Here are some tours, packages and attractions that might fit the bill.
- What organizers describe as a “mighty party’’ is being promised in the tiny Newfoundland community of Cupids, where a celebration of its founding in 1610 is going on all summer.
Cupids, an hour’s drive west of St. John’s, was the first English speaking settlement in Canada. Events include concerts, folk festivals, traditional dance performances and a story-telling contest. Visit cupids400.com.
Maxxim Vacations has put together a six-night Cupids Tour that starts and finishes in St. John’s and includes a visit to nearby Brigus, home of Arctic explorer Captain Bob Bartlett, and a day trip to Cape St. Mary’s Ecological Reserve, a major seabird colonies.
Prices start at $1,499, including airfare from Toronto, accommodations, a rental car with unlimited kilometres, a whale watching boat tour and a tour of St. John’s and Cape Spear. Visit maxximvacations.com or phone 1-800-567-6666.
- You can go on board the submarine Onandaga at the Pointe-au-Pere Maritime Historic Site in Rimouski, Que., and even arrange to spend a night on board. The site also has a museum commemorating the sinking of the Empress of Ireland in 1914. Details are at quebecmaritime.ca/empress.
- The Ontario Federation of Anglers and Hunters has just opened the Mario Cortellucci Hunting and Fishing Heritage Centre in Peterborough. Among the exhibits are dioramas of Canadian wildlife, a live sport fish aquarium, and displays on invasive species and an Atlantic salmon restoration program. Admission and parking are free through Sept. 1. Visit hfhc.ca.
- Heartland Travel will be running some offbeat tours in Winnipeg. One’s called Decoding the Ancient Egyptian and Masonic Mysteries of the Manitoba Legislative Building; the others are Haunted Winnipeg bus tours. During one called “Haunted Winnipeg Vigils at the St. Boniface Museum,’’ organizers say they’ll attempt to communicate with the spirits “through divination, talcum powder, dowsing rods, table tipping, and other techniques.’’
Packages combining tours and accommodation are also available. Stay two consecutive nights at one of the participating hotels and you’ll also get a Winnipass to visit six of the city’s best attractions. Visit heartlandtravel.ca/main.htm.
n On July 17, admission to everything Parks Canada operates — parks, historic sites and marine conservation areas — will be free. It’s part of a two-year celebration to mark the 125th anniversary of birth of the national park system and the 100th anniversary, in 2011, of the creation of the world’s first national park service. More good news: A price freeze covering entry fees, camping at national parks and lockage and mooring at historic canals is being continued.
- Prince of Whales Whale Watching has a new tour that combines three of the most popular visitor activities in and around Victoria, B.C. It starts with a zipline adventure in the Sooke Hills, continues with a whale-watching cruise and finishes with a stroll through The Butchart Gardens. Called the Victoria Premiere Outdoor Adventure Package, it’s available until October and costs $220. Visit princeofwhales.com.
What’s new:
n The Spring to Barbados package offers a booking credit of up to $300, free breakfast at participating hotels, one free day on a minimum three-day car rental, and discounts on meals and activities. The package must be booked by May 30 for travel between now and Aug. 30, or between Sept. 1 and Dec. 18. See visitbarbados.org.
n Vancouver International Airport was named best airport in North America and 11th best worldwide at the Skytrax World Airport Awards in Brussels. The awards were based on 9.8 million passenger surveys and measured 39 criteria, including comfort, efficiency, signage, transportation availability, passenger amenities and friendliness.
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