_ B4 - The Terrace Standard, Wednesday, July 5, 2006

_ Tracking History and Culture

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TRAVEL BC

on Vancouver Island |

Whether suolling through z fishing Vlog riding a steam
_ tain, of learning ebout First Nations art, Vancouver

. Island’s history and culture is visible at every tum.

At the Quv/utsun’ Cultural & Conference Cente in
Duncan, for example, revellers can lear about the his-

» tory of the Cowichan people, see First Nations carvers at

work, and sample traditional foods. Duncan is also handy %.

to Chemainus, 2 pretty seaside town famous for its his-

” tory-themed murals, and home to the BC Forest Discovery.

Centre, with its re-created lumber camp and working

_ steam vain.

Train bufis heading to the west coast can take a ride on

" the 1929 Baldwin Steam Locomotive that runs in summer

between downtown Port Albemi and the McLean Mill
National Historic Site: At this restored 1926 lumber camp,
visitors can see some of the original equipment operate .
and even catch’a stage show. ; w

"Hf heading north, travellers shouldn’t miss ; the Nanaimo,
” District Museum where one can learn about the city's ,

Chinese citizens and the changing faces of the desti-

* nation's harbour; the Courtenay and District Museum -

and Paleontology Centre, home to an elasmosaur and a
mosasaur skeleton; the Museum at Campbell River, with
its excellent collection of First Nations artifacts; and the

- Campbell River Maritime Heritage Centre; which honours |

‘the town's, and the island's, seafaring heritage.

_ A trio of historic sites lure travellers further north:

Telegraph Cove, just south of Port McNeill, is among the

~~ fast, and best preserved, of BC's coastal boardwalk fishing

villages. At the U'Mista Cultural Centre in Alert Bay, acces-

sible by ferry from Port McNeill, one can see a fascinating
collection of Kweakwaka’ wake powatch artifacts housed

9

ina traditional style bighouse! Another ferry vaill rake
adventurers to Sointula, on Malcolm Island, to see the -
remains of a 1900s-era Finnish Utopian community, one
of the many diverse groups that helped form ma modem say
Vancouver Island.

To lear more about historic § sites in the Vancouver Island
Region and to get everything you need to plan your vaca-.
tion - where to 90, what to see and do, where to stay,
plus printable maps to show you how to get there - ‘visit
HelloBC. comMilhistoricsites.”

There's no better place fora summer vacation than right} here. British Columbia offers almost
endless combinations of natural beauty, people and cultures. For. outdoor enthusiasts, B.C.
jisan awe-inspiring display of mountains, rivers and lakes. Ripe vineyards, wide-open plains
and beaches that seem to stretch forever. This summer, there really i is no better place to
explore than your home- Britisn Columbia.

SEES PST

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For more information on special travel opportunities within B.C. and to order
your free BC Escapes’ Guides, call 1-800 HELLO BC or visit HelloBC.com

BRITISH
COLUMBIA
The Best Place on Earth

- August 18 - 20

Festivals & Events ©
Vancouver Island

duly.

July 1-16
July-14 - 16
July 20 - 23

- July 22 - 23»

~ July 24 - 22

_ August 4-7
August 5-7.
-August 12 + 13

August 3- 12
September 1-4.

For more information about Festivals & Events in the V Vancouver Island
Region, please visit HelloBC. com/vi/events. ea

‘Canada Day Celebration with Folkfest & Parade,
| Port Alberni
Pacific Rim Summer Festival, Ucluelet

Filomi Days, Port Hardy

Great international World Championship | Bathtub
Race & Marine Festival, Nanaimo mo

30th Annual Coombs Rodeo, Coombs
‘Annual Seafest, Alert Bay
Filberg Festival, Comox
Ladysmith 1 Celebration Days, Ladysmith
World Croquet Championships, Parksville
Vancouver Island Exhibition, Nanaimo. :
The Homby Island Festival of Arts, Hornby Island
_ 35th 36th Annual Salmon Festival, Port Alberni

The Butchart Gardens so. 2sv sc:

Victoria Blossoms
with Lush Gardens
and City” Parks»

Every February, when most of .

_ Canada is still blanketed in snow,

Victorians count their blossoms.

The Victoria annual Flower Count
(which typically tallies over a bil-
lion blooms) is then broadcast to

demonstrates, among other things,
that people here are mad about
their gardens.

And with good reason. The balmy

’ city is rife with horticultural gems,

both private and public, classic
_and experimental, and many of the
best welcome visitors.

a marvel of west coast design
created by an expat royal couple;
Finnerty Gardens, a wonderland of
rhododendrons at the University of
Victoria; and Hatley Park Gardens,
a National Historic Site and
Canada's only intact Edwardian
garden.

A good place to start is Beacon

“Hill Park, Home to, among other

things, a century-old cricket pitch
and Mile Zero of the Trans- °
Canada Highway, Victoria's oldest

bloom year-round (May — October
promises gardens in full bloom).
Nearby is Government House,

the official residence of BC's
Lieutenant Governor. Visitors can
wander through herb, sunken, rose
and English country gardens, and
explore an area devoted to British

radio stations across the country. It

These include the Abkhazi Gardens,

municipal park boasts gardens that

Columbia native plants.

Just north of downtown Victoria,
en route to Butchart Gardens, is _
Glendale Gardens and Woodland,

’ part of the Horticulture Centre of
the Pacific and a good place to
learn about landscaping tech-
niques suitable for the west coast.

_ And one cannot forget Butchart

Gardens: 55 acres (22 hectares) of .

themed gardens, 30 minutes north
of Victoria. Originally a private |
estate, this century-old garden is
home to 700 varieties of bedding
plants in Japanese, Italian, rose,
and sunken gardens. .
Visiting on a summer's evening,
when the site is illuminated with
thousands of tiny lights, or catch-
ing a fireworks show on a summer
‘Saturday night, is a great way’
to wind up a garden tour of the
capital.
To learn more about parks and
gardens in Victoria and to get
everything you need to plan your
vacation — where to go, what to
See and do, where to stay, plus
printable maps to show you how
to get there - visit HelloBC.com/
victoriaparks.

. Doubling tourism: The Province
has added $80 million to meet
the goal of doubling tourism by
2015. Projects include cultural
extravaganzas, sport events and
convention centre upgrades.

Hatley Castle ==. mse Ces

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