Infolific » Canada

Polar Bear Capital of the World - Churchill, Manitoba

Matthew Sloane — Wed, 21 Mar 2012 06:22:03 +0000

For a truly unique getaway, try rubbing shoulders with the polar bears in Churchill, Manitoba--the "Polar Bear Capital of the World". From mid-October through November, this tiny burg on the western shore of immense Hudson Bay is home to one of the world's largest concentrations of polar bears. The great [...]

Niagara-on-the-Lake, Ontario

Matthew Sloane — Wed, 07 Dec 2011 08:12:50 +0000

Everyone knows about Niagara Falls,but few have heard about its beautiful northern neighbor, Niagara-on-the-Lake. It's described as the prettiest village in Ontario, and with good reason. Set amid lush orchards and vineyards, this lovely town sits like a perfect jewel on the mouth of the Niagara River, at the northeastern [...]

Fortress of Louisbourg National Historic Site, Nova Scotia

Matthew Sloane — Tue, 06 Dec 2011 07:08:51 +0000

A vivid history lesson awaits inside the Fortress of Louisbourg, where King Louis XV still reigns. As we entered the impressive Dauphin Gate at the Fortress of Louisbourg National Historic Site on Nova Scotia's Cape Breton Island, the guards abruptly stopped us, suspecting we were spies. Eyeing us suspiciously, they [...]

Visiting Prince Edward Island

Matthew Sloane — Fri, 11 Nov 2011 16:37:23 +0000

Until I saw chocolate potato cake on a hotel menu while visiting Prince Edward Island, I'd never heard of such a dessert, much less tasted it. But after savoring the moist and somewhat nubby cake topped with a hard chocolate glaze, I had to know what in the world inspired [...]

Visiting Northern New Brunswick

Matthew Sloane — Wed, 24 Aug 2011 01:49:06 +0000

Ever since I read Evangeline, Henry Wadsworth Longfellow's poem about the exiled French Acadians, I've wanted to visit Acadian Historical Village near Caraquet in northeastern New Brunswick. I finally did so, and it was well worth the trip. This marvelous living-history museum accurately depicts the rich life and culture of [...]

Kimberley, Canadian Rocky Mountains

Matthew Sloane — Mon, 25 Jul 2011 09:56:05 +0000

As my girlfriend and I drove through the Canadian Rockies in southeastern British Columbia, each turn in the road brought a breathtaking view more spectacular than the last. We thought it couldn't get any better--until we pulled our fifth-wheel into Kimberley, a cozy little Bavarian town. Sidewalk cafes...whimsical wooden carvings...unique [...]

Exploring Lake Winnipeg's Hecla Island, Manitoba

Matthew Sloane — Tue, 19 Jul 2011 08:29:12 +0000

HECLA ISLAND on Lake Winnipeg, in the province of Manitoba, is a paradise set amid the unspoiled splendor of Hecla/Grindstone Provincial Park. Icelandic farmers, who immigrated here after the Mt. Hekla volcano eruption destroyed their homes in Iceland, settled the island in the mid-1870s. The restored century-old fishing village of [...]

Durham Herb Fair, Ontario

Matthew Sloane — Sat, 16 Jul 2011 06:54:54 +0000

Folks in Durham, Ontario are so eager to get going in spring that they host an annual Herb Fair dedicated to herbs, flowers, vegetables and garden-related crafts. Browsing the booths in Town Hall Park, along the sparkling Saugeen River. means lots of sniffing, touching, tasting and questioning. I was glad [...]

Ukrainian Cultural Heritage Village in Edmonton, Alberta

Matthew Sloane — Wed, 13 Jul 2011 06:40:49 +0000

While vacationing in Edmonton, Alberta's provincial capital I spent a day exploring nearby attractions like the Ukrainian Cultural Heritage Village. This living-history museum, with 30 authentic buildings, is unlike any we've ever visited. The interpreters portray real people of the era, vividly depicting Ukrainian immigrant life in eastern rural Alberta [...]

North Hatley, Quebec

Matthew Sloane — Sun, 10 Jul 2011 06:16:47 +0000

I'd always heard that Quebec's Eastern Townships region is very beautiful. Even so, its charming village of North Hatley, sort of a French version of New England, exceeded my expectations on a recent trip. "Picturesque" hardly begins to describe North Hatley, a dollhouse of a village nestled on the shore [...]

