Things to do in Point Grey, Vancouver

The Museum of Anthropology began in 1949 as a department in UBC's Faculty of Arts, and on May 30, 1976 it moved into its concrete and glass home, designed by Arthur Erickson with grounds landscaped by Cornelia Oberlander. In the Great Hall, Northwest Coast totem poles stand against the glass with forest and sea behind them, and our listing points you to Bill Reid's 'The Raven and the First Men', carved in yellow cedar. Adult admission is $26, half price on Thursday evenings after 5pm, and free for Indigenous people and for UBC students, staff and faculty. It's open Tuesday to Sunday from 10am to 5pm, and until 9pm on Thursdays. As of late October 2026 the museum lists Tupananchiskama, on ancient Andean cosmovision, through January 3, 2027, with From the Deep opening November 19.

The Beaty Biodiversity Museum says only 21 blue whale skeletons are available for public viewing worldwide. Canada's largest hangs in its glass atrium after a 6,000 km move from the coast of Prince Edward Island, and our listing counts two million specimens behind it, from drawers of beetles to jars of deep-sea oddities. Adult admission is $18, and our listing says it is closed Mondays outside summer and that Beaty Nocturnal runs by donation on the third Thursday of each month.

La Quercia, at the West Point Grey end of West 4th near Alma, makes its own bread, preserves, pickled vegetables and desserts and does its own butchery, per its site. Chef Adam Pegg's northern Italian menu follows the slow-cooking tradition, and alongside the à la carte list the kitchen offers an impromptu small or large 'alla famiglia' spread for the whole table. Our listing adds that the menu is often recited rather than printed. An antipasto and a primo runs $52 to $64 a person. The site lists dinner Tuesday to Saturday, 5pm to 9:30pm, so check the night before you book. Say yes to the family-style spread; it ends the 'what are you getting' standoff before it starts.

Wildlight Kitchen + Bar sits in lelem village near UBC at the edge of the Pacific Spirit forest. Its site calls it a Michelin Guide recommended selection, with an enclosed glass atrium that works year-round and a wine list recognized by the Vancouver International Wine Festival and Wine Spectator. A large plate and a drink runs $35 to $86 a person. Book a table, then walk the forest trails next door before or after.

Rain is when UBC makes the most sense. Do the totem poles at the Museum of Anthropology and the blue whale at the Beaty, both indoors, with a coffee at Great Dane in between. If you'd rather not leave the building, MOA's Cedar Café, up the ramp from the admission desk, is open Tuesday to Sunday from 10am to 5pm, and until 7pm on Thursdays.

For a pint afterward, Koerner's covered patio is our rainy-day pick (check its hours first). And if it's only drizzling, Pacific Spirit's canopy does a decent impression of an umbrella. Pack for mud, and keep the dinner booking somewhere warm, like Wildlight or La Quercia.