(does not include Banff, British Columbia, Montreal, Quebec, Toronto, Vancouver & Vancouver Island)
GENERAL
●Toronto to Vancouver – VIA Rail (“Canadian”); 888-842-7245; viarail.ca; traverses northern Ontario lakelands, Saskatchewan and Manitoba prairies, and Canadian Rockies on 3-day/4-night, spectacular, journey; refurbished, 1950s Art Deco trains in 2 classes; “Comfort” – has reclining seats, domed viewing car, and coffee shop; “Silver & Blue” – has sleeping accommodations, meals, plush bar/lounge, and private sight-seeing car; with 48-hours advance notice, passengers can request unscheduled stops on some segments; runs March 31st through May 31st at special rates.
ALBERTA
Fort Smith
Sights & Sites
●Wood Buffalo National Park – Highway 5 (small satellite office in Fort Chipewyan); 867-872-7900; pc.gc.ca/eng/pn-np/nt/woodbuffalo/index.aspx; located in northeastern Alberta & southern Northwest Territories; largest national park in North America & 2nd largest in world; established in 1922 to protect world’s largest free roaming Wood Bison herd, currently at 5K; 1 of 2 known whooping crane nesting sites; contains 1 of world’s largest fresh water deltas, Peace-Athabasca Delta, formed by Athabasca, Birch & Peace Rivers; also known for karst sinkholes in north-eastern section; designated UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1983; large bat, night hawk & owl populations; moose, black bear, wolf, lynx, beaver, brown bear, snowshoe hare, Sandhill Crane, Ruffed Grouse & Red-sided Garter Snakes; only natural nesting habitat for Whooping Crane.
Jasper
Hotels
●Fairmont Jasper Park Lodge – 1 Old Lodge Road; 780-852-3301 or 800-257-7544; fairmont.com; charming cabins and luxurious suites.
Lake Louise
Hotels
●Fairmont Chateau Lake Louise – 111 Lake Louise Drive; 403-522-3511; fairmont.com; breathtaking location and view; 19th Century resort in Banff National Park; excellent restaurant.
●Post Hotel & Spa – 200 Pipestone Road; 403-522-3989 or 800-661-1586; posthotel.com; Banff National Park landmark; scenic location on river; outstanding restaurant.
Restaurants
●Post Hotel Dining Room – 200 Pipestone Road; 403-522-3989; posthotel.com.
New Brunswick
Sights & Sites
●Mount Head – Longview (Highwood River Valley); weblex.nrcan.gc.ca/html/010000/GSCC00053010227.html; remarkable stratigraphy; panorama viewpoint is at Eden Valley, caan be seen from Highways 40S & 541.
Waterton
Hotels
●Prince of Wales Hotel – off Highway 5 (in Waterton Lakes National Park); 403-859-2231 or 406-892-2525; glacierparkinc.com; historic; perched between 2 lakes with high mountain backdrop; fantastically ornamented with balconies, eaves, high steeple, and turrets; lobby’s 2-story windows look out over valley and townsite.
Sights & Sites
●Waterton Lakes National Park – Waterton Park; 403-859-5133; pc.gc.ca.
LAKE SUPERIOR
Dorion
Sights & Sites
●Eagle Canyon Suspension Bridge – 275 Valley Road; 807-857-1475; eaglecanyonadventures.ca; Canada’s longest suspension bridge; stretches 600 feet across deep canyon.
Thunder Bay
Hotels
●Eldorado Beach Bed & Breakfast – 2845 Eldorado Beach Road; 807-983-2276 or 866-205-0855; cozy; good strudel.
●Sailboat B&B – 807-628-3333; sailsuperior.com; 38-foot anchored.
Restaurants
●Hoito – 314 Bay Street; 807-345-6323; hoito.ca; Finnish food (sweet pancakes, mojakka (fish soup), and sisu (clabbered milk)).
Services
●Sailboat Tours – 807-628-3333; sailsuperior.com.
Shopping
●Silver Islet General Store – 367 Marion Street; 807-683-8512; every Saturday night in summer, ice cream and tea (note that darkness arrives at 11 p.m.).
Sights & Sites
●Fort Williams Historical Park – 350 King Road; 807-473-2347; fwhp.ca.
●Kakabeka Falls Provincial Park – from Thunder Bay, take Trans-Canada Highway 11/17 for 18 miles (Ontario, Canada); 807-473-9231; ontarioparks.com; 154 foot, “Little Niagara.”
●Ouimet Canyon – pass Lake Thunder Bay; 807-977-2526; ontarioparks.com; 350 foot deep scar in earth; cantilevered platform allows you to stand out over gorge.
●Sleeping Giant Provincial Park – pass Lake Thunder Bay; 807-977-2526; ontarioparks.com.
MANITOBA
Churchill
Hotels
●Seal River Heritage Lodge – Kleefield; 204-377-5090 or 866-846-9453; churchillwild.com; exclusive; swim with beluga whales and see polar bears; fly-in access only.
Services
●Wat’chee Expeditions – 353 Kelsey Boulevard; 204-675-2114; watchee.com; for aurora borealis and polar bear watching.
