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The Joys of Performing Arts
British Columbia is a province that comes alive with its love for the arts, among them are live performances. Traveling around the BC would get you to multiple options for music, theater, dance, and stand-up comedy, with Vancouver as the center of high-caliber, world-class concerts and shows.
For something different, try the Theatre Royal shows in Barkerville. It features acts in the same style as it was back over 100 years ago when it was the form of entertainment for the miners.
Also, you would find a wealth of performers at the province’s many music, wine, and art festivals throughout the year.
British Columbia has various sources of entertainment, especially during summer. For instance, Vancouver is the home Bard on the Beach Shakespeare , where you can enjoy various plays written by William Shakespeare such as Taming of the Shrew and Julius Caesar in open-ended tents against a spectacular natural mountains, sea, and sky backdrop. It is located at Vanier Park, where the west emd of Burrand Street Bridge, turning off Cornwall at Cypress. Tickets range between C$17 to C$31.Another group of thespians called Bard to Broadway Theatre Society can be found over at downtown Qualcum Beach, where you get to watch theater island style under the white tent with a view of the ocean. Among its titles include “Guys and Dolls” and “Lend Me a Tenor.” Tickets range between 18 to 23 Canadian dollars.
In Victoria, get set for an IMAX experience. The National Geographic IMAX Theater is located in the Royal BC Museum on the Inner Harbour. Long famous for its ultra-high resolution, picture clarity, powerful sound, and its giant screen, you are treated to various exploratory features such as exploring the last remains of the world’s most famous shipwreck, immersing in the color and culture of an ancient land, or swimming deep in the ocean with one of the planet’s largest creatures.. Between April 14 to October 14, 2007, witness “Titanica,” where you get to visit the remains of an unthinkable disaster and hear the incredible story of one young passenger.
Back in the mainland, The Giggle Dam Dinner Theatre, located at Port Coquitlam, offers a high energy musical comedy that is insanely interactive and slightly cheeky. The restaurant theater offers five different thematic shows every year, where you get to enjoy a full four course meal as you watch the stage production.
Posted in Activities
July 19th, 2007 / No Comments
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Having Fun in BC Amusement Parks
The young and the young at heart can have a lot of fun time visiting British Columbia. For one, families of different sizes and ages can enjoy the province’s amusement parks built for their enjoyment. First stop, Cyber City.
Cyber City has something for everyone from toddlers to great grandparents. This amusement center located in Nanaimo has a mini-golf course, go-kart tracks, laser tags, giant arcade, and a huge inflatable playground. It is open almost all year round and accept party packages, so your child may want to have a grandest of a birthday celebration. To get there, take Highway 19 North, then exiting at #21 onto Northfield. After which, turn right at Bowen Road.
Next is the capital Victoria’s scariest attraction Nightmares, which is located deep with Trounce Alley along Government Street. It has three main attractions, namely Hot Seat, The Unknown, and Madam Isabella, all are known to bring out your scares. It is also a source of scary costumes, masks, make-up accessories, props, novelties, and souvenirs. You may not want to bring in little children if you are afraid of having them “traumatized.”Vancouver’s Pacific National Exhibition is the home of Playland Amusement Park, with over 35 exhilarating rides, one-of-a-kind attractions, and fun games in between. Among its attractions include a 90-foot Westcoast Wheel, a basketball court where you can play 3 on 3, a haunted house, and KC’s Raceway that is a favorite among kids. It is also home to Kids Playce, a special zone filled with soft-play areas (inflatable playgrounds) and rides for children from ages 2 to 8. Playland is located on East Hastings Street, just off Highway 1 Westbound, then exiting at #26.
Another Nanaimo attraction is WildPlay Elements Park, where you get to experience fun and adventure in a 17-acre park set in a beautiful Douglas Fir forest. The park has three main attractions: Bungy Jumping, where you get to jump off a 150-foot bridge head first with a big elastic band around the ankles; King Swing, where you are strapped into a harness and then launched off the bridge at up to 140 kph as you swing over the river canyon; and TreeGO, where you move through a series of challenging elements from treetop to treetop including zip lines, suspended bridges, and swinging logs. To get there, take the Nanaimo Lakes exit off Highway 1.
