Richmond, BC Indoor Activities

While hiking the craggy island shores of Kythera, Gloria and Scott Latham spotted something strange and wonderful: a bright yellow flower sprouting from the rocks. Known as a semperviva, this plant symbolizes abundant life, a symbol they'd sought for quite some time. When the couple returned to Vancouver and founded a yoga studio, the flower sprang to mind immediately. "The concrete structures of the city, the buildings, the sidewalks, and the roads were the equivalent of the craggy rocks of Kythera," Gloria says. "Our clients and friends are that bright yellow flower, the souls that are brilliant and thriving despite the hardships that life presents."

Today, Semperviva Yoga tempers the city's hustle and bustle with joy and peace. Inside its four local studios, friendships bloom among mats, blocks, and bolsters, which students may borrow for free. Here, seasoned instructors demonstrate yoga's power to cultivate flexibility and focus. Classical Hatha sessions offer plenty of cues to help students tailor the poses to their goals and limitations. Deep breaths and stretches fuel Vinyasa Power Flow routines, which build more strength and grace than a swan bench-pressing a ballerina. Several Semperviva studios feature boutiques, which foster healthy lifestyles with organic essential oils, biodynamic skincare products, and yoga-themed books.

Since 1983, three-time Canadian bowling champion Richard Grubb has owned and operated North Shore Bowl and ensured that the lanes live up to his elite standards. The alley itself has welcomed bowlers since 1961, and offers 16 lanes of traditional five-pin bowling with open hours seven days a week. The lanes host men's, women's, and seniors' leagues, and welcome luminescent bowlers each weekend for glow bowling. North Shore Bowl also hosts a collection of classic arcade games and a party room so that groups can sing privately to cakes before eating them.

For each seating option, choose between the following performances:

Helmed by Artistic Director Leila Getz, the Vancouver Recital Society has drawn internationally acclaimed artists to British Columbia for more than three decades. Over the years, the society has dazzled audiences with concerts by celebrity cellist Yo-Yo Ma and recitals by violin virtuoso Itzhak Perlman. With recitals spread across four of Vancouver’s most esteemed venues, the Vancouver Recital Society packs every season with esteemed and seasoned luminaries, while introducing audiences to future generations of classical royalty.

Now the only remaining farm on Vancouver’s North Shore, Maplewood Farm—nestled along the banks of the Seymour River—was founded in the early 1900s by Mr. Akiyo Kogo and operated as a successful dairy farm before its designation as a rural heritage site in 1975. Dedicated to introducing visitors of all ages to the inner workings of a busy farm, such as the best time of day to hug a lamb, a team of farmhands circulates about the pastoral 5-acre plot entertaining visitors with educational presentations that include cow-milking demonstrations and the feeding of pigs and horses. Nascent ranchers can commune with nature as they arrange birdseed feasts on the ground for the farm’s chickens and ducks or power a pedal tractor around the grounds. An adorable assortment of livestock hangs around throughout the day, patiently fielding questions on why Old McDonald is allowed to break the ‘I before E’ rule with his cries of "E-I-E-I-O."

Featured in the Vancouver Sun and TLC Vancouver, glass artist Braden Hammond has skyrocketed from life as a simple student at Santa Cruz Art and Glass Studio to the current head of one of Canada’s largest lampworking facilities. His artwork peppers galleries and boutiques throughout the country, ranging from statement glass jewellery to chandeliers shaped to resemble glowing roses or venus flytraps devouring lightbulbs. At his studio, Hammond also hosts classes for budding glass artists at beginning through advanced levels, teaching students the art of glass blowing, borosilicate glass manipulation, and crafting glass with marble moulds.