Living at UTown@UBC means you're never short on things to do or see. With concert halls, green spaces, theatres and museums within walking distance, UTown@UBC residents have some of Vancouver's top attractions practically in their backyards!
Grab a picnic lunch and head to one of the numerous parks or green spaces on campus. Run through the trails in Pacific Spirit Park or take in a concert at the cello-shaped Chan Centre for the Performing Arts.
Here are just a few of the must-see attractions at UBC:
Museum of Anthropology:
Designed by famed architect Arthur Erikson, the Museum of Anthropology’s soaring glass and concrete design (pictured above) is almost as impressive as the ethnographic and archaeological objects housed inside. One of Vancouver’s biggest tourist draws, the Museum of Anthropology is home to a collection of totem poles, carvings and Bill Reid’s “Raven and the First Men” sculpture, featured on the Canadian $20 bill.
Beaty Biodiversity Museum:
The Beaty Biodiversity Museum is Vancouver’s only natural history museum and is home to over two million specimens, as well as a spectacular blue whale skeleton—at 25 metres long, it’s the biggest free-hanging skeleton in the world. The rest of the museum—over 20,000 square feet—is underground, hidden beneath a green roof, one of the building’s many innovative sustainability features.
Nitobe Memorial Garden:
Created in 1960 to honour peace activist Inazo Nitobe, tranquil Nitobe Memorial Garden is considered the most authentic traditional Japanese Garden in North America and includes a traditional Japanese teahouse, surrounded by a roji tea garden. This garden is a unique amenity for both our academic and residential communities.
UBC Botanical Gardens:
Established in 1916, UBC Botanical Garden includes 12,000 plants from around the world, spread over 44 hectares, and is part of UBC’s Faculty of Land and Food Systems. Highlights include an Asian Garden, Food Garden, B.C. Rainforest Garden, the Greenheart Canopy Walkway aerial system and more. If you have a green thumb, be sure to stop by the Plant Centre, which sells native and rare specimens!
UBC Farm:
The UBC Farm includes 24 hectares of integrated farm and forest lands and is managed by the Centre for Sustainable Food Systems. The UBC Farm market is a great place to spend a Saturday (from June to October); it features 250 varieties of fruits and vegetables, eggs, honey and flowers, craftspeople and live music. Other community initiatives include the Children’s Learning Garden, Aboriginal programming and a volunteer program. Fresh produce from the UBC Farm is used at many of UBC’s food outlets; you can’t get much more local than that!
Chan Centre for the Performing Arts:
The Chan Centre has gained an international reputation for its striking, cello-shaped design and excellent acoustics, as well as for its top- notch concerts, productions, and lectures. Three performance spaces share a glass lobby that opens onto a forest grove and small outdoor patio.
If you're a UTown@UBC resident, don't forget to sign up for a UTown@UBC Community Services Card or UNA Community Services Card for free or reduced-rate access to many of these attractions and more!