Posted in Activities, Attractions
July 11th, 2007 / No Comments
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Taking Afternoon Tea
The tradition of sipping cups of tea with friends and family has been flourishing in British Columbia since the British introduced it over 100 years ago. This is usually accompanied with healthy conversations and social bonding.
Afternoon tea is taken with a light menu that includes seasonal berries, dainty finger sandwiches, freshly-baked scones topped with preserves and thick cream. Meanwhile, pots of differently blended teas are placed on the table for the guests to pour in. Remember that most venues require reservations, and some are open seasonally.
Most of the delightful tea houses are located in Victoria, where all things British still is part of daily life making high tea raised into an art form. Tourists can enjoy afternoon tea after a tiring day of touring. They can either take a sip at Butchart Gardens where you can also admire its majestic scenery, or in Fairmont Empress Hotel with its turn-of-the-century elegance while savoring its exquisite pastry line. Among other local Victoria favorites when it comes to afternoon tea include White Heather Tea Room, which offers 23 varieties of tea; Point Ellice House, a picture-perfect Victorian home with a wonderful English garden and overlooking the scenic Gorge Waterway, which is open only from May to September; and The Blethering Place, an authentic British tearoom filled with fascinating vintage English memorabilia.The city of Vancouver and its outskirts practice afternoon tea ranging from the sophisticated and elegant to cozy and eclectic. One prominent venue in the city is The Fleury Restaurant in Sutton Place Hotel, where Japanese and English tea drinking ceremonies are offered. Other places include The Secret Tea Garden, which serves over 50 varieties of tea from around the world; and Muzi, which was voted as the “Best Tea House of 2006” in Vancouver, with innovative and health-promoting teas.
Just outside Vancouver, you can also find quality tea houses such as Fairmont Chateau in Whistler, which serves traditional afternoon tea with three kinds of tea daily; Applewood Country Gifts in Delta, where you can also book a special Victorian-style tea party for kids; and Pearl Drops Tea House in Burnaby, where you can also find the freshest herbal, oolong, rooibos, and even yerba mate teas.
BC’s Thompson Okanagen Region are is also proud of its afternoon tea tradition aside from the quality wines they produce. Among the best tea houses in the area include Royal Victorian Tea House, which is housed in a restored heritage building with a beautiful tranquil gardens of English roses and ivy, serving scones straight out of the hearth; Cantaloupe Annie’s Mad Hatter Tea and Lunch Room, an Oliver tea house with a lovely patio where you can enjoy your tea during the summer months; and Sunmore Ginseng Health Spa, where you can enjoy a traditional Chinese tea ceremony, choosing from different organic teas including ginseng.
Posted in Activities
July 11th, 2007 / No Comments
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Cat Skiing on Powder-Fresh Snow
If skiing on overly-used snow resorts does not give you the thrill that you used to have, consider taking your passion for skiing up a notch by skiing on higher altitudes and on fresh snow. British Columbia is one of the world’s foremost cat-skiing destinations. It is also here where the sport first started, in Kootenay Rockies over 25 years ago. The reason it is called “cat-skiing” is because you needed to ride on a snowcat (snowmobile) to reach the snow tracks that you have been dreaming about.
You get into high altitudes of freshly-fallen, powder-white snow, winding you down along open slopes and tree-lined tracks. Expect to ski of up to 18,000 vertical feet per day, which translates to between 6 to 15 runs. The longest runs range from 2,500 to 3,000 feet.Accommodations vary from high-end luxury lodgings to a more budget-conscious room-and-board options. Participants of cat-skiing are expected to be intermediate to advanced skiers, although those with less experience can opt for gentler terrain. Age restrictions also apply in these resorts.
Each region of British Columbia offers something unique to your cat-skiing needs. The Resort Municipality of Whistler in Vancouver Lower Mainland is one of the sites for Vancouver 2010 Winter Olympic and Paralympic Games. It is one of the largest skiing resorts in North America with panoramic vistas. Most resorts here provide discounts for university students as well as residents of BC and even Washington State in the US.
