On Vancouver Island, summer doesn’t end on Labour Day. When the calendar turns to September and October, we’re just getting started! Here, our local experts list the 10 amazing things to do on Vancouver Island before the weather turns cold.
Goldstream Park, one of Vancouver Island’s top destinations this fall
This nautical tote is by local company Me & You
Say good-bye to plastic and hello to stylish eco-friendly totes from Vancouver company Me & You. A bag from the new Vancouver Island–inspired collection makes an ideal souvenir. Available at www.meandyou.ca and Body Politic.—Sheri Radford
While Victoria’s attractions and amenities are sure to keep you busy, extend your visit with a little “Island time.” Need a few ideas? Here are a few of our favourite day-trip destinations.
Milner Garden
35-minute ferry trip from Sidney/Swartz Bay
Visitors to this tranquil island paradise renowned for its relaxed lifestyle enjoy Salt Spring’s natural beauty, art galleries, studios, wineries and gift shops. Visit on Saturdays and take in the huge outdoor market where the island’s accomplished artisans and farmers display their fine products. Hiking trails at Ruckle Provincial Park, country roads ideal for cycling and wonderful kayaking are among the many possibilities here. (more…)
Submit your photo to our Flickr Group to see your favourite travel shot as part of our Photo Friday feature on Where.ca! We’ll credit you and link to your photo.
Why we chose it: Yes, there’s scuba diving in Canada! Reminding us that photo ops exist below sea level, too, this photographer has captured one of the most beautiful sea-life shots we’ve seen anywhere in BC’s Telegraph Bay. The clarity and detail is amazing and the colours gorgeous. Who needs the Caribbean? (more…)
By SHANNON KELLY
Trans Canada Highway, Alberta (Photo: Gord McKenna)
It’s time to think about planning your summer vacation, and if the open road is what you’re craving, Canada—with its stunning scenery and wide open natural beauty—has plenty of options. In fact, one of our best drives, the Banff-to-Jasper route (see Icefields Parkway) in the Rockies, was included in National Geographic’s Drives of a Lifetime book. (more…)
Photo credit: Tourism BC/Tom Ryan
By Kat Tancock
Just an hour’s drive west of Victoria, on Vancouver Island, Sooke Harbour House is renowned for its gourmet restaurant, cozy atmosphere and personal touches—like cookie jars filled with homemade goodies scattered throughout the inn. But it’s the property’s connection with the surrounding natural world that perhaps makes the strongest impression on guests. (more…)
By Kat Tancock
“I essentially boil water for a living,” says chef Andrew Shepherd of his salt-producing venture Vancouver Island Salt Co. in rural southern Vancouver Island.
When Shepherd originally came up with the idea, he says, “My friend said I couldn’t do it. He came over and we stayed up all night boiling sea water. In the morning we had a pile of salt. I gave some away and everyone freaked out.”
Why bother, you might ask? Artisanal sea salts, says Shepherd, retain flavours from the bays the water is harvested from, so that each has a unique taste. His salt has a “big, clean flavour” and, he says, can be used in smaller quantities than other salts for the same amount of taste. As for flavours, Shepherd cold-smokes with maple, cherry and other woods, and has been experimenting with infused salts such as balsamic, roasted garlic, mustard and banana pepper.
Local chefs are supporting the venture: Shepherd cites the Harbour House Hotel on Salt Spring Island and the Whole Beast in Victoria as clients, and says that Raincity Grill in Vancouver “actually puts my salt out on the tables and lets the guests know where it’s sourced from”.
Where to buy: In retailers across Vancouver Island and in Vancouver, and online at http://visaltco.com.
Photo by Andriy Baranskyy
By Carissa Bluestone
Concerns about Via Rail service on Vancouver Island surfaced yesterday as the railway ferried the last of its Dayliner cars to the mainland over the weekend. Passenger service has been suspended on the Victoria–Courtenay route since March because of poor track conditions, including thousands of decaying railway ties.
Photo: James Wheeler
By Tim Johnson
A place where the mountains meet the sea, Vancouver Island’s beauty is known the world over. At times wild and untamed, the Island can be equally refined and sophisticated as well as quirky and interesting. Traversing the two-lanes that link British Columbia’s capital with its best-known surf town is a pleasurable experience—especially if you make time for lots of stops along the way. (more…)
Tucked away on Vancouver Island, north of Nanaimo off the Island Highway is Coombs, a place that’s become known for its signature rooftop of grazing goats. Under that roof is The Old Country Market, a quirky grocery store that offers a huge selection of breads and sweets made in their bakery, a cheese shop and imported foods that run the gamut from English licorice to bacon-flavoured mayonnaise a.k.a. Baconnaise.
Before you head to the Market to shop, have lunch at Cuckoo in Coombs Trattoria & Pizzeria. The Italian restaurant offers pasta and wood-stove pizza in a large space with wooden tables and rustic tablecloths (which you can buy next door in Zolena). If the weather is nice, sit out back on the patio under the plum trees. Just outside the restaurant is the greenery area with large pots and Chinese statues, shrubbery and small cacti. Nestled in amongst the plants is Zolena, a shop with wool blankets from New Zealand, Chinese silk bags and bangles from India. (more…)
The Melody Sphere - Free Spirit Spheres Photo: Free Spirit Spheres
You may have stayed in a tree house or maybe even a yurt in your lifetime. But have you ever stayed in a sphere? (more…)
Sometimes you need to get away from it all. These nearby destinations are the perfect escape from the city
By Kristina Urquhart
It's anchors aweigh on the Sunshine Coast, where a boat tours Sechelt Inlet. Photo by Tom Ryan courtesy Tourism British Columbia
Whistler
Car 2 hours
Train 3.5 hours via Rocky Mountaineer
The scenic Sea to Sky Highway winds from Vancouver to Whistler, a top-rated ski resort with plenty to do in the summer. Settle onto a sun-soaked patio to people-watch in the pedestrian-only village, relax with a massage at a world-class spa, tee up for golf on emerald fairways or navigate the vertiginous cliffs on a mountain bike. Don’t miss a ride on the 4.4-km- (2.7-mi-) long Peak 2 Peak Gondola; you’ll need to pick your jaw up off the glass-bottomed floor as the seemingly endless valley between Whistler and Blackcomb mountains stretches beyond. Halfway between Vancouver and Whistler lies Squamish—the recreation capital of Canada—so suit up for whitewater rafting, wind surfing, diving and rock climbing. A hike up the Stawamus Chief, the world’s second-largest granite monolith, yields panoramic views of Howe Sound. (more…)