Victoria…charming, beautiful, and just a little wild!

There’s an image of Victoria, B.C., as a city for retirees; a quiet, out-of-the-way city of gardens that was more English than England itself.  That’s not a total myth – they still serve afternoon tea at the Fairmont Empress Hotel, and it is still a big deal. And the gardens – well, plants like the weather.

But Victoria is not ‘just’ that anymore, if it ever was.  It is an urban area of some 350,000 people, a city with students and brewpubs and funky restaurants. It has been labelled the fittest city in Canada – which is not surprising because the sea and the mountains are nearby – and is tied with Kingston, Ontario, as the Canadian city with the highest percentage (10.4%) of pedestrian commuters.

Don’t go looking for a gay village, though; life for LGBT people is pretty seamlessly integrated into the city itself.  “It doesn’t matter where you go, because nobody cares if you’re gay,” says Brian Cant, a 31-year-old resident of Victoria who moved to the city to go to university and never left.  Cant, a public relations specialist who shares a downtown condo with his husband Kyle, says that what defines Victoria is its mix of urban amenities and nature, leavened by an open and easy attitude.

On the urban side, there’s a combination of history, shopping, sightseeing and food.  For example, Chinatown in Victoria is small, but it’s the oldest in Canada and the second-oldest in North America after San Francisco. It’s an area in which contemporary home decor and furnishings stores flourish along with Asian markets and diners. Check out Fan Tan Alley, the narrowest street in Canada – it’s less than a metre wide at places.

Victoria also has a number of brewpubs, all of them within walking distance of the city’s harbours and downtown core. Visitors can follow the self-guided Ale Trail or discover them individually.  “My favourite is Phillips Brewing Company,” says Cant. “I really like their selection of beers. My husband’s favourite is Blue Buck; mine is Phoenix Gold.”

The Inner Harbour, the heart of the city, is always perfect for people-watching, says Cant. So is Dallas Road, right along the ocean. It attracts a mix of locals – many running and jogging – but fewer visitors.

When it comes to nightlife, Cant likes Bard and Banker is a Scottish pub downtown. “It has a great atmosphere and live music,” he says. When he and his husband want a special night out, they go to a French bistro called Brasserie L’école. “It’s our anniversary restaurant,” says Cant. “We’d go there every night if we could! It’s a cute, tiny bistro. Even though we don’t go there very often, the bartender Jason knows our drink orders when we walk in. So it always feels like we’re treated well!”

Cant says visitors would do well to discover the area around Blanshard Street and Pandora, on the edge of downtown.  “Blanshard Street is the beginning of our neighbourhood, which has a lot of nice cafés and restaurants,” he says. “Many people don’t see it. Shine Café (1320 Blanshard) is an awesome brunch place. And Pig BBQ Joint (1325 Blanshard) makes a great pulled pork sandwich.”

You can’t talk about Victoria without talking about the weather, which is very un-Canadian. It doesn’t snow much in winter.   If you go, expect sun in summer (the city does not get Vancouver’s rain) and wetness in winter. And temperatures are moderate – neither extremely hot, nor extremely cold.

Its weather defines Victoria, and the way people interact with its natural attractions.  For gardeners, the must-see attraction is The Butchart Gardens, which features 55 acres of displays and is a National Historic Site of Canada. It is about half an hour by car from downtown Victoria. Bus tours and shuttles are available via CVS Cruise Victoria at its downtown location in front of the Fairmont Empress.

The ocean and the shore are also huge attractions.  “Willows Beach in Oak Bay is probably the best beach on the ocean in the city,” says Cant. “They have volleyball courts and a super-cool old tea room. (The Kiwanis tea room in Oak Bay is open in summer only.)  Oak Bay, by the way, is filled with beautiful character homes. Oak Bay Village, a quaint strip of Oak Bay Avenue, is great for an afternoon stroll that might include shopping and eating.

Cant says he and his husband love kayaking, and it’s easy to take advantage of what the area has to offer. “A great place to go rent kayaks is with Ocean River Adventures,” he says. “They have a kayak tour of the Inner Harbour. The fact that you can go kayak in a working harbour is pretty cool. We also like to rent bikes and ride around. We rival anywhere else in the country for cycling access.”

