VANCOUVER TRAVEL DIARY: A PSCYH ADVENTURE
Happy Monday, ladies! I have a bit of a different post coming at you today – and it’s a long one. But if you’re a fan of the show Psych, or planning a trip to Vancouver, you’ll enjoy it! Aaaand it’s Chris’s first guest post! He was so excited to write this post. He was so excited for the trip in general – but really for writing this post, too! We spent a lot of time planning and researching for this trip… So we thought we’d compile all that information for you into a bit of a Psych Travel Guide! Also, keep an eye on the videos page for packing tips!
Here’s two more posts from the trip:
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Psych tour of Santa Bar…Vancouver: Guide for Psych-o’s on a budget (kinda)
It’s been a wild and crazy week of adventure in the beautiful city of the pseudo-Santa Barbara. I know there are plenty of people out there that don’t know the show Psych. However, luckily that wasn’t the case for me and Ashleigh! In fact the show was an early commonality that we discovered and I couldn’t be happier!
After watching every episode over and over again, I decided that it would be a great idea to visit the place that was able to bring this show to life. After all, I met Ashleigh at the University of Santa Barbara. The same city that the show is meant to take place. We both absolutely fell in love with Santa Barbara. But it was no mystery to us that the show wasn’t actually filmed in the town that we adore.
It became common knowledge that the show was actually filmed in Vancouver, British Columbia. Since neither of us had never been there, I was extremely excited for both of us to visit and experience the city together. There were plenty of logistics that went into planning the trip. Once we were on our way it became a whirlwind of a trip. Ashleigh and I did It on a budget. So I am willing to share how we accomplished such a trip so you other Psych-o’s may be able to experience it as well! So lets dig in:
Three months out
In order to accommodate our bank accounts with such a trip, we began purchasing flights, rental cars, and hotels about three months prior. Since both of us live in the United States, this guide will be geared more towards those also in the US. But could be used by anyone for sure.
Flights
After looking for tickets to Vancouver, BC I came to the realization that ticket prices weren’t going to help with keeping the cost down. Fortunately, my parents had visited Vancouver before and gave me some excellent advice. They mentioned that the city of Seattle is a mere two and half hours away from the southern most suburb of Vancouver. After researching flights to Seattle I noticed a HUGE difference in the price of a one way ticket from where we live (Colorado). A one-way ticket, three months out for a flight in June to Seattle from Denver came out to about $60 per ticket. Thankfully a more understandable price for us.
Transportation
Since we were flying to Seattle, we were in need of transportation which we found in the shape of a rental car. Now, we were going to be visiting the city for 5 days and so there was no real way to get around rental car prices and even hotel prices for that matter. About two months from the start of the trip, I looked to Budget Rental Car for our vehicle. I settled on a full-size vehicle for a decent price (about $125 a day). I can say with absolute assurance that this is the way to go. We ended up getting a Toyota Camry which was a gas saving fiend we found out. (Note from Ashleigh: we filled up twice – total – including drop off!)
Hotels
As I said before, there were going to be some inevitable costs accrued during a trip like this. As for our accommodations for the week, we decided that getting a hotel was best for us so we went for the Comfort Inn & Suites in Surrey, BC. Since we liked using Expedia for reservations, we discovered that we could get an Ebates rebate for the hotel through Expedia. SCORE! Granted, this came out to about $130 a night. But we were good with that since we budgeted about a month out for it. (Note from Ashleigh: use Ebates on flights and rentals to help your budget even more!)
Day 1
Travel to Seattle and off to Vancouver!
Finally the day had come, we were on our way to beautiful Vancouver! After about a three hour trip to Seattle from Denver and another hour to get the rental car, we were ready to begin our road journey to the Great White North. As I said before, the trip to Vancouver was approximately 2 hours and 40 minutes from the Sea-Tac Airport. Since we were traveling on I-5, we were undoubtedly going to hit a line at the US/Canada border. I’m sure you will as well. After about 2 and a half hours of driving through some of the most beautiful scenery this country has to offer, we rounded the curve to see a gorgeous man made floral arrangement in the likeness of the Canada flag. (Note from Ashleigh: SO PRETTY!)
White Rock (the primary Santa Barbara scenes)
Psych Office
We waited only about 45 minutes in line at the border, then we were in Canada. Then it was only about 15 minutes after that we were in the town of White Rock, BC. Conveniently located off of exit 2 on 99A and nestled between awesome foliage covered hills and the Pacific Ocean, White Rock was our primary destination based on our research of filming locations. Most iconically, the Psych Office is located here. In actuality, the White Rock Museum and Archives was the setting for the headquarters of our favorite fake detective duo.
At first glance, the building only partially resembled the office and we soon found out why. According to the museum curator there was a false front assembled on the west side of the building to look like the front of the office as we know it from the show. Even though this was a tad disappointing, we were still in awe that we were finally seeing our dreams come to life! Be sure to go inside the shop located just inside the main doors because there is a great surprise waiting in a display case in front at the cashier’s! 
