Daily Tours

Tours

Below is a selection of daily tours for you to choose from. Make sure to register early to guarantee your spot! The tours are open to both Convention attendees as well as their partners, friends, World Rose Festival visitors, and local rosarians who are unable to attend the Convention.

Notes: In order to allow registrants to attend lecture series in the morning and participate on the tours in the afternoon, all daily tours include lunch except the Whistler Tour and the Victoria Day Tour.

Download PDF version of the Tour and Social Event Program.

Please read the tour and social event booking terms and conditions before reserving your spot.

Fjords & Glaciers Whistler Day Tour

Thursday, June 18

From crisp mountain air to crystal clear lakes and lush forests, Whistler Resort is a natural year-round playground Whistler Villagetucked away in the Coast Mountains of British Columbia. Renowned for its outstanding skiing (and home to the 2010 Olympic Winter Games), Whistler also offers visitors a wide variety of summer activities including dining and shopping.

Your day will begin with a spectacular drive along the Sea to Sky highway, stopping at glacier-fed Shannon Falls, which features a waterfall drop of over 300 metres (fantastic photo opportunities!). Light refreshments and snacks will be offered before you make the short walk to the base of the falls.

Once at Whistler, you can ride the chairlift to the top for a Whistler Gondolaspectacular view of the Coast Mountains, hike along the mountaintops, or shop in the boutiques which line the cobblestone walkways of the village. An excursion to this resort is a must for all visitors to British Columbia.

Time: 8:15 – 18:30
Duration of Tour: 10 1/4 hours
Pickup and Drop-off Point: Westin Bayshore Vancouver

Price per person: CDN$99

Price includes:

  • Deluxe coach transportation
  • Professional guide
  • Refreshments and snacks at Shannon Falls
  • Gratuities and 5% Goods and Services Tax

Price does not include:

  • Food or beverage other than refreshments at Shannon Falls
  • Optional activities such as chairlifts, helicopter or floatplane tours, etc.

Convention attendees - Register now

Non convention guests - Register now

Vancouver Gems City Tour

Thursday, June 18, Friday, June 19 and Saturday, June 20

Enjoy the sights and sounds of Canada’s most beautiful city with an experienced local guide who will explain the history of Vancouver as you travel from rainforest to world-class shopping and dining. Totem Poles | Photo Credit: Tourism Vancouver

Your tour will begin in Stanley Park, an evergreen oasis close to the heart of Vancouver’s downtown core. Over 1,000 acres in size, Stanley Park is the largest park within a city in North America (Central Park in New York is only 800 acres). We will stop at and stroll through the Stanley Park Rose Garden and enjoy the over 3,500 plants on display. The highlight of the garden is a stylish west coast inspired arbour sporting a charming combination of early blooming old-fashioned rose varieties sharing space with numerous clematis plants giving this structure more than one season of blowsy bloom. Continuing onStanley Park through the park, we will travel past the Nine O’clock Gun, Vancouver Rowing Club, Totem Poles, The Royal Vancouver Yacht Club and Lions Gate Bridge.

Your coach will then wind its way past English Bay (the home of the New Year's Day Polar Bear Swim!) and continue along fashionable Robson Street, through colourful Chinatown and historic Gastown, the birthplace of Vancouver.

Then it will be on to Granville Island, where you will have time to browse through the Granville Island Public Market, galleries, artists’ studios and specialty shops. This will be a great opportunity to shop for souvenirs and enjoy coffee and a snack while watching the boats sail by. With your souvenirs in hand, we will head back to the Westin Bayshore.

Price per person: CDN$84

Tour Dates: Thursday, June 18 (afternoon), Friday, June 19 (morning), Saturday June 20 (afternoon)
Times: Morning: 9:00 – 13:00 Afternoon: 13:00 – 17:00
Duration of Tour: 4 hours
Pickup and Drop-off Point: Westin Bayshore Vancouver

Price includes:

  • Gourmet box lunch
  • Deluxe coach transportation
  • Professional guide
  • Gratuities and 5% Goods and Services Tax

Convention attendees - Register now

Non convention guests - Register now

City Rose Gardens Tour

Saturday, June 20

Vancouver and the surrounding area contain spectacular gardens. This afternoon tour will take you to three fabulous rose gardens including the famous Queen Elizabeth Park, the second most visited park in Vancouver after Stanley Park.