NEW BRUNSWICK
St.-Andrews-by-Sea
Hotels
●Fairmont Algonquin Hotel – 184 Adolphus Street; 506-529-8823 or 866-540-4403; fairmont.com/Algonquin; Canada’s 1stseaside resort town; built in 1880s; Tudor-style hotel located at original Loyalist town’s center; fireplaces in all larger rooms; “cure all” saltwater baths drawn from Passamaquoddy Bay; access to Katy’s Cove private beach; whale watching, hiking, golfing, and biking.
NEWFOUNDLAND & LABRADOR
Newfoundland
Fogo Island
Hotels
●Fogo Island Inn – Highway 334; 709-658-3444; fogoislandinn.ca; uber-modern and expensive.
●Foley’s Place Bed & Breakfast – Kelly’s Island Road (Tilting); 709-658-7288 or 866-658-7244; foleysplace.ca.
●Peg’s B&B – 60 Main Street (Fogo); 709-266-2392; pegsbb.com.
NORTHWEST TERRITORIES
Yellow Knife
Sights & Sites
●Aurora Village – 4709 Franklin Avenue; 867-669-0006; auroravillage.com; aurora borealis-viewing destination; go mid-August to late April.
NOVA SCOTIA
Cape Breton Island
Hotels
●Cabot Links – 15933 Central Avenue (Inverness); 902-258-3330; cabotlinks.com; on golf course but setting so magnficent, worth staying even if not golfer.
●Highlands Links – 275 Keltic Inn Road (Ingonish); 902-285-2600; highlandslinksgolf.com; on golf course but setting so magnficent, worth staying even if not golfer.
Sights & Sites
●Cabot Trail – from Baddeck to St. Ann’s; cabottrail.com; 185 mile highway skirting island’s northern coastline.
Baddeck
Hotels
●Chanterelle Inn – 48678 Cabot Trail; 902-929-2263 or 866-277-0577; chanterelleinn.com; tucked away on remote hillside where chef-owner forages for mushrooms.
Glenville
Bars & Nightclubs
●Glenora Inn & Distillery – 13727 Route 19 (trunk); 902-258-2662 or 800-8390491; glenoradistillery.com; traditional ceilidh music.
Halifax
Hotels
●Westin Nova Scotian – 1181 Hollis Street; 902-421-1000 or 877-993-7846; thewestin-novascotian.com; ask for view over harbor and islands.
Restaurants
●da Maurizio – 1496 Lower Water Street; 902-423-0859; damaurizio.ca; among city’s best restaurants; Italian.
Sights & Sites
●Art Gallery of Nova Scotia – 1723 Hollis Street; 902-424-5280; artgalleryofnovascotia.ca; Atlantic Canada’s largest art museum.
●Canadian Museum of Immigration – 1055 Marginal Road (Pier 21); 902-425-7770; pier21.ca.
●Halifax City Hall – 1841 Argyle Street; 902-490-6456; halifax.ca; built in 1880s.
●Halifax Public Gardens – 5691 Spring Garden Road; 902-446-4232; halifax.ca/publicgardens; Victorian gardens that date to 1841.
●Lunenburg – 1 hour south of Halifax; UNESCO World Heritage site; well-preserved 18th Century architecture (painted houses).
●Maritime Museum of Atlantic – 1675 Lower Water Street (Pier 21); 902-424-7490; museum.gov.ns.ca/mma.
Ingonish (includes Ingonish Ferry)
Hotels
●Castle Rock Country Inn – 39339 Cabot Trail (Ingonish Ferry); 902-285-2700 or 888-884-7625; ingonish.com/castlerock; across harbor from Keltic Lodge Resort; comfortable alternative.
●Keltic Lodge Resort & Spa – 383 Keltic Inn Road; 902-285-2880 or 800-565-0444; kelticlodge.ca; high on acliff surrounded by Atlantic Ocean; view of majestic Cape Smokey rising out of sea; open since July 1940; accommodations in historic Main Lodge, Inn at Keltic, and cozy 2-4 bedroom cottages with fireplaces and verandas; heated outdoor pool, nearby ocean beach (Ingonish), hiking wilderness trails, lawn games, whale watching, Aveda Spa, and boat cruises.
Mabou
Bars & Nightclubs
●Red Shoe Pub – 11573 Route 19 (trunk); 902-945-2996; redshoepub.com; live music.
Petit Etang
Shopping
●La Boulangerie Aucoin – 14 Lapointe Road; 902-224-3220; aucoinbakery.com; bakery.
ONTARIO
Cloyne
Sights & Sites
●Bon Echo Provincial Park – Route 1; 613-336-2228; ontarioparks.com; favored destination for painters and photographers, north of Napanee; renowned for Mazinaw Rock, with tremendous echo properties; canoeing and hiking paradise of deep, blue lakes, sandy beaches, granite outcrops, and lush green forests.
Grafton
Hotels
●Ste. Anne’s Country Inn & Spa – 1009 Massey Road; 905-349-2493 or 888-346-6772; steannes.com; set on 500 acres; 28 guest rooms, handful of which in small cottages; organic cuisine.
