Taking the Water Taxi to Granville Island

I have been to several market collections in Europe and even San Francisco, but the Granville Island Public Market in Vancouver, B.C., still takes my breath away. Even on a weekday, the market was crowded with locals and tourists filling up baskets and exploring the best of local BC food.

Shopping in the Public Market, Granville Island

After 30 minutes of exploring (all my kids could handle) we stocked up on treats and headed out to explore the rest of Granville Island. The kids wanted to go directly to the Kids Market, filled with all sorts of paid amusement options, but I insisted on a leisurely stroll down Duranleau Street, past the Maritime Markets towards the Granville Island Museums.

Granville Island Toy Company

I love to poke my head into the small shops – creativity abounds and I always find one or two new hobbies (knitting anyone?). The artist’s lofts and studios are also fascinating, and if you are into boating or marine sports, be sure to check out one of the many shops catering to this active pastime.

Granville Island

With several restaurants on the island, as well as a small play ground for kids, we could have spent the rest of the day exploring Granville. As it happens, we caught up with the Creekside Trail and headed over towards Vanier Park and the Vancouver Maritime Museum.

Photos by Gudrun Enger, of Kitchen Gadget Girl Cooks

Bok Carillon Bell Tower

The animals at Bok Tower Gardens are fearless. Squirrels chuckle and scold guests who stroll the park’s winding paths. Mockingbirds serenade from low branches. Gigantic weaver spiders tense in the center of low-strung webs, patiently awaiting prey. Even the resident swans swim right up, hoping to steal fish food pellets meant for giant carp thrashing in the pond. Somehow, the animals know they are protected here.

This exquisite garden was created by Edward W. Bok, a Dutch immigrant and humanitarian who came to the U.S. at the age of six. In 1889, Bok became the editor of the Ladies Home Journal, a position he would hold for the next 30 years. During visits to his Florida winter home in the 1920’s, Bok witnessed the beauty and dramatic sunsets of Iron Mountain, the highest point in peninsular Florida. Awed by the tranquility of the area, he purchased the land and commissioned renowned landscape architect Frederick Law Olmstead Jr. to create a stunning garden that would become a haven for native birds, plants and wildlife. Bok worked closely with Olmstead through the design process and after giving his final stamp of approval, left to tour Europe. Seeing the carillon towers in his native Netherlands, he was inspired to build a carillon atop Iron Mountain within the sanctuary already being constructed.

Bok returned home and ordered his architect and stone sculptor to construct a 205-foot neo-Gothic and art deco tower of pink Georgia marble and Florida limestone. Upon completion in 1929, sixty specially cast bronze bells weighing more than 5,500 tons were hoisted into place inside the top of the tower. Today, in addition to a lush landscape of giant ferns and riotous blooming plants, Bok Tower Gardens offers two live 30-minute carillon concerts every day of the week, at 1 p.m. and 3 p.m. The music reverberates throughout the park, but the best place to listen to the concert is from one of the park benches scattered around the base of the tower.

Giant lilly pads in reflecting pond

Bok Tower Gardens is located approximately 50 miles south of Orlando in central Florida, in the small community of Lake Wales. The gardens are open daily from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. and admission is $10.

Photo credit: Barbara Weibel

Article by Barbara Weibel @ Hole In The Donut Travels

Edmonton, Alberta, Canada

Nestled between two of Canada’s most beautiful national Parks, Jasper National Park and Elk Island, Edmonton Canada’s sixth-largest metropolitan city and is the second largest city in Albert, second only to Calgary. Just over 780,000 people call this beautiful city home, and it’s no surprise why – there is plenty to see and do in Edmonton! Whether you’re stopping by for a weekend or a week, check out some of the following sights to get a flavor of what Edmonton has to offer.

Whyte Avenue

This main drag on Edmonton’s south side is home to a wide variety of shops, eateries, bars and nightlife options. Cute, trendy boutique stores can be found next to second-hand bookstores and art galleries. It’s a lovely place for an afternoon or evening stroll, especially in summertime.

West Edmonton Mall

Until 2004, this was the world’s largest mall – it’s still the largest in North America. You’ll find just about everything you can imagine here including an indoor rainforest, a bungee jump, a roller coaster and over 800 stores and (only) twenty restaurants. There’s even a hotel called FantasyLand Hotel!

West Edmonton Mall

Muttart Conservatory

Whether you’re an amateur horticulturist or simply a lover of greenery and plants, this attraction is sure to put a smile on your face. Five pyramids structures house different ecosystems you can explore. It’s a gorgeous place to visit year-round.

Fort Edmonton Park

This park is open from May to Labor Day. The park, which is a living history village,  allows visitors to experience and explore four different time periods of Edmonton’s histroy. Explore the fort, 1885 Street, 1905 Street and 1920 Street. Interacti with the “inhabitants” to get a real taste for what living during those years was like.

Fort Edmonton Park

Photos: Kenneth Hynek, EvinDC, Richard Faulder

Dakota Dinosaur Museum, Dickinson, ND

A dinosaur museum?  In North Dakota?  Yes, you read that right.  Dickinson, North Dakota, is home to the Dakota Dinosaur Museum.  The exhibits at the Dakota Dinosaur Museum include both real skeletons and casts, as well as fossil and geology displays.  It includes a full triceratops skeleton, which is considered one of the best ever found.

