Top 10 Indoor Activities in Wintertime Richmond

It’s that time of year when hats and scarves suddenly become essential wardrobe choices once again. But although wrapping up for a day out is always an option, why not consider adding some unique indoor activities to your itinerary as well?

Richmond is full of cool undercover ideas for those bone-chilling days when staying indoors is a must. Looking for inspiration? Read on for some of our road-tested undercover favourites.

1. Dive into Museums and More

Richmond has more cultural attractions than many much larger cities, and the cooler months are a great time to check them out. The Richmond Museum and Richmond Art Gallery are located right next to each other inside the city centre’s Richmond Cultural Centre.

Climb aboard the Steveston Tram. PHOTO CREDIT: John Lee.

While over in Steveston, the charming Steveston Tram and richly evocative Gulf of Georgia Cannery National Historic Site are also highly recommended.

Head inside at the Gulf of Georgia Cannery National Historic Site. PHOTO CREDIT: John Lee.

2. Channel Your Inner Olympian

An official 2010 Winter Olympics venue, the Richmond Olympic Oval offers an inspiring environment for all ages and skill levels to progress towards their own personal podiums. The Oval also houses a multifaceted display of pertinent memorabilia in its Richmond Olympic Experience. We especially love the torches, medals and mascots from Games past. Inspired? You can test your own sporting prowess on a series of high-tech simulators.

Test your sporting prowess at the Olympic Experience. PHOTO CREDIT: Richmond Olympic Experience.

3. Exercise Your Brain

If you’d prefer to put you grey matter to the test, deploy your problem-solving and puzzle-cracking skills at one of Richmond’s popular escape rooms, including EXIT Canada and Time Escape. When we tried one of these, we had a great time attempting to work through the clues and beat the clock––and we were only slightly disappointed to discover we weren’t quite as smart as we thought we were!

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4. Get Creative

If you’ve always wanted to release your inner artist, sign-up for a class at Steveston’s Phoenix Art Workshop. All skill levels are catered to and recent themes have included drawing, watercolours and the fundamentals of acrylic painting. Also located in Steveston, artisan jewellery store, Juvelisto Design has a fully equipped classroom workshop where they run courses for those who’d like to fashion their own creations. Upcoming classes range from freeflow silversmithing to lost wax jewellery making.

Why not take a creative class at Juvelisto Design? PHOTO CREDIT: Juvelisto

5. Shop Undercover

Richmond is renowned for its expansive covered malls, and you’ll find a huge variety of stores to browse while sidestepping the chilly weather. CF Richmond Centre houses dozens of famous-name boutiques, from Muji to Purdys to L’Occitane. Lansdowne Centre combines big box retailers, Asian specialty shops and more. And multi-level Aberdeen Centre is like stepping into a swish Hong Kong shopping mall. All have excellent food courts with lots of unique dishes to try.

Do some undercover shopping at Aberdeen Centre mall. PHOTO CREDIT: John Lee.

6. Find a New Activity

There are lots of ways to work up a sweat without going outside in Richmond. We love Clip ‘n Climb, a family-friendly attraction with 25 colourful climbing walls studded with around 75 specific challenges. We also enjoy rolling a few bowling balls (and trying to avoid the gutters) at Lucky 9 Lanes, where both 10-pin and five-pin options are available. More of a miniature golf fan? There are two fun-tastic indoor courses to try at West Coast Mini Putt.

Sharpen your bowling skills in a fun and competitive way. PHOTO CREDIT: Lucky 9 Lanes.

7. Raise Your Heart Rate

The city is also a hot bed of activities guaranteed to trigger an adrenalin rush. Consider TBC Indoor Kart Racing, where the zippy vehicles can whizz by at up to 70km/hr on the venue’s cleverly designed 13-turn track. Alternatively, gather your friends and family and try archery tag on the sand at 6Pack Indoor Beach. Equipment and introductory training is provided and you’ll have a blast chasing all the targets as well as each other.

Hop in the hot seat at TBC Indoor Racing. PHOTO CREDIT: TBC Indoor Racing.

8. Make it a Family Outing

Richmond also has a huge array of child-friendly undercover options. Suitable for youngsters aged 10 and under, The World of Kidtropolis is a colourful mini-town of scaled-down make believe buildings centered on a storefront-lined street. In contrast, Watermania is a splash-tastic swimming pool complex teeming with interactive water features, including slides, sprayers, waterwheels and much more.

Take the kids to Kidtropolis. PHOTO CREDIT: Kidtropolis.

9. Take in a Show

Gateway Theatre is Richmond’s very own live stage gem, and it’s the perfect place to sidestep the weather while immersing yourself in a delightful show. The 2023 season recently launched and the venue’s inviting upcoming productions include the sparkling Rodgers and Hammerstein musical Cinderella. A magical holiday season show for all the family, book ahead for its December 14 to December 31 run.

Gateway Theatre’s Rodgers and Hammerstein musical *Cinderella*. PHOTO CREDIT: Gateway Theatre.

10. Discover a New Night Out

Looking to revitalize your social calendar? We have a couple of cool suggestions for you. Lulu Island Winery’s new Vibes & Vino event runs on Friday evenings and includes live music and wine specials. You’ll also find live music at Britannia Shipyards National Historic Site, where the restored Chinese Bunkhouse building hosts a toe-tapping roster of monthly shows from the Steveston Folk Guild.

Live music at the Britannia Shipyards National Historic Society. PHOTO CREDIT. City of Richmond.

Last Updated on November 1, 2023 by Tourism Richmond