Get your walking shoes ready - our summer walking tours are back! From May to September, join us on a stroll around Vancouver's historic neighbourhoods with our beloved walking tour guides on select Saturday mornings at 10 am and afternoons at 1 pm. Historian John Atkin will explore various neighborhoods, speaking about lost streams throughout the city. His series will be called "Walking on Water: Some Lost Streams in the City." Rob Howatson will focus on South Vancouver with points of interest along Fraser Street, Fraserview and the River District.

• Walking Tours will take place rain or shine on select Saturdays starting at 10AM or 1PM, May through September. Each tour will be two (2) +/- hours long and may take a one-way or circular route. 
• There is a maximum capacity of 20 people per tour and need 10 registrants to run. Registration is required in advance for all walking tours and ID must match the ticket. Unregistered people will not be permitted to join on the tour date. Do not seek out the group on the tour day in hopes of joining as this will disrupt the tour; if you are not able to attend your tour, due to liability reasons an unregistered replacement showing up in your place will not be accepted.
• Tours take place in public spaces through Vancouver, BC. Participants will encounter a variety of terrain including uncontrolled road crossings, gravel, stairs, slopes, etc. If you have any questions or concerns, please contact us at mail@vancouverheritagefoundation.org.
• For the comfort and safety of all participants, service animals are the only pets allowed on walking tours.
• While tours are geared towards an adult audience, children are welcome to attend. Infants and toddlers in a carrier or stroller do not require a ticket. Children 6 years and older must be able to walk the entire duration of the tour and require their own ticket. If you have any questions or concerns, please contact us at mail@vancouverheritagefoundation.org.
• Washrooms will not be available on the tour.
• Further details, including start and finish points, will be provided to registered participants.
• Tickets will be available for purchase until 5pm the day before each tour.
• Please email mail@vancouverheritagefoundation.org to join waitlists for specific tour dates. Enter your email address through the 'Join waiting list' button on this page to be added to the general list for all tours. 

May 25 | Walking on Water: 17th Avenue and St George Street with John Atkin 

10AM SOLD OUT! The place we call Vancouver was a varied landscape of forest, bogs and streams that flowed into the surrounding waters. The streams and the bogs were an important source of food for the indigenous population. However, settlement and resource extraction saw the destruction of these waterways so that today there are only 2 open streams within the city. On this series of walks we’ll walk the courses of some lost streams and find the traces that reveal their location and look at the development of the area over time. This walk will focus on the area around 17th Avenue and St George Street

June 22 | Champlain Heights: Where the Groovy Went Off Grid with Rob Howatson      

Vancouver’s last big, tract of undeveloped land could easily have been built with age-old rectilinear ideas, instead the 1960s counterculture movement spun it into an oasis of curved streets, meandering trails and progressive co-ops.

June 29 | Walking on Water: King Edward Avenue and Columbia Street with John Atkin
10 AM AND 1PM SOLD OUT! The place we call Vancouver was a varied landscape of forest, bogs and streams that flowed into the surrounding waters. The streams and the bogs were an important source of food for the indigenous population. However, settlement and resource extraction saw the destruction of these waterways so that today there are only 2 open streams within the city. On this series of walks we’ll walk the courses of some lost streams and find the traces that reveal their location and look at the development of the area over time. This walk will focus on the area around King Edward Avenue and Columbia Street

July 6 | Walking on Water: 20th Avenue and Vine Street with John Atkin
The place we call Vancouver was a varied landscape of forest, bogs and streams that flowed into the surrounding waters. The streams and the bogs were an important source of food for the indigenous population. However, settlement and resource extraction saw the destruction of these waterways so that today there are only 2 open streams within the city. On this series of walks we’ll walk the courses of some lost streams and find the traces that reveal their location and look at the development of the area over time. This walk will focus on the area around 20th Avenue and Vine Street.

July 13 |Walking on Water: 26th Avenue and Heather Street with John Atkin
10 AM AND 1PM SOLD OUT! The place we call Vancouver was a varied landscape of forest, bogs and streams that flowed into the surrounding waters. The streams and the bogs were an important source of food for the indigenous population. However, settlement and resource extraction saw the destruction of these waterways so that today there are only 2 open streams within the city. On this series of walks we’ll walk the courses of some lost streams and find the traces that reveal their location and look at the development of the area over time. This walk will focus on the area around 26th Avenue and Heather Street.