See Tourism Victoria for more information about the city.

Daniel Drolet is an Ottawa writer, a member of Travel Gay Canada and president of Éclair Communications.

Halifax: Canada's East Coast Playground

Halifax likes to boast that it has more pubs per capita than any other city in Canada.  That says something about the city’s capacity to party.  So whether you are visiting Halifax for the annual Pride festival – this year it runs July 20-29 – or just to take in the sights, be prepared to have a good time.

Though Halifax, with a population of just under 400,000, is not a huge city, it is the largest city in Atlantic Canada and a hub for Maritimers. So it is a regional capital and cultural centre in addition to being the capital of Nova Scotia.  It is also a young city, in large part because it is home to several post-secondary educational institutions, including Dalhousie University and the Nova Scotia College of Art and Design. (During the school year, those students help make downtown Halifax particularly lively.)

LGBT life in Halifax is not concentrated in a village, the way it is in Montreal and Toronto. It is more spread out. The city’s funky north end (the area just north of downtown) is definitely a point of interest, but there are attractions all over – and not necessarily in bars.

The best tip for an LGBT visitor from out of town, say the locals, is to find a way to connect with someone in the community.  “That’s the key to Halifax,” says Halifax resident (and former Calgarian) Scott Marquardt. “Get to know the locals.”

“Maritimers are welcoming,” he adds. “If they know someone is visiting, they are proud of the city and will tell you what to do.”  For a quick orientation about LGBT attractions, visit the Rainbow Halifax tab on the Destination Halifax website. It will serve as a starting point for connecting with the LGBT community.

Halifax is above all a port city, and the downtown core rises from the waterfront up to the Citadel, a historic fortress that dominates the city.  “Rises” is the operative word. Think hills. “The city is a little San-Francisco-y if you start at the waterfront,” notes Krista Snow, the chair of 2012 Pride.

The historic Citadel is a must for history lovers. You can set your watch by the noon gun they fire from the Citadel every day of the year (except Christmas) and watch regular manoeuvres by infantry detachments dressed in 19th-century uniforms. The Halifax Citadel Regimental Association puts on the show.  And down at the waterfront, the Canadian Museum of Immigration at Pier 21 is a great place to research family history.

The Halifax Seaport Farmers Market, also located on the waterfront, is open seven days a week in the summer but is busiest on Saturdays. It’s a great place to find local produce and products, including a wide range of Nova Scotia wines. (Nova Scotia’s Annapolis Valley is a big wine region, “the Napa Valley of Nova Scotia,” says Lynn Ledwidge of Destination Halifax; it’s a day trip away.)

The Historic Properties along the waterfront is another must-see, says Snow. “It’s one of my favourite places,” she says. In addition to the pubs and shops, there’s the Maritime Museum of the Atlantic, famous for its relics from the Titanic. And for a great and inexpensive view of the Halifax waterfront, take the ferry to Dartmouth. It’s $2.25 each way.

For shopping, take a walk along Spring Garden Road.  And for nightlife, many of the city’s bars feature live music; in fact, the city has a very active music scene.

One important aspect of Halifax, says Ledwidge, is the proximity of nature.  The biggest piece of ‘nature’ is the ocean.  “In 15 minutes of downtown Halifax, you can be alone on a pristine white sand beach,” says Ledwidge, adding that hardy surfers can be seen tackling waves on the Atlantic 12 months a year.

Pride

This year marks the 25th anniversary of Halifax Pride, and the city is up for a party.  It’s Canada’s fourth largest Pride festival, and the largest one east of Montreal, notes Krista Snow, the chair of this year’s festival.  “We’re hoping for 100,000 people,” adds Snow.

Pride runs July 20-29 and like Halifax’s LGBT life, its events are spread out around the city.

“Twenty-five years ago it was a protest more than it was a festival,” says Snow, adding that nowadays Halifax Pride is more party than political. “I guess that speaks to how far we’ve come.” (It probably also speaks to the city’s desire to party.)

From the Drag Queen Bingo to the Sunset Cruise, to the Dykes versus Divas softball game, there are all sorts of events during the week. The Queer Acts Theatre Festival is part of Pride.

