Western Canada is considered to be the region of Canada just west of Ontario. 29% of Canada falls within this region, which consists of the provinces of British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan and Manitoba. Some cities located within this region include Vancouver, Calgary, Edmonton, Winnipeg, Victoria and Saskatoon. One of the best ways to get to see Western Canada is by taking a road trip. It takes around twenty eight hours to drive across the entirety of Western Canada. If you just drive around four hours a day, you can cover the whole region in a week. There are plenty of great places to check out in this region by car.
Vancouver, British Columbia
For example, why not take a road trip to Vancouver? Vancouver is a major tourist attraction due to its spectacular scenery. There are plenty of parks and gardens in the city such as Stanley Park, Queen Elizabeth Park and Van Dusen. If parks aren’t for you, you have the options of visiting the mountains, the ocean or the forest. Vancouver is also a great place for film buffs, since the city is the third largest film production centre and the second largest television production centre in North America. There are plenty of film related things to do in Vancouver. For example, you can scout of the locations used in the Twilight movies Breaking Dawn and New Moon.
Calgary, Alberta
Another great road trip destination is Calgary. Calgary is located in the province of Alberta. Calgary is an attractive tourist vacation spot due to its many museums, theatres, art galleries, restaurants and shops. 17 Avenue is a great hang out spot for tourists eager to check out the local bars and nightclubs. If history is more your thing, check out the Heritage Park Historical Village. This historical park depicts life in pre-1914 Alberta, complete with historic vehicles and buildings. If you time your visit to Calgary right, you can attend the Calgary Stampede, an annual rodeo festival held every July for ten days. The entirety of Calgary goes Western in honour of this event, with events being held all over the city during these few days.
Winnipeg, Manitoba
Winnipeg, the largest city in Manitoba, is filled with museums, cultural organizations, festivals and sports. If you want to learn more about Manitoba, check out the Manitoba Museum. Canada’s oldest art gallery, the Winnipeg Art Gallery, is located in here. The Canadian Museum for Human Rights, as the name suggests, is designed for promote awareness about human rights. Some festivals that are hosted in Winnipeg include the Festival du Voyageur, the largest winter festival in the region; the Jazz Winnipeg Festival, a musical festival in June often attended by major international artists; and the Winnipeg Fringe Theatre Festival, the second largest of its kind in North America. More traditional attractions include the Royal Winnipeg Ballet and Manitoba Opera.
This is a guest post by Trevor Stuart, a writer and avid traveller, living in Vancouver, BC. He works for the cheap auto insurance website www.completeinsurance.ca.