We will begin with lunch onboard our coach as we head to the Rose gardenCentennial Rose Garden in Burnaby Mountain Park. The Garden features more than 900 bushes of modern Hybrid Teas and Floribundas.

After wandering through Centennial Garden, we will continue on to the Herb House Rose Garden at Queen’s Park in New Westminster. Planted in 1956, this sunken rose garden contains 1,100 hybrid and floribunda roses in the pattern of a Shakespearean garden. The Garden underwent a major renovation in 1992 including new brick pathways through the garden, planting of more than 800 roses in rebuilt beds, a new lawn and a cedar gazebo was constructed to provide a quiet sheltered spot to enjoy the beauty of the garden.

Butchart GardensOur last stop will be the world famous Queen Elizabeth Park, which offers Vancouverites a diverse range of activities from sporting to horticultural. The seasonally changing and beautifully planted Quarry Gardens offers perennial and annual flower beds featuring new cultivars and old favourites along with decades-old tree fuchsias and lantanas accentuating island beds. A stream and cascading waterfall add cool comfort and variety to the landscape, as does the beautiful fairly new Rose Garden with it’s abundance of cultivars.

Times: 13:00 –18:15
Duration of Tour: 4 3/4 hours
Pickup and Drop-off Point: Westin Bayshore Vancouver

Price per person: CDN$95

Price includes:

  • Gourmet box lunch
  • Deluxe coach transportation
  • Professional guide
  • Gratuities and 5% Goods and Services Tax

Convention attendees - Register now

Non convention guests - Register now

Botanists Pride Tour

Sunday, June 21

Visit two of the 1001 Gardens You Must See Before You Die.

We will begin with lunch onboard our coach as we head to the VanDusen Botanical Garden. Beautiful in every season, explore, with volunteer guides, this scenic international renown garden ofVanDusen Garden 55 acres – a living museum of plants collected from around the world and artistically displayed amidst rolling lawns, woodlands and five tranquil lakes, all in the heart of Vancouver.

Enter the rose garden through an archway donated by the Vancouver Rose Society in 1999 to commemorate its 50th Anniversary. Boxwood borders four rose beds planted with modern cultivars. They radiate formally from a sundial designed by Gerhard Class.

Next we will visit Canada's oldest continuously operating university botanic garden, the University of British Columbia’s Botanical Garden. This 100 acre garden was established in 1916 under the directorship of John Davidson, British Columbia's first provincial botanist, with the original mission of research into the native flora of British Columbia. Claire Laberge, Horticulturist of the Montreal Botanical Garden, will guide us through the species rose collection, while “Friends of the Garden” will show us a selection of the rest of the gardens.Van Dusen Garden

Claire is well qualified to be your guide as she tends to over 10,000 roses and 1,000 different types at the Montreal Botanical Garden and has done so for the past twenty years. In March 2008, the Montreal Botanical Garden, whose mission is conservation, education, research and sharing of plant material, was recognized as the reference collection for Roses in North America by the American Public Garden Association.

Times: 13:00 – 17:30
Duration of Tour: 4 1/4 hours
Pickup and Drop-off Point: Westin Bayshore Vancouver

Price per person: CDN$99

Price includes:

  • Gourmet box lunch
  • Deluxe coach transportation
  • Professional guide
  • Admission to the University of British Columbia Botanical Garden
  • Admission to the VanDusen Botanical Gardens
  • Gratuities and 5% Goods and Services Tax

Convention attendees - Register now

Non convention guests - Register now

Forests & Mountains – Capilano Suspension Bridge & Grouse Mountain Tour

Sunday, June 21

Aboard the coach, an experienced guide will accompany you on the short journey across the magnificent Lions Gate Bridge to Vancouver’s North Shore and the world-famous Capilano Suspension Bridge.

