2007 Annual General Meeting, Oct. 5-7, Vancouver, BC Canada

Theme: "Discovering Emma in Vancouver"

Welcome Plenary Speakers Breakout Sessions Schedule Registration
Special Events Amusements Hotel Tours Travel Info

Tours

 


While "Discovering Emma in Vancouver" in October, 2007, Janeites will have a golden opportunity to view the city's geographic and cultural highlights and experience the scenic beauty of British Columbia through a series of customized, professionally guided coach trips. The return time is approximate. Please note no meals are included in the tour fees. Tour price includes taxes, admission fees, and gratuities to the guide and driver. Tour registration must reach Dianne Globe (address below) by August 15, 2007.

Sunken Garden, Butchart Gardens near Victoria
Sunken Garden, Butchart Gardens near Victoria


Vancouver Convention Centre, the West End, and Stanley Park
Vancouver Convention Centre, the West End, and Stanley Park

A. The Best of Vancouver
Thursday, October 4, 9 a.m. - 5:30 p.m.

This tour highlights the heritage and sights of the city's downtown core from Gastown, Chinatown and Yaletown, to the West End, and the world famous Stanley Park. Inside the park we will stop to admire the Totem Poles and other landmarks best viewed from this spot. A midday break (with lunch on your own) at Granville Island will introduce you to markets, artisans' studios, unique shops, and the lively ambiance of the favourite meeting place for locals. The tour continues with a scenic drive through the neighbourhoods of Kitsilano and West Point Grey.
Beautiful views of the sandy beaches of English Bay, with names like Jericho Beach and Spanish Banks, lead to Pacific Spirit Park and the University of British Columbia.  We will visit the Museum of Anthropology, designed by renowned local architect Arthur Erickson. It houses one of the world's finest collections of West Coast First Nations Art such as totem poles and canoes. En route back, we will visit the VanDusen Botanical Garden, one of the many wonderful garden complexes in the Vancouver area. This oasis of nature underscores the rich role played by horticulture in the lives of Vancouverites.

B. Highlights of the North Shore 
Thursday, October 4, 9 a.m. - 4 p.m.
Saturday, October 6, 9 a.m. - 4 p.m. (Saturday is a Companion tour.)

This tour begins with a scenic drive across Burrard Inlet via the famous Lions Gate Bridge and proceeds to the Capilano Suspension Bridge Park, voted Vancouver's top attraction. This park boasts the world's longest suspension bridge, and is one of the best examples of a rain forest on the west coast. The day continues with a visit to the Capilano Fish Hatchery where you will learn about the life cycle of the Pacific Salmon.

Grouse Mountain Super SkyRide, North Vancouver
Grouse Mountain Super SkyRide, North Vancouver

After the Capilano Reservoir, source of Vancouver's drinking water, the Grouse Mountain Super SkyRide whisks you up high above the city so that Vancouver seems truly to be at your feet! Once up there, enjoy the views, the wooden sculptures that line the walking paths, the grizzly bears at the Refuge for Endangered Wildlife, and the theatre presentations. When 'down to earth' again, we will cross the harbour from the Lonsdale Quay Market on the 300-passenger Seabus, and be collected by the tour bus. (Your guide will offer suggestions for breaks/lunch during the day.)

Drive along Howe Sound on Sea to Sky Highway
Drive along Howe Sound on Sea to Sky Highway

C. Coasts, Mountains, Forests, and . . . Whistler! 
Wednesday, October 3, 8 a.m. - 5:30 p.m.

This tour offers a day of amazing sights and experiences. The scenic drive along Howe Sound, the first fiord north of Vancouver on the Sea to Sky Highway, is truly awesome. Coastal views of islands and marine activity are matched by retired towns like Britannia Beach, once the home of a mine whose ore output was one of the largest in the world. And then there is beautiful Shannon Falls, the third highest waterfall in Canada. The town of Squamish at the head of Howe Sound is home to the lumber industry. Climbing further into the rugged Coast Mountains and Mt. Garibaldi Provincial Park, we find many old growth forests. Eagles are drawn here in the winter months because nearby rivers are full of late running salmon. A paradise, surely! Eventually we will arrive in the famous ski village of Whistler, busy preparing for the Winter Olympics in 2010. There will be time to explore and have lunch on your own.


