I wasn’t sure I believed in ghosts until I heard one of my co-workers at Vancouver Coast & Mountains’ share her spooky stories over lunch one day. Many of you know our media-savvy Director of Communications Jennifer Rhyne from media marketplaces (she’s also well-known amongst travel writers for her fabulous shoe collection!), but what you may not know is that her new apartment in historic New Westminster is haunted. From rattling bedposts to mysterious fires, Jennifer has stories that will spook even steadfast disbelievers.
For such a young province, British Columbia sure has its share of history, hauntings and legends. But there’s much more than just eerie spirit sightings going on in Vancouver, Coast & Mountains this October: you can pick your own pumpkins, get lost in a corn maze, go on a hay-ride, take a special ghost tour, or enjoy beer and bratwursts at the region’s best Oktoberfest. It’s all included in the October issue of Story Starters. Enjoy!
First there was glamping (glamorous camping). Next, the 100-Mile Diet sprouted a new type of traveller: the locavore. Nowadays, the high fuel prices are inspiring more and more travellers to abandon their gas guzzling vehicles in favour of their pedal-powered bicycles. The result? Bicycle vacations are the next big trend in travel. Now, all it needs is a catchy name: how about bikations? Or holicycles? Beautiful Metro Vancouver is filled with bicycle-friendly parks and trails that are perfect for your next bikation. Start off your holicycle with an easy, scenic ride around False Creek. When you reach Science World, turn onto the BC Parkway Trail, a 19-kilometre linear park strip that connects False Creek in Vancouver to the Westminster Quay waterfront in New Westminster. Stop for lunch at the Quay before hoping on the SkyTrain to Surrey (bikes are allowed on the SkyTrain, except during peak rush-hour). Once in Surrey, you’ll find more per capita green space than anywhere else in North America – perfect for an afternoon cycle. For more details on where to ride on your next bikation, visit www.exploreouroutdoors.com.
Why do we force ourselves to the gym twelve months of the year? So we can enjoy guilt-free the best thing about October: the delicious pumpkin pie. This October, take your love of pumpkin pie one step further on a province-wide search for the best piece of pie. You won’t have far to go – local rumour has it that at the Airport Coffee Shop at the Chilliwack Airport has the best pie on the West Coast. Barbara Mitchell and her son Jon Mitchell are partners at the Airport Coffee Shop, and it’s Barbara that’s behind the famous pastries. She’s run the Airport Coffee Shop since April of 1980. As their slogan “I fly for pie!” suggests, many local pilots fly to the Chilliwack Airport just for the pie. Pumpkin may be the flaour du jour for October, but there are plenty of flavours available all year long: Coconut Cream, Rhubarb Crunch, Peaches 'N' Cream, Raisin Cream, Blackberry-Apple, Chocolate Marble – you may just have to try them all.For more tasty details visit www.airportcoffeeshop.com.
HOW TO ENJOY OKTOBERFEST LIKE A LOCAL
Whistler may be best known for skiing, snowboarding, golf, mountain biking, and a long list of other year-round activities, but there’s one more reason to add Whistler to the top of your must-visit list: the annual Oktoberfest party. Experience Oktoberfest Whistler-style at Bavaria Restaurant every Saturday from Sept. 27 to Oct. 11, 2008. To enjoy Oktoberfest like a local, follow these four easy steps. Step 1: Find your Lederhosen. Step 2: Book your dinner reservation at Whistler’s Bavaria Restaurant. Step 3: Choose between Pork Jaeger Schnitzel, Bavaria Schnitzel and Pork Roast on Bavaria Restaurant’s special three course Oktoberfest menu. Step 4: Bottoms up! There’s plenty of beer and bratwurst for everyone. Keep the celebrations going with the Westin Resort’s Golf & Spa Getaway package. From September 7 – October 31, receive 2 nights in a junior suite, 1-round of golf at Nicklaus North Golf Course or a $130 voucher to the Avello Spa, and a Whistler discount card all for $399 pp. To plan your Oktoberfest getaway visit www.bavaria-restaurant.com and www.westinwhistler.com.
FALL FOLIAGE ON THE SUNSHINE COAST
When the leaves start to change colour and glow a brilliant red, its time for October travel. Don't let the cooler temperatures stop your fun: grab a sweater and head for the Sunshine Coast. The perfect way to spend a cool October afternoon is on a one-hour walk through the rain forest to the Skookumchuk Narrows. Here, the tide is squeezed through a narrow channel, forming rapids considered to be the fastest in the world (up to 32 km/h or 20 mph). Time your hike right by checking the peak viewing times (available at the Sechelt Visitors Centre) and you’ll see spectacular whirlpools and swirling white-water. From now until October 30 you can stay nearby the Skookumchuk Narrows in Egmont’s West Coast Wilderness Lodge from $319 pp. The fall getaway package includes 2 nights hotel with forest view, gourmet dinner for 2 on both nights, daily breakfast and early check-in at 2pm. Visit www.wcwl.com for more details.
FAMILY FRIENDLY FRIGHTS
The colourful costumes and sugary candies of Halloween may be exclusive to October 31, but Vancouver, Coast & Mountains is filled with fun family friendly activities all month long. Here are our picks for the top five in Metro Vancouver. #5 – Join in the fun on a Haunted Halloween Cannery Tour at the Gulf of Georgia Cannery in Richmond. The 114-year old Cannery is the perfect hiding place for ghostly Halloween spirits. #4 – Help solve the mystery of the great candy train robbery at the Burnaby Village Museum on October 24, 25, 26, and 30 from 6-9 pm. Costumes, flashlights and cameras are essential. #3 – Take part in Halloween Hissss-teria at the Lynn Canyon Ecology Centre. Kids can meet and learn about reptiles from around the world, presented by the West Coast Society for the Protection and Conservation of Reptiles. #2 – Ride the Bear Creek Park miniature train in Surrey. The decorated train departs from the Thomas the Tank Engine Station and snakes through the wooded area of the park. And the #1 family-friendly fright: Tour Vancouver’s spookiest haunts and listen to stories of betrayal, revenge and the undead when The Vancouver Museum & The Vancouver Trolley Company presents the Haunted Vancouver Trolley Tours. It’s spook-tacular! Visit www.vcmbc.com for more details.