First constructed in 1889, and rebuilt several times over the last 100 years, the bridge today spans 450 feet across and is Capilano Suspension Bridgesuspended 230 feet above the Capilano River. You will be greeted by a turn-of-the-century costumed guide who will give you a brief tour while outlining the park’s history, involvement of local First Nations, and of course information on the Bridge. The bridge is not the only attraction; guests can also wander through the treetops on a series of smaller elevated suspension bridges, some reaching as high as 100 feet above the forest floor. There is also the Story Centre, Totem Park, carvers showcasing their craft, and shopping for gifts and souvenirs at the Trading Post.

Once the group has fully explored the Capilano Bridge and all its wonders, it will only be a five minute transfer to the base of Grouse MountainGrouse Mountain. We will take the Skyride (gondola cable car) to the top of the mountain, a 3,700 ft ascent! Once at the top, guests can view the “Theatre in the Sky” presentation with its high definition video projection system and then roam around the top of the mountain visiting the Refuge for Endangered Wildlife and the Lumberjack Show while taking in the forests and beautiful scenery. There will be ample time to enjoy the mountain and views over Vancouver, Burrard Inlet and the Strait of Georgia as the backdrop.

Time: 13:00 to 18:00
Duration of Tour: 5 hours
Pickup and Drop-off Point: Westin Bayshore Vancouver

Price per person: CDN$159

Price includes:

  • Gourmet box lunch
  • Deluxe coach transportation
  • Professional guide
  • Admission to the Capilano Suspension Bridge which includes:
    • The world famous Capilano Suspension Bridge
    • The thrilling Treetops Adventure and the dramatic Cliffhanger Walk
    • A guided tour of the park
    • The interactive Living Forest exhibit
    • Seven acres of West Coast rain forest
    • The world's largest private Totem Pole collection
    • First Nations Artisans depicting their artistic techniques, skills and heritage*
  • Admission to Grouse Mountain which includes:
    • The Grouse Mountain Skyride
    • The Theatre in the Sky presentation
    • The Refuge for Endangered Wildlife
    • The World Famous Lumberjack Show* & Birds in Motion Demonstrations*
    • Scenic Chairlift Rides
    • Gratuities and 5% Goods and Services Tax
    *Activities are scheduled by the facility and may not be available during the visit

Convention attendees - Register now

Non convention guests - Register now

A Day at World Famous Butchart Gardens

Monday, June 22

Butchart GardensThe Butchart Gardens, located on scenic Vancouver Island, is 55 acres of wonderful floral displays offering spectacular views as you stroll along its meandering paths and expansive lawns. The garden was started by Jennie Butchart in 1904 as a means to beautify her husband’s former quarry site, opened to the public in 1915 and has been a Victoria landmark ever since. Her venture has become a family business with a commitment to horticulture and hospitality that continues to delight over a million visitors each year from all over the world. The Gardens were designated in 2004 as a National Historic Site of Canada.

Butchart’s Rose Garden is second to none with both modern and historical roses, each marked with their country of origin. Overall Butchart Pathsthere are 117 varieties of tea rose plants, 64 types of floribundas, and 400 grandiflora roses. See if you can find the "Jennie Butchart" rose!

Your day begins with a transfer to the Tsawwassen Ferry terminal and a 90 minute sailing aboard a BC Ferry to Vancouver Island.

The ferries are remarkably well equipped; enjoy breakfast or a snack or shop at the onboard Gift Shop while sailing through the picturesque Gulf Islands. Make sure to take a walk around the outer deck and enjoy the fresh air and watch for sea lions, bald eagles and maybe even whales! After a short transfer to the gardens, lunch will be provided by Butchart Gardens followed by several hours to tour the gardens.

Times: 7:00 – 23:30
Pickup and Drop-off Point: Westin Bayshore Vancouver

Seven Day Convention Attendees - Price per person: CDN$30*
* This tour price is only available to Seven Day Convention Pass Holders until the number of tickets available at that price are sold out. The price is subject to change and availability.

Price per person (all others): CDN$175*

*This price applies to non convention registrants, Three Day Convention Pass Holders, and Seven Day Convention Pass Holders (who did not register early enough to take advantage of the $30 ticket rate).

Price includes:

  • Transportation
  • Lunch
  • Admission to the Butchart Gardens
  • Ferry passage to/from Vancouver Island
  • Gratuities and 5% Goods and Services Tax

Convention attendees - Register now

Non convention guests - Register now

Tour Sponsors
The World Rose Convention would like to thank tour sponsors; Butchart Gardens, BC Ferries, W.P.J. McCarthy & Company Ltd. and Wilson Transportation.

