Vancouver can be visited at any time of the year depending on what you want to do and see - its weather is mild all year long. Winter time is chilly to cold, but Vancouver is a good place to stay if you want to check out the ski slopes at Whistler or Grouse Mountain. Summer is the warmest time of the year - many people consider this the best time to visit Vancouver partly because schools are on break. The weather is pleasant, but with the crowds and the higher room rates, you might want to consider one of the non-peak seasons. From March to May and from September to November the weather is comfortable and room rates are reasonable. CDC information for travelers. Hours/availability may have changed.
Best Time to Visit Vancouver, Canada, Weather & Other Travel Tips
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More Ideas: Banff National Park
Banff National Park is located in the town of Banff in Canada. It is the first national park that was designated in Canada and is the star of the park system in the country. Banff National Park was Canada’s first designated national park and covers over six thousand square kilometers in the Rocky Mountain wilderness. It is a part of the much bigger Canadian Rocky Mountain Parks UNESCO World Heritage Site.
History
The park contains three thousand-meter peaks, high-altitude meadows full of wildflowers in various colors of rich hues, glacier-fed lakes a brilliant shade of blue. It also encompasses the town of Banff and the Lake Louise village.
The Banff National Park provides fantastic opportunities for camping, skiing, hiking, and scenic driving. There are hundreds of kilometers of various trails ranging from short hikes on the shores of lakes, and the bottoms of valleys to trails that cross mountainous passes and run along lakes for backpacking. Visitors can explore the world-famous Icefields Parkway. The parkway is a scenic drive that runs parallel to the Continental Divide, where bighorn sheep, bears, and mountain goats can be sited.
Things to Do
The Banff National Park offers opportunities for several outdoor recreational activities.
Wildlife Watching- The Park offers visitors the opportunity to explore and photograph the wildlife of the Rocky Mountains. The best times for this are early morning and late in the afternoon. The Banff National Park has several rules and regulations that must be followed for wildlife watching. Check them out on the Park’s website.
Boat Tour- Tour the Banff National Park by boat from Lake Minnewanka. The tour is an hour panoramic tour that is interpretive.
Canoeing- The Park offers opportunities for visitors to tour the park by canoeing on Two Jack Lake, Vermilion Lake, Johnson Lake, and Lake Minnewanka in the Banff area, Lake Louise and Moraine Lake in the Lake Louise area, and Herbert Lake, Bow Lake, Hector Lake, and Waterfowl Lake on the Icefields Parkway. Canoeing opportunities are also found on the Bow River.
Hiking- The Banff National Park offers a variety of trails for hikers to enjoy. The park offers more than a thousand miles of trails that are maintained of various difficulties.
Backpacking- The Banff National Park offers visitors the chance to go backpacking through the alpine setting of the Rockies. The backcountry experience offers the opportunity to see some of the parks other natural attractions that most visitors don’t see. There are several options for camping while backpacking including campgrounds, rustic trail shelters, alpine huts, and commercial lodges.
Camping- Peak season at Banff National Park offers 2,462 sites within fourteen campgrounds. These campgrounds offer various services. The campgrounds and their amenities are listed on the Banff National Park website.
Ski Touring- Explore the peaks and slopes of the Banff National Park on skis or splitboards. Some of the best sites for backcountry skiing include Rogers Pass and The Rockies.
Cross-Country Skiing- Visitors to the park during the months of November through April will enjoy the scenic skating and trackset options that are available in the Lake Louise, Castle Junction, and Banff areas.
Mountain Climbing- The Banff National Park offers mountain climbing opportunities for those of all levels from straightforward glacier walks to Grade VI mountain tests that are never repeated. Every season offers new routes to explore.
Ice Climbing- Banff National Park is home to some of the best mixed ice climbing and waterfall routes in the world.
Swimming- The town of Banff offers several facilities for public swimming since the glacier-fed lakes are usually too cold to swim in.
Scuba Diving- The town site in Lake Minnewanka is the best-preserved example of the historic Canadian Village. Most of the scuba diving in the park is done at Lake Minnewanka and Two Jack Lake.
Banff Park Museum- The museum is the oldest natural history museum in western Canada. It houses vintage taxidermized bears, birds bees, and bighorn sheep. It is also home to over five thousand historic zoological and botanical specimens. It also the oldest federal building in the Canadian National Park system.
Educational Opportunities
The Banff National Park offers a variety of educational activities for the whole family during the summer months. They vary summer to summer. These activities are designed to teach visitors to camp, geocache, and sharing local stories the explain the history of the area.
