Victoria’s Butchart Gardens – Keep Calm and Wander

Butchart Gardens - Keep Calm and Wander

At Butchart Gardens in Victoria (British Columbia), the flowers will happily welcome you. This is one of Canada’s largest gardens with a designation as a National Historic Site. As you can guess from its name, there are gardens within this huge garden that was made possible by Jennie Butchart, wife of a Canadian businessman who manufactured Portland Cement. Today, the garden receives one million visitors every year and these pictures below will tell you why.

Taking a bus to Butchart Gardens

On a beautiful Spring day, I spent my whole morning strolling from one garden to another. From downtown Victoria, I took a bus early to avoid the heat that was predicted that day. It took me around 45 minutes to arrive there. Though the bus won’t stop at the gate of Butchart Gardens, the bus driver was kind to drop me off at the exact stop/location and walked from there.

Before coming here, it is better to check out the gardens’ virtual tour on their website. If you want to be surprised, then avoid doing it. However, once you arrive and pay your entrance fee, remember to get a map so you will be guided on where to start and go. The dominant flowers here were tulips of different colours.

By Alain – Full Story at Keep Calm and Wander

Southern Vancouver Island Gay Travel Resources

Victoria for Gay Families in BC – 2TravelDads

Victoria for Gay Families in BC - 2TravelDads

There are so many great things to do in Victoria for gay families or just as adults. It’s one of our favorite Canadian cities and I know you’ll love it too!

The capital city of BC is our go-to destination for fun and easy weekend trips around the holidays and in spring when the weather is getting nice. Yes, we go there often, but it’s because we love it so much! We’ve figured out our top favorite activities and tips for visiting Victoria with kids and get ready, because we’ve got 18+ things for you to do to have an unforgettable trip.

Victoria for Gay Families – Getting There

This charming Canadian city is on the southern tip of Vancouver Island, just north of Washington’s Olympic Peninsula and just west of Vancouver, BC. It’s a fairly large city and is situated on a harbor, the Inner Harbour, and then stretches out to its suburbs of Saanich, Sidney, and Sooke. Getting there is fairly easy and doable on nearly any budget.

By Chris and Rob – Full Story at the 2TravelDads

Victoria Gay Travel Resources

Gay Vancouver – The Nomadic Boys

Gay Vancouver - The Nomadic Boys

Greenpeace, Ryan Reynolds, Hayden Christensen, and Botox – what do they all have in common?
Vancouver!

That’s right, they were all created in this super cool city located right on the far West coast of Canada. Vancouver is the capital of the British Columbia Province, famous for being one of the most diverse regions of Canada. It is also nicknamed “The Hollywood of the North” due to its popularity as a filming location for TVs/movies after LA and NYC. Oh, and did we mention the part about Ryan Reynolds and Hayden Christensen?

We visited Vancouver several times on our trips to Canada and always have a fantastic time. As well as a bustling Gay Village over at Davie Street, Vancouver has tons of fun things to do, with the mountains on its doorstep and the natural paradise of Vancouver Island a short ferry ride away.

Most importantly of all, we found gay Vancouver to be a very tolerant city, accepting of everyone. We frequently saw many gay couples walking the streets hand-in-hand all across town and felt comfortable to do the same. Of course, this comes as no surprise as this is Canada, a country we absolutely adore and rate as the most gay friendly country in the world.

In this detailed gay guide to Vancouver, we summarise our experience discovering the gay scene of Davie Village, as well as some of the best things to do in the city, gay hotels to stay and more practical tips for LGBTQ travellers.

Davie Street: The Gay Vancouver Village

Vancouver’s gay village, also known as the Davie Village, is the heart of the city’s LGBTQ community. It is based mainly along Davie Street between Jervis Street and Burrard Street. This is where the majority of the queer bars and clubs are. Although it’s not as big as the scene of Montreal or Toronto, it’s just as fun.

There is also a more bohemian area popular with the lesbian community of the city at Commercial Drive, called “The Drive” over in East Vancouver, which we did not visit so have not covered in this guide.