Butchart Gardens BC Ferries

Bill Wilson's Transport

Victoria Day Tour

Monday, June 22

Sail through the Gulf Islands on board a B.C. Ferry to the province's capital city of Victoria, located on Vancouver Island. The day begins with a coach transfer from the Westin BayshoreWhales Hotel to the Tsawwassen ferry terminal. During the 90 minute crossing to Victoria you can enjoy breakfast or a snack while sailing through the scenic Gulf Islands. Make sure to take a walk around the outer deck and enjoy the fresh air and watch for sea lions, bald eagles and maybe even whales!

Our first stop on the island is the world-famous Butchart Gardens, fifty-five acres of wonderful floral display offering spectacular views as you stroll along its meandering paths and expansiveButchart Red Rose lawns. A former quarry site, the gardens were opened to the public in 1915 and have been a Victoria landmark ever since. The Gardens were designated in 2004 as a National Historic Site of Canada. Butchart’s Rose Garden is second to none with both modern and historical roses, each marked with their country of origin. Overall there are 117 varieties of tea rose plants, 64 types of floribundas, and 400 grandiflora roses. See if you can find the "Jennie Butchart" rose!

From Butchart the coach journeys on to Victoria, a city steeped in VictoriaEnglish tradition and heritage. You’ll have time to stroll along the waterfront of this charming harbour setting, shop, or enjoy Afternoon Tea at the grand Fairmont Empress hotel. In the late afternoon, guests will reboard the coach for the return ferry trip to the Westin Bayshore Hotel.

Times: 7:00 to 19:30
Duration of Tour: 12 ½ hours
Pickup and Drop-off Point: Westin Bayshore Vancouver

Price per person: CDN$175

Price includes:

  • Deluxe coach transportation to and from Victoria
  • Admission to Butchart Gardens
  • Ferry tolls
  • Professional guide
  • Gratuities and 5% Goods and Services Tax

Price does not include:

  • Food or Beverage

Convention attendees - Register now

Non convention guests - Register now

Fraser Valley Rosarians Tour

(with or without dinner and Minter Gardens visit)

Tuesday, June 23

For hundreds of years, the Fraser River, named after explorer Simon Fraser, has been known as the "Mighty Fraser". After its Fraser Rivertumultuous canyon descent and near its journey’s end, the Mighty Fraser meanders through an area extending from the community of Hope in the East to the community of Langley in the west. This area, known as the Fraser Valley, contains some of the most fertile agricultural land in British Columbia, thanks to the rich silt the river carries from its humble beginnings in the Rocky Mountains.

On this tour, we will drive to the countryside of South Langley to experience the results of the Valley’s fertile land and the efforts of Brad Jalbert of Select Roses Nursery and Wingswept Gardens, home of John and Gael Dodd. For those who wish to extend their experience into the evening, we will travel on to Chilliwack for more memorable moments and dinner at Minter Gardens.

Brad JalbertSelect Roses, established in 1990 on the family farm, is a farm-stylenursery/greenhouse specializing inthe hybridizing andgrowing of beautiful garden roses. The nursery is as unique and special as the roses sold and has an extensive display garden of over 1,000 roses plus shrubs, lilies, hostas and just about any other type of plant a "plantaholic" can find. Enjoy a gourmet lunch hosted by Select Roses with culinary delights created by Chef Jalbert, one of the Jalbert brothers.

Wingswept Gardens began thirty years ago as 2.5 acres of peat bog, heavy bush, and a small stream. The Dodd’s have gradually transformed these elements into today's oasis of garden charm and serenity. The formality of the front rose beds eases into less structured areas of old trees and large, Roseconnecting ponds. Flowing grass paths will draw you into ever changing vistas. The sound of cascading water follows you throughout the garden. Photographers delight in the reflective quality of the ponds, so be sure to look down, as well as across. Banks of hundreds of rhodos and azaleas provide fabulous Spring colour, and a calm green backdrop in other seasons. Many Japanese maples, hostas, delphiniums, lilies and other perennials are interspersed with specimen trees and shrubs. The garden is a labour of love, and is described as stunning and one of the most breathtaking private gardens in British Columbia.

