Great Things to See and Do in Burnaby, British Columbia

Burnaby Village Museum is one of the top museums in the Greater Vancouver area. It’s a little different from most museums, which is why it is popular with families – it is where history comes to life. Step back in time at the museum’s replicated tram-stop community. visit the many businesses, such as the general store, school, barber shop, blacksmith and print shop, and see costumed townsfolk do demonstrations. Kids will enjoy riding on the historic carousel. Burnaby Village Museum loves to celebrate holidays such as Halloween and Christmas too.

Metropolis at Metrotown is British Columbia‘s largest shopping mall, and the third largest in Canada. There are over 450 stores and services in the four-storey shopping complex in Burnaby, which has an average of 27 million customers annually. Hudson’s Bay, Real Canadian Superstore, Forever 21, H&M, Old Navy, Winners, Sport Chek, Zara, Cineplex Cinemas, Uniqlo and Muji all call Metropolis at Metrotown home. It’s also located next door to the Metrotown SkyTrain Station, so it is easily accessible from downtown Vancouver.

Burnaby has a Central Park named as a tribute to the wife of David Oppenheimer, Vancouver’s second mayor, as she was born in New York city. Burnaby’s version is a 90ha (222-acre) green space that’s home to a temperate rainforest ecosystem, an award-winning children’s playground, lots of walking trails, a mini-golf course, tennis courts, an outdoor swimming pool, Swangard Stadium and small duck ponds. It’s popular with residents and local television and film crews.

This locale is another great Burnaby activity for children, and one that many locals don’t even know exists! Burnaby Central Railway is a miniature-railway park where people of all ages can go for a ride on a miniature train. It’s open on weekends, from Good Friday until Thanksgiving, and run by the British Columbia Society of Model Engineers, a non-profit organization. It’s a fun day out for the family, and people can even hold birthday parties at the railway.

Burnaby Mountain has something for everyone. It’s where Simon Fraser University is located and is home to the Playground of the Gods, which has incredible views of Vancouver and North Vancouver. Bring a picnic and enjoy the sunset from this scenic spot. There are 26 multi-use trails on Burnaby Mountain, perfect for beginners, advanced hikers and cyclists. It is also home to the Centennial Rose Garden and Horizons Restaurant.

The Burnaby Art Gallery dedicates itself to exhibiting “contemporary and historical art exhibits and events by local, regional, national and international artists,” according to the city of Burnaby’s website. The art gallery’s current exhibition, Myth/us, features artwork by senior secondary students who participated in the Burnaby Art Gallery’s Artist Apprenticeship Program in 2020. The Burnaby Art Gallery will feature more in-person exhibits from its reopening in September 2020, and also organizes public and school educational programs.

Deer Lake Park is where you can find both the Burnaby Art Gallery and Burnaby Village Museum, as well as the Shadbolt Centre for the Arts and Hart House Restaurant – but it is also the home of Deer Lake. There’s a small beach and a popular walking trail that takes you around the lake’s circumference, and during the summer you can rent rowboats, kayaks, canoes and pedal boats too.

“Whether you visit Barnet Marine Park for an early morning walk, an afternoon picnic with the family, or to watch the sunset, you’ll be rewarded with spectacular views of Burrard Inlet alongside remnants of Barnet’s rich pioneering history,” states the Burnaby city website. Barnet Marine Park has a sandy shore that can get very crowded with swimmers in the summertime, as it’s one of Vancouver’s best beaches. There are also walking trails and an off-leash dog area.

Burnaby Heights is a neighborhood located in northern Burnaby. While tourists don’t visit it all that much, it does host some excellent events throughout the year including a Lunar New Year parade, the Giro di Burnaby bicycle race, Halloween on the Heights, Deck the Heights for Christmas and Hats Off Day, which is a big street party that’s great for families and features games, a parade and a lot of fun.

The purpose of the Nikkei National Museum and Cultural Centre is to honor, preserve and share Japanese culture and Japanese-Canadian history. Upcoming exhibitions include Broken Promises, which will focus on dispossession of Japanese Canadians in the 1940s. There is also Witness to Loss, which includes the entire English translation of an unpublished memoir by Japanese Canadian, Kishizo Kimura.

Located in Burnaby Heights, Anton’s Pasta Bar is Vancouver’s original pasta restaurant. It is also known for its long lines. Why do people line up for pasta at Anton’s? Two words: portion sizes. The extensive lunch and dinner menus feature a range of pasta dishes that are reasonably priced and include enormous servings. If you can finish your meal without asking for a to-go container (or the help of peckish friends), then you will receive a small gift to celebrate – a pen that says you ate your entire meal at Anton’s Pasta Bar. That’s a cool Vancouver souvenir.

Did you know – Culture Trip now does bookable, small-group trips? Pick from authentic, immersive Epic Trips, compact and action-packed Mini Trips and s parkling, expansive Sailing Trips.