Triceratops Skull

This is not so much a “Hey, kids, let’s go have fun with the dinosaurs!” type of musem as it is a scientific collection.  In fact, the museum consists entirely of pieces owned by one couple, Larry and Alice League, who have been collecting specimens from all over the world for more than forty years.  The Dakota Dinosaur Museum opened in Dickinson in 1994 to share the Leagues’ collection with the public.

Exhibit Explanation

While most of the museum is kept quiet and the exhibits are kept behind railings, the Dakota Dinosaur Museum does include a small children’s corner, consisting primarily of books, and there is a “please touch” table in the entryway.  The museum shop includes gifts for dinosaur and fossil enthusiasts of all ages.

Please Touch Table at Dakota Dinosaur Museum

Dakota Dinosaur Museum

200 E. Museum Drive, Dickinson, ND 58601
701-225-3466

Open May 1-Labor Day, 9-5

$7.00 – Adult

$6.00 – Senior

$4.00 – 3-12 years

Photo credits:  minnemom on flickr

Linda (minnemom) writes about family travel at Travels with Children.

Related Posts:

North Dakota’s Enchanted Highway

Dinosaur State Park, Rocky Hill, Connecticut

Riding around Coal Harbour Quay

Traditional Inukshuk Statue along English Bay Beach

It helped that it was a beautiful day in Vancouver, but the best part is that coast of Vancouver is lined with wonderful paved trails. The divided trails offer pedestrians a separate path for safe walking, while bikes and rollerbladers share the same space.

Totem Poles in Stanley Park

We rode for over 15 miles without once encountering a car strewn street. The bikes were super comfortable and Reckless had kid’s bikes for our two, as well as tandems and trail-a-bikes. They supplied everything – the bike, helmet and even locks (which we used).

Fall Foliage in Stanley Park

The outer edges of Stanley Park are easily accessible by bike and as we rode around the seawall past Prospect Point, we settled into a nice rhythm. The path is completely flat, making the ride easy and casual. On the bikes, we had clear access to the base of Lions Gate Bridge, Siwash Rock and Ferguson Beach.

View of Lion's Gate Bridge

Next time we go to Vancouver, we are going to rent bikes for our whole trip. Some streets in the main part of town are one-way and have designated bike lanes. And it was the first time in our whole trip when we did not have to listen to the kids whine!

Reckless Bike Shop in Yaletown

Bike Rentals in Vancouver, B.C.:

Reckless Bikes
Spokes Bicycle Rental
Bayshore Bike Rentals

Safety Harbor Museum

While de Soto may not have found the precious metals he so desperately sought, excavations of the mounds, as well as trenches dug to install utility lines and build home foundations, have yielded a modern day treasure trove. Prehistoric arrowheads, stone scrapers and knives, and partial skeletons of now extinct species like the woolly mammoth and giant sloth have been unearthed and placed on permanent display in the Safety Harbor Museum, considered to be one of Florida’s preeminent Native American museums.

Along with Indian artifacts, the museum houses a collection of antique equipment used in a bottling operation once located at the mineral springs and an intriguing historical perspective on Odet Philippe, the first non-native permanent resident of the area, who is credited with introducing citrus to Florida.

Displays feature bones of extinct giant mammals and arrowheads

In addition to permanent displays, rotating exhibits feature aspects of regional history three to four times per year. Recent rotating exhibits have included: “Take Me Out To the Ballgame,” which honored the minor league team and spring training camps located throughout Florida; “Evolution of Communications – From Smoke Signals to Verizon Fios,” “Seminole Nation,” and the “Highwaymen Art Exhibit,” which displayed present-day artwork of the famous African-American painters from Florida’s east coast.

Safety Harbor Museum is located in the village of Safety Harbor, located on the northwest corner of Tampa Bay on the east side of Pinellas peninsula. Admission is $4.00 for adults, $3.00 for seniors and children ages 7-18, and free for children under six. Hours of operation Wednesday and Friday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., Thursday from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m., Saturday from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., and Sunday from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m.

Photo credit: Barbara Weibel

Article by Barbara Weibel at Hole In The Donut Travels

Enchanted Highway "Geese in Flight"

With the World’s Largest Buffalo, World’s Largest Sandhill Crane, and World’s Largest Holstein Cow, North Dakota is known for some pretty big things along I-94.  The Enchanted Highway is no exception.

The Enchanted Highway runs from I-94 at Gladstone south to the town of Regent, 32 miles away.  The road itself is not spectacular; it’s straight and hilly and somewhat scenic, but the road is not the primary attraction.  What is unique about the Enchanted Highway is the series of larger-than-life metal sculptures that line the drive.

“Geese in Flight” greets drivers on Interstate 94, and at 110 feet tall, holds a spot in the Guinness records as the world’s largest metal sculpture.  Other sculptures follow, every few miles, between Gladstone and Regent.  “Fisherman’s Dream” and “Teddy Rides Again” were our family’s favorites.

