Top Ten Rainy Day Activities in Vancouver

Ask Glen Flader for a tour of the workroom and see the Singer sewing machines his grandfather used when he started the business 65 years ago. www.theumbrellashop.com Enter the realm of the unexplored. Take an X-Tour to see where the real scenes were shot for some of the 118 X-Files episodes filmed in Vancouver. www.x-tour.com Roll out your sleeping bag and overnight next to the beluga whales tank at the Vancouver Aquarium Marine Science Centre. www.vancouver-aquarium.org. Attend a Shakespearean tragedy at Bard on the Beach in colourful tents under gray skies set against a magnificent backdrop of city, sea, and mountains. bardonthebeach.com Visit the Bloedel Conservatory in Queen Elizabeth Park. The tropical heat and brilliant colors of the exotic plants are startling when contrasted with the gloomy weather outside the glass dome. Do lunch in a temperate rainforest at Lighthouse Park with wilderness guide and Culinary Olympics chef, Manfred Scholermann. www.rockwoodadventures.com Warm your insides with a tongue-tingling jalapeno or chile pepper and chocolate gelato from La Casa Gelato, the only retailer in the world with over 388 gelato flavours to choose from. www.lacasagelato.com Enjoy the tranquility of afternoon tea by the fire in the Bacchus Lounge of the Wedgewood Hotel. www.wedgewoodhotel.com Sip a double tall mocha made with whole milk, capped with extra whipped cream outside Starbucks while a puddle forms at your feet. Take a trek to the remote east-end location of the Cannery Seafood House. Two fireplaces, the city's best wine list and a baker's dozen of honestly prepared, seafood choices make this a winner in inclement weather. ww.canneryseafood.com