The Thompson Okanagen region is a cat-skiing nirvana, with several mountain ranges that provide vast, high country areas. Expect to ski here in higher elevations. Meanwhile, the Kootenay Rockies is one of Canada’s snowiest regions, assuring you of fresh champagne powder snow almost everyday. It is also where you find luxurious, high-end lodging and dining, as well as spa-style amenities such as after-cat massages.
Posted in Activities
May 25th, 2007 / No Comments
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Storm Watching Season in British Columbia
Winter vacationers from different parts of the globe travel to travel to the beautiful fishing villages of Ucluelet and Tofino to participate in an unique activity called storm watching.
The season of storm watching range from November to March, when the province is visited by 10 to 15 storms every month peaking into December to February. It is during this time Tofino gets a majority of its annual rainfall of 5 meters. The storms are also so strong, the rain falls almost horizontally.
Storm watching is a relatively new tourist attraction in the west coast of Vancouver Island, although this has been practiced by the locals for thousands of years as they watch, brace against, and surviving winter storms. This activity does not require additional equipment, only that the observers should be still and feel at awe on nature’s show of force. Witness the waves of the Pacific Ocean pound agains the coastal rocks and the wind rattling against your double-paned window.If you plan on storm watching, it is best to check in hotels and B&B’s that are facing the ocean. It is also a plus if you find in the establishment some good books, a fireplace, and perhaps a down duvet that you can put on your lap.
Or if you are planning on becoming a little bit more adventurous, try heading out into the storm and experience the power of the wind, observe the giant waves, and hear the two sound harmoniously together.
Among locations that are recommended when it comes to storm watching are the following:
* Wickaninnish Inn, the birthplace of storm watching. This luxurious oceanfront accommodation has a special package for this season, including a 3-hour guided nature walk, storm caps, and even a special storm watching drink. Guests can also enjoy morning whale or bear watching while on a boat during spring, as well as private yoga lessons, and a sumptuous dinner to cap the night.
* A Snug Harbour Inn, which is nestled on the edge of an 85-foot cliff overlooking the rugged Pacific coastline. Guests can experience the incredible sights and sounds of a winter storm from the comfort of their own luxury oceanfront room.
Posted in Activities, Outdoors
May 22nd, 2007 / No Comments
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Golfing on British Columbia’s Greens
Golfing under the British Columbia skies is an experience all by itself, with courses ranked among the finest of the world. Being a geographically diverse province, golfing in BC has an array of choices. For one, the courses range from gently rolling greens overlooking the ocean to tiered fairways in the mountain country.
Golfing in British Columbia lets you live and breathe the best that the province has to offer. With virtually pure air and comfortable temperatures, it is not unusual to see eagles, ducks, or even mountain goats while you are out hitting the greens.
The BC has golf courses that are so spectacular, even PGA designated the province as an official golf destination, and we believe that you will agree with us as you play a few rounds in any of our 250 courses with challenges that are as various as its terrain.The sport is even played year round on southern Vancouver Island and over at the Vancouver Coast and Mountain Regions, that is if you are willing to play under the rain during the winter season. The region’s rainy winter has even made the province a favorite destination of Canadians themselves, who usually venture south to escape the harsh chilly winter.
When you play golf in British Columbia, expect to play championship courses all throughout the region without even having to pay extravagant championship fees. You can also choose the less expensive nine- and eighteen-holers with sceneries that are just as astounding. Remember that when teeing off in BC, expect to be distracted in a pleasant way. Distracted to the beauty of waterfalls cascading down, mountains towering high, dense fir and cedar trees, sparkling lakes, fjords, and panoramic views. Not to mention the good chance of spotting wildlife on the fairway like white-tailed or fallow deer, elk, and coyotes, which are common on our golf courses. Watch out for eagles even, and don’t be surprised if your golf ball get snatched by an audacious raven.
Posted in Activities, Travel
May 22nd, 2007 / No Comments