Review Of Grouse Mt. The Timber Room
Grouse Mountain is a very nice venue to hold anything from a birthday party, corporate event or wedding during the summer season. The winter season has its’ special charm as well, but I prefer the summer. This DJ in Vancouver found wintertime a little more difficult to get equipment into the event rooms.
Getting to Grouse is quite easy. Being that it is a popular area, there are lots of signs and is only about 40 minutes from Vancouver downtown. However, Vancouver traffic can be challenging so it may take longer
The area below the mountain has quite a bit of parking but at the height of the summer season, parking can be hard to find and not all of it is free. They’re also a few coffee shops and areas to hang out while you wait for your tram to take you up the mountain.
There are actually two trams, a large one for visitors to the mountain and a smaller blue one that your vendors put their equipment into so they can transport it up the mountain…along with supplies for all of the great amenities that are on the mountain. When going up the tram, the operator may point out a few areas of interest such as the lake where Vancouver gets its’ drinking water from or the twin sister peaks.
You will want to make sure your vendor is aware that there can be quite a delay in getting the equipment up the mountain to the main lobby. The vendor then has to get the equipment form the main lobby up to the event rooms. I usually build in a 45-minute window of extra time just getting from the parking lot to the mountain with equipment. In the summer, the best way to get equipment up to the Timber room, which is one of the event rooms, is to load it on a cart and wheel it around the outside sidewalk to the upper level. There are no elevators so any mobility challenged guests would have to get the upper level either by steep stairs or around the sidewalk.
The timber room is one of the main rooms where events take place. It gets pretty full at 90 guests but is nicely decorated with an awesome view.
The buffet is normally placed on the dance floor in front of your DJ and space is tight for a large guest list but manageable.
The room is long and a bit narrow with the head table along the sidewall. If you really wanted to get an even sound throughout the room, you would need an extra set of speakers. For the speeches, if using the PA from the DJ setup, you will need a high-quality microphone to avoid dropouts.
At the back, the patio opens to a lovely veranda. With a spectacular view of Vancouver below, many wedding ceremonies are conducted in this spot. Take a look at my video clip to see what I mean. I think you would agree that this is an impressive view.
The timber room does have a projector and screen for showing your video or slide shows as well as a microphone for your speeches and air conditioning. The latter is quite important on the hot summer days that can take place in August and appreciated by this Vancouver DJ.
One other nice thing about Grouse Mountain is that there is a lot to do up on the mountain. There is a lumberjack show that is thoroughly entertaining, a bird exhibit, zip lines, helicopter tours or guests can just sit on the patio and enjoy a drink with a spectacular view.
Grouse mountain certainly is worth considering for your next event or wedding. With lots to do, a beautiful view and all the amenities, I give Grouse Mountain 4.5 out of five stars.