Pride culminates on the weekend of July 27-29, with a parade on Saturday the 28th and big dances on Friday and Saturday nights at the Garrison Grounds at the base of Citadel Hill.

“We’re just a lot of fun,” says Snow. “You should stop by!”

Daniel Drolet is an Ottawa writer, a member of Travel Gay Canada and president of Éclair Communications.

Discovering Canada's Far South

It’s a strange experience to walk out to the southern tip of mainland Canada.

Look at a map, and you will see Point Pelee jutting out into Lake Erie in the southwestern corner of Ontario. The map shows a pointy piece of land hanging there like a tiny icicle off the bottom of the country.  Point Pelee – part of Point Pelee National Park – really is just as the map shows. As you walk out, the land gets narrower and narrower until it ends in a sand spit. And if you walk out as far as you can, you can stand there, with your feet in the water, for a moment the most southerly person in Canada. (Except for anyone on Pelee Island – more about that later.)

Point Pelee is one of the things not to be missed if you visit Canada’s Far South. The area encompasses the city of Windsor, across from Detroit, as well as the rural areas of Essex County.  It’s a land of farms and food, grapes and wineries and – in season – a whole lot of migrating birds. And of course warm people who are eager to welcome LGBT visitors.  In fact, says Lionel Kernerman, the manager of product development for Windsor-Essex-Pelee Island Tourism, this area is part of an Ontario government pilot project this year to develop LGBT tourism in new areas. That means they are developing tourism offerings for the LGBT market and – among other things – ensuring that people in the tourism industry get diversity training.

Comparing Point Pelee to an icicle is a bit unfair. They like to tell you that this area is on the same latitude as northern California. In practical terms, it means that this is one of the warmest parts of Canada.

Agri-tourism is big, with a growing emphasis on local chefs using local foods. (Serenity Lavender Farm, with 40 varieties of lavender, is a uniquely scented experience.)  Wine is even bigger.  There are 18 wineries in Essex County, says Kernerman, ranging from small, artisanal ones to more developed undertakings.  There are different winery tours possible.  You can tour by car, but if you have a bit more energy Windsor Eats organizes regular wine trail bicycle rides. There are one or two tours organized each month. For $50, participants get a guided bike tour to several wineries, visits, tastings and a meal made with local foods. If you want to buy wine at a winery, the support vehicle that accompanies the tour will haul it for you back to the point of departure.

If you’re into bird-watching, you’ll love this area. Point Pelee and Pelee Island are part of an important flyway for migrating birds; some 400 species pass through, says Kernerman. Check the park website at Point Pelee National Park to find out what birds will be in transit during your time there.

Pelee Island, by the way, is worth a special mention.  Located in the middle of Lake Erie, the island is about 14.5 kilometres long and 5.5 kilometres across and has about 250 full-time residents. It is technically the most southerly inhabited part of Canada.  It’s a world apart, a quiet place that welcomes visitors when the weather is warm. Get there by ferry from Leamington (it’s about an hour and a quarter to cross) and you can explore it by car or by bicycle.

And Lake Erie itself is worth a mention, too. The area has a number of beaches both on Lake Erie and on other bodies of water for people who just want to lie in the sun. (Get a list of local beaches here.)

Windsor is a historic city with an industrial base. The urban area has a population of over 300,000 and an active LGBT community.  You can see Windsor by boat - Windsor River Cruises operates from April to October, offering scenic cruises along the Detroit River – or you can see it by bike, on foot, or on Roller-blade along the eight-kilometre Riverfront Trail.

This year, Windsor is celebrating Pride with a four-day festival August 9-12, says David Lenz, president of the Windsor-Essex Pride Festival Board.  This will be the 20th anniversary of Windsor Pride, and organizers are planning a major festival on the city’s waterfront. Events include an opening night party on August 9 at Legends, a local bar, and outdoor celebrations at the city’s Riverfront Festival Plaza on Friday, Saturday and Sunday.

Lenz says organizers are trying to “mainstream” parts of the festival to make it attractive to the broader community and to encourage more interaction with the community.  If you’re looking to go to Windsor Pride, there are packages available in association with Caesars Windsor Hotel and Casino, says Lenz. The “Diva” package includes one night’s accommodation for two, parking, two passes to the Friday Pride party and a $25 food credit at a Caesars restaurant and costs $154; The Pride Package is similar but covers two nights, has a $100 food credit and costs $388.