Victoria for Gay Families – 2TravelDads

Victoria for Gay Families - 2TravelDads

Victoria BC is our go-to destination for fun and easy weekend trips around the holidays and in spring when the weather is getting nice. Yes, we go to Victoria often, but it’s because we love it so much! We’ve figured out our top favorite activities and tips for visiting Victoria with kids and get ready, because we’ve got 18+ things for you to do to have an unforgettable trip.

Victoria for Gay Families – Locale

Victoria BC is on the southern tip of Vancouver Island, just north of Washington’s Olympic Peninsula and just west of Vancouver, BC. It’s a fairly large city and is situated on a harbor, the Inner Harbour, and then stretches out to its suburbs of Saanich, Sidney, and Sooke. Getting there is fairly easy and doable on nearly any budget.

We have written about Victoria before and have a lot of details around transportation to the city here, in our article highlighting a great 3 Day Victoria itinerary. Here’s a recap though and top tips for getting to Victoria with kids. By ferry, you can depart for Vancouver Island from either Vancouver (Tsawwassen terminal) or Port Angeles. Both sailings are approximately 1.5 hours so which you choose depends on your starting point, travel schedule and budget. Check out the map to see which makes sense for you. You can also take the passenger-only Victoria Clipper from Seattle, which is a great option for those adding Victoria with kids to their family trip to Washington.

By Chris and Rob – Full Story at the 2TravelDads

Victoria Gay Travel Resources

Victoria’s Royal BC Museum – 2TravelDads

Victoria's Royal BC Museum - 2TravelDads

There are very few museums that we’ve gone back to several times, but the Royal BC Museum in Victoria is one of them. Located just off the Inner Harbour, it’s an easy addition to a Victoria BC weekend getaway or even just a day trip. And the Royal BC Museum with kids is wonderful too. This is both our review and our guide to the museum and should answer any questions you’ve got about planning a visit.

Getting to the Royal BC Museum

Victoria is an easy place to get to, either from Seattle, the Olympic Peninsula or Vancouver. Living in the Seattle area, the Victoria Clipper is a great option for us. Catching the Clipper from Pier 66, there is overnight parking nearby or it’s a short Lyft ride from anywhere in the downtown area. The ride from Seattle to Victoria is a little less than three hours, and riding the Clipper is really relaxing. It’s a great way to start a Victoria weekend getaway.

Other options for getting to Victoria include the Blackball Coho ferry from Port Angeles, WA; Washington State Ferries to Sidney from Anacortes, WA; BC Ferries from Tsawwassen, BC to Sidney; or the V2V boat from Vancouver, BC (seasonal).

Depending on your overall travel plan, any of these can be booked on relatively short notice and at a variety of price points. Also, seaplane flights from Seattle’s Lake Union or Vancouver’s waterfront are available, but at a much higher cost.

By Chris and Rob – Full Story at the 2TravelDads

Victoria Gay Travel Resources

Views From Vancouver’s Quarry Rock Trail – Keep Calm and Wander

Views From Vancouver's Quarry Rock Trail - Keep Calm and Wander

I did the Quarry Rock Hiking Trail yesterday for the first time. It was a beautiful day – and it’s a weekend, too! That means that hiking trails near Vancouver (reachable via public transport) were, as expected, crowded.

And I survived. Halelu!

Directions: Vancouver to Deep Cove by Bus

Start from the Waterfront Metro Station. Find the way to the water taxi / ferry that will take you to Lonsdale Quay. There’s a ferry every less than fifteen minutes, so you don’t have to wait long. When you get off at Lonsdale Quay, take the 239 bus that goes to Phibbs Exchange bus loop or Capilano University. Get off at Phibbs Exchange bus loop and transfer to bus 211 or 212. The last stop is at Deep Cove. Once you arrive, follow most of the crowd or find a sign that points you to the Quarry Rock trail. This trip should take around 40-50 minutes.

By Alain – Full Story at Keep Calm and Wander

Vancouver Gay Travel Resources

 

Vancouver’s Queen Elizabeth Park – Keep Calm and Wander

Vancouver's Queen Elizabeth Park - Keep Calm and Wander

Springtime at Queen Elizabeth Park in Vancouver is what I needed on a sunny day yesterday. The last time I checked my weather forecast app was Tuesday and it showed a rainy on Friday so I didn’t really bother to check it again. But when I woke up at almost noon, I was surprised at the azure sky outside my window. I hastily took a shower and off I went to the park which is around 45 minutes ride from where I am.

