We drove to Vancouver for a day with my in-laws and lucked out with the weather–the day kept getting more beautiful and sunny as it went along.

We ended our time at Granville Island, and there was so much to see and do, only some of which we were actually able to explore, that I thought it necessitated its own post!

Our original purpose for visiting was to catch a boat ride on one of the False Creek Ferries. We wound our way around to the island, making a few wrong turns along the way thanks to our hilarious GPS, but finally arrived and attempted to find parking.

Apparently everyone had the same idea we did because it was PACKED!

It’s probably easier to park downtown and take an Aquabus across to the island instead of wasting time (and money) relocating. We were driving back to Washington after this visit so the driving and parking made sense, but I hadn’t anticipated how busy it would be and will keep that in mind next time we go.

Although the boat ride was the instigator, we soon discovered there is tons more to see and do on the island! We passed a number of fun shops and restaurants that seemed to reflect something for everyone.

For those interested in the arts, there were several art galleries as well as glass blowing and artisan craft shops. There are three theaters, including an outdoor amphitheater, so you can watch theatrical productions, comedy shows, local musicians and more. We enjoyed a few street performers, but I would love to come back for one of the seasonal festivals.

There were also lots of other shops–everything from home goods to clothes and shoes to local crafts. I popped into a small wine store and could have spent an hour picking out some local varieties to try. If you’re not into wine there’s also the Granville Island Brewing Co. We’ve been trying a number of Washington’s local brewers, but I’m not sure we’ve really sampled what Canada has to offer the artisan beer category.

We walked to the end of the island to the ferry dock for our boat ride just as the sun was starting to sink.We had beautiful views of the buildings back on shore as we made our way back and forth, picking up and dropping off other people.

When we returned to the island, we headed to Granville Island Public Market, which was about to close. I would love to go back and spend more time exploring the stalls and trying some of the food.

I had no idea what we were getting into visiting Granville Island, but we didn’t allocate nearly enough time. I can’t wait to go back!