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Fancy a bobsleigh ride, an indoor rowing practice or a cozy bunk in the Olympic athletes’ village? Now’s your chance.

The Vancouver 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games have come and gone, but British Columbians—and their guests—are just beginning to enjoy the legacies of the Games: from a sleek, new light-rail line to world-class sporting facilities and even whole new neighbourhoods. Where to start? Chances are you already have. Many visitors ride one of the most popular legacies before they even unpack.

The Canada Line, an extension of the SkyTrain light rapid transit system (itself a legacy of Vancouver’s Expo 86 World’s Fair), whisks riders from Vancouver International Airport to downtown Vancouver in less than 30 minutes and to Richmond’s city centre in 23 minutes. Launched in August 2009, it’s much more than an airport line, providing easy access to many of the, so far, less-visited areas of south Vancouver and Richmond.

Top stops? Check out views of the city from flower-filled Queen Elizabeth Park (King Edward station) or the buzz and flavours of Richmond’s Asian dining and shopping scene (Aberdeen or Lansdowne stations). There’s so much to see just riding the rails that local writer Noam Dolgin has put out a guidebook, called Canada Line Adventures, leading visitors to the sites, shops and eateries at each stop on the line.

A key stop at the downtown end of the Canada Line Waterfront Station is the Olympic and Paralympic Cauldron, just outside the Vancouver Convention Centre’s West Building. This striking seaside sculpture, home to the Olympic Flame during the Games, will stay in place as a permanent memento, as will the inukshuk statue, the official emblem of the Games, at English Bay in Vancouver’s West End.

And the sports venues? All of the 2010 Winter Games’ new venues were designed with an eye to long-term community use. That future starts now: the public can start swimming, spinning, skating and even living in BC’s Olympic legacies as early as this summer.

The architecturally striking Richmond Olympic Oval, for example, is currently undergoing a transformation that will take it from a long track speed skating venue to one of the biggest—and most ecologically-friendly—public international centres of excellence for sports, health and wellness in Canada. In place of the speed-skating track will be an indoor running track, two international size ice hockey rinks, six hardwood courts for badminton, volleyball, basketball, soccer plus ten more composite courts, four yoga and fitness studios and a 2,137-sq-m (23,000-sq-ft) mountain-view fitness centre to be open by mid-July. The Richmond Olympic Oval will also be home to an indoor rowing and paddling centre; a sports medicine and wellness centre will replace the Olympic anti-doping lab. Day passes are available for visitors; the venue will be available for sport and event hosting.

Also this summer, families can cool off in the new indoor and outdoor pools at the Aquatic Centre at Hillcrest Park, opening as part of the revamped Vancouver Olympic Centre. The rest of the venue, home to curling events during the Games, will re-open in 2011 as a community centre with an ice rink, library, preschool and, yes, some curling sheets.

In addition to these facilities, Vancouver also gets a whole new community. The Vancouver Olympic Village, home to athletes and officials during the Games, is about to start a new life as an eco-friendly, mixed-income urban neighbourhood. One of the world’s first neighbourhoods to achieve LEED Platinum Certification (the highest possible rating for sustainable design), the southeast False Creek development will feature a community centre, public plaza, community garden and new restaurant in the historic Salt Building. By 2020, the area is expected to house about 16,000, with more than 5,000 residential units, five restored heritage buildings, a school and 10 ha (25 ac) of parkland. The best way to see it? From the water, or strolling or cycling along the Seawall between Science World and Granville Island.

And if you’re heading to Whistler, enjoy the ride. A $600 million pre-Games upgrade of the Sea to Sky Highway, the scenic route from Vancouver to Whistler, has made the journey safer, easier and just as stunning as ever before.

On a budget? Consider booking a bunk or private room at the new Hostelling International Whistler, a 180-bed backpacker destination set to open this summer in the resort’s former Olympic and Paralympic Village. Now called Cheakamus Crossing, its condos and townhouses will provide affordable housing for Whistler families and will also be home to the new Whistler Athletes’ Centre, with training facilities and accommodation for high-performance athletes.

Some post-Olympic experiences—including riding a bobsleigh, trying skeleton at The Whistler Sliding Centre and skiing the 70 km (44 mi) of Nordic trails at Whistler Olympic/Paralympic Park—will have to wait a few months (the public ride program starts in fall 2010; skiing when the snow flies).

There are, however, plenty of legacies to enjoy right now.

Visitors can take a walking tour of The Whistler Sliding Centre or hike the trails at Whistler Olympic/Paralympic Park. Over the next 18 months, the Whistler Medals Plaza will be reconstructed with the installation of a performance pavilion, large lawn and playground—providing an extraordinary outdoor concert venue and gathering place. Visitors will also be able to snap some shots next to the Olympic Legacy Cauldron, the Olympic Rings or the Paralympic Agitos—all of which will stay on as Whistler Village mementos.

Other must-sees include Passive House; known as Austria House during the Games and now home to Whistler’s cross-country and mountain-biking clubs, it is one of the most sustainably designed buildings in Canada. And don’t miss the Squamish Lil’wat Cultural Centre. The heart of First Nations culture in Whistler during the Games, this architecturally stunning facility, built less than two years ago, provides visitors with a unique glimpse into the living history of the Squamish and Lil’wat First Nations.

Along with this wealth of sports, transport and housing infrastructure are a number of behind-the-scenes legacies. Surplus Games-time medical supplies, for example, have gone to Canadian medical teams in earthquake-ravaged Haiti; profits from First Nations-licensed souvenirs will help BC’s Aboriginal youth participate in sports; and organizations such as 2010 Legacies Now are working to spread Games benefits to communities across the province. These projects may generate less buzz than some of their more high-profile counterparts, but their long-term impact may be just as powerful.

For more on British Columbia’s destinations and travel info, visit www.HelloBC.com. Please contact Carla Mont for any additional queries on the article or BC information: Carla.mont@gov.bc.ca.