July 31, 2009 | Tips from Travellers > Wells, Historic & Heritage Sites
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Barkerville is a historic gold rush town at the foothills of the Cariboo Mountains in BC. Today, one can walk down the street meandering through museums, general stores, and hotels alongside “characters” from the past who are dressed in 1800’s attire.
When I got to Barkerville, I was happy to find a lot of really great, unexpected things to do –like panning for gold, buying a cold Root Beer at the Confectionary Store and eating ginger beef and chicken balls at the Chinese Restaurant. You can also take guided tours of the town given by the “characters” or go for an authentic stagecoach ride.
A great find was to spend a night at Carol’s Kelly House Bed & Breakfast located right in the Historic Town of Barkerville. With a promise of a fluffy duvet and a homemade breakfast in the morning –how could I turn it down? After a solid night sleep in a comfortable bed, I woke up to women from the “1800s” making me breakfast! Apricot scones were baking in the oven, while preserves, a cheese omelette and fruit salad were ready and waiting on the china-set table.
Check it out… and stay a while.
July 14, 2009 | Tips from Travellers > Fort Langley, Agricultural Tours
You gotta check out some hidden gems in the Fort Langley area. On Saturday we packed a cooler, rented a car and headed into the Fort Langley area to discover some hidden gems. What we found was diverse, enjoyable and very tasty!
What we explored:
1. Township 7 Winery- try the Syrah paired with the "dark chocolate with salt and pepper" that they sell. Amazing!
2. Domaine de Chamberton Winery- can't go wrong with the Bacchus - their signature wine. You can sample up to 3 wines. So, take a friend and sample 6!
3. Vista D'oro Farms and Winery - meet the resident cat and read all the labels of the fabulous preserves, cheeses, spices and wines they sell! In high demand is the walnut wine.
4. JS Farms Specialty Turkey Store- yes, a turkey store. It surprised us too--- a whole store dedicated to EVERYTHING turkey. Always ask the woman loading up on one product what the scoop is all about-- she revealed that the mediterranean turkey sausages are awesome! You can buy turkey groceries and then eat your hot turkey sandwich on the deli's patio.
5. Krause Berry Farm- an annual favourite mine-- the true destination of this trip! Load up on berries (upick if you want), pickled asparagus, veggies -- then go to the farm porch and order a strawberry smoothie and a blueberry shortcake. Two favourites that are made with from the berries in the field.
Hidden gems were everywhere and a two hour jaunt easily turned into an enjoyable July day exploring for almost 6 hours! WELL WORTH IT!