D. A Taste of Vancouver Island (Victoria)
Monday, October 8, 7:30 a.m. - 8:30 p.m.

This tour is a must on any visitor's list. You will see another part of the Province of British Columbia and its capital city, Victoria. The largest island on the west coast of North and South America, Vancouver Island holds the key to BC's history from the fur trade and gold rush to mining and forestry, which paved the way for the province of today. This full day excursion features a 1 1/2 hour cruise each way between the Mainland and the Island on a large ferry. Once on the Island, we will first visit the world famous Butchart Gardens (see photo above), now in its 104th year of operation. We will next follow scenic coastal routes, and visit the beautiful city of Victoria. 

Provincial Legislative Buildings and the Inner Harbour, Victoria
Provincial Legislative Buildings and the Inner Harbour, Victoria
The ivy-covered Empress Hotel  of Canadian Pacific Railway fame, and the elaborate Provincial Legislative Buildings seem to oversee the activities in the Inner Harbour. Included in the tour is a visit to the Royal BC Museum, a rich repository of BC history. Several other tourist sites are located nearby, so that you may choose your own from among the Royal London Wax Museum, the Miniature World, the Undersea Gardens, etc. (You may have breakfast and dinner on your own on board the ferry. Your guide will offer other suggestions for breaks and meals throughout the day.)

Vancouver Maritime Museum
Vancouver Maritime Museum

E. Reviewing Maritime British Columbia
Friday, October 5, 9 a.m. - 11:30 a.m.

The visit to the Vancouver Maritime Museum will offer Janeites the opportunity to learn about BC's coastal history, from the days of Captain George Vancouver's explorations to the present. The exhibits and paintings here and a local expert should be of great interest in "Discovering Emma in Vancouver." You will learn that it all happened here during Jane Austen's lifetime! There will be time to explore the museum on your own, but not to be missed is a visit to the St. Roch. This wonderfully restored Royal Canadian Mounted Police Schooner was built in 1928 to serve as a supply ship for isolated detachments in the high Arctic. She became the first ship to navigate the Northwest Passage from west to east, and later the first to circumnavigate North America via the Panama Canal. Today she is preserved as a museum ship, and remains the crown jewel in the treasures of the Vancouver Maritime Museum.


F. Vancouver Highlights
Wednesday, October 3, 2 p.m. - 5:30 p.m.
Sunday, October 7, 2:00 p.m. - 5:30 p.m.


An abbreviated version of Tour A, this afternoon tour will begin with selected sights in Vancouver's downtown—a drive along Robsonstrasse and the West End, one of the most densely populated areas in Vancouver.  It was home to the first residents of the new town in the late 1880s, but now it boasts many high-end fashion shops and trendy restaurants. Many of the Heritage Homes have been transformed into art galleries and public meeting places. Continuing on to famous Stanley Park, we will stop to admire the Totem Poles.
Museum of Anthropology
After a drive through the Park, we come to English Bay. We continue our scenic drive through the neighbourhoods of Kitsilano and West Point Grey. Beautiful views of sandy beaches, with names like Jericho Beach and Spanish Banks, are below. Arriving at the University of British Columbia, we will visit the Museum of Anthropology, designed by renowned local architect Arthur Erickson. It houses one of the world's finest collections of West Coast Native Art, such as totem poles and canoes. 

For further information on any aspect of the above tours, please contact Dianne Globe, Tour Coordinator at 604-434-0857 (phone/fax) or at nldglobe@allstream.net.

Return to list of AGMS

Return to Home Page