Owner: Vancouver Island Travel Tips - Parksville and Qualicum Beach URL:http://www.visitparksvillequalicumbeach.com/cms.asp?wpID=333 Join Date: Thu, 26 Jun 2008 00:33:54 -0500 Rating:0 Site Description: Read the official tourism blog for the Parksville and Qualicum Beach region. Vancouver Island resorts, attractions, activities and more. Site statistics:Click here
Lonely Planet Visits Parksville and Qualicum Beach | Parksville 2008-06-24 10:00:40 This past week I had the pleasure of hosting a travel writer from the Lonely
Planet Travel Guide. He was updating the guide as well as checking out new and different products to share with travelers.
As part of his research he spent the night in the Free Spirit Spheres - the very cool spherical tre - READ MORE Read more:Beach
, Lonely Planet
Horne Lake Adventure Camp – Great for Family Groups | Qualicum Bay 2008-06-24 07:28:28 My three-year-old’s preschool has a tradition where the families get together at the end of the year for an overnight camping trip. This year the group decided to try-out Horne Lake. Why? Although Horne Lake Caves are a famous Vancouver Island tourism attraction, it also happens to offer a beautiful lake w - READ MORE Read more:Adventure
, Great
, Family
, Groups
Coastal Revelations Review: ultimate personal tour | Errington 2008-06-17 12:11:39 Coastal Revelations
is the ultimate hands-on, “up close and personal” nature tour on Vancouver Island, BC. We came to experience nature “beyond Victoria’s manicured gardens and botanical reserves” and we were not disappointed.
Patrick Walshe, an Interpretation Canada Trained Biologist, took us on a fabulous hike through Cathedral Grove (think old growth Douglas firs and cedars) where Read more:Coastal
White Ravens Delight Qualicum Beach Birders | Qualicum Beach 2008-06-17 11:47:26 Two white ravens hatched this year near Qualicum Beach
's Ravens
ong Aquatic Center and are a startling and delightful sight in the dark green woods.
Watch The Video
Ravens are fun to watch, with their playful and intelligent antics and big vocabulary. They out perform the Snowbirds with their - READ MORE Read more:White
Book plenty of time to explore Parksville | French Creek 2008-06-17 04:50:01 I couldn't find a category that says "all of it", so I chose adventure tours--and believe me, all of our time in the area was an adventure!
Shelley and I stayed at French
Creek Cabins in French Creek between Parksville and Qualicum, and it was perfect! Sweeping grass lawns down to the beach, comfortable, rustic cabins with kitchens, easy walk to French Creek Restaurant.
We fished wit - READ M Read more:explore
June Plants, Berries, and First Nations Significance | Parksville 2008-06-10 14:48:34 Visitors to Vancouver Island are curious about the vegetation they see. Plants
are so important to life. FirstNations
peoples considerd plants to be sacred and lived by strict laws to ensure resources for their future generations.
I am grateful to live in an area where remnants of earth’s natural garden remain. It is the month of June and the river estuary is full of the marvellous fragran - Read more:Berries
, Significance
Fathers Day in Qualicum Beach | Qualicum Beach 2008-06-10 07:14:48 June is here and it seems to be flying by at an all too rapid pace. I sometimes wonder if somehow a trick is being played on us earthlings where our clocks beat faster than 60 seconds per minute; it sometimes feels that way. Time just seems to have lasted longer before - don’t you think?
The reason I started talking about June was to wish all the great Dads out there a Happy Fathers
Da - Read more:Beach
Bull A Rama | Coombs 2008-06-06 12:06:45 8 Seconds might not seem like a long time if you're holding your breath and sitting in a chair but change that thought to riding a tazmanian devil who's skin moves over a foot per second. I would think those 8 seconds are an eternity for rookies but not for the cowboys who make a living riding bulls. BC's top bull riders will show off their stuff this weekend with the Coombs Country Bull A Ram -
Fabulous Bed and Breakfast On the Green | Nanoose Bay 2008-06-06 05:22:12 FABULOUS B&B - Wow!! what an experience. B & B On The Green
is absolutely spectacular. I so enjoyed the breathtaking view of Fairwinds Golf course while enjoying a positively scrumptious four course breakfast in this lovely elegant home.