Santa Barbara Pier/Boardwalk
As you enter the town of White Rock, you will see an unmistakable view of the famed Santa Barbara Pier, which in Canada is actually the White Rock Pier. From the pier you can see about four other locations, although minor, which were filming locations. You can easily see the bench that Shawn and Juliette talk back to back on, the stairs from the opening scene of Psych the Musical, a handful of restaurants that you catch a glimpse of in the show, and the location of where the peanut guy was posted in “Lassie Did A Bad Thing.”
Unfortunately, the pier suffered an attack from a vicious wave that took out the middle back in December 2018 so we couldn’t go out to where Shawn finds the phone that was ringing under a bench. A recommendation would be to walk all along the boardwalk in order to get all these sights in one fail swoop.
Henry’s House
just north of the pier and Psych Office is where Henry’s House is located and, if done right, you can also see Camp Tikihama on the way. Located off of Beecher St. and O’Hare (yes Juliette’s last name) St. is the very distinctive site. Picturesque views of the ocean and Vancouver in the distance accompany Henry’s House. You will not be disappointed at all if you were to go for a walk along the boardwalk just outside…TRUST ME!
As we ventured through White Rock we came across many other locations such as Shawn’s house (the dry cleaner), the diner that Shawn and Juliette first met (episode 2), Crescent Park, and a multitude of others. As you will notice that the all of these locations are essentially free to visit! Most of our money spent was on food and parking ($1 dollar/hour) at the Psych Office and Pier. White Rock is a must see for any fans of the show for not only the famous locations, but for the pure beauty that is all over the town.
Day 2
North Vancouver
After a very successful Day 1, we were steeped with anticipation as to what Day 2 would bring us. Suffice it to say, we were not let down by what we were able to see. North Vancouver, while not used as much, was still a great location to visit for some lesser known locations in the show. From Shenanigans (which is called Think Tank in real life), the restaurant that Lassiter was shot at (formerly Taylors Brewing Company), and a the Capilano Suspension Bridge in the background of Shawn and Juliette’s date in Vancouver (Expedition: British Columbia).
One thing to note, if you do decide to visit the actual suspension bridge, be prepared to spend about $55 Canadian in order to see the bridge. Much to my disappointment, I didn’t realize that the suspension bridge is actually one of those tourist traps. I was reminded of this when Ashleigh pointed out that the scene in the show portrayed a visit to Vancouver and the famous sights to see there. We ultimately decided not to go to the bridge, after all we were on a budget. (Note from Ashleigh: And the line was freaking ridiculous, it would have ended our day right there!). We were initially sad about not seeing the bridge but we quickly got over it once we arrived at our final stop of the day.
Stanley Park
One of my favorite scenes from the show is when Shawn is figuring out how to tell Juliette that he loves her while in Vancouver. That fabulous view of a cable bridge in the background is located at Stanley Park. This peninsula has breath taking views all over. The fact that many other scenes were also shot here makes this another ideal spot to visit. Again, the only thing you have to pay for is the parking which becomes the trend throughout the trip. I would much rather pay for parking than spend extra money on tourist traps.
Although North Vancouver itself wasn’t home to too many spots where the show was filmed, I would still recommend visiting. Whether you do the Capilano Suspension Bridge or not, stopping in Stanley Park will make the whole day worth it. Don’t be afraid to drive around the park a couple of times to ensure you see some of the other locations like the aquarium and zoo that the polar bear was at, to name a couple. Also, non-Psych related, the pontoon planes that take off from the east of the park are really a site to stop and watch! (Note from Ashleigh: Stanley Park is easily one of my Top 3 places in Vancouver, I could spend a week there alone!)
Day 3
Vancouver – East side
As we found out, Vancouver is a rather great city and we decided that in addition to searching for filming locations, we also wanted to enjoy the city all together. Therefore, we chose to break the tour of the inner city into two days. There was a common theme that kept occurring, the Psych locations were filmed in pockets around the city. On this day, we mapped out multiple locations and realized that the Police Station, Horse Track, Roller Derby, and Carnival were all in close proximity to each other (Note from Ashleigh: The exact same place, it turned out, except the station house, which was around the corner).
Police Station
Nearly as iconic as the Psych Office, the Police Station was a location that we absolutely had to see. The site of this particular mainstay of the show is actually the Provincial Industrial School for Girls. Naturally, as two visitors to the city, we didn’t want to creepily enter the building. Of course, we weren’t upset since we also found out that the majority of interior scenes were done in a studio so I don’t think we missed much.
Pacific National Exhibition (PNE)
One of the underrated locations to go visit was the Pacific National Exhibition or PNE. Episodes like “Down the Stretch Comes Murder” and “Talk Derby to Me” were a couple of our favorite episodes that pointed us in this direction. A quiet weekday made for a perfect quick visit to multiple filming locations. “And the race is on!” by entering the PNE from the west entrance near the coliseum, we were able to stop by our first spot Hasting’s Racecourse which was the horse racetrack used in “Down the Stretch Comes Murder.” We saw the noticeable winner’s circle and stadium seats which made great back drops to our selfies.
