Robin Esrock, bestselling author of The Great Canadian Bucket List, show us that when it comes to Canada, there’s something special for everyone.
A Bucket List for Foodies
Niagara-on-the-Lake (Ontario), Okanagan Valley (BC) and Annapolis Valley (NS) offer wineries and restaurants that stand up to the world’s best, with the bonus of ice wine. Meanwhile, the seafood in Atlantic Canada – clam, lobster, oyster, mussel – belongs on any food-lovers menu, especially when you catch it yourself. For local condiments, craft cheese, oils, spices and other edibles worth salivating over, peruse the world class markets of Granville Island (Vancouver), The Forks (Winnipeg), St Lawrence (Toronto) and Ottawa’s ByWard market.
A Bucket List for Nature Lovers
The Canadian Rockies set the benchmark, while on the East Coast, discover the red shores of Prince Edward Island National Park, or the moonscape and inland fjord in Newfoundland’s Gros Morne. Walk on the sea floor, and then watch the world’s highest tides flush into New Brunswick’s Fundy National Park. Canada’s very own Galapagos is the archipelago of Haida Gwaii. Grasslands or Prince Albert National Park dazzle under the prairie sky, and the mighty parks of the north – Wood Buffalo, Kluane, Auyuittuq – are jarringly remote and staggeringly beautiful.
A Bucket List for Cultural Connoisseurs
While culture vultures usually perch in Toronto, Winnipeg deserves a closer a look. Home to the Royal Winnipeg Ballet and the boisterous Winnipeg Folk Fest, art, music and culture flow through the pipes of the city. Over in Quebec City we find the world’s largest winter festival each February, and summer celebrations on the Plains of Abraham. Heading west, celebrate Canada’s agricultural lifestyle at the Calgary Stampede, while in Saskatoon’s Wanuskewin Heritage Park, gain an insightful and moving glimpse into the cultural tapestry, history, and immense challenges facing Canada’s First Nations.
A Bucket List for the Quirks
Consider Dawson City’s cocktail served with a severed human toe. What about spending the night in a haunted prison cell, or floating effortlessly in the mineral rich waters of Little Manitou Lake (aka Canada’s Dead Sea?) Maybe you’ll want to visit world’s largest concentration of snakes in Manitoba, a decommissioned nuclear bunker outside of Ottawa, or a museum with dioramas of stuffed gophers in Torrington, Alberta. Canada is weirder than we give her credit for.
A Bucket List for History Buffs
Cape Breton’s Fortress of Louisbourg is the largest historical reconstruction project in North America. The RCMP Heritage Centre in Regina illuminates the history of Canada’s most recognizable symbol, following which you can drive to Moose Jaw to explore the tunnels where Al Capone’s men were rumoured to have run their racket. Chase the ghosts of the Sundance Kid and Dutch Henry into the outlaw caves of Saskatchewan’s Big Muddy Badlands. Blast a canon at the Halifax Citadel, and meet Anne of Green Gables country in PEI. Learn how and why the Vikings left Columbus in the dust at L’anse Aux Meadows in Newfoundland, and reach back further in time with 70-million-year-old dinosaur bones on display in Alberta’s Drumheller and Dinosaur Provincial Park.
A Bucket List for Animal Lovers
Churchill, Manitoba has two unique wildlife experiences: polar bears safaris in fall and boating with beluga whales in summer. At Arctic Watch, the world’s most northerly eco-lodge, you can trek Nunavut’s treeless vistas among muskox, or fly-in hike in the Yukon’s Ivvavik National Park. Exceptional whale watching can be found off the coasts of Vancouver Island, Cape Breton, Newfoundland, and in the Bay of Fundy. There are only two islands in the world where you can encounter the mythical Spirit Bear, and they’re both in northern BC.
Canada, for Adrenaline Junkies
If the world isn’t exciting enough, try North America’s highest bungee jump outside of Wakefield, QC. Via ferratas, or iron ladders located in BC, Alberta and Quebec offer all the thrills of mountain climbing with none of the risks. Raft a genuine tidal bore on Nova Scotia’s Shubenacadie River, ice-canoe across the frozen St Lawrence in Quebec City, heli-ski in BC, zipline between two mountains in Whistler, and dunk yourself in a waterfall somewhere in the high Arctic.
Our national bucket list features all the above and so much more. There’s never been a better time to explore the wonders of our own country, and celebrate our exceptional destinations and activities.
— Robin Esrock
Follow him at robinesrock.com, or visit canadianbucketlist.com
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