Vancouverites wait for them all year: those precious months when we collectively turn our faces toward the sun and are rewarded with warmth instead of water.

Do you really want to be stuck inside when there’s free vitamin D for the taking? Now’s the time to hatch a plan for your summer vacation. Chances are the days you set aside will be sunny. But even if they aren’t, you’ll be doing something cool enough to compensate for it. Here are 10 places to go and things to do around B.C. during the season when the province really shines.

Free yourself in Whistler
The mountain resort buzzes with festivals throughout the summer. Among them, Wanderlust Whistler returns from August 1 to 4 with its downward-dog yoga action, and the Crankworx Whistler Freeride Mountain Bike Festival takes place from August 9 to 18. A brand-new event called BELIEVE Freedom Festival makes its debut from July 11 to 15. Held at Whistler Olympic Park, it features five days of live acts and DJs, workshops and art installations, interactive drumming, laser shows, and more. The extensive lineup includes Julian Marley and the Uprising. Campsites are available. For general Whistler festival info, see the Whistler website.

Gaze at Robert Bateman works in Victoria
A new gallery dedicated to the art of Robert Bateman opened on May 24 in the CPR Steamship Terminal (formerly housing the Royal London Wax Museum) on Victoria’s Inner Harbour. The Robert Bateman Centre includes a 465-square-metre gallery with 130 of the naturalist and painter’s works, including a number from his B.C. and African collection. Thirty-six of the Salt Spring Island resident’s bird pieces are on display with interactive components that let visitors trigger corresponding birdcalls.

Camp out in Fort Langley
Families can spend the night at Fort Langley National Historic Site in the Fraser Valley. Inside the fort’s walls, Parks Canada has installed five new oTENTik structures, which are similar to yurts and have a fabric roof and a wood frame. Bunk beds inside make them a cushier option than camping. The tents sleep six and cost $120 per night; each has a heritage theme. While cooking isn’t permitted inside the tents, cooking equipment is provided for use with the shared propane barbecue, along with a mini fridge. There’s also a picnic table and a firepit for fort-side storytelling. For reservations, see the Fort Langley page of the Parks Canada website.

Rock out in the Okanagan
Two wineries offer the chance to lie back and take in an outdoor concert with vineyard views and a glass of wine. Tinhorn Creek Vineyards near Oliver kicked off its Canadian Concert Series on May 25; next up is Jackie Treehorn on June 22, the Matinée on July 27, and Five Alarm Funk on August 24. In the north Okanagan, Mission Hill Family Estate has four concerts lined up: Chris Botti on July 12, Gipsy Kings on July 27 (sold out), LeAnn Rimes on July 28, and Pink Martini on August 9. Some of Mission Hill’s concerts are available packaged with dinner or access to a reception or wine lounge.

Build a sandcastle in Parksville
A half-hour drive north from Nanaimo lies Parksville and gorgeous Rathtrevor Beach. The beach is five kilometres long, and at low tide the water recedes almost a kilometre, making it perfect for a long walk or a serious sandcastle-making session. On July 13 and 14 at Parksville’s Community Park, you can watch the masters at work during the Canadian Open Sand Sculpting Competition and Exhibition. This is a qualifying event for the world championships in Atlantic City, and the fairy tale–themed castles will be on display through August 18.

Ride through the Fraser Valley and Pemberton
There’s no hurry to get anywhere during Slow Food Vancouver’s annual cycle tours through Agassiz and Chilliwack, set for July 27 and 28. The point of the self-guided tours ( for info, visit the Slowfood Vancouver website) is to stop at farms, meet local agricultural producers, nosh here and there, and enjoy a leisurely, flat ride. Sound good? Do it in Pemberton too on August 18, which is Slow Food Cycle Sunday. Or head out according to your own schedule through the Fraser Valley using Circle Farm Tour maps. The latter are designed for vehicle touring, but cyclists can use them as well to plot out stops at farms, wineries, dairies, and more in places like Langley and Abbotsford.

Bike hard, then stretch out in the Kootenays
Experienced mountain bikers can balance their adrenaline highs with serene mountain poses—performed on actual mountains—during a unique tour. From July to September, Sacred Rides will be offering seven-day tours that combine single-track mountain biking through the Rockies with two yoga sessions per day. The adventure begins in Fernie and includes accommodation at Nipika Mountain Resort beside Kootenay National Park.

Jetboat around the Cariboo Chilcotin
Near Williams Lake, the scenery surrounding the Fraser River includes volcanic rock canyons and glacial silt cliffs shaped by years of erosion. A fast-paced ride for several hours through Iron Canyon with Cariboo Chilcotin Jetboat Adventures is a fun way to explore these formations and learn about the region’s flora, fauna, and aboriginal history from a local guide. Williams Lake makes a fine jumping-off point for other outdoor activities in the region as well, such as fishing, canoeing, hiking, and mountain biking.

Get away from it all on the Sunshine Coast
North of Pender Harbour, the tiny village of Egmont lies at the intersection of four waterways: Sechelt Inlet, Jervis Inlet, Hotham Sound, and Agamemnon Channel. It’s a pristine area for kayaking or simply soaking up the tranquil scenery at the West Coast Wilderness Lodge, which offers kayaking lessons and tours, and spa treatments to work out the kinks. The lodge also arranges zodiac tours up Princess Louisa Inlet, with a stop for lunch at Chatterbox Falls.

Celebrate like a local in Ucluelet
Small-town festivals often mean big fun, and with a name like Ukee Days, how can you go wrong? Ucluelet’s annual summer festival takes place at the community’s fairgrounds from July 26 to 28. The event includes a pancake breakfast, a salmon and oyster barbecue, and even a pudding-eating contest. There’s a bouncy castle and petting zoo for the kids, a beer garden for the adults, and the region’s largest parade, which takes place on July 27. The same day also features a Canadian Logger Sports Association competition—think lumberjacks racing up and down 24-metre-high poles and jousting on floating logs.