It’s my first time to be here and I’m not disappointed. It’s a huge park – so there’s always a space for everyone. You can sit and lay down wherever you want, except on flower beds.

The topmost part of the Queen Elizabeth Park is the highest point in Vancouver. That’s why the panoramic view of the city from here is something that would charm your naked eyes.

By Alain – Full Story at Keep Calm and Wander

Vancouver Gay Travel Resources

 

Cherry Blossoms at Vancouver’s Garry Point Park – Keep Calm and Wander

a href=”http://keepcalmandwander.com/cherry-blossoms-at-garry-point-park/” target=”_blank”>Garry Point Park - Keep Calm and Wander

Weather forecast in Vancouver this week is either rainy or cloudy. Yesterday, however, was exceptional. It was bright and sunny with a bearable chill. So where did I go? I wasted no time but visited the Garry Point Park. Going there took me an hour and a half but it was worth a trip to the edge of Richmond.

The cherry blossoms at Garry Point Park was the main attraction why visitors go there at this time of the here. The cherry trees didn’t disappoint every instagrammers, camwhores and posers! Good thing though, there was enough space for a few cherry blossom pilgrims.

Without much ado, I present you – the lovely cherry blossoms! Be it publicly known that no petals and branches were separated from their mother tree. 😉 If you see me touching branches, I can assure you that its all for the love of photography. 😀

By Alain – Full Story at Keep Calm and Wander

Vancouver Gay Travel Resources

 

British Columbia’s Sea to Sky Gondola Ride – Keep Calm and Wander

Sea to Sky Gondola - Keep Calm and Wander

It’s a blessing when you have a friend who knows how to drive. As someone who doesn’t know how to maneuver a vehicle, my movements are limited within the city of Vancouver and its neighboring areas that are accessible to public transport. Yesterday afternoon, a friend and I drove to Squamish to ride on the Sea to Sky Gondola.

Since both of us are first timers in the area, we really didn’t know what to expect at the summit. For sure, there will be views but we were not prepared for a jaw-dropping scenery. We were both stunned and sighed every time we see saw something really spectacular. If getting close to a glacier is in your bucket list, then, this place would never disappoint you.

The Sea to Sky Gondola is just 45 minutes drive from Vancouver. It’s the same highway that you take going to Whistler. The panoramic drive is an experience in itself. If you’re just visiting the city, it’s worth renting a car (we had Evo) for an afternoon or morning trip. But, of course, you can stay in hotels in the town of Squamish if you want to stay overnight – after a long day hike.

By AUTHOR – Full Story at Keep Calm and Wander

Sunshine Coast Gay Travel Resources

 

Gay Vancouver – Out With Ryan

Gay Vancouver - Out With Ryan

Hey travel queens! Are you looking for the inside scoop on Gay Vancouver? Well, this travel guide to gay Vancouver has got you covered! From Vancouver’s gay bars, gay clubs and all things rainbows, Out With Ryan has you covered gurl!

Vancouver is definitely on my top 5 most Gay-friendly cities in Canada. With a wide range of gay events, gay bars, and gay clubs, the city is made to quench your thirst… it also rains a lot and when it does, it’s usually raining men. Whether you are an extrovert or introvert, Vancouver is a must for you travel queens.

This city is a popular destination for gay tourists year-round and has a thriving LGBT nightlife. I’ve spent many nights in Vancouver since two of my best friends live there; one gay, one straight. I’ve experienced Vancouver from the locals’ perspective for over 3 years and very excited to share my Travel Guide to Gay Vancouver!

GAY BARS & GAY CLUBS IN VANCOUVER

Vancouver gay bars and gay clubs are located in the gay village, which is mostly based on a section of Davie Street in the West End. The Gay district of Vancouver is filled with rainbow crosswalks and many gay bars, clubs, and shops!

By Ryan – Full Story at Out With Ryan

Vancouver Gay Travel Resources