History will come alive when Bowen Island Tours leads people on a walking tour into the island’s past as part of the Steamship Days festivities. It’s an enjoyable way to get a sense of what the “Happy Isle” was like when Union Steamship Company brought thousands of passengers to Bowen every summer. You’ll be able to compare what you see around you today with archival photos of days gone by.
There is also a food tasting tour and nature walks.
Friday, July 10
• 9:45am – 1:30pm: Best of Bowen walking tour, featuring Snug Cove, Killarney Lake and Artisan Square
• 2 – 3pm: History Tour: Bowen’s Resort Days – a visual look at the past
• 3:15 – 6pm: Food tasting tour: Savoury & Sweet Bowen
Saturday, July 11
• 9:45am – 1:15pm: Flora, Fauna & Fine Arts — a little nature, a little history and exploring Artisan Square
• 1:30 – 2:30pm – History Tour: Bowen’s Resort Days – a visual look at the past
• 2:45 – 3:45 PM – History Tour: Bowen’s Resort Days – a visual look at the past
• 6:30 – 7:30pm: It’s a Hoot – a family-friendly nature walk
Sunday, July 12
• 10 – 10:45am – A Bit of Bowen – if you are visiting Bowen for the first time, this is a great introduction to the island
• 11am-12 noon – History Tour: Bowen’s Resort Days – a visual look at the past
• 12:15 – 1:15pm – History Tour: Bowen’s Resort Days – a visual look at the past
• 2 – 3:30pm – Nature Walk to Killarney Lake
All tours begin on the lawn of USSC Marina. Please note that the history tours will run as scheduled but if the minimum number of participants are not registered for the other tours, they may not run as listed. Therefore, this list of tours is somewhat fluid.
Bowen Island Tours is offering a special $10 price for the one-hour tour, which is a slightly abbreviated version of its regular Happy Isle Revisited tour (normally 90-120 minutes, $25 per person.)
Description of history tour:
Once known as the Happy Isle, Vancouver’s Playground, the Pleasure Garden and many other terms of endearment, Bowen Island has a fun and colourful history. For approximately 60 years, from the early 1900s to 1960s, Bowen Island was a very popular day-trip and vacation destination where people enjoyed the beaches, picnics, live music, performances, dances and all the amenities of a seaside resort. This was the time of the steamships and in many ways it was also Bowen’s heyday. Just imagine how much fun it must have been taking a moonlight cruise, dancing away the night on a steamship and in one of BC’s largest dance pavilions. For many, Bowen Island was a very special place – and still is today.
Using an iPad to view historical photographs, we will retrace the footsteps and features of Bowen Island’s resort days.
For details contact Jody Lorenz at [email protected].
