Activities

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  Eat a rainbow

  Learn how each colour group can improve your well-being and overall health.

  We're growing a rainbow of vegetables with over 114 easy-to-grow, locally available varieties in every colour imaginable.

  Visit the VanDusen Vegetable Garden to learn how each colour group can improve your well-being and overall health. We challenge you to eat a rainbow every week.

  Twenty-five percent of VanDusen’s harvest is provided to Shaughnessy Restaurant, which will be making a monetary donation to the Vancouver Neighbourhood Food Networks. The remaining 75% is donated to the Gathering Place Community Centre, serving between 300 and 400 lunches and dinners combined each day to people with financial barriers.
   

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  Junior Birder challenge

  Try to spot local birds during your garden visit. 

  Over 85 bird species have been recorded at VanDusen. Discover a variety of birds from black-capped chickadees and common ravens, to blue herons and American robins.

  Pick up a Junior Birder challenge at the admission desk and try to spot local birds during your garden visit. Complete the challenge and collect your Junior Birder button as a prize.

  Don’t forget to stop by the Backyard Bird Garden which was designed with plants that provide food sources and habitats for native birds. This is a perfect spot for bird watching in the Garden.

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  Elizabethan hedge maze

  Find your way through the maze.

  Find your way through the Elizabethan hedge maze made up of over 3,000 pyramidal cedars. Kids will love exploring the nearby veggie garden and climbing on the vintage tractor.

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  Courses and classes

  Take an art, photography, gardening, botany, or ecology class.

  The Vancouver Botanical Gardens Association (VBGA) offers courses and classes for adults and children at VanDusen Garden including, art, photography, gardening, botany and ecology. Summer camps and a nature school programs are offered for children.

  Visit the Vancouver Botanical Gardens Association website External website, opens in new tab, opens in new tab for more information on courses and activities.

Dining

Visit Shaughnessy Restaurant or The Garden Café

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  Taste of the Garden

  The series returns to Shaughnessy Restaurant.

  Chef Matthew Phillip is creating dishes utilizing fresh ingredients harvested from VanDusen’s Vegetable Garden. A rotating menu with produce, botanicals, and herbs will be highlighted to inspire what local, urban, sustainable cuisine is all about.

  Visit Shaughnessy Restaurant External website, opens in new tab to experience a Taste of the Garden.

Plan your visit

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  Accessibility

  Facility and garden access

  The Visitor Centre, Administration Building, Floral Hall, Shaughnessy Restaurant, and most paved garden paths are fully accessible to wheelchairs, scooters, and walkers.

  Touring the garden

  Many of the pathways, both paved and unpaved, can be uneven. Care should be taken for those using walking aids. Some steps do not have handrails or handrails on both sides. 

  Service animals

  Working guide and service dogs are welcome. Leave pets at home.

  Accessible toilets

  Accessible washrooms are located in the Visitor Centre. Some accessible portable washrooms are available in the garden. 

  Parking

  The VanDusen Botanical Garden parking lot is located on West 37th Ave, just off of Oak St. Accessible parking spots are available and parking is free. There is an accessible drop-off loop just off of Oak St at the front entrance of the garden. 

  Admission

  Required attendants of those needing assistance are offered free access. Simply let our staff at the admission desk know and a complimentary ticket will be processed for the attendant.

  Sensory

  At times, vehicles and machinery such as lawn mowers may be at work in the garden that could affect those with sensory issues. 

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  Tours

  Important note A limited number of tours may be available between 1pm and 4pm daily from April 1 to Thanksgiving, on a first-come-first-served basis. Due to the availability of volunteers during COVID-19, we cannot guarantee tours at this time.

  Guided tours

  VBGA volunteer guides offer walking tours and golf cart tours for those with mobility challenges (a maximum of two visitors per cart from the same bubble).

  Cart and walking tours are not available during special events. 

  Self-guided tours

  Inquire at the Membership Information Desk about seasonal self-guided tour pamphlets.

  These highlight plants or plant families that are at their peak in any given month.

  Enjoy seasonal self-guided tour prepared by VBGA volunteer guides External website, opens in new tab

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  Visitor Centre

  Our multi-award winning Visitor Centre was named Most Sustainable Building of the Year in 2014.

  Featuring advanced technology, a green roof, and a beautiful orchid-inspired design, the building achieved LEED Platinum status in 2014. Designed by internationally renowned architects Busby, Perkins + Will, the Visitor Centre was also designed to target certification to the International Living Institute’s Living Building Challenge™ External link icon (LBC), and was one of the first buildings in Canada to be Living Building Challenge Petal certified. The VanDusen Visitor Centre achieved certification in the categories of Site, Materials, Health and Beauty.

  Low carbon electricity is utilized for heating, cooling, and domestic hot water heating, delivered using a high efficiency ground source heat pump system. A significant amount of renewable energy is generated through the solar photovoltaic panels and evacuated tube solar thermal panels. As no fossil fuels are used, greenhouse gas emissions are low.

  The building was designed with a rainwater recycling system. On average, the building consumes approximately 1.4 million litres of water per year, with approximately 75% of that consumption supplied through rainwater collection and reuse. 

  Read more about the project External link icon

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  Wildlife

  Spot and photograph local wildlife including hummingbirds, hawks, owls, Canada Geese, herons, eagles, ducks, butterflies, and turtles. Discover the honey bee hives near the maze.

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  Code of conduct

  General garden rules 

  • We recommend wearing comfortable walking shoes and weather appropriate clothing. Shirts and shoes are required.
  • Walk and explore the garden along designated pathways and lawn areas only. 
  • To protect our botanical collections, please do not pick or remove any plant materials such as flowers, seeds or foliage. All plant material must be left in the garden. 
  • Dispose of waste in the garbage and recycling bins provided.
  • Baby strollers, wagons and wheelchairs are welcome. Please leave rollerblades, skate boards, and tricycles at home and lock up bicycles outside the Visitor Centre. 
  • Working guide and service dogs are welcome. Leave pets at home.
  • Do not feed or handle wildlife.
  • Supervise children at all times. The minimum age to visit the garden without an adult or guardian is 13 years old (youth).
  • One adult, senior, or youth can supervise and accompany up to a maximum of five children 0 – 4 years of age. For example, at least two adults, seniors, or youth must accompany a group of six to ten children in the 0 – 4 age category. This ratio is not applicable for daycares and school groups that have booked through our education department. 
  • Bring a picnic and a blanket to enjoy in the garden. Lawn chairs and coolers are permitted on the Great Lawn only. Portable grills are not permitted. 
  • Keep personal items with you at all times. The garden is not responsible for lost or stolen belongings. If you find something in the garden that does not belong to you, return it to a staff member or volunteer.

  Prohibited at any time

  • Use of drones
  • Balls, frisbees, hula hoops, hockey sticks and other sports equipment. 
  • Swimming in the lakes, ponds and waterfall. 
  •  Amplified music.  
  • Outside alcohol. Alcoholic beverages are available for purchase at on-site licensed establishments. Smoking of any kind, including vaping. 
  • Tripods in garden beds or pathways. They may only be used in grassy areas.