Thank you to everyone that entered, and congratulations to all the winners!
The days are longer, the sun is shining, and it's never a better time to get outside!
Take the opportunity to explore UBC this summer! From events to galleries and gardens, there's something for all ages, interests and levels of comfort. Use this summer passport guide to start exploring campus — choose your favourite places to make a day trip, or take the entire summer to visit all nine featured locations!
This summer passport is also a contest to give you a chance to win one of four $50 gift cards to an on-campus restaurant of your choice. Each location you visit is one entry, with a maximum of nine entries if you complete the guide.
Contest Details
Share your UBC summer experience with us, and you could win a $50 gift card to your choice of an on-campus restaurant.
Winners will be able to choose from Doughgirls, Rain or Shine Ice Cream or UBC Food Services!
Here’s how you can enter:
1. Plan a visit to the UBC Vancouver campus and stop at any of the nine locations featured in the passport guide below.
2. Post a photo from your visit on Instagram. To be eligible, photos must use the hashtag #myUBCsummer, and tag @utownubc.
Alternatively, photos may be submitted by sending a DM to @utownubc or emailing: info.utown@ubc.ca. **You can also request a free Boft polaroid-style print! Read on to #10 in the Summer Passport Locations (below).
This contest is open to students, staff, faculty and alumni from all UBC campuses, and residents of the University Neighbourhoods Association (UNA), Acadia Park residence, and Musqueam community.
The contest period runs from July 12, 2021 to August 28th, 2021 at 11:59 pm PST. Each photo of a location counts as one entry. Each person may submit up to one photo for each location for a total of nine entries. One winner will be randomly selected biweekly during the contest period and contacted by direct message or email. Four $50 gift cards will be awarded in total, and winners will be able to choose from the following on-campus establishment:
This contest is in no way sponsored, endorsed or administered by, or associated with Instagram.
Summer Passport Locations
The featured locations are located on UBC's Vancouver campus. We gratefully acknowledge that UBC Vancouver is situated on the traditional, ancestral, and unceded territory of the xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam) People. The land has always been a place of learning for the Musqueam, who for millennia have passed on their culture, history and traditions from one generation to the next on this site. We invite you to learn more about the Musqueam and the history of Canadian Indigenous Peoples as part of your exploration.
Note: Some locations require ticket booking in advance. For the latest before-you-go information, please refer to the location's website. For UBC students, staff, faculty, and UNA membership cardholders, please be advised that appropriate ID, (e.g. Student ID, UNA Card, etc.) must be presented to receive free admission or discounted admission to various sites/attractions.
1. UBC Farm Farmer's Market
When: June 5 - November 27, 2021 | Saturdays from 10:00 AM - 2:00 PM & Tuesdays from 4:00 PM - 6:00 PM
Where: UBC Farm, 3461 Ross Drive
Cost: Free
The UBC Farmers Market is back for its 20th year! Located on a working farm, this multi-vendor farmers market has everything to offer, with certified organic and farm-fresh produce, meats, vegan cheeses, baked goods, and prepared foods, start your day off at their Saturday farmer's market or wrap up your Tuesday afternoons. UBC students receive a 20% discount on all UBC Farm produce by showing their UBC Student ID at the cash register.
2. Museum of Anthropology (MOA)
(Photo: UBC Brand and Marketing)
When: Tuesdays - Sundays from 10:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Where: 6393 NW Marine Drive
Cost: $13 - $15 for general admission | Free for UBC students, staff and faculty. Advance booking required.
This impressive collection of art and artifacts is worth a trip of its own. With the house posts inside and surrounding the grounds, or the enormous cedar sculpture The Raven and the First Man carved by Haida artist Bill Reid, MOA is sure to take your breath away. While the beautiful Great Hall is currently undergoing seismic upgrades and will not be visible this summer, the collections are nevertheless well worth the visit!
3. Beaty Biodiversity Museum
(Photo: UBC Brand and Marketing)
When: Tuesdays - Sundays, 10:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Where: 2212 Main Mall
Cost: $10 - $14 general admission | Free for UBC students, staff and faculty. Advance booking required.
Through collection-based research, education, outreach, and exhibits, the Beaty Biodiversity Museum strives to inspire understanding of Biodiversity. Housing over two million specimens, Vancouver’s only natural history museum holds everything from fish, fossils, birds and bugs. Well known for its display of the blue whale skeleton in its entrance hall, Beaty is a fascinating location to explore!
