Located north of Nanaimo, BC, the beautiful town of Qualicum Beach is a fantastic place for a day trip if you are in the area. The small town of just over 7,000 features gorgeous beaches, immaculate English gardens and many lovely parks.

Getting There

Half the fun of getting there is the drive. Heading north from Nanaimo on Route 19A to Route 19 you drive along the edge of the beach for about forty minutes before you reach the community of Qualicum Beach. Once you reach the town consider picking up some tourist information, so you can plan out all the spots that you want to visit while you are there.

The Yogathon will take place at Oliver Woods Community Centre.   Experience different kinds of yoga in three sessions.  Learn about Thermography and other breast health tips from Dr.

Nanaimo has a number of nicknames including the quirky 'Hub, Tub and Pub City', though it's 'Harbour City' that Nanaimo is best known as, and for good reason! As well as being the second largest city on Vancouver Island, Nanaimo also has the second largest harbour and it's this large harbour that is at the centre of both locals and tourists lives here in Nanaimo. The Harbour City grew when coal was discovered in the vicinity and the docks were used to transport the coal off Van Isle to other parts of British Columbia. Although no longer used for the export of coal, Nanaimo Harbour is still the hub for tourism and industry in the city, and welcomes many of Vancouver Island's visitors who travel across the waters via BC Ferries. Visitors coming to the Harbour City have several options for getting here from mainland B.C. If you're planning on bringing your car over you can catch a ferry to Nanaimo from two points near Vancouver - Horseshoe Bay, to the north of Vancouver, and Tsawwassen, to the south of Vancouver. Visitors without transport, or who prefer to leave the car behind, are able to walk onto the ferries or bring a bike. There are also seaplanes from harbour to harbour.

The city of Nanaimo, BC may have started life as an industrial town, but it is now very much a centre for tourism; popular with tourists as well as the many locals who have come to call the city home. With a population of around 80,000 people, Nanaimo, BC is actually the seco

Nicknamed the 'Harbour City', boating in Nanaimo is one of the most popular pastimes for both locals and visitors to Vancouver Island's second largest city, and this destination really is a dream come true for water sports enthusiasts! For starters, there are an abundance of marinas and a city dock to tie up and come ashore. Boating opportunities are almost endless in Nanaimo, BC, from yachting and sailing, to cruisers, charters, kayaking and canoeing in beautiful Provincial Parks, but did you know that you can also participate in something very out of the ordinary when boating in Nanaimo! Nanaimo is the Bathtub Racing Capital of the World and every year hundreds of participants enter for a chance to win the annual bathtub race! The bathtubs are old tubs which have been converted into boats of one kind or another with the aim of the winning the race. Even if you're not interested in entering your own bathtub, join the spectators at the world's original bathtub race for a spectacle you won't want to miss if you're planning on visiting at the end of July!

As a native of Vancouver Island, British Columbia, I have grown up with a love of nature, the ocean, and outdoor activity.  I love to spend as much time as I can at the beach, hiking the local trails, and camping in the summer and winter!  As much as I love the outdoors, I also have a passion for art, music, and dance. After a ten month trip to Australia in 2004, I discovered a love

If you are a frequent visitor to Vancouver Island who chooses to save the extra $15 and not make a ferry reservation, you probably find yourself (and maybe your family as well) with several hours to kill waiting for a ferry back to the mainland, why spend it in a parking lot? Most people are quite content to walk around the terminal, listed to the gulls, people watch and take in the terminal sights. However, after a few trips to and from Nanaimo, you will want to stretch your legs and see more while you wait for your ferry. Did you know that just a short walk away from the terminal is one of the best beaches to visit in the Nanaimo area? Departure Bay Beach is definitely a don’t-miss part when you are in the Harbour City of Nanaimo.

The Painted Turtle Guesthouse is pleased to be hosting two teams for the 2009 Nanaimo Dragon Boat Festival. The guesthouse will be invaded :) by female dragon boaters from the Pink Phoenix and Shibumi Dragon Boat Teams (both teams hail from Portland, Oregon). One of the fastest growing sports in terms of participation and live viewing in Canada today; dragon boat racing is also one of the oldest known sports in the history of mankind. Dragon boat races began more than two millennia ago, in ancient China. Legend has it they began as a way to commemorate a popular Chinese politician, who threw himself into the water after being ousted from his position. While the dragon boat festival in Nanaimo British Columbia may lack the colour of an elected official throwing herself off of a bridge, the event is nonetheless a huge attraction for residents and tourists alike. Let's take a look.

They call me Rumps :) … but my “real name” is Ann-Christin. I am 19 years old and from a little town called Werne in the northwest of Germany. I arrived in Nanaimo, BC at the beginning of March to work as an intern at the Painted Turtle Guesthouse – and I am so happy to be here! There is so much to see in this little Harbour City, the landscape is breathtaking and – most important – the people in the Gu

[caption id="attachment_123" align="alignleft" width="225" caption="Qualicum Beach Rhododendron Days"][/caption] The Perfect Day Trip from Nanaimo for Couples, Seniors and Families

Rhododendron Days at Milner Gardens & Woodland Thursday, April 30th, 2009 - Sunday, May 10th, 2009 10am-5pm (last entry at 4:30pm) The garden is a sensuous delight. Old growth Douglas firs and cedars frame breathtaking views of the Strait of Georgia. The garden lawns slope gently to meet a precipitous bluff which plunges to the beach below. Beyond the strait, the Coast Range Mountains of the British Columbia mainland can be seen. To the north, Denman, Hornby, Lasqueti and Texada Islands are visible. Bald eagles patrol the beach head and circle above their feeding grounds, their distinctive cries carrying across the forest. Blue herons fish the shore, while the dappled shade of the garden shelters songbirds. Purple finches and wrens nest in the camellias near the house. The garden features 500 varieties of rhododendrons, whose colours and textures grow against the majestic forest trees. Blue-green hostas, fragrant honeysuckle, and delicate lace-cape hydrangeas soothe the eye. The forest shelters wildlife.