La Malbaie (formerly Murray Bay)
Hotels
●Fairmont Le Manoir Richelieu – 181 Rue Richelieu; 418-665-3703; fairmont.com.
●Manoir Charlevoix – 1030 Chemin du Golf; 418-665-4413; manoircharlevoix.com.
Niagara Falls (includes Niagara-on-Lake & Virgil)
Bars
●Edgewaters Tap & Grill – 6342 Niagara Parkway; 905-356-2217; niagaraparks.com/dining; good place to sample Niagara region wine.
Hotels
●Doubletree Fallsview Resort & Spa – 6039 Fallsview Boulevard; 905-358-3817 or 800-222-8733; niagarafallsdoubletree.com; on hill overlooking falls.
●Sterling Inn & Spa – 5195 Magdalen Street; 289-292-0000 or 877-783-7772; sterlingniagara.com; in former dairy building transformed into boutique hotel; 41 spacious rooms; quiet, style oasis.
Restaurants
●AG – 5195 Magdalen Street (at Sterling Inn & Spa); 289-292-0000; sterlingniagara.com; soothing, upscale restaurant.
●Edgewaters Tap & Grill – 6342 Niagara Parkway; 905-356-2217; niagaraparks.com/dining; try Great Canadian Sandwich “EH” (with Canadian bacon).
●Peller Estates – 290 John Street East (Niagara-on-Lake); 905-468-4678; peller.com.
Shopping
●Inniskillin Winery – 1499 Line 3, Niagara Parkway (Virgil); 905-468-2187; inniskillin.com; tours.
●Kurtz Orchards Gourmet Marketplace – 16006 Niagara Parkway (Niagara-on-Lake); 905-468-2937; kurtzorchards.com; munch free samples breads, cheeses, jams, nut butters, and tapenades.
Sights & Sites
●Queen Victoria Park – 7400 Portage Road South; 905-357-9340; niagaraparks.com; bounded by steep Fallsview moraine and Niagara River Great Gorge; contains beautifully maintained gardens and valuable collection unique international and native plants; rock garden, hanging baskets, Hybrid tea rose garden, and attractive carpet-bedding displays.
●Reif Estate Winery – 15608 Niagara Parkway (Niagara-on-Lake); 905-468-9463; reifwinery.com; gimmicky, pleasant Wine Sensory Garden.
Ottawa
Sights & Sites
●Canadian Museum of Nature – 240 McLeod Street; 613-566-4700; nature.ca/en/home; taxidermy.
●Canadian War Museum – 1 Vimy Place; 819-776-8600 or 800-555-5621; warmuseum.ca; war museum in capital since 1880, in various places around town; this is grandest and newest, opened in 2005 (buy combination ticket to also enter fine Canadian Museum of Civilization); with intentional irony, designed by architect Raymond Moriyama, among more than 20K Japanese-Canadians interned during WWII; important to see William Nicholson’s Canadian Generals.
●National Gallery of Ottawa – 380 Sussex Drive; 613-990-1985; gallery.ca; designed by Moshe Safdie; large and varied collection (paintings, drawings, sculpture & photographs), although focus on Canadian art; strong contemporary art collection (Andy Warhol, Barnett Newman, and Louise Bourgeois; largest work is entire interior of Rideau Street Chapel; also includes works by Francis Bacon, Gian Lorenzo Bernini, Georges Braque, Canaletto, Paul Cézanne, Marc Chagall, John Constable, Lucas Cranach Elder, Salvador Dalí, Honoré Daumier, Gustav Klimt, Fernand Léger, René Magritte, Henri Matisse, Piet Mondrian, Claude Monet, Pablo Picasso, Camille Pissarro, Jackson Pollock, Rembrandt Van Rijn, Auguste Rodin, Peter Paul Rubens, Vincent van Gogh & Benjamin West.
STRATFORD
Bakeries, Coffee, Ice Cream, Juice & Tea
●Jenn & Larry’s Brittle & Shakes – 49 York Street; 519-508-4949; facebook.com/JENNandLarry/info; 50s-style drugstore.
●Revel Caffe – 50 Wellington Street; 519-305-1600; revelcaffe.com; excellent coffee; mediocre food; vegetarian alternatives.
●Scooper’s Ice Cream Treats – 578 Boston Avenue; 203-384-0384; scoopers.foodpages.ca; Justin Bieber’s favorite childhood hangout.
Hotels
●Three Houses Bed & Breakfast – 100 Brunswick Street; 519-272-0722; thethreehouses.com; 3 Edwardian, Italianate houses from 1870s; ask for Yellow Room.
Restaurants
●Evergreen Terrace Cafe – 80 Wellington Street; 519-814-7974; facebook.com/pages/Evergreen-Terrace-Cafe/191478947554419.
Shopping
●Jenn & Larry’s Brittle & Shakes – 49 York Street; 519-508-4949; facebook.com/JENNandLarry/info; 50s-style drugstore.
●Milky Whey – 118 Ontario Street; 519-814-9439; themilkywhey.ca; cheese shop.
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