. To plan your getaway, the folks at Greater Palm Springs have so many resources available online. #FindYourOasis by following Visit GPS on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.