Xplorers Program for Kids- This program is geared toward kids ages six to eleven and offers opportunities to hike, bike and use a gps. Xplorer members and their families learn neat facts about Banff National Park by working activities in the Xplorers Booklet during their visits to the Lake Louis and Banff areas.
30 Victoria Street Gatineau, Quebec, Canada J8X 0B3, Phone: 819-420-9486
More Places to Visit in Canada
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More Ideas: Mennonite Heritage Village in Manitoba
The Mennonite Heritage Village is just outside Winnipeg in Manitoba, Canada. On this 40-acre site, visitors can explore a traditional Russian Mennonite village and learn about the history of the Mennonites in Canada from the 1600s through the present day.
Permanent Collections
The village itself is representative of the 1800s. Inside the village there are two schools, a barn and animal pens, a grainery, printery and two general stores, blacksmith shop, two churches, a windmill, an antique tractor display, and various other artifacts of life at the turn of the century. Maps are available for self-guided tours of the site. There are also three galleries on site, which host both permanent and traveling exhibits. In the permanent collection are artifacts that trace the history of the Mennonites from the 1500s to the present day. Artifacts include everyday objects such as a child’s crib and toy bear from the early 1900s, traditional Mennonite head-coverings for both men and women, and cooking utensils. Unusual objects include a geomancy notebook, which is a particular form of fortune-telling notebook used in 1882. It is suggested that visitors allow for at least 2 hours to visit the entirety of the village, the exhibits, and collections. The windmill is perhaps the most famous feature of the village, a 2001 reconstruction of an 1877 windmill – and is the only operating windmill in Canada today. With 60-foot sails, the windmill stands tall over the village and is the central feature of the Structures Program, one of the educational programs available to visiting groups.
History
Mennonites first arrived in Canada around the time of the American Revolution, encouraged by the prospect of inexpensive land. The first Mennonites in Canada were German-speaking Swiss who immigrated by way of Pennsylvania. The largest migration of Russian Mennonites occurred in the 1800s as groups arrived to settle two large land reserves set aside by the Canadian government. A second wave of Russian Mennonites arrived around the time of the US Civil War and Russian Revolution in the mid-1900s . As pacifists, the Mennonites were seeking to avoid persecution for not having fought in the wars. The Mennonite Heritage Village was established in 1957 and today is one of the largest tourist attractions in the area, with thousands of visitors passing through each year. In addition to the village, the grounds bear a large monument to victims of war, terror, violence and anarchy, as well as a plaque officially designating the site as a Historic Monument of Manitoba.
Ongoing Programs & Education
Tours of the village are self-guided, but the village does offer several educational programs for school groups and school-aged children, including guided group tours, interpretive summer programs, day-care, hands-on programs, and middle-school curriculums. Summer programs are for children in grades K through 6 and offer full-day options of either interpretive or hands-on experiences. Summer activities may include observing the miller working at the windmill, watching the blacksmith make nails or horseshoes, or taking a horse-drawn wagon ride. Winter programming is similar, but activities occur indoors and may include baking traditional biscuits, learning to use wood-working tools, spinning wool and braiding rugs, or learning to write with a quill pen and ink. Social studies curriculums are available for middle-school teachers and meet the requirements of the Manitoba curriculum and Canadian Learning Outcomes.
Past & Future Exhibits
The village is home to a permanent collection, but hosts temporary exhibitions as well. Up until April 30th in the Gerhard Ens Gallery there was the Beyond Tradition: The Lives of Mennonite Women exhibit, celebrating the 100th anniversary of women’s suffrage in Canada by looking at the lives of Mennonite women who stepped beyond the role of wife and mother and sought careers, leadership roles in the church, and agency over their lives as immigrants. Upcoming exhibits will explore more closely the role of the Suffragist movement and the historical context in which women won the right to vote. Past exhibits include Mennonite Food: Tastes and Tradition, which depicts the changing traditions around food within the context of Mennonite influence on Canadian culture. The Livery Barn Restaurant offers onsite dining, but may itself be considered part of the exhibits. All dishes on the menu are from traditional Mennonite recipes, with German and Russian influences, and guests dine in a pioneer setting. Lunch is available weekdays, and on weekends there is a buffet brunch.
Back to: Best Things to Do in Winnipeg
231 Provincial Trunk Hwy 12, Steinbach, MB R5G 1V3, Canada, Phone: 204-326-9661
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More Ideas: Buffalo Mountain Lodge
Buffalo Mountain Lodgeis an award-winning mountain lodge in the magnificent region of Banff in Canada, which is world-renowned for its spectacular scenery, revitalizing mountain springs and crisp mountain air. Perched on a high peak of Tunnel Mountain surrounded by panoramic Northern vistas and overlooking the rugged terrain of the valleys below, Buffalo Mountain Lodge offers a luxurious mountain escape.
