The New Year is in full swing and it’s time to get on with your resolutions! This week, we’re back with part 2 of our New Year’s resolutions that you can tackle while you’re visiting Vancouver Island!
Travel more
Ok so now you’re here on Vancouver Island! There are so many incredible things to do no matter what EMR property you’re staying at but if you want to make sure you get the most out of your Vancouver Island stay and make headway on your resolution, there are a few spots you won’t want to miss!
Tofino: As the wildest west coast town on the edge of the Pacific, Tofino and the neighbouring town of Ucluelet are known for the world-class surfing and breathtaking wild, natural beauty.
Cape Scott Provincial Park: At the very top of Vancouver Island sits the historic Cape Scott. With incredible hiking, beaches, ancient rock formations and a historic lighthouse, Cape Scott is worth the trip!
Gulf Islands: The Gulf Islands are ecological paradise that includes 15 islands, plus numerous small islets and reef areas. The forested Gulf Islands include Mayne, Galiano, Hornby, and Gabriola with the largest being Salt Spring. Each island is unique in it’s own way, exuding different qualities and vibes depending on its size, demographic, locale and accessibility. Here you can find wildlife, nature, coastal activities, and incredible spots to get away from the hubbub of the big Island.
Learn a New Skill or Hobby
With an ever-growing continuing education class list, online classes and an exceptional reputation, registering for a course or two at UVic is a great way to dive into an area of study that you are passionate about! It’s never too late!
Art Classes through Peninsula Art Gallery
Have you ever wanted to learn how to paint or draw? Are you a novice artist who wants to hone their skills? The Peninsula Art Gallery in Sidney offers incredible art classes for artists of all skill levels! If you’re not entirely sure which one would suit, you can give them a call or pop by if you’re a guest at one of the EMR Sidney properties.
Pottery Classes at Lupine Art Studio
If you’re in the Comox Valley and you want to start pottery classes in a supportive environment, Lupine Art Studio is the place for you! No matter if you’re a total beginner or if you have a bit of experience, all the classes are easily adaptive to your experience level!
Read more
Bookstores
In the heart of downtown Victoria, you’ll find the resplendent Monro’s Books. No matter what book you’re looking for, Munro’s probably carries it! No list? No problem! Here, you can take your time to peruse the shelves for something that inspires you and admire the beauty of the space.
This popular bookstore in Sidney’s town centre is known for its unmistakable bright-red, Dutch door. Specialising in a wide selection of rare, collectable, out-of-print, second-hand, signed, and first-edition books, if you’re staying in Sidney, this is the place to come for your next page turner.
Sea & Summit is one of the best independent bookstores in the Nanaimo area where you can find an incredible selection of new releases and bestsellers!
Books set on Vancouver Island
Seaweed on the Street by Stanley Evans
Savvy, street-smart, Coast Salish investigator Silas Seaweed is hired to help find a billionaire’s daughter after she mysteriously disappears. His investigations uncover a trail of greed, obsession, violence and murder. It’s the perfect page-turner to kick off your New Year’s resolution that’ll have you hooked from the first page to the last. You can also check out more books in the Silas Seaweed saga here.
Awake and Dreaming by Kit Pearson
After having her life upended yet again by her immature, poverty-stricken mother, Theo, a young girl who lives in Vancouver, slips and falls on the ferry deck as she travels to Vancouver Island to live with her aunt. Mysteriously, when Theo awakens from her fall she finds herself adopted by her ideal family, the Kaldors. As time passes her new life begins to fade until Theo finds herself back with her mother, full of unanswered questions. Was her life with the Kaldor’s real and what is the shadowy figure that now haunts Theo’s dreams?
Cougar Annie’s Garden by Margaret Horsfield
In 1915, courageous and independent, Ada Annie Rae-Arthur moved to Vancouver Island and tirelessly worked to clear a patch of rugged forest creating no ordinary homestead but a mesmerizing garden. Through the years, her garden bloomed into an enchanting, otherworldly escape among the untamed wilderness of early BC. A fascinating life full of losses and triumphs Cougar Annie’s story is one that tells the tale of a woman with the tenacity to take on the wilds of BC, whose legacy spans time and enchants and inspires over a century later.
