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The Fairmont Château Laurier’s Centennial Celebration: What’s in Store

The historic Fairmont Château Laurier is celebrating its anniversary with a series of fun and fascinating events taking place in the coming months.

One of Ottawa’s most recognizable landmarks celebrates its 100th anniversary this spring. The Fairmont Château Laurier first opened its doors on June 12, 1912, although it was originally slated to open on April 26. An interesting fact that people might not know is that just days before the hotel’s original opening date, the man who commissioned the Château Laurier, Charles Melville Hays, died aboard the Titanic on April 15. Prime Minister Sir Wilfrid Laurier, for whom the hotel was named, and who also helped the Château Laurier acquire its property, opened the hotel instead. With its prime location in the heart of the city, only steps away from Parliament Hill, the Fairmont Château Laurier has played host to a century of political deals and many of Ottawa’s visiting celebrities. From rock stars to political figures, its guest list has included Shirley Temple, Billy Bishop, Roger Moore, Bryan Adams, Nelson Mandela, and more.

In honour of this historic landmark reaching the big 100, the hotel is offering some fun events in the upcoming months: (more…)

Revisiting the Titanic 100 Years Later in Halifax this Spring

Fairview Lawn Cemetery, the resting place of 150 Titanic victims (Photo: U.S. Coast Guard)

April marks the 100th anniversary of the sinking of the Titanic 375 miles off the Newfoundland coast in 1912. Events in Halifax, a city that played a key part in the tragedy, will commemorate the event’s centennial. (more…)

Hot Shopping: Hot Heritage at The Bay

Heritage-inspired silk scarves at The Bay

The Bay continues to delight both fashion fiends and collectors with the reimagined Hudson’s Bay Company Collection. An item sure to tempt history buffs is the historic-looking charter scarf (pictured, $125 each). Every one of these silk kerchiefs features an intricate sketch of Canadian history on an archive scroll—textbooks be damned—and comes in warm yellow, blue and red.—Jennifer Patterson

Restored 1919 Film Gives Rare Historic Glimpse of Arctic Life in Canada

Still from 1919 film Romance of the Far Fur Country (Photo courtesy of the Hudson's Bay Company Archives)

Some of the earliest footage of northern Canada—a silent black-and-white film documenting a 1919 Hudson Bay Company expedition—has been restored to a full-length documentary. The film had been gathering dust in a London archive for 50 years but was recently restored and is being shown in select Canadian towns and cities. (See clips of the original footage.) (more…)

Hot Art: Hiroshima History at Vancouver’s Museum of Anthropology

#88 by Ishiuchi Miyako "Wristwatch," 2010/2010 C-type print, 335 x 230, Okimoto S.

August 6, 1945. It’s a date not forgotten by many, but a Japanese photographer aims to document it for posterity with her 48 moving images of everyday objects left behind by the victims of the atomic bombing at Hiroshima, Japan, during World War II. Photos of these ownerless belongings, including a wristwatch (pictured), give a personal take on the event in hiroshima by Ishiuchi Miyako at the UBC Museum of Anthropology (to Feb. 12).—Kristina Urquhart

Explore Nova Scotia, Circa 1934

Back in 1934, Nova Scotia’s selling points for vacationers included dustless highways (ah, luxury!) and 22 golf courses (it has 80 today) among many of the natural and historic attractions it still showcases, like Louisburg and Cape Breton Island.

It was, to quote the Official Motor Guide of Nova Scotia, a place where you could “Generally Enjoy Your Holiday In a Sportsman’s Paradise.” Plus, in 1934 you could pick up this guide to Nova Scotia for a mere dollar.

This and other historic Nova Scotia guidebooks are viewable online at the Nova Scotia Archives. Browse the entire 136-page 1909 Sporting Guide to Nova Scotia, the 24-page Storied Halifax (1917), and the pamphlet 7 Days in Halifax, which advises visitors of the wide range of dinner prices in that city in 1930: from 50¢ to $1.50.

You Are Here: Old Strathcona

Image courtesy of Noel Zinger

With over 600 eclectic, independent and alternative shops and services to explore, it’s little wonder Old Strathcona is regarded as the place to experience Edmonton’s finest live theatre and music, boutique shopping, dining and nightlife. Read on for some of our top spots in this historical district and then visit www.oldstrathcona.ca for even more. (more…)

Canada’s Best New Attractions for Summer 2011

Art Gallery of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta

For travellers planning their summer trips in Canada this year, the regional editors of Where magazine have released their top picks for summer travel. The winners of Where Canada’s Best New Attractions for Summer 2011 represent the most exciting attractions – new, significantly improved, or celebrating major milestones this year. A diverse group of attractions from coast to coast, this year’s winners offer a wide range of activities and events suitable for any family, art lover, sports fanatic, nature lover or adventurer. Together, these attractions serve as the top must-see and must-dos for anyone travelling in Canada this summer. (more…)

Road Trip: New Brunswick’s Acadian Coastal Drive

Photo by Tim Johnson

By Tim Johnson

As rich in culture as it is natural beauty, New Brunswick’s Acadian Coastal Drive offers a lovely mix of sun-kissed beaches, delicious roadside cuisine and the wonderful joie de vivre of the Acadiens. Although it’s just 150 kilometres from Moncton to Miramichi, you should take your time and enjoy—split the drive into two or three days to make sure you properly soak up the sun, tucking into some poutine râpée and seafood pizza along the way. (more…)

Hot Dates: In the Navy…

Adapted from an exhibition created by National Museums Liverpool (U.K.), Hello Sailor explores “gay life on the ocean wave.” The Maritime Museum of the Atlantic also highlights a Canadian and Nova Scotian perspective from May 19 to November 27.