The last time we visited Vancouver, we ended our visit at Granville Island. We drove over and parked, took the False Creek Ferry tour, popped in the market just as it closed, and grabbed a late seafood dinner before driving back to Seattle.

It was just enough time to realize we needed a lot more time!

During our recent weekend trip to Vancouver we decided to spend a good part of our Sunday on the island prior to catching a ferry over to the train station. We didn’t have luggage since we were only there for the weekend so we grabbed brunch in the West End by our hotel, walked along the water to the ferry dock and caught a ferry over to Granville.

It started to sprinkle as we pulled into the dock so we ducked into nearby Granville Island Public Market to roam around the stalls.

The produce was incredible, and there were tons of food and craft stalls, restaurants and people! There were also some musicians playing in the areas where people were eating.

I had to make a purchase at Zara’s pasta stall because they had squid ink pasta, which I love! I bought a couple bunches and took a picture of the instructions so I would know how to store and prepare it.

We also made a stop at Siegel’s Bagels, which my boss had recommended. He said the rugalach were ‘sinful’ so of course we had to try them out! We ended up with a few to taste-test on our train ride home and a whole box I took to the office Monday morning. They were DELICIOUS! If you’re anywhere near the island you have to try them.

After we had sufficiently explored the market we headed outside and happened upon a guy playing guitar in a little courtyard. The rain had stopped so we joined a few other people who were hanging about and enjoying the music.

He was great, playing all kinds of classic rock and folk songs that everyone knew. We wrote a few down so we could add them to our own set list.

I could have sat there singing along all day but we eventually moved down the street to the Granville Island Brewing Co. We lucked out, grabbing seats and ordering a sampler to share just before they experienced a rush of people, who were lined up out the door.

It was a fun tasting area but not as big and without as much seating as I originally expected.

After our taste we wandered around the nearby streets checking out some of the other shops and restaurants. We also came across a place that hosts musical and comedy acts that we added to our list for next time. There were quite a few people—tons of cars—and I was so glad we’d come over by ferry instead of fighting for a parking spot.

Our last stop was the Liberty Distillery, which only recently opened. They specialize in vodka and gin, but what I found fascinating (and what I haven’t experienced at any other distilleries) is that they let you taste the gin in development. Meaning, it’s not technically gin because it’s still going through the various distillation steps!

I don’t know if they’ll always do it—right now they do it out of necessity because they are so new and the gin is literally still going through the years-long process of being distilled. It was a neat opportunity so I hope they do continue it even after the final product is available!

We ordered a tasting, which included their vodka, the gin in step 2 of the process, and the gin in step 3 of the process, and then Brian added a taste of the whiskey. I let him take the lead—I don’t really care for gin and everything was a little harsh for me—and enjoyed the view from our seats overlooking the road.

We only had a little time until our train so we took the ferry to Yaletown and then headed to the station for our trip home.

We’ll certainly be back to Granville Island—we still haven’t scratched the surface of all the activities, shops and restaurants available, and we haven’t experienced it at night. Let me know what we should add to our list!