See the Windsor-Essex Pride Festival website for information.

Daniel Drolet is an Ottawa writer, a member of Travel Gay Canada and president of Éclair Communications.

Ontario’s Thousand Islands Area Opens up to LGBT Visitors

The 500-kilometre route between Montreal and Toronto is one of the most heavily travelled in Canada. Highway 401, one of the country’s oldest expressways, is always busy, and so are the trains that speed back and forth between Canada’s two largest cities.  Too many visitors go the whole way without stopping.

That’s a pity, because travellers that take the time to get off the highway at the halfway point will discover a charming mix of history and beauty.  And LGBT travellers in particular will discover a region that is bending over backwards right now to welcome them: From Kingston, Gananoque and Brockville through the picturesque Thousand Islands of the St. Lawrence River, towns and businesses in this part of Eastern Ontario are making a determined effort to woo LGBT travellers to rural areas until now overlooked.

History is found all over the region, one of the main areas of settlement in Ontario of United Empire Loyalists – Americans who remained loyal to the British Crown during the American Revolution and who left the U.S. after the country won its independence.  Military history buffs will want to see Fort Henry, one of the big attractions at Kingston, a small university city that was once the capital of Canada. The current fort was built in the 1830s to protect the Lake Ontario entrance to the Rideau Canal and is now a museum. All summer long, you can get a taste for military life at the fort in the mid-1800s. (See the St. Lawrence Parks Commission for information about Fort Henry.)

Located at the far eastern end of Lake Ontario, about 250 kilometres from Toronto, Kingston’s charms are generally historic, though the students from Queen’s University add spice to what is otherwise a relatively quiet place. The city has an eminently walkable downtown and many nice small restaurants and – during the first two weeks of June – a Pride Festival that culminates in a parade on June 16 this year. (See The Great Waterway for general information about the Kingston region.)

If you’re looking to get physical, one of the best things to do in the region is bicycle.  The Waterfront Trail is a 700-kilometre-long bicycle path that follows the shores of Lake Ontario and the St. Lawrence River from Niagara to the Quebec border.

The ride from Kingston to Brockville is about 90 kilometres on a mix of paved shoulder and designated bike path. It’s classified as a ‘moderate’ ride, since cyclists will discover a few rolling hills. And here’s a tip: since the dominant winds are from the west, it’s generally easier to ride from west to east – which is downstream as well.  (By the way, you don’t need a car to get to Kingston to start the bike trip. You can put your bicycle on the VIA Rail train from Toronto, bicycle to Brockville, and take the train back.)

Enthusiasts will do the trip all in one day, but it’s easy to extend it by stopping for one or more nights at Gananoque, a small town along the way.  This historic tourist town, with its waterfront and leafy streets, is going all out to be welcoming of LGBT travellers, says Justin Lafontaine, the Ontario program development manager for Travel Gay Canada.

“Tourism is a big deal in this town,” Lafontaine says. “And the businesses are on board. The town is definitely doing a lot of work.”  Staff at many of the attractions are getting LGBT diversity training, and the town is planning its first-ever Summer Solstice Pride Festival for the weekend of June 22-24.

Looking for accommodation in Gananoque?  Check out the Colonial Resort and Spa, 780 King Street West, or the Gananoque Inn & Spa, 550 Stone Street South . For general information about the region, see Thousand Islands Accommodation Partners.

The other big attraction here is the Thousand Islands themselves. And this is where the rest and relaxation comes in.  These islands, in the St. Lawrence River, are home to cottagers – some of whom had quite a lot of money to spend on their summer homes. More than a century ago George Boldt, the owner of New York City’s Waldorf Astoria Hotel, built a 120-room castle on one of the islands. Boldt Castle is now a major attraction.

The best way to see the islands is on a boat cruise. There are many companies offering cruises, some of them themed. The trips can be as short as one hour, or as long five. (Tip: The Thousand Islands straddle the Canada-U.S. border. Some of the islands are in the U.S., and if you get off to explore those islands, including Boldt Castle, you will need a valid passport.)

Gananoque is one of the main embarkation points for Thousand Islands cruises. See Gananoque Boat Line Ltd for more information on cruises.

