Not into Watching Sports? Top 5 Activities During 2010 Winter Games in BC

During the 2010 Olympic Winter Games there will be hundreds of opportunities to catch the spirit without tickets to a sporting event. Here are five options to get you started. To see our full list of ten ideas, click here.

1. Explore the Aboriginal Pavilion
Housed in a temporary Coast Salish longhouse and topped by a 65-metre high, air-supported multi-media sphere, the Aboriginal Pavilion welcomes visitors to learn about the arts, crafts, food, stories and culture of Canada’s first people. Special theme days will showcase contemporary Aboriginal culture including Inuit throat signing, Métis jigging and First Nations hoop dancing.

2. Ski and board 24/7 on Grouse Mountain
If you’ve always wanted to hit the slopes at midnight or watch a live broadcast of NBC’s Today show, here’s your chance. Each Olympic morning (Monday to Friday), beginning at 4 am local time, Today will broadcast from the top of Grouse Mountain. During the 2010 Olympic Winter Games, the mountain and all its snow and dining facilities will remain open 24/7. Can you say party?

3. Enjoy the Vancouver Art Gallery, for free
The Government of British Columbia will house its pavilion on the fourth floor of the Vancouver Art Gallery. Thanks to this arrangement, admission to the Gallery will be free during the Olympic Winter Games. Plan to immerse yourself in three special exhibits.

• “Visions of British Columbia: A Landscape Manual” explores the breadth
and depth of BC’s visual art
• “Leonardo da Vinci: The Mechanics of Man” presents some of the most
important anatomic drawings in history
• “Visceral Bodies” in which 18 contemporary artists investigate the human
form.

4. Write a message at the Bamboo Welcome Gates
Visit Zodiac Square in Vancouver’s historic Chinatown during the 2010 Winter Games and write a Welcome World Wish for an athlete or a country. Wishes will be placed in vibrant red, water-resistant envelopes in the Bamboo Welcome Gates and read every day from 9 am to 9 pm.

5. Figure skate in downtown Vancouver
Bust out a few figure skating moves on the outdoor ice skating rink at Robson Square (below street level at the corner of Robson and Howe Streets). Re-opening in time for the 2010 Winter Games, GE Ice Plaza will feature free, fun athletic demonstrations, family events and BC-focused entertainment.

November 4, 2009   Posted in: Canada