EVERY WEDNESDAY ALL SUMMER LONG -- 9:30 AM to 9:00 PM Summer Arts Faire is an exciting showcase presenting local artists to a wide audience at Vancouver Island’s largest shopping destination -- Woodgrove Centre.

Sunday, June 13th, 2010

Looks like another hot and sunny summer will be starting soon in Nanaimo! [caption id="attachment_967" align="alignright" width="300" caption="Tubing Down the Cowichan River on Central Vancouver Island - BC, Canada"][/caption] One neat thought to keep yourself cool this coming summer is to take a day tubing down the Cowichan River. Take a few friends with you and enjoy a completely relaxing day while you gently float down to river. You can bring your own flotation device, or rent a tube. There are even recommended areas to tube for the most enjoyment! Skutz Falls: This 2.5 km (1.6 miles) trip takes roughly 2-3 hours depending on water flow. Skutz Falls and Marie Canyon offer excellent swimming and have ample vehicle parking for transporting back and forth if you're tubing.

First Time Visit to Tofino Lives Up to Hype -Postcard Perfect Long Beach Breathtaking During our drive from Nanaimo to Tofino along the Pacific Rim Highway near the end of March, it could not have rained harder. I hoped the torrential downpour wasn't a sign of the weekend to come, but magically as we pulled into Tofino, the sun came out and the sky turned a glorious shade of blue. In fact, the weather became so nice that after checking into our room at the Wickaninnish Inn, we sat out on our balcony in bare feet and short sleeves watching the waves crashing on the rocks below us until the sun finally set. This was my first visit to Tofino and until then, the breathtaking surf and scenery was simply something made of legend. Sure, I'd seen the pictures taken by friends and family, but those digital images paled in comparison to the broiling surf and blue-grey ocean below us that evening. On the drive from Nanaimo, we stopped at the Coombs Country Market in Coombs and stocked up on local cheese, meat and a loaf of fresh bread. Tired from our long trip that day, we decided to stay in and enjoy the stone fireplace in our room with a glass of wine. Even with our glass balcony door closed we could still hear the surf below us and combined with our roaring fire, I knew then why luxury hotel and spa magazine Conde Nast Johansens (an offshoot of Conde Nast) readers voted the Wickaninnish as the "Most Excellent Romantic Hideaway in North America for 2010."

Canwest News Service - February 24, 2010 TOFINO — Tofino on Vancouver Island's west coast has been named the best surf town on the continent by an influential U.S. magazine in its first annual Editor’s Choice Awards. [caption id="" align="alignright" width="225" caption="Image Compliments of PacificRimGuide.ca"][/caption] Outside magazine, which caters to readers with an “active lifestyle,” has a circulation of more than 600,000. The 2010 awards compile the magazine’s “favourite things into a rollicking compendium of capital ideas, sublime destinations, brilliant equipment and more.” Regarding Tofino, it says: “The best surf town in North America is in Canada. Who knew?”

Tourism will flourish in Nanaimo and travellers from around the world will soon be visiting the charming city of Nanaimo, BC on Vancouver Island, Canada - thanks to a multi-million dollar cruise ship dock downtown. [caption id="attachment_950" align="alignright" width="268" caption="New Cruise Ship Terminal Set for Nanaimo, BC"][/caption] The Port of Nanaimo's plan to put a $22-million cruise ship terminal on the waterfront will move ahead. An agreement was reached between the Snuneymuxw First Nation, the port authority and the federal government that will allow the project to proceed while details of the environmental review are dealt with separately. The project has been held up since Snuneymuxw Chief Doug White made it clear the band isn't satisfied the Crown consulted adequately with the Snuneymuxw on the project. Concerns were raised that the project would trample Douglas Treaty rights dating back 155 years, which include protection of the fisheries.

One of the many things that brings people from far and wide to beautiful Vancouver Island are the numerous beaches that run continuously all around the island, along fjords and inlets that mark the unique geography of the region. Nanaimo is well known as a starting point for those coming to the Island for their adventures, and often the appealing attractions of this city are overlooked as people carry on to their destinations. Piper’s Lagoon is one of those often missed treasures! Located just ten minutes north of Departure Bay (the famed BC Ferries terminal), Piper’s Lagoon has been legendary amongst locals for decades both as a place of recreation and in Nanaimo lore. The lagoon itself is amazing and unique in the Nanaimo area. About 300 square yards in size, it’s one of the bigger lagoons you will find on the Island. It is cut off from the crashing surf of the Pacific by a dyke which cuts straight across from one shore to the other.

Do we appreciate what we have in our own backyard? I pose this question because just the other day I was sitting at Departure Bay Beach, just hanging out with a couple friends, when one of them said, “just look at how amazing it is here”. It made me wonder if everyone appreciates the magnificent natural beauty of our city.

"To dance is to be out of yourself. Larger, more beautiful, more powerful." (Agnes De Mille) Every Thursday "The Rendez Vous Lounge" introduces all enthusiastic dance lovers for a great evening of Salsa dancing. As I have done ballroom dancing in Germany for a long time I decided to try the Salsa lesson and dancing here in Nanaimo as well.

Hi there! My name is Sabina, I'm 20 years old and I'm from Germany. I'm an intern here at the PTG in Nanaimo from January until July! Awesome, eh? J Back in Germany I live in a small town near Stuttgart in the South of Germany, called Weilheim. After I spent a High School year in the US when I was 17, I knew that I want to go abroad again.