Things To Do In Steveston BC

So Many Things To Do In Steveston BC

We were glad we found so many things to do in Steveston on a day trip from Vancouver.

Spending the fall in Vancouver meant we had a lot of time and explored both Vancouver and the surrounding areas.

We did several day trips north of the city , returned regularly to the Fraser Valley or headed south towards White Rock. One of our favourite trips was to head south and enjoy the things to do in Steveston.  We found trails, fairy tales, fish and whales!

Seawall Trails With Airplane Views

Driving across Sea Island, past the Vancouver airport and the No 2 Bridge took us to Richmond, BC. We immediately headed for River Road and found the paths to walk or bicycle along the seawall to the point.  Eventually the path reached the town of Steveston.

Along the paths there were many benches or grassy spots to watch the water and sea craft go by. In the distance we watched the big jets as they took off  at the main airport or we caught the seaplanes as they landed on the river.

Enjoying the river views was one of the relaxing things to do in Steveston.

Steveston – Once Upon A Time!

Our first trip to Steveston was planned as a “fish run”! We knew we could find fresh fish in this port town. Imagine our surprise when we wandered into the tourist office and were greeted by all kinds of memorabilia related to the hit tv show “Once Upon A Time”!  We did not know that the town of Storybrooke was brought to life in small town BC.

There was no filming when we visited.  But with a few tips from the tourist office, we pinpointed a few filming locations. Mr Gold’s Pawnshop window was a permanent fixture. Granny’s cafe had the name “Steveston Cannery Cafe”.  But the bake shop across the street proudly kept its name as “Storybrooke Country Bread Bakery”.

We later learned that the town hall for Storybrooke is located in another of our favourite day trip towns, Fort Langley.

Wandering through the Once Upon A Time filming location was one of the fun things to do in Steveston.

Heading For The Docks

After we wandered around the town and got fresh roasted coffee at Steveston Coffee Roastery, we headed down to the docks.

It was immediately clear that we were in the right place. The fish boats were all pulled up to the dock and had their tables filled with ice and “fresh” fish.

As we looked at the signage we quickly realized that not all of the fish was caught that morning.  The signs clearly marked the catch date.  But it certainly looked much more fresh than any we saw in the supermarkets. We wandered from boat to boat and looked at salmon, black cod, octopus and shrimp.  There were even fresh “sea urchins” available for purchase.

We were tempted a few times.  But we really wanted salmon and we did not want the whole fish. If we planned to use the whole fish (e.g. to make soup), buying a full fish was great. Or if you were experienced at cleaning and filleting the fish. But that was not us!

The Fish Couldn’t Be Fresher

We thought we would find a fish market off of the docks.  But it was the early fall and we did not find a market. We did however find a great option. The Steveston Fish Shoppe fish store on Moncton Street had a wide supply of fresh fish,  They  even cleaned and filleted the fish for a small premium. For us, this was perfect. We picked out a large salmon and watched enthralled while the store owner worked.

Later on our Vancouver stay, we even returned a second time and got salmon from the Steveston Fish Shoppe. We were told that fresh fish would likely stop in early October.  So we were not able to get back for a third supply. But we would remember this shop for our next trip to Vancouver in fish season.

We ate a couple of times in Steveston. Of course we had fish and chips one time.  But the other time we staked out a patio right by docks and enjoyed a mixed variety of seafood and wine for happy hour! At the end of September, most stores and restaurants were still open. But we were warned that returning in October we might find less open.

We liked to check out the boats and see the variety of sea craft we found.  This was one of the things to do in Steveston that was perfect for us.

Whale Watching With Vancouver Whale Watch

I wanted to go whale watching since we arrived in Vancouver . After considering several options, we went whale watching with Vancouver Whale Watch out of Steveston.

We were out for a full 5 hours on our whale watching tour with Vancouver Whale Watch. There was an amazing range of wild life on this trip: a Humpback Whale, a pod of Killer Whales (Orcas), Harbour Seals, Sea Lions and a Bald Eagle.

We went whale watching from Monterey.  But we were not at all disappointed with this second tour. We added some new types of whales and it just whetted our appetite to do this again. We were disappointed when we visited the east coast in May and missed the whales in the St Lawrence River.  But that was still on our plans for a return visit!

Whale watching is one of the exciting things to do in Steveston!

Such A Great Variety In The Things To Do In Steveston

On our stay in Vancouver, we were glad we took a trip south and visited Steveston. Whether it was biking along the seawall, seeing  “Storybrooke”, fresh fish or whale watching, we found many things to do in Steveston.  We would certainly head back!

Did you find lots of things to do in Steveston when you visited Vancouver? Did you do something else that we missed?