At the end of the road, visitors can stop in for a cup of coffee at one of the coffee shops or gift shops in Regent.  Donations and income from the Enchanted Highway’s official store are the only sources of funding for future projects.

The Enchanted Highway was the brainchild of Gary Greff, who came up with this unique way to pull people off the Interstate and into the small town of Regent.  As small rural towns in North Dakota are slowly dying, he wanted to breathe some life into his community.  People from all over the world now take time from their expressway drives to explore Gary’s sculptures in this unique form of art in southwestern North Dakota.

The Enchanted Highway

Exit 72 off I-94, 20 miles east of Dickinson, ND.
Free to visit; donations accepted.

Photo credit:  minnemom on flickr

Linda (minnemom) writes about family travel at Travels with Children. 
A vacation in North Dakota with her children was the highlight of their summer.

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The Jean Lafitte Pirate Ship

A sunset dinner cruise in Cozumel supplies lots of  relaxing fun that increases even more when you add pirates into the mix.  Decked out with dramatic masts, a waving Jolly Roger flag and a crew of colorful pirates, the Jean Lafitte does not look like your ordinary cruise ship.  Climbing onto the boat from the Cozumel dock, I sensed adventure in the air. About 60 passengers lined the seats on the boat and the pirates Pork Chop, Sparky, El Capitain and Jack Sparrow, plied us with drinks.  No sooner had I taken a sip of  rum punch, then I spied Jack Sparrow climbing the mast and gazing down on us suspiciously.  He and the crew proceeded to shake passengers down for jewelry, watches and hugs from the women.

Deciding that none of our treasures were worth looting, the pirates started to sing and dance with all the conviction that befits men in tight pants and eyeliner.  They swiveled their hips to salsa and prodded us to do the limbo.  Then they performed a rousing rendition of YMCA that inspired all of us to perform the silly letter gestures.  Soon the quartet laid out tables smoothly and politely served lobster, steak and chicken dinners. Were these the same pirates that had just tried to get a passenger to walk the plank?  Just when I thought that all was well, they whisked away the tables and broke into a sword fight, complete with showy special effects.  Several suggestive games followed where selected passengers found themselves in compromising positions.  Historically, pirates headed to Cozumel to hide-out during the 17th century.  As we sailed back to the port under a dramatic sunset, I realized that maybe a few continued to hang around Cozumel.

Dancing Pirates

The  sunset dinner cruise lasts about 2 and half hours and costs $63-$71, depending on your meal. Hours are 6:15PM-9PM, Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday.  Open bar is included.

Photos by Rosalind Cummings-Yeates

Coffee Heart Art

Walking around Florence, Italy’s spectacular art galleries and monuments can truly overwhelm you and apparently make you physically ill – it’s called Stendhal Syndrome, and having been to Florence multiple times, I can definitely attest to feeling overwhelmed by all the beauty and history, whether or not the syndrome is real. (Although, it could also have been the fact I nearly knocked myself out on a 14th century beam at the top of the Duomo.) Not a fan of dizziness and feeling completely overwhelmed? How about trying out an entirely different type of experience at the Espresso Academy. That’s right! Instead of wandering around the Accademia or the many piazzas, you’ll get to learn about one of Italy’s greatest passions, which some people say is a work of art in itself – coffee and espresso.

Don’t scoff! The Espresso Academy gets really good reviews, and I find it to be a refreshing, creative alternative to the city’s innumerable art galleries. Here, you’ll learn that anyone can make a cappuccino – but making a good one takes skill and knowledge. Have ever been to a cafe that creates little milk designs on the top of your cappuccino? There’s an actual certification you can get to learn how to do that (it’s not as easy as it looks!) in the course called Milk Art.

I would also love to take the Tasting course – you are able to taste coffees from all over the world, both good and bad, and learn how to distinguish between high quality and low quality coffees. Apparently, coffee is as complex as wine, and this course will help prove that to you.

Florence, Italy

Photos: journeyscoffee, stevehdc

Fine Arts Festival draws exhibitrs and attndees from all over the country

The theme of this year’s festival, “Colorful Mutton,” is drawn from the work of Captain Jim Roberts, a Florida native who combines his passion as an angler with his background in graphic arts to create sea life designs through Gyotaku, an art created by pressing rice paper onto fish. His “Colorful Mutton” artwork will be featured on T-shirts, posters and other media at this year’s fair. In addition to strolling through the booths of over a hundred artists, visitors can visit the unique shops and great restaurants that occupy the restored structures lining charming West Dearborn Street, many of which have been around for more than 100 years.

“Colorful Mutton” by Captain Jim Roberts provides the theme for this year's festival

This year’s Fine Arts Festival is scheduled for December 5 and 6, 2009. Free parking is readily available along nearby streets and admission is free; however, Rotarians will be greeting festival attendees and requesting a “$1 Donation In Exchange for a Smile.” All proceeds raised during this event benefit the Englewood Rotary Youth Foundation, Inc., and other Rotary Projects. Last year the Rotary Club of Englewood awarded over $30,000 in scholarships to the youth of our community.

Photo credit: Rotary Club of Englewood

Article by Barbara Weibel at Hole In The Donut Travels