In this issue of Tips for Trips:
Turn up the volume - A guide
to the best music festivals
Take it to go - Our favourite fish & chip joints
Take the scenic route - Highway 7
Festival Highlight - Lillooet
Apricot & Tsaqwen Festival
Get wet and wild - River rafting in the region
100 Best Places to Eat & Shop in Vancouver -
Travellers Deck
TURN
UP THE VOLUME
Summer
in Vancouver, Coast & Mountains means music festivals.
And, no matter what your taste in music, there is truly something
for everyone! Ranging from jazz and classical to folk and indie,
the community fests that take place around the region promise
to get your toes tapping and your fingers snapping … or
maybe you’re more the mosh pit type? No matter how
the music moves you … just make sure you move all around
the region as you take in different festivals and music styles.
Here are some of our favourites:
Live
at Squamish – Sep 4 & 5. New multi-day music
festival. Surrounded by forests and mountains enjoy multiple
stages
of the best and latest electronic, indie, blues, and rock
music.
Mission
Folk Music Festival – Jul 23 – 25.
Overlooking the Fraser River and renowned for its mix of accessibility
and easy-going comfort, affordability and small-town friendliness
and
some of the finest folk, world, roots, blues and brilliantly “un-categorizable” music.
Pender
Harbour Jazz Festival – Sep
17 – 19. Mix
great jazz of all styles with tiny villages and oceanside
corners on the Sunshine Coast and you have the
phenomenon
that is the Pender Harbour Jazz Festival.
Burnaby
Blues & Roots – Aug 14. The
annual Burnaby Blues & Roots Festival takes place in Burnaby's
picturesque Deer Lake Park. As Metro Vancouver's premier blues
and roots
music event, the festival features renowned musicians
from across North
America and around the world.
Chilliwack
Bluegrass Festival – Sep
3 – 5.
Traditional (and a little not so traditional) bluegrass music
with fun activities and a great atmosphere.
Click here for a complete list of music festivals
in the region.
Staff Pick:
Burnaby Blues + Roots Festival. Laid back, great setting. Crowd
is mellow, it's family friendly and people are there for the
music not the “scene”. J.
Knibbs
TAKE IT
TO GO
Fish'n chips … it’s
a summer favourite! In Vancouver, Coast & Mountains
we take our fish and chips seriously. Light crispy batter
surrounding
tender fish (cod or halibut, it’s
your choice, but we recommend you try salmon for something
a little different)! Perfectly salted potato wedge chips
doused with
vinegar. We’ll leave the white vinegar versus malt
vinegar debate up to you. And we can’t forget the
tartar sauce … homemade
preferably! Wrap it up in newspaper and take it to the beach
for a heavenly picnic. Don’t forget the napkins … we
like it just a tiny bit greasy. And to drink? Our favourite
is an ice
cold local beer, but if we’re eating on the beach then
it's Jones Soda all around!
We’re always on the hunt for the best fish & chips so
we thought we’d ask around and see where the favourites
are:
Pajo’s Fish and Chips – Various
locations, all residing in parks, Pajos offers consistently good
food at good prices!
Beach Buoy Waterfront
Restaurant – A great little restaurant
in Davis Bay, right across from one of the most spectacular
views on the Sunshine Coast.
Go
Fish – Granville
Island - Not much more than a shack (with a small patio) at
the edge of the water at Fisherman's Wharf on False Creek,
Go Fish
serves
up
gourmet
fish & chips.
Smitty’s
Oyster House – Gibsons
- The hidden gem of the Sunshine Coast. Nestled on the shoreline
of Gibsons Harbour, diners enjoy local cuisine and BC wines
while watching the halibut and crab trawlers unload their
catch.
Staff Picks:
Moby Dicks in White Rock - Take it to go and sit on the beach … great
service, amazing food and a perfect summer kickoff!