July 20 | The River District: From Carbolineum to Condominium with Rob Howatson
Vancouver’s newest neighbourhood is anything but new. Travel back in time to when this area was home to one of B.C.’s largest sawmills. Hear stories about the people who lived and worked there, and the ships that sailed past – including the ill-fated journey of Vancouver’s oddball cargo vessel, The Sudden Jerk. (No prior knowledge of carbolineum is required.)

July 27 |Walking on Water: 46th Avenue and Killarney Street with John Atkin
10AM SOLD OUT! The place we call Vancouver was a varied landscape of forest, bogs and streams that flowed into the surrounding waters. The streams and the bogs were an important source of food for the indigenous population. However, settlement and resource extraction saw the destruction of these waterways so that today there are only 2 open streams within the city. On this series of walks we’ll walk the courses of some lost streams and find the traces that reveal their location and look at the development of the area over time. This walk will focus on the area around 46th Avenue and Killarney Street.

August 10|Walking on Water: 43rd Avenue and Elgin Street with John Atkin

The place we call Vancouver was a varied landscape of forest, bogs and streams that flowed into the surrounding waters. The streams and the bogs were an important source of food for the indigenous population. However, settlement and resource extraction saw the destruction of these waterways so that today there are only 2 open streams within the city. On this series of walks we’ll walk the courses of some lost streams and find the traces that reveal their location and look at the development of the area over time. This walk will focus on the area around 43rd Avenue and Elgin Street.

August 17 | Fraser Street: South Van’s Original Heart Line with Rob Howatson 

Downtown folk often dismissed South Van’s early settlers as gully jumpers and stump hoppers, but the rural area was home to Vancouver’s first straight road and today that arterial serves one of the city’s most culturally diverse neighbourhoods. Join a seasoned Sunsetter for a stroll into the heart of Fraser Street where the echo of trams, scams and political bedlam can still be heard.

August 24 |Walking on Water: Charles Street and Kaslo Street with John Atkin

The place we call Vancouver was a varied landscape of forest, bogs and streams that flowed into the surrounding waters. The streams and the bogs were an important source of food for the indigenous population. However, settlement and resource extraction saw the destruction of these waterways so that today there are only 2 open streams within the city. On this series of walks we’ll walk the courses of some lost streams and find the traces that reveal their location and look at the development of the area over time. This walk will focus on the area around Charles Street and Kaslo Street.

Sept 7 | Walking on Water: East 4th Avenue and Penticton Street

10AM SOLD OUT! The place we call Vancouver was a varied landscape of forest, bogs and streams that flowed into the surrounding waters. The streams and the bogs were an important source of food for the indigenous population. However, settlement and resource extraction saw the destruction of these waterways so that today there are only 2 open streams within the city. On this series of walks we’ll walk the courses of some lost streams and find the traces that reveal their location and look at the development of the area over time. This walk will focus on the area around East 4th Avenue and Penticton Street.

*Please email mail@vancouverheritagefoundation.org to be added to the waiting list for specific tours*

John Atkin is a civic historian, author and heritage consultant. He offers an interesting and offbeat insight into the city’s architecture, history and neighbourhoods through a series of unique and popular walking tours. These combine his interests in urban planning and development, a love of architecture and a fascination for the curious. 

Rob Howatson is a writer, local history buff and lifelong South Van’er. He caught the heritage bug in 2007 when he discovered a time capsule hidden in the old Sunset Community Centre. (It contained rare Bing Crosby footage!) Rob also works for the City of Richmond at Steveston’s heritage sites.

PLEASE NOTE: For in-person events, we are unable to provide refunds or credits for cancellations received less than four (4) weeks prior to the event. For additional information on VHF's policies, please visit our Policies page prior to registering.

If you would like to make a donation in addition to your registration, the amount will be tax deductible and you will receive an official tax receipt for donations of $20 or more. Our Registered Charity number is 891765968.