This was first time experiencing a B&B and I must say I'm hooked. My room was so comfortable and the surroundings so pleasurable. My host Pam's attention t - R Read more:Breakfast
Parksville Beach Tops in North America | Parksville 2008-05-28 07:27:59 Sometimes it's hard to keep a secret but I am glad I can now share the great news I received back in April -Better Homes and Garden.com (BHG.com) readers and editors selected the Parksville Beach
among the Top Picks for Family Friendly Beaches in NorthAmerica
.
BHG.com is the premier home and family site on the web and the interactive companion to the popular Better Homes and Gardens maga - RE Read more:North America
Back in Time - Museum Openings | Qualicum Beach 2008-05-23 08:39:06 Stepping back in time to the pioneer days was always something fun to do when we were kids - you know the "Olden Days." Don't you remember saying that to your parents - even though growing up for them meant the forties and fifties, not exactly the cowboy era?
Well it's come full circle because my daughter often says that to me and I am a child of the sixties and seventies generation and - R Read more:Beach
, Museum
Hidden Waters Worth Finding | Qualicum Beach 2008-05-23 06:48:50 We found a great little shop off the main street in Qualicum Beach
called HiddenWaters
. I don't know if others have found it because it's not in the main shopping area, but it's definitely worth finding. It's not on the main street but on First Avenue and it's got the greatest atmosphere and some pretty cool gifts. We will definitely go back the next time we are in that area. Read more:Worth
Looking for Quiet Family Parks and Playgrounds? | Parksville 2008-05-20 08:00:13 My three-year old loves the Lions Venture Land playground at the Parks
ville beach park. What kid wouldn't? It's one of the top family attractions on Vancouver Island - it has the biggest playground I've ever seen, plus the water park in the summer, and the beach.
It's funny though, my daughter is asking more and more to go to "the small park" and by that she means Foster Park, just off Pym - R Read more:Family
, Quiet
Walk In The Woods | Parksville 2008-05-16 09:17:22 It's the Victoria Day weekend and the forecast is sunshine - perfect! We have six loads of sea soil being delivered so I know what we'll being doing for a good part of the weekend - moving a lot of dirt. We will get the vegetable garden all prepped and planted.
But the weekend won't be all work. There must be time for play which will probably be a nice walk in the woods. It won't be a - R Read more:Woods
Superb Shady Shores | Bowser 2008-05-04 07:35:32 My husband and I are recently retired, and spend the weekends vacationing on our island. We have just returned to Victoria, from an exceptional find in a little village called Bowser, about 15 minutes north of Qualicum Beach.
Many times we have traveled through on business to Campbell River, but have never stopped before. Well what a find...we stayed at the ShadyShores
Beach Resort on t - R
Salute To Mothers Day | Qualicum Beach 2008-05-02 11:15:44 Kids around the country are busy making creative gifts and cards for Mothers
Day.
You must remember making those gifts from the heart - the bird house, planters, tea cups, garden art and oh yes the special cards using paper doilies, construction paper and even tin foil for extra panache? I do.
I remember how excited I was to give my mom a handmade token of my appreciation and I have had t - R Read more:Beach
, Salute
, Mothers Day
Island Treasures Is not a typical B&B | Nanoose Bay 2008-05-02 07:12:36 If you like the intimacy of a B&B, but don't like an eating schedule or dining with strangers, then Island
Treasures B&B is for you! Everything was absolutely perfect! The host puts so much love and care into all she does. It showed through in everything.
The suite was beautiful and so very cozy and the breakfast was out of this world !! and so perfectly executed. We are still full! The hot - R
Food For Thought | Qualicum Beach 2008-04-28 09:11:46 Well, the seeds that I planted a few weeks ago are coming along nicely. I can expect that by summer we will be enjoying the fruits of my labour. I can honestly say that when I was a child planting our more than a quarter acre vegetable garden was not a highlight for me, my brother or sister. I am sure we vowed never to have a garden!
Times have changed. I plant a small, manageable vegetable Read more:Beach
Spring Wild Flower Meadows Magnificent | Errington 2008-04-24 13:51:52 Spring wild flowers are in full bloom, especially along local rivers in April. Fawn lilies, bleeding heart, violets, salmon berry, flowering red currant, trilliums and more are a delight to the senses.
Breathe in the fragrance of flowers and cottonwood buds that mark the explosion of spring. Humming birds, bumble bees, butterflies and other pollinators are busy in the meadows.
