Centre A: Vancouver International Centre for Contemporary Asian Art

Centre A is a small, free nonprofit gallery in Vancouver's Chinatown dedicated to contemporary Asian art. If your kids are old enough to engage with visual art — roughly age 8 and up — it's a worthwhile 30-minute stop that exposes them to creative work from perspectives they won't encounter in most Vancouver galleries.

The gallery is compact, occupying a second-floor space at 268 Keefer Street. Exhibitions rotate every few months and feature artists of Asian heritage from Vancouver, across Canada, and internationally. The work tends to be contemporary and conceptual — installations, video art, mixed media — rather than traditional paintings on walls.

What makes Centre A interesting for families is that the art often challenges expectations. Kids who think they "don't like art" may find something here that clicks — the installations can be immersive, tactile, or interactive in ways that a painting gallery never is.

The gallery also has a reading room stocked with art books and catalogs focused on Asian art and culture. Bookish kids and teens can browse while parents look at the exhibition.

Access is via stairs or a small elevator. The space is tight, so strollers are possible but not ideal. There are no family washrooms or changing facilities.

Pair a visit with dim sum in Chinatown or a walk through the Dr. Sun Yat-Sen Classical Chinese Garden a few blocks away. Centre A works best as one stop in a broader Chinatown family outing rather than a standalone destination.