Stroll through paradise

Find beauty and cultural delights in VanDusen Botanical Garden

When you visit VanDusen Botanical Garden, you’ll find it hard to believe that you are in the heart of Vancouver. A day almost isn’t enough time to walk through all the beautiful garden areas, as this ornamental botanical garden covers 55 acres and has plant collections that represent ecosystems in South Africa, the Himalayas and the Canadian Arctic. Visitors can explore at their own pace or choose to take a guided walking tour; these are offered daily from April to the end of October.

Cultural environment

Nancy Wong, the director of marketing and public relations for VanDusen Botanical Garden, said this year the garden has invited many musical performers and artists to come and entertain the public.

“What is really neat at the garden this summer is that we have this explosion of arts, concerts and exhibits,” said Wong.

From July 24 to 25, VanDusen presents Opera in the Garden, which will feature performances of music from the Baroque period. Then, on August 12, 15 and 16, VanDusen will be the venue for MusicFest Vancouver. Wong said what people typically do for concerts in the park is bring a picnic, enjoy a nice, leisurely stroll through the garden and spend the night listening to music in a lovely setting.

“We did this here last year and it was just gorgeous,” said Wong.

Another cultural event coming to VanDusen is Zimsculpt, happening August 22 to October 4. This is an exhibition and sale of more than 150 stone sculptures from Zimbabwe. Zimsculpt is on a worldwide tour and the only stop in North America will be at VanDusen Botanical Garden.