K. Seib
Pajos – Rocky
Point location (Port Moody). We usually dock the boat in Rocky
Point and meet friends for dinner, great park
for kids and lots of picnic tables. S. Leung
Blue Canoe,
Steveston - A great deck overlooking the water and the fishing
boats. Perfect
for a
relaxing
dinner
and a nice
cold glass
of wine! K. Ridgway
The Crab
Shop – North
Vancouver. The location is nothing to write home about (industrial
area), but the fish & chips are tasty! We take them to
go and head to Cates Park. M. Bell
From Facebook:
@Chris Wood -
Rain City Grill. $10 @ take out window - eat on beach at English
Bay....awesome.
@Lesley Weeks – Wigan
Pier in Squamish, voted best in all of BC.
TAKE
THE SCENIC ROUTE 
This land of
soaring mountains captures your imagination with its sheer
glory and
quiet power. Also known as the Lougheed
Highway, the Scenic 7 provides an ‘off
the beaten path’ link
between Hope and Vancouver. The highway meanders through
the communities of Pitt Meadows, Maple Ridge, Mission,
Kent, Agassiz,
Harrison Hot Springs and ends at Hope. From extreme adventures
to simple warm hospitality, there is something for everyone
in Mighty Fraser Country. Whether you're driving a car, a motorcycle
or an RV, the Scenic 7 promises to delight with gentle
turns, spectacular scenery and pleasant surprises around
each corner.
Along the route
discover many visitor attractions that offer a wide variety of
experiences ranging from world-class
sturgeon
fishing to farm fresh shopping and championship golf courses.
Experience the rich history and culture of the many communities
at National Historic Sites and unique First Nations attractions.
Ready for some wild adventure? Make sure to stop at WildPlay
Maple Ridge. Opening July 15, WildPlay Maple Ridge showcases
a Monkido Aerial Adventure Course set in a beautiful forest
and securely suspended in the trees up to 60 feet off the
ground! Now, step back in time, thousands of years
back in fact, to
Xa:ytem,
a cultural, historic and spiritual First Nations site in
Mission.
To satisfy
your appetite a stop at the Farm
House Natural Cheeses in Agassiz is in order. Watch the
cheese making
in the cheese room and then enjoy a sample of any of the
different cheeses.
Discover the wonders
of the “Scenic 7” Highway
- rolling foothills, fertile pastures, and powerful winding
rivers.
This route grounded in history, steeped in culture, and
drenched in scenery is truly majestic.
For more information
about travelling the “Scenic 7” Highway
please visit www.scenic7bc.com.
FESTIVAL
HIGHLIGHT
Lillooet
Apricot & Tsaqwen Festival
July 24th to July 27th. Celebrating the apricot! The
Lillooet Apricot and Tsaqwen Festival is a four-day event featuring
apricot
facials and pedicures, a pancake breakfast, a farmers'
market, an apricot dinner at the Friendship Centre, a golf tournament,
a street dance, and much more! Click here for more information.
GET
WET & WILD
 When
the temperature rises what better way to cool off than a river
rafting expedition
on
one of the best rafting
and whitewater
rivers in the world! From calm and easy-flowing currents to
roaring waters and towering waves, there’s a river for
everyone. There are several outfitters that offer a variety of
rafting
excursions, from half-day adventures to overnight trips with
accommodation suitable for families and children. Professional
and personable guides maneuver rafts down the river and will
spare no dryness in seeking out the most exciting rapids! And
with spectacular vistas on every side there’s plenty
of time between rapids to relax and take in the scenery. Thrill
in Mother Nature’s awesome strength and beauty on a rafting
trip in Vancouver, Coast & Mountains.
For more
information about river rafting in Vancouver, Coast & Mountains
and for a list of outfitters please click
here.
100
BEST LOCAL PLACES TO EAT & SHOP IN VANCOUVER
 Travellers Deck is
a new independent guide (filled with special offers and coupons!)
to eating and shopping in Vancouver. A collection of hidden gems,
new finds, and old favourites
hand-picked by a group of
passionate locals who eat,
live, and breathe the city.
Visit www.travellersdeck.com
for more information and
where to buy.
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