Issue link: http://read.canadatravelguides.ca/i/651528
TRAVEL GUIDE TO CANADA W e all know that travel can be expensive when factoring in hotels, transportation and food costs. Likewise, entrance fees add up quickly, especially for families. Take heart, Canada is also a land of freebies. Visitors can enjoy live music, colourful festivals, museums and galleries, gardens, and other places of interest without ever having to open their wallets. Many attractions are free, or close to it. *Free admission i CULTURE VULTURES Some cultural institutions are always free, while others have free or pay-what-you-can (PWYC) admission at least one evening a week. Time your visit to coincide with these and you'll brag to friends about how much money you saved! Quesnel, BC • Billy Barker Days (family festival celebrating the Gold Rush), July 14 to 17 - many free events Calgary, AB • Self-guided walking tour of Calgary's public eclectic art collection Winnipeg, MB • Manitoba Electrical Museum* • Artist-painted murals on buildings around town Toronto, ON • Art Gallery of Ontario (AGO) and Aga Khan Museum, Wed. eve.* • Textile Museum, Wed. eve. - PWYC • Bata Shoe Museum, Thurs. eve. - PWYC • Royal Ontario Museum (ROM), Fri. eve. - reduced fees. • Ryerson Image Centre (for photography buffs) and the Power Plant (showcasing contemporary art)* • Shakespeare in the Ruff, Withrow Park, 3 weeks in Aug. - PWYC • Canadian Stage Shakespeare in High Park, July to Sept. - PWYC Ottawa, ON • National Gallery of Canada, Canadian Museum of History and Canadian Museum of Nature, Thurs. eve.* • Canada Agriculture and Food Museum and Canada Aviation and Space Museum, 4 to 5 p.m. daily* • Many Ottawa museums on International Museums Day, May 18* Fredericton, NB • Beaverbrook Art Gallery, Thurs. eve. - PWYC • City Hall tapestry tours (tapestries of city's history), May to Oct. daily* Charlottetown, PEI • Confederation Centre Art Gallery, open year-round - PWYC • Art in the Open (contemporary art festival), Aug. 27* Canada-wide • Doors Open - buildings and sites of architectural/historical signifi cance, not normally open to the public, are open for a day or weekend in spring or summer* • All national parks, Parks Canada- administered national historic sites and national marine conservation areas, Canada Day - July 1* • Most major cities across Canada have free Canada Day festivities, July 1 FUN ON AN EMPTY WALLET BY DIANE SLAWYCH SYMPHonY SPLaSH, ViCtoria, BC • toUriSM ViCtoria/ViCtor CHonG FREEBIES