Beeton Honey and Garden Festival, Ontario

Matthew Sloane — Thu, 07 Jul 2011 05:28:51 +0000

If you like honey as much as I do, I highly recommend that you make a beeline for the Beeton Honey and Garden Festival, nestled in the rolling hills of Ontario's New Tecumseth high country. There's nothing pretentious about this community's unique street festival. Beeton used to be known as [...]

Baddeck, Nova Scotia

Matthew Sloane — Mon, 04 Jul 2011 04:43:20 +0000

While exploring Nova Scotia's Cape Breton Island, my wife, Bev, and I found the picturesque village of Baddeck. It's so lovely that telephone inventor Alexander Graham Bell chose it for his summer home and burial site. His estate, Beinn Bhreagh (Gaelic for "beautiful mountain"), remains privately owned by his descendants. [...]

Canadian Fire Fighters Museum, Ontario

Matthew Sloane — Fri, 01 Jul 2011 04:02:33 +0000

If you ever imagined yourself speeding through town on a shiny red fire engine, you'll enjoy the Canadian Fire Fighters Museum in Port Hope, Ontario. We found an astonishing variety of fire-related items, including helmets, hoses and Canada's largest collection of hydrants, as well as fire trucks (above) ranging from [...]

Mennonite Museum in Manitoba

Matthew Sloane — Tue, 28 Jun 2011 01:52:56 +0000

The Mennonite Heritage Village Museum in Steinbach, Manitoba offers an intriguing look at the life of early Mennonite settlers. The 40-acre site includes a windmill... a semlin, or sod house... an 1881 church that my father's family attended... and an 1892 house-barn. As you stroll the grounds, you might see [...]

Blue Points Amethyst Mine, Ontario

Matthew Sloane — Sat, 25 Jun 2011 01:32:29 +0000

Rock hounds will "dig" unearthing sparkly souvenirs like the ones my girlfriend and I found at a small amethyst mine in lovely northern Ontario. The Thunder Bay area is well known for its amethyst deposits. A clerk at a local rock shop directed us to the Blue Points Amethyst Mine [...]

Bridal Veil Falls Provincial Park, British Columbia

Matthew Sloane — Wed, 22 Jun 2011 00:54:43 +0000

Last summer, my girlfriend and I ran across Bridal Veil Falls Provincial Park in southern British Columbia--a perfect place to take a break. Spectacular Bridal Veil Falls, the sixth-highest waterfall in Canada, tumbles 197 feet over the smooth rock face of Mount Cheam. We enjoyed a 15-minute walk through lush [...]

Haliburton Forest and Wild Life Preserve, Ontario

Matthew Sloane — Sat, 18 Jun 2011 23:45:58 +0000

For a unique adventure, I highly recommend a walk in the treetops in the Haliburton Forest and Wild Life Preserve, a private 50,000-acre park in central Ontario's Haliburton Highlands. This hike on an elevated boardwalk some 65 feet above the ground is part of a 4-hour guided trek through the [...]

Othello Tunnels, British Columbia

Matthew Sloane — Thu, 19 May 2011 14:58:17 +0000

Carved from granite for a railroad line, this system of tunnels and bridges--planned by brilliant engineer Andrew McCulloch--pierces the heart of the 300-foot-deep Coquihalla River gorge. The old railway now leads you on an easy 2-1/2-mile round-trip hike along a flat-gravel path. The four tunnels take their name from the [...]

Hopewell Cape, New Brunswick

Matthew Sloane — Mon, 16 May 2011 13:57:07 +0000

Time and tide wait for no man, Ben Franklin once said. We found powerful proof of that adage at Hopewell Rocks park near the town of Hopewell Cape in New Brunswick. The giant rocks are in Shepody Bay at the northern end of the Bay of Fundy, which boasts the [...]

Agawa Canyon Park, Northern Ontario

Matthew Sloane — Fri, 13 May 2011 13:19:35 +0000

On a stopover during a scenic train trip through Agawa Canyon Park in northern Ontario, we took a hike on the Talus Trail to 175-foot Black Beaver Falls. It was raining heavily when we started walking. But when we reached the falls, it stopped just long enough to photograph the [...]