More Fall Fun!  

Seasons change and so must I, but the fun doesn’t stop at Vancouver’s top attractions.  This October offers spooktacular experiences for the entire family and the opportunity to stretch our minds with top class exhibitions at our galleries and attractions.  Or take it outside to enjoy festivals that celebrate the harvest season.

All month long enjoy Fin-tastic Fall Days at the Vancouver Aquarium.  This seasonal celebration is packed with treats, tricks, and surprises for the whole family!  Surrounded by festive fall decor, there’s a new spooky wet lab, where you will be able to immerse yourself in the brand-new Splash and Bubbles 4-D Experience ® movie.  There’s new animal programs and encounters and a great new scavenger hunt fun for all ages.  And of course, the 65,000 amazing animals that call Canada's largest aquarium home are waiting to share the fun.  More information about their fall activities can be found here  vanaqua.org

Three innovative and thought-provoking exhibitions recently launched including Beyond Exclusion at the Hall of One Hundred Rivers at Dr. Sun Yat Sen Classical Chinese Garden.  Based in Ottawa, this is Don Kwan’s first solo exhibition in Vancouver.  Kwan is a queer third-generation Chinese Canadian artist whose work is influenced by his upbringing in a family-owned restaurant in Ottawa’s Chinatown. He uses mixed media, found objects, and sourced personal text and photographs to explore questions of identity, belonging, and place, reflecting on his family history while weaving intriguing stories about the Chinese Canadian diaspora.  Relevant and important, on display until December 4.  While The Polygon Gallery, in North Vancouver, presents the Canadian premiere of Stan Douglas’s Venice Biennale exhibition, 2011 ≠ 1848, where it earned critical acclaim for its reflection on the global political unrest of 2011 and the legacy of those movements. The exhibition features Douglas’s signature large-scale photographs and a two-channel video installation, on display until November 4. 

And the soon to open, and on display until November 30, is the informative and important exhibition, Ore and Orcas: The Remediation of Howe Sound |Átl’ḵa7tsem at Britannia Mine Museum.  After exploring this National Historic site, including the underground mine tour and the award-winning BOOM! show, visit the Terra Lab to explore this dynamic temporary exhibit. Explore how copper contamination impacted the marine food chain from plankton to predators and learn how remediation efforts now protect this ecosystem.  This unique display includes preserved specimens from the Howe Sound ecosystem, like rockfish, salmon, sponges and other iconic animals but the ultimate is a real killer whale skeleton. Preserved and restored by the Strawberry Isle Marine Research Society based in Tofino. 

Tie in a visit to Britannia Mine Museum’s Halloween event, Treasures of the Deep, and you’re sure to have an amazing day.  Family-friendly chills and thrills festivities run for 6 days, with spooky activities to chill adults and kids alike including the chance to search for hidden treasures on the “Treasures of the Deep” remix on the underground tour, the Sunken Machine Shop where a fantasy shipwreck and the Science of the Seafloor show await.  And the Terra Lab, or Terror Lab, offers those who enter at their own risk, can try their hand at assembling a real killer whale skeleton.  Tickets on sale now get tickets here.  Dates October 15 and 16, 22 and 23, 29 and 30

For more Halloween fun, check out the all-new Canyon Frights at Capilano Suspension Bridge, October 14 - October 31, daily, 9am - 6pm. Check out the spooky displays, Halloween-themed games, for prizes, entertainment, Raptors Ridge on weekends and so much more.  Dress up in family friendly costumes to enjoy the fun even more! Book tickets on this website, and save when you book an additional attraction.

Also worth a visit is Burnaby Village Museum’s, Eerie Illusions event, October 20 – 30, 5:30 – 10:30pm.  The Village will once again be transformed into a magical world bathed in breathtaking colour using projections, soundscapes, and special effects.  This popular event captivates visitors with new displays, costumed staff, live performances, and surprises hidden in the shadows.  It is a self-guided family friendly Halloween experience and visitors are encouraged to come in costume to explore Burnaby Village Museum’s 10-acre venue.  Tickets sell out fast, book through Burnaby Village Museum.   

Or take it outside and check out VanDusen Garden’s Harvest Days, where you can take in great kids activities, tasty treats, and more. Enjoy the festivities weekends, and Thanksgiving Monday, October 10. Visit vandusengarden.ca for tickets and more information.

Fall for more this October!