spring has sprung!

It’s spring time in Vancouver, Coast & Mountains! Well, not officially. Spring doesn’t actually start until March 20 this year, but why wait? The sun is shining, birds are singing and there are even snowdrops pushing their way through the soil in my back garden! After a particularly snowy winter, residents around the region are getting ready to put the skis away (it’s been a great season!) and are looking forward to suffering through a little spring fever! What better way to show how excited we are about spring than to share a few of our favourite places to visit and things to do in the Vancouver, Coast & Mountains Tourism Region.

www.VCMBC.com

Festivals & Events

Cherry Blossom Festival
Month of March

Vancouver Orchid
Festival
Mar 21 - 22

Agassiz Tulip Festival
Apr 11 - 26

Burnaby Rhododendron Festival
May 3

We've all heard of the 3 R's - Reduce, Reuse, Recycle -
but what about the 5 R's?

Tips for the Environmentally Conscious Traveller

Tell us about it!

We want to hear all about your Vancouver, Coast & Mountains travel experiences. Send us your stories and you might see them
in the next issue of Tips for Trips!

Click here to send your stories!

For more great ideas to help plan your Vancouver, Coast & Mountains vacation, please visit www.VCMBC.com or call
1-800-667-3306.

Secret Spots!

Who doesn’t love a harbour seal? One look in their big brown sad eyes and we’re all goners! While San Francisco has the sea lions at Pier 39, Vancouver, Coast & Mountains has a few prime harbour seal viewing locations! Kings Mill Walk in North Vancouver (just 20 minutes from downtown Vancouver) is a great place to spy seals (from a safe distance of course), and the views of downtown Vancouver are spectacular. Grab a coffee and a mouth-watering chocolate croissant at Thomas Haas Patisserie-Chocolate and Café and stroll along the water’s edge while you look for those tell-tale heads bobbing in the water. Don’t forget to look up, as originally designed artistic birdhouses can be found nestled in the trees as part of the City of North Vancouver’s public art collection! Finding that your neck aches from looking up at the birdhouses and down at the seals? Make sure to book a massage at Spa Utopia, located right beside the park!

Other great seal spotting locations in the region:

Get up close and personal with the harbour seals at the Vancouver Aquarium. Visitors are welcome to go right up to the edge of the habitat and view the seals. Interpretive signage is on display and helpful staff are always available to answer questions.

If you’re very lucky you’ll spot the elusive fresh water seals that live permanently in Harrison Lake. Known to follow kayakers as they glide around the lake they originally followed the salmon up from the Fraser River. With no predators in the lake they decided to stay!

Staff picks -

“One of my favourite spots is WhyteCliff Park in West Vancouver. The trail along the bluffs is a great spot to for a picnic or to watch boats go by. It's also a great hangout for seals. “ – Lisa C.

“Pam Rocks, Georgia Straight - a series of rocks in the middle of the Georgia Straight which is a popular hangout for a colony of harbour seals who gather to sunbathe or to grab a few zzz's during the middle of their productive day. The best way to see them up close in their natural setting is with Sewell's Marina Sea Safari eco-tour or with one of Sewell's rental boats.” – Jason K.

Food, glorious food!

There are so many great restaurants it can be daunting to narrow your selection down to just one. Enter the newly created Whistler Tasting Tours. Enjoy a pleasant stroll through Whistler Village while you visit five of Whistler’s best dining venues. Whistler’s best chefs have created delicious culinary creations and paired them with a selection of BC’s finest wines. The tour even includes a visit to one of North America’s finest wine cellars at the Bearfoot Bistro where guests are taught the history of champagne sabering. They might even let you try your hand at chopping off the top of a bottle!

Some of our favourite dining spots:

I love the live music and vibe at the Washington Avenue Grill in White Rock - nothing beats it on a sunny summer evening. My absolute favorite restaurant in Vancouver is Blue Water Cafe (especially the spicy tuna sashimi), with Toshi Sushi as a close second. – Jennifer R.

Garden Bay, Sunshine Coast - for beers on the deck of the local marine pub on a hot summer day, watching the sail and pleasure boats come and go from this secluded cove off the Georgia Straight. – Jason K.

Avast me hearties and shiver me timbers!

Any pirates out there? Are you planning to be a pirate or do you just love pirates? Let Captain Nasty and the Vancouver Maritime Museum show you the ropes. Young pirates, ages 3 to 5 years old and their parents discover these seafaring bandits through pirate stories, hands on activities and real life adventures. Junior pirate school is offered on two Saturdays in April from 10.30 am to noon.
An adult must accompany each child. Cost per child with accompanying adult is $10 for Museum members and $12 for non-members (additional adults $10).

Make sure to visit the Vancouver Maritime Museum during Spring Break and enjoy family crafts from 1 to 4 pm each day. Activities include pirate hats, flags, treasure chest maps and pirate ships. These activities are free with admission.

www.vancouvermaritimemuseum.com

Lodges Of The West Coast

This package promises to be the most unique adventure of 2009. West Coast Wilderness Lodge and Sonora Island Resort have put together a once-in-a-lifetime experience.

Your trip begins the moment you board your float-plane in Vancouver, for your 40 minute flight to West Coast Wilderness Lodge. Deep in the wilderness yet so close to the city, West Coast Wilderness Lodge brings first-class adventure, fine dining and luxury accommodations to the laid-back Sunshine Coast. For the next two days, enjoy a day trip by boat to the majestic and secluded Princess Louisa Inlet plus your choice of either a guided hike to see the fastest rapids in North America, or a kayak tour to see the marine wildlife native to this area. At night, relax and enjoy the view from Inlets Restaurant. Set high up on a craggy granite bluff overlooking forests, inlets and islands, this elegant dining room has floor-to-ceiling windows that span the entire hall. In this spectacular setting, a classical European style is combined with regional Canadian food influences to create our signature cooking style.

Your trip continues as you hop aboard your float plane to Sonora Resort, north of Desolation Sound. Once in the air, you will feel a sense of discovery as sights and destinations from B.C.'s coastal past will be below you. Sonora Lodge Island Resort offers a range of exhilarating outdoor adventure opportunities. Enjoy the ultimate escape - a thrilling helicopter tour to a glistening glacier for a private picnic, a visit to remote inlets where there are no roads, just untouched, magnificent nature or just relax in one of their outdoor mineral pools at the elegant Spa & Wellness Centre.

This 5 day package includes:
Float plane to West Coast Wilderness Lodge / Two nights at West Coast Wilderness Lodge / Boat tour to Princess Louisa Inlet / Three hour kayak tour / Float Plane to Sonora Island Resort / Two Nights at Sonora Island Resort / Helicopter transfer to Vancouver / All meals at both Lodges

West Coast Wilderness Lodge
Phone: 604-883-3667
Toll Free: 1-877-988-3838
Email: lodge@wcwl.com
URL: www.wcwl.com