2008 Vancouver Official Visitors Guide - (Page 18) See & Do One-of-a-Kind Attractions Photography (Clockwise from top left): Horsedrawn carriage ride in Stanley Park; Grouse Mountain Skyride gondola; Vancouver Aquarium. ©iStockphoto, ©TVan/Grouse Mountain, ©Denise Chambers/Weaver With its spectacular natural setting, rich urban vibe and cosmopolitan residents, Vancouver provides visitors an enormous range of attractions. Whether in the city or in the great outdoors, these are some of Vancouver’s top destinations for visitors. Just a few minutes from downtown, Grouse Mountain offers the chance for visitors to glide smoothly to the top of a 1,200metre mountain in a large gondola. Once at the top, a variety of cafes and restaurants, hiking and winter sports, wildlife exhibits and other exciting adventures await. Head to Capilano Suspension Bridge and escape across the canyon to an ethereal environment of temperate rain forests and enormous trees at the Treetops Adventure. The canyon and the waters of Capilano River below the bridge offer dizzying views. For views of the urban variety, head to the Vancouver Lookout. Located more than 40 stories above the ground, the observation deck provides a 360-degree view of Burrard Inlet and the North Shore mountains, downtown skyscrapers and the people and cars on the streets below. Vancouver locals and regular visitors have great fondness for the marine animals found in the Vancouver Aquarium. The beluga whale tank is particularly exciting, with its surface-level training sessions as well as a compelling underwater viewing room. Other exhibits focus on seals, sea otters and sharks. Playland Amusement Park at the historic Pacific National Exhibition is 15 acres of fun open April through October. Its classic wooden roller coaster, built in 1958, continues to thrill guests with exhilarating twists and turns. It’s one of the top rides at Playland, drawing a half million riders each year. Stanley Park is one of Vancouver’s greatest treasures. An urban oasis measuring more than 1,000 acres, the park attracts sightseeing visitors, fitness-crazed locals who jog its trails and all manner of plants and animals. One of the best introductions to Vancouver’s heart of green is Stanley Park Horse-Drawn Tours, a narrated one-hour tour departing regularly from a kiosk near the entrance to the park. 18 tourismvancouver.com http://tourismvancouver.com
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