Pat - READ MOR Read more:Spring
, Meadows
, Magnificent
Rare & Unique Vancouver Island Roosevelt Elk Viewing | Errington 2008-04-21 15:21:12 The huge VancouverIslandRoosevelt
elk is unique to the island. In the spring, they are easy to spot in hay fields, clearings in the forest and along roadsides in some hot spots like Lake Cowichan, Errington, and a number of places north of Campbell River. Recently I spotted 10 elk, 1 bear and 6 deer all in one hay field in Errington. Binoculars and spotting scopes make the viewing spectacular.
Read more:Elk
, Viewing
Fire & Ice | Qualicum Beach 2008-04-18 08:29:28 Amazing! This May will make it 12 years since my family moved here. Our first weekend of being locals left us with a great first impression. It was May 1996, toddler in tow, we made our way into Qualicum Beach
but could not figure out what was going on - the streets were blocked off for a special event. We could hear chainsaws blazing and could see thousands of people milling about. What was g
Wonderful lunch at Pacific Prime | Parksville 2008-04-17 09:55:35 I recently had lunch at the Pacific
Prime Steak and Chop Restaurant at the Beach Club Resort. I found the ambience very lovely, the view amazing, great service and a wonderful reasonably priced meal. I can't wait to go back!
The Beach Club will be certainly a welcome addition to Parksville. Read more:Wonderful
Green Thumb Yoga | Qualicum Beach 2008-04-15 05:09:17 This past weekend the sun was out and I really felt the need to get out and garden. I pulled out my last year's Mothers Day gift - a portable green house and started filling the trays with starter mix and seeds. Hopefully most of the new seeds will germinate and I will be ready for transplanting outdoors in six weeks.
I know there are many other people itching to get out and garden and ti - R Read more:Beach
, Green
, Thumb
, Green Thumb
California Sea Lion and Harbour Seal Viewing | French Creek 2008-04-11 09:56:22 From September to May you can see California
sea lions swimming and basking along the coast, especially where points of land jut out into the sea and around river mouths during salmon migrations in the fall.
French
Creek marina is one of the best places to see them up close, especially during herring season. They also haul out on rocks in the Winchelsea archipelago and on logs at log sort - R Read more:Viewing
, Harbour
Winter Wonderland | Qualicum Beach 2008-04-09 06:14:16 My family and I recently went skiing to Mount Washington a short hour drive away from Qualicum Beach
. We left our green grass and blossoms to enjoy a day on the slopes in a magical winter wonderland.
It was Easter Monday and we really didn't know what to expect as far as holiday crowds go. - READ MORE Read more:Wonderland
, Winter Wonderland
Spring Black Bear viewing tips | Errington 2008-04-08 11:30:57 The black bears have emerged from hibernation!
One of the best viewing locations is around the hay fields in Errington, especially those backing onto large forested areas. The bears love to eat fresh greens and are regular hay field visitors from April through June. Early morning and evening are the best viewing times, but you are certainly not guarenteed to see one. Use binoculars or a scope to Read more:Spring
, Black
A Room With a View and Great Service Too | Parksville 2008-04-07 08:59:38 My husband and I, as well as our dog Max, just spent a restful weekend on Vancouver Island. While the skies appeared dark and it seemed to be raining everywhere else in the region, Parksville and Qualicum remained bright, sunny, and dry.
We began our getaway with a night at the Quality Bayside Inn Read more:Great
, Service
We'll go back to Bed and Breakfast On The Green | Nanoose Bay 2008-04-04 08:39:05 We just recently stayed at Bed and Breakfast
On The Green
and this place is highly deserving of a recommendation.
The house and the views were magnificent and the host, Pam was one of the nicest ladies I have ever met. We loved the golfing "theme" to this B&B and the fact that it backed right onto Fairwinds was - READ MORE
Ultimate relaxation at the Grotto Spa | Parksville 2008-04-03 07:50:22 Last week I received a one hour full body massage at the Grotto Spa at Tigh-Na-Mara resort in Parksville. My sister in law Colleen, who lives on Vancouver Island where Parksville is located, freaked out when I - READ MORE Read more:Ultimate
The Joy of Cooking | Parksville 2008-04-01 06:36:22 A very good friend of mine has a quote, "It's all about the food." My friend Deb happens to be a trained chef but she's not the only one who feels passionately about food. The more I talk to people about what they enjoy, food is definitely a high priority.
I come from a long line of very good cooks. My mother is an excellent cook and so are her three sisters. As a child I remember my mo - R
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