4. Nitobe Memorial Garden
When: Wednesdays - Sundays, 10:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Where: 1895 Lower Mall
Cost: $5 general admission | Garden access is free for UBC students, staff and faculty. Advance booking is recommended for quicker check-in.
This traditional Japanese stroll garden and authentic tea house is a must see for any and all UBC visitors. Created as a memorial to Dr. Nitobe, the garden is considered to be one of the most authentic Japanese gardens outside of Japan. A window into both Japanese culture and the important aspects of Japanese-Canadian history, Nitobe Memorial Garden is beautiful in all weather and an opportune location for reflection.
5. UBC Botanical Garden
When: Wednesdays - Sundays, 10:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Where: 6804 SW Marine Drive
Cost: $5 - $27 general admission | Garden access is free for UBC students, staff and faculty. Greenheart TreeWalk is offered at a special reduced admission for these groups with UBCcard. Advance booking is recommended for quicker check in.
Established in 1916, the UBC Botanical Garden is the oldest university botanical garden in Canada. With a collection of native flowers and trees, the gardens also show extensive biodiversity with an Alpine Garden, an Asian Garden, and a Rainforest garden, and that is only to list a few! At 44 hectares in size, exploring these gardens leaves a lot to be discovered. Now with the Greenheart TreeWalk, experience the aerial view with a peak of 23 metres high along the 310 metres long trail system.
6. Foreshore Trail
Length: 5 Kilometers
Where: Start at the gravel parking lot along Acadia Beach at NW Marine Drive
Cost: Free
Foreshore Trail is a beautifully scenic path surrounding UBC, passing through Acadia Beach, Tower Beach, and the infamous Wreck Beach. Stunning at low tide and sunset, but certainly worth the trip any time with its views of Downtown, West Vancouver, and Vancouver Island. Not feeling up to completing the 5 km hike? Not a problem! With seven trails leading back up to the campus, you can explore this beauty for as little or as long as you want!
7. Morris and Helen Belkin Art Gallery
(Photo: UBC Brand and Marketing)
When: Tuesdays - Friday, 10:00 AM - 5:00 PM, Saturday - Sunday, 12:00 PM - 5:00 PM
The Belkin is open until August 22nd and will reopen September 7th with their next exhibition, Drift.
Where: 1825 Main Mall
Cost: Free
With free admission, more than 4,500 artworks in their collection, and holding over 20,000 archival items, this nationally acclaimed contemporary art gallery is worth checking out. Their rotating exhibitions will be sure to keep your visits fresh each time. The Belkin also offers tours of the public art and the Musqueam house posts located around campus! The Belkin, having one of the largest public art collections in the province, makes this stop essential for all art enthusiasts.
8. UBC Rose Garden
(Photo: UBC Brand and Marketing)
Where: 6301 Crescent Road
Cost: Free
Flowers are in bloom from June to September, making now the perfect time to visit! If that isn’t enough, the breathtaking mountain and ocean views make this popular spot a visual treasure. In the heart of the Art and Culture district, this location is convenient to get to and well worth the stop.
9. Pacific Spirit Regional Park
(Photo: Visit UBC)
Where: Surrounding UBC
Cost: Free
While the Pacific Spirit Regional Park is not technically part of UBC, we would be remiss to not include it in the guide. This staple of UBC offers a beautiful escape from the city without needing to travel far. At a staggering 750 hectares with 73 km of trail options, a walk in this forest can take 15 minutes to several hours depending on your ambition!
10. Bonus — Free* photo prints at the AMS Nest!
Not quite a location, but we have a special treat for all #myUBCsummer passport explorers! We've partnered with Boft Photo Printing to give you a code to redeem free polaroid-style photo prints! All you have to do is:
1. Send us a DM of your #myUBCsummer photo on Instagram or email it in to info.utown@ubc.ca.
2. We will respond in 1-2 business days with a unique code that you can redeem for a free print at any Boft photo print machines in BC. You may use your code on campus at Boft's teal machine in the AMS Nest — first floor by the south entrance, beside Pie-R-Squared Pizza.
3. To redeem, follow the instructions on the screen and use your special promo code for the payment.
One free print (two photos) per person.
*Limited quantities available on a first-come-first-served.
Interested in more of what UBC has to offer?
Check out UBC's Welcome Centre for more ideas and places to explore.
Did you know that countless campus locations are featured in popular films and TV shows? Go on a self-guided tour of popular filming spots on campus to learn more!