The Fort Langley area, in the eastern reaches of Greater Vancouver, has a cluster of heritage sites that tell the story of British Columbia's earliest European settlement. Fort Langley National Historic Site, run by Parks Canada, is the most important. This restored Hudson's Bay Company trading post is where the Crown Colony of British Columbia was proclaimed in 1858, and the costumed interpreters and reconstructed buildings give a vivid sense of the fur trade era.
The Langley Centennial Museum, at 9135 King Street in Fort Langley village, covers the broader local history from First Nations settlement through the gold rush to the present. The museum is small but well curated, with rotating exhibitions alongside its permanent collection. The village of Fort Langley itself is a pleasant place to stroll, with antique shops, cafes, and heritage buildings along Glover Road.
The BC Farm Museum, a short drive south in the Township of Langley, preserves the agricultural heritage of the Fraser Valley with a large collection of vintage farm equipment and restored buildings. For families, the Greater Vancouver Zoo is nearby. The whole area makes a good half-day outing from central Vancouver, about an hour's drive east via the Trans-Canada Highway.