Travel Guides to Canada

Travel Guide to Canada 2024-25

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2 BREAKFAST OF CHAMPIONS: ALBERTA Hungry attendees will be happy to hear that pancake flipping is as much a part of the Calgary Stampede as bull riding and barrel racing. In fact, an estimated 200,000 pancakes are served at free breakfasts hosted city-wide each July during the 10-day event. Many also come with a side order of entertainment. The tradition started in 1923 when chuckwagon driver Jack Morton began inviting random folks to share his morning meal; now it serves as edible evidence of that legendary Western hospitality (www.stampedebreakfast.ca). 3 FISH TALES: SASKATCHEWAN Saskatchewan may call to mind waving fields of prairie grain, yet this landlocked spot has real waves as well. In fact, 100,000 or so lakes and rivers cover about a tenth of the province, providing some of the best freshwater fishing anywhere. World record- breaking burbot, northern pike and brook trout have been caught here; trophy-sized walleyes—Saskatchewan's official provincial fish and its most popular game species—also lure in anglers. Whether you are passionate about fly fishing or eager to try ice fishing, experienced local outfitters can set you up (www.tourismsaskatchewan.com/things- to-do/fishing). 4 BEAR NECESSITIES: MANITOBA You can see a polar bear just by picking up a "toonie"—the two-dollar coin. But if you want an up-close look at the planet's largest land predators, make tracks for Churchill. This tiny community on the western shore of Hudson Bay is one of the only human settlements where they can be seen in the wild. Because it sits on a polar bear migra- tion route, hundreds pass through as they travel to the ice floes in October and November. Cool Tundra Buggies—complete with oversized wheels and an outside viewing platform—take guests to observe them on unforgettable day tours (www.travel manitoba.com/churchill). 5 DRAMATIC EVENTS: ONTARIO Shakespeare said "All the world's a stage," and Stratford—a small city in southwestern Ontario named for the Bard's birthplace in the U.K.—actually feels like one during its signature event. Typically, each year, from mid-April through October, the Stratford Festival draws about half a million theatre- goers to multiple venues. Founded in 1953, it had humble beginnings: plays were originally performed in a giant canvas tent and the season lasted six weeks. From the start, however, the festival attracted luminaries from the theatre world. Sir Tyrone Guthrie was its first artistic director and Sir Alec Guinness starred in its inaugural production of Richard III (www.stratfordfestival.ca). 6 COLD COMFORT: QUÉBEC What beats walking in a winter wonderland? How about sleeping in one? At the Hôtel de Glace, everything—including the glittering guest room furniture—is made entirely of ice and snow: some 15,000 tonnes. Its thick walls act like a thermos, so you can chill without getting too chilly; and the ice-block beds, topped with a solid wood base and a comfortable mattress, an isolating bed sheet and Arctic-rated sleeping bags, are très cosy. POLAR BEARS, CHURCHILL MB • TRAVEL MANITOBA 19 ICE HOTEL, QC • GAËLLE LEROYER ICE FISHING, TOBIN LAKE • TOURISM SASKATCHEWAN/ ROB WEITZEL GRAPHIC PRODUCTIONS

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