Brockville, this river-front destination at the eastern end of the Thousand Islands, is another embarkation point for boat tours.  Brockville will be hosting it’s second annual Pride Walk July 21.  This community led event celebrates LGBT diversity in the region.  With several unique cultural and historical attractions in the area, such as the Brockville Arts Centre and the St. Lawrence Shakespeare Festival, it is a great summer time getaway.

With so much to offer the LGBT traveller, celebrate this summer in the Thousand Islands region.

Daniel Drolet is an Ottawa-based writer and head of Éclair Communications. He is a member of Travel Gay Canada.

Northern Park is Unspoiled Attraction

Every year, only about 1,000 people make it up to the Nahanni National Park Reserve of Canada in the western part of the Northwest Territories.  OK, so it’s not all that easy to get there. Fort Simpson, the town closest to Nahanni, is itself some 600 kilometres from Yellowknife, the territorial capital.  But the reserve is definitely worth a visit. The park is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and its stunning beauty thrills the few who make it that far into the northern wilderness.

It’s the mountains, the lakes and the rivers that take your breath away in Nahanni.  On the South Nahanni River (or Naha Dehé) Nailicho, or Virginia Falls, is twice as high as Niagara.  The mountain peaks are incredible, and serious climbers can attempt the Cirque of the Unclimbables, accessible from a small mountain lake.  The Ram Plateau, which blends high grasslands with deep canyons, offers challenging hiking.  (There are sulphur hotsprings to help you relax after your efforts.)

 

You can canoe or kayak on your own, or let someone else do the heavy lifting and take a whitewater rafting expedition down the river – there are several options for trips.  And if you’re not into working up a sweat, you can charter a helicopter for a bird’s eye view of attractions.

A visit to this part of the world takes planning. Visit the Northwest Territories tourism website for information.  There are several daily scheduled flights into Yellowknife from Edmonton and Calgary; Yellowknife is the jumping-off point for access by air to other Northwest Territory communities.  Fort Simpson and Nahanni Butte, the community closest to the park entrance, are also accessible by road.

Daniel Drolet is an Ottawa-based writer and president of Éclair Communications. He is a member of Travel Gay Canada.

New Gay-Owned B&B Opens in Kelowna, B.C.

Wilbur Turner is living the dream.  He recently traded the bustle (and rain) of Vancouver for a quieter life in the heart of what he happily describes as “the Sonoma Valley of Western Canada.”  At the centre of his new life is Clarance House, the bed and breakfast he opened earlier this year in the Okanagan Valley city of Kelowna. 

He now divides his time between his day job as vice-president of a software company (he works from home), the B&B, and active involvement in Kelowna’s gay community.  Turner says he’d been coming to Kelowna regularly for about a decade and fell in love with the area.  He decided to move there and open a B&B aimed at the LGBT market.

The Okanagan, in south-central British Columbia, has a dry, almost desert-like climate.  “We do get rain, but the summers are pretty warm. It’s usually in the high 30s, and I’ve seen the temperature up into the low 40s,” he says.  The climate has made the Okanagan the centre of B.C.’s thriving wine industry.  There are vineyards all over, and they are major attraction. Many, notes Turner, have excellent restaurants.

The hilltop location of Clarance House gives it an excellent view of Okanagan Lake, another big attraction. Anyone for the beach? There’s also a range of other outdoor activities, including kayaking, cycling and hiking.

Clarance House’s ‘public’ space includes three bedrooms and a family room with a TV. There’s also a saltwater pool, a hot tub and a large backyard for guests to enjoy.  Turner is hoping to attract people looking for quality accommodation in a tasteful setting.  He had never run a B&B before opening Clarance House, but has been a fan of B&Bs for years.  “I usually stay in B&Bs when I travel,” he says, explaining that he sees them as way of meeting people and discovering the communities he visits.

He is happily connecting his LGBT visitors to the local LGBT community.  There are no gay bars in Kelowna, he explains, but there is an active gay community that centres on the Okanagan Rainbow Coalition. There are regular community dances, and an annual pride festival every year in mid-August.

Daniel Drolet is an Ottawa-based writer and president of Éclair Communications. He is a member of Travel Gay Canada.