Next up was the Agrodome, or as we know it, the Roller Derby Arena where Maniac proves herself as a badass! (Note from Ashleigh: And Shawn and Juliet hold haaaanddssssss!) By just walking around the exhibition you will most definitely run into all these places yourself. From the haunted Playland to the Sanctuary where the motorcycle chase took place, and the Amphitheatre which hosted the exchange between Lassiter and Max the Axe for Marlowe and Herb Pollock in “Deez Nups.” Getting into the PNE is a challenge but if you are able to navigate the area then you will thank yourselves later!
Santa Barbara Courthouse
Day three was one of the days where the weather started coming in and making it a little cloudy…with a chance of adventure for us (Note from Ashleigh: This joke is why I married him). Next up on our list was the location of the steps for the Santa Barbara Courthouse (for the show anyway). This was seen in “Cloudy with a chance of…murder/redemption.” The Vancouver Art Gallery was a fantastic site in the middle of downtown. Surrounded by a multitude of skyscrapers and shops, the art gallery looks like a scene from a movie all on its own. Is it necessary to go inside the gallery to visit, no, but since Ashleigh and I love art, we did. The price to get into the gallery was about $25 Canadian. So it doesn’t break the bank if you want a little more culture in your life.
Eastern Vancouver was a surprisingly fruitful location. If you decide to break your visit up into multiple days like us, then I would definitely recommend visiting Vancouver in two parts. I will guarantee that the west side of the town will take a lot of your time and we will go into what happened day 4 next!
Day 4
Space Museum/Planetarium
One of the most unique structures featured on the show is the space museum where we get to hear the famed pick up line from Gus… “You heard about Pluto? That’s messed up, right?!” in the episode “From Earth to the Starbucks”… Anyway, the Vancouver Space Museum was a great site to see. I’m a space nerd. Anytime I’m able to go visit a space museum I will just to see the rocket and missile stuff that tends to be at a majority of them. The space museum is also in close proximity to the observatory (about 50 yards in fact). There really isn’t a high price associated with going into the museum. The total cost (which includes a planetarium show) is only $20 Canadian. It’s definitely worth it since parts of the show are actually filmed inside!!!
University of British Columbia
If you want to know about one of the absolute surprises in Psych locations, look no further than the University of British Columbia. We saw at least 7 different locations filmed at the University. They included the Santa Barbara Art Gallery, Thunderbirds training facility, the UCSB Archaeology Department BLDG, and the rare coin show building (“In for a Penny”) to name a few minor locations. The first location that stole the show for us was Wispy Sunny Pines Psychiatric Facility. This is where scary Sherrie “committed suicide,” which was oddly enough a theology department at the school off of Theology Mall (rd?).
Thunderbirds Stadium which is the actual location of the university’s soccer, football, track, etc. teams for the intercollegiate athletics they provide. Oddly enough the school’s mascot is the Thunderbird so it wasn’t much of a stretch for the show.
Our final location we decided to visit at the university was the Green House. It is part of the Cecil Green School and the location that Lassiter and Marlowe said their vows! Yes, the actual marriage scene where McNabb famously loses his pants in pursuit of the bad guys up the stairs was filmed at the university!!! For any Psych fan out there, the University is a great location to see.
Seabird’s Stadium
My personal favorite show was “Dead Man’s Curveball” where Shawn and Gus go undercover as parts of the Santa Barbara minor league baseball team, the “Seabirds,” in order to find out who killed the batting coach. The stadium and field itself were actually filmed at Nat Bailey Stadium in downtown Vancouver at Queen Elizabeth Park.
I’m a huge baseball fan and when I get a chance to see a game I absolutely will! I don’t care who is playing because the experience within the stands is enough for me. In this case the local team is the Vancouver Canadiens. They were playing the visiting Spokane Indians this particular day. The home team lost but the experience we had in with the stadium was well worth it. I’m sure that some of the scenes from that show were actually filmed in the stadium. And if not then the set designer needs a raise because it looked exactly like it!
PSYCH — Photo by: Alan Zenuk/USA Network
All in all Ashleigh and I had a fantastic time visiting the beautiful city, and the way we did it was low impact, like the locals live which was a plus. Overall the visit didn’t break the bank. We saw more than 20 different locations (major and minor) from our favorite show. And we didn’t seem like tourists all the time so that is a HUGE success in my book. If any of you Psych-o’s out there are interested in visiting the filming locations of our go to show, and haven’t done so already, then do it. Hopefully this can help act as a guide for how to accomplish this feat while still on a budget! So from the deepest part of my heart, SUCK IT! Have fun!
I hope you enjoyed this Psych Travel Guide! Be sure to share your thoughts and any questions below!
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