Minter Gardens, 32 acres of floral artistry, is ever evolving. Each season offers a dramatic view. Close to 100,000 tulips, imported from Holland, welcome visitors each spring. More than 1000 Minter Gardenrhododendrons provide riotous colour amid huge cedar trees and rock wall terraces. Summer brings masses of annual colour adorning topiary features and beds, along with the traditional blooms of the fabulous Rose Garden, and the cool, quiet woodlands that surround gurgling brooks and water falls. The Gardens are at once a kaleidescope of colour, a place of serene beauty, and a gardener’s source of inspiration.

Pickup and Drop-off Point: Westin Bayshore Vancouver

Without dinner or Minter Gardens visit

Times: 13:00 to 18:00
Duration of Tour: 5 hours

With dinner and Minter Gardens visit

Times: 13:00 to 22:00
Duration of Tour: 9 hours


Without dinner or Minter Gardens visit

Price per person: CDN$93 (13:00 to 18:00)

Price includes:

  • Gourmet lunch sponsored by Select Roses
  • Deluxe coach transportation
  • Professional guide
  • Gratuities and 5% Goods and Services Tax

With dinner and Minter Gardens visit

Price per person: CDN$175 (13:00 to 22:00)

Price includes:

  • Gourmet lunch sponsored by Select Roses
  • Deluxe coach transportation
  • Professional guide
  • Dinner at Minter Gardens
  • Admission to Minter Gardens
  • Gratuities and 5% Goods and Services Tax

Convention attendees - Register now

Non convention guests - Register now

Lunch is sponsored by Select Roses

Select Roses

Vancouver Rosarians Tour

Wednesday, June 24

Nestled in South Vancouver's prestigious equestrian community are two private rose gardens and a nursery worth an afternoon of exploration.

RoseIn 1991, well-known gardening authority Thomas Hobbs and his partner, Brent Beattie, purchased a small nursery located on one and a half acres in South Vancouver. They transformed it into a wonderful boutique nursery which draws visitors from far and wide as the trendiest nursery in the Pacific Northwest. Southlands Nursery features a glorious Victorian glasshouse festooned with orchids, beautiful pots and ornaments from Europe, and a matchless selection of unusual plants, all enticingly displayed.

Tavistock Estate, also located in the heart of Vancouver's Horse Community, is the home of Lesley and Kelvin Finlay who have owned the one acre property since 1993. Today, this multifaceted garden, surrounded by many mature trees, has evolved into a Rosarians’ paradise with over 400 roses consisting of David Austin Roses, Old Garden Roses, Floribunda's, Shrubs, Climbers, Hybrid Teas, and Miniatures. The roses are planted together with perennials, shrubs and oriental lilies. We will enjoy a strawberry tea among the garden’s most lovely features: the rose garden parterre with a fountain, a koi pond, Rose Hall of Famemany decorator pots and traditional statues.

Janet Wood, Vancouver Rose Society’s long-time ambassador, has created a mixed garden of approximately 300 roses with Clematis, Rhododendron, Heather, annuals and a wee veggie plot. The small garden is 27 years old, the small house is 57 years old and the small gardener is 77 years old. You are welcome.

Times: 13:00 to 18:30
Duration of Tour: 5 1/2 hours
Pickup and Drop-off Point: Westin Bayshore Vancouver

Price per person: CDN$93

Price includes:

  • Lunch snack
  • Strawberry tea
  • Deluxe coach transportation
  • Professional guide
  • Gratuities and 5% Goods and Services Tax

Convention attendees - Register now

Non convention guests - Register now

 

Did you know…?

Imagine - A rose with your name on it.

Enter a draw to name a rose by registering and paying for the Rose Convention and booking your accommodation at the Westin Bayshore Hotel by October 15, 2008. The "Name a Rose" contest is sponsored by breeder Brad Jalbert of Select Roses.


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Last updated: December 17, 2009

Our Host Partners

Please visit our host partners websites by clicking below

World Federation
of Rose Societies

The Canadian
Rose Society

The Vancouver
Rose Society

American
Rose Society