Things to Do in Vancouver in March

March delivers prime sailing. Winter gales have faded. Summer armadas wait. English Bay smells of salt and cedar smoke. The Lions keep their snow, sea lions nap on buoys, and the water glows steely green.

The rainforests around Vancouver are at their most atmospheric in March. The damp air hangs heavy with the scent of wet cedar and decaying fern, and the constant, gentle patter of rain on the canopy overhead is the only sound besides your own footsteps on the spongy earth. This is when the moss is its most electric green, clinging to every branch of the centuries-old Douglas firs in places like Lynn Canyon. The trails are quieter, the light is diffuse and soft, and you get the genuine feeling of walking through a living, breathing ecosystem rather than a crowded park.

Vancouver's craft beer scene is a year-round affair. But March gives you a distinct advantage: the tasting rooms in the Mount Pleasant or Strathcona brewing districts are comfortably full of locals, not jammed with summer tourists. The atmosphere is convivial and low-key, the perfect antidote to a drizzly afternoon. You'll move from the warm, malty smell of one fermentation room to the hoppy, citrusy punch of the next, sampling seasonal releases like wet-hop ales or rich porters that still suit the cooler weather. The conversations with brewers tend to be longer and more detailed when they're not managing peak-season crowds.

Vancouver's culinary claim to fame is its Asian cuisine, and March is a surprisingly good time to dive in. The damp chill outside makes the steamy, fragrant interiors of a Richmond dumpling house or a Downtown noodle shop feel like a sanctuary. This is when you appreciate the blistering heat of a Szechuan hot pot, the delicate, floral steam rising from a basket of xiao long bao, or the crisp, oily perfection of a Japadog from its original downtown cart. The lines at well-known spots like the Richmond Night Market food stalls aren't the hour-long summer queues yet. But the flavors are just as intense.