Fun, free, family outings are rare in Vancouver these days.
But the Vancouver International Airport's Public Observation Area is an opportunity for a fun-filled family day free of charge.
"This is a reason to come to the airport and stay here," said Anne Murray, the airports Vice President of Community and Environmental Affairs.
The area is accessible to everyone and swarms with Grade 5 students three days per week as classes are given tours. The kids run around the observation area in excitement, taking turns on a flight simulator that gives a virtual tour of B.C., and looking through telescopes at the planes taking off and landing.
The Public Observation Area is easily accessible by the Canada Line, which provides an exiting experience in itself. A short walk away from the YVR-airport station, the observation area is located towards the back of the domestic terminal.
The first thing you see is the huge window overlooking the area where planes take off and land, which draws people in.
A model of the airport and the surrounding land, Sea Island, sits in the centre of the area.
Around the model are information panels that explain parts of the history of YVR and Sea Island.
Pressing the buttons on the panels makes the model light up in the area being explained.
The observation area is something the community has asked about for "many, many years," according to Murray.
The area is wheel chair accessible, an important part of the design process, she said. People come and do some shopping, eat lunch, and enjoy the observation area, they "make a day of it."
Part of the purpose of the area is to help turn the airport into a destination as opposed to a place that people just fly in and out of, Murray said.
