Vancouver, Coast & Mountains Things To Do

Here are five to whet your appetite for more:

• Granville Island Public Market
• Whistler Farmers' Market
• Abbotsford Farm and Country Market
• Lonsdale Quay Farmers' Market
• UBC Farm Market

Granville Island Public Market

Located in the heart of the city, under the Granville Bridge, this popular indoor market is open year-round and augmented seasonally with the arrival of local farmers and their produce.

• A visit to Granville Island can easily become an all-day affair as the market is surrounded by restaurants, theatres, artisan galleries, a kids market, buskers and much more

• The market embaces all that is local, including freshly caught seafood, made-on-the-premises pasta, Fraser Valley-grown seasonal fruits and vegetables, handcrafted cheeses, raised-in-BC meat and poultry, fresh baked breads and much, much more

• Many food stalls offer freshly cooked foods that echo Vancouver's multicultural diversity. Choose from ethnic cuisines such as Chinese, Greek, Italian, Indian, Japanese, Mexican and Polish.

Whistler Farmers' Market

This seasonal Sunday market winds through Whistler's Upper Village from mid June to mid October.

• All vendors must make, bake or grow their wares

• Foods include artisan breads, jams and preserves, fresh-from-the-field fruits and vegetables, pickled specialties, honey, spiced and sugared nuts, coffees, teas and more

• The market is an ideal family outing, with entertainers and buskers, face painting for kids and a supervised crafts area.
  

Abbotsford Farm and Country Market

This rural market features dozens of local vendors. It operates from the end of May until mid October.

• With Abbotsford situated right in the heart of the agricultural Fraser Valley, you will be sampling and purchasing some of the freshest food possible

• Products change with the seasons, moving from spring pickings of rhubarb and strawberries, to summer bounties of artichokes, blueberries, miniature melons and tomatoes, to autumn harvests of root vegetables, pumpkins, apples and fresh cranberries—just in time for Thanksgiving.
  

Lonsdale Quay Farmers' Market

Take the SeaBus over to North Vancouver to experience a Saturday market (early May to late October) that is as picturesque as it is tempting.

• You'll find fresh produce, plants and healing herbs side-by-side with the offerings of food artisans, all appealingly located under large, shady trees

• Bring a camera to snap the postcard-perfect views of Vancouver and the cruise ships heading into the city's harbour

• The market is conveniently located beside the SeaBus terminal. Once there, explore the rest of Lonsdale Quay, home to an array of food vendors, boutiques and restaurants.
  

UBC Farm Market

The University of British Columbia operates a farm on its main campus in Vancouver with produce sales through the onsite Farm Harvest Hut.

• The farm's gardeners (agricultural sciences students) grow a wide variety of crops — from carrots, lettuce, beans and bok choy to pumpkins, peppers, tomatoes and squashes They also manage a free-range poultry flock

• Produce is free of synthetic pesticides, herbicides, and fertilizers

• The market is open Saturdays from late spring through October.