Ensconced by acres of towering pine, fir, and spruce trees, this peaceful mountain retreatoffers a real escape from the hustle and bustle of the city, yet is only a short drive away from the laid-back town of Banff. The Lodge boasts inviting, cozy rooms decorated to reflect a rugged mountain lifestyle, with thick duvets, wood-burning fireplaces, and LCD televisions with Blu-ray players for rainy days. Some rooms enjoy private balconies or patios, and the lodge’s hot tub is a favorite spot for relaxing after an exhilaratingday of hiking, biking or skiing. Guests can enjoy hearty winter fare in the lodge’s highly acclaimed restaurant, Sleeping Buffalo.
Banff is world-renowned for its outstanding scenery which supports an array of outdoor and recreational activities, such as hiking, mountain biking, skiing, and snowboarding, for which visitors flock to the area to enjoy. The vibrant town also offers excellent restaurants, café, bars and nightlife, as well as shopping, and easy access to some of the region’s most breathtaking natural landscapes.
Buffalo Mountain Lodge features 108 beautifully appointed guest rooms with contemporary décor, comfortable furnishings, wood-burning stone fireplaces and private bathrooms. Room amenities include large beds with plush feather duvets and pillows, thick towels and eco-friendly toiletries, LCD televisions with Blu-Ray players, direct dial telephones, radio/alarm clocks, coffeemakers with complimentary coffee and tea, irons/ironing boards and hair dryers.
Lodge rooms feature one king or one or two queen-size beds with plush feather duvets and pillows, en-suite bathrooms with showers, thick towels and eco-friendly toiletries, and spacious sitting areas with two chairs, wood-burning stone fireplaces, and LCD televisions with Blu-Ray players.
Buffalo rooms have one king or two queen-size beds with plush feather duvets and pillows, LCD televisions with Blu-Ray players, and en-suite bathrooms with showers, thick towels, and eco-friendly toiletries. Separate living room feature wood-burning stone fireplaces with complimentary wood, and small kitchenettes are fully equipped with fridges, microwaves and stove tops.
Buffalo Open Studio rooms feature one queen-size Murphy bed with plush feather duvets and pillows, and luxurious en-suite bathrooms with separate showers and clawfoot tubs, thick towels, and eco-friendly toiletries. Spacious living areas have awood burning stone fireplaces and small kitchenettes with microwaves, stove tops, and fridges. These roomscan also be converted into meeting rooms for up to 12 delegates and feature LCD televisions with Blu-Ray players.
Premier Rooms feature one king or one or two queen-size beds with plush feather duvets and pillows, and luxurious en-suite bathrooms with heated flooring, separate showers and clawfoot tubs, thick towels, and eco-friendly toiletries. Spacious living areas have awood burning stone fireplaces and small kitchenettes with microwaves, stove tops, and fridges. These roomscan also be converted into meeting rooms for up to 12 delegates and feature LCD televisions with Blu-Ray players.
Buffalo Mountain Lodge has a variety dining options, all of which offer a delicious departure from the ordinary. From tasty root vegetables and smoked or roasted game to fresh indigenous berries and decadent desserts, all tastes are catered for.
The Sleeping Buffalo Dining Room is a family-friendly full-service dining room that serves breakfast, lunch,and dinner in a warm and welcoming environment, while the Sleeping Buffalo Lounge features a more casual, laid-back ambiance and menu to match with a cozy fireplace and an extensive wine list.
Buffalo Mountain Café offers coffee, fresh pastries, muffins, homemade desserts and sandwiches.
Buffalo Mountain Lodge features well-appointed accommodations in the form of comfortable guest rooms with contemporary décor and modern amenities, three onsite restaurants serving authentic mountain-style cuisine, and an array of activities to enjoy in the area throughout the year such as hiking, mountain biking, skiing, and snowboarding.
Buffalo Mountain Lodge presents an idyllic mountain setting for a wedding, celebration or other special occasions. The Lodge offers three beautiful function rooms for weddings, namely the Wapiti Longhouse, the Strathcona Room and the Wainwright Room, all of which are exquisitely decorated, naturally lit and boast breathtaking views. The rooms have full service bars and the Wapiti Longhouse, and the Strathcona Room have private balconies overlooking Cascade Mountain.
Back to: Anniversary Vacation Ideas
Banff, Alberta, Canada T1L1B3, Phone: 403-410-7417
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