UBC Botanical Garden

UBC Botanical Garden is a 28-hectare garden on the University of British Columbia campus at the western tip of Vancouver. It's the oldest university botanical garden in Canada, featuring plant collections from around the world organized into themed garden sections connected by walking paths through coastal temperate rainforest.

For families, the Greenheart TreeWalk is the standout attraction. This series of suspended bridges and platforms takes you into the canopy of old-growth trees at heights up to 20 meters above the forest floor. The walkway stretches about 310 meters through the treetops, offering a perspective on the forest that kids rarely experience.

The bridges sway slightly, which adds to the excitement without being frightening for most children.

The garden itself has several sections that appeal to different interests. The Alpine Garden features miniature plants from mountain environments worldwide — kids enjoy spotting the tiny flowers growing between rocks. The Food Garden shows how common fruits, vegetables, and herbs grow, providing good learning opportunities for kids who think food comes from grocery stores.

The BC Rainforest Garden takes you through native coastal forest with ferns, mosses, and massive Western Red Cedars. The Asian Garden has plants from China, Japan, Korea, and the Himalayas, with a beautiful understory of rhododendrons that bloom spectacularly in spring.

Paths through the garden are mostly gravel and packed earth — strollers can navigate the main paths but will struggle on some narrower sections and the TreeWalk (which doesn't accommodate strollers). The garden terrain includes some gentle slopes.

The garden has a small shop and a cafe. Washroom facilities are available at the entrance building. Spring visits (April-May) offer the most spectacular blooms, while summer provides the lushest forest scenery. Fall foliage is also impressive.