Pemmican Pete

Written by Leann M. Pettit
Pemmican Pete stands overseeing the Regina Fairgrounds, just beyond Mosaic Stadium. He was the mascot of the annual summer folk festival, however, the festival has changed and become more modernized and Pemmican Pete has been forgotten.


You can see Pemmican Pete at the corner of 10th Ave. and Elphinstone St. in Regina and Pemmican Pete hides behind some trees that are along the street.

Executive Royal Hotel Regina

Written by Matt Rosenfeld
We had a 4-night stay in Regina, and decided to make the Executive Royal Hotel Regina our lodging choice. About a 5 to 10 minute ride from the airport, and seemingly the same distance from most other things in Regina, the location was perfect for our stay.

We only had limited interactions with the staff, but in all cases they were very friendly.  The room was pretty spacious, the bed was very comfortable, the bathroom was clean and had plenty of sink space to spread out your toiletries and housekeeping did a good job each day.  The hotel also provided free wi-fi, which is always a very nice amenity.

Overall, this is a hotel we'd definitely recommend to anyone staying in Regina, for business or pleasure.

Address: 4025 Albert Street South, Regina

Wifi: Free

Parking: Free

Restaurant: Yes

Bar/Lounge: Yes

Smoking: Non-smoking

Hidden Fees: None

Breakfast: Additional cost

In-room safe: No

Tunnels of Moose Jaw (The Chicago Connection)

Written by Matt Rosenfeld

The top tourist attraction in Moose Jaw (and probably all of Saskatchewan) are the Tunnels of Moose Jaw. Located right on the main street of town, this attraction gives visitors two choices of tours, "The Chicago Connection" and "Passage to Fortune."  We decided to go with "The Chicago Connection" for our tour.

Upon entering, you'll need to purchase tickets if didn't pre-book in advance.  When we showed up, the next tour wasn't available for 3 hours.  We did find some other things to do in town during that free time, but in hindsight, it would've been better to pre-book the tour in advance to avoid that waiting.

For the tour itself, you are led outside across the street to another building where you meet your first of two tour guides.  She is an actress, who stays in her role very well of being on of Al Capone's lackeys. Throughout the tour you get a good understanding of how the bootlegging business worked in Moose Jaw, but it isn't just informational, it is VERY entertaining and hilarious.  You'll eventually be passed off to another "guide," who takes you through the actual tunnels.  Again, he did an excellent job entertaining us, as well as improvising on the spot.

This is something we'd highly recommend to everyone visiting southern Saskatchewan!

The Loose Cannon Pub

Argyle St. in Halifax is definitely a dining mecca in, and right at the edge of Argyle St. and Barrington St. is the Loose Cannon Pub. While we ordered more run of the mill Scottish food, this is the only pub that we saw that serves haggis (yum?).

We ordered the bangers and mash and the steak and potato stew. Both were delicious and the outdoor dining on the lovely Halifax evening made the restaurant even better.

The Maxwell's Plum

Walking up to the Halifax Citadel from downtown Halifax, we stopped at The Maxwell's Plum for lunch. On the weekends, Maxwell's Plum has a brunch special, with 3 eggs, 5 strips of bacon, 2 slices of toast, and potatoes, for $2.50 when you buy a beverage. You can also get the breakfast any time of day for the regular price.

However, we ordered the honey garlic wings, which were sticky and sweet, and had the perfect crunch on the outside, while keeping the chicken moist. We also ordered the chicken quesadilla, which was wonderful tasting. There were big chunks of tomatoes and chicken and it had a wonderful taste.

Kedy's Inlet Restaurant

Kedy's Inlet Restaurant, at Mahone's Bay, just purchased the restaurant, which sits at the bend just before entering the downtown of Mahone's Bay. On a nice day, from the outdoor seating, guests can see the reflection of the three churches on the bay.

When we dined here, Kedy's Inlet was still working on their new menu, however, we ordered the egg salad sandwich (which was delicious and I hope continues to stay on their menu), as well as their creamy fettuccine with chicken. The chicken was dry, but the alfredo sauce was perfect and delicious.

Economy ShoeShop Cafe & Bar

One of Argyle Street's original restaurant's is the Economy ShoeShop Cafe and Bar. The story behind the name is pretty unique: when the owner opened the restaurant, with little money to purchase a sign, bought a neon "Economy ShoeShop" sign from a thrift store and hung it in the window.

The restaurant itself is probably as unique as the name. While the front half of the inside is very modern sleek, the back half looks like an enchanted forest (frog prince and all!). However, of all the places we dined in Halifax, this was probably the most expensive location and the least tasty (not that it was bad, just not as yummy).

We ordered the fish and chips and a flat bread with chicken. The fish and chips was good, lightly battered. The fish was moist and flaky, but the batter was soft and not crispy.

The flat bread was a mix of very good ingredients, but we couldn't figure out how to eat it. It was cut like a pizza, but there was too much topping to eat it like a pizza. Yet, you couldn't get everything on a fork to eat it that way either.

While this place was fun to sit and enjoy the surroundings, I would recommend coming for drinks and skipping dinner.

BeaverTails

Walking around Halifax Harbor, we came across this little stand selling, what they called, BeaverTails. BeaverTails are a fried dough product topped with chocolate, or icing, or some sort of filling, and then topped with a candy, depending on your choice.

They also sell Beaver Bites, which are little balls of fried dough with ice cream.

We ordered a BeaverTail with chocolate, peanut butter and Reese's Pieces. These are perfect to share (although, you might want to get your own). They are made when you order them, so they are served warm, which means the chocolate, peanut butter and the pieces all get melty. Yum! Grab lots and lots of napkins, because it can get messy.

Peggy's Cove

About 45 minutes from Halifax is Peggy's Cove, a small fishing village in the south-central portion of Nova Scotia.  This village, with a population of around 60, has at the very end of it one of the most photographed spots in North America, with their lighthouse on a series of boulders.

It's a gorgeous site to see, and we'd recommend anyone who is in the area to make the trip.  However, it does get filled with tourists, so if you'd like to enjoy it without 100 other people there at the same time, plan an early morning trip.

There is ample parking here, along with a large gift shop and restaurant next to the parking lot.

Fisheries Museum of the Atlantic

Right on the water in downtown Lunenburg, the Fisheries Museum of the Atlantic is in a bright red building celebrating the life of a fisherman.  On the first floor is an aquarium, showcasing mostly various sea life that fishermen seek out rather than unique and pretty fish that are typically seen in aquariums.  There is even an extremely rare blue lobster named "Popeye" on display.  Another great fish to see is the flatfish, which is a fish that has both eyes on the same side of the body and seems to always be "laying down".

On the next floor, you can view various types of fishing ships and equipment used in this industry.  For anyone who is a fishing fan, this is a great place to learn more about the history of fishing.  There are also two fishing boats in the dock that one can visit.

Swissair Flight 111 Crash Memorial

Located right outside of Peggy's Cove, there is a memorial to those who perished in the Swissair Flight 111 Crash in 1998.  The plane crashed into the sea about 5 miles from shore between the towns of Peggy's Cover & Bayswater.  All 229 of the passengers and crew aboard the flight died and this memorial was created in their honor.  It is a simple memorial, but touching.  It is easy to get to being on Route 333 heading north from Peggy's Cove.  We'd recommend anyone leaving Peggy's Cove heading toward the Lunenburg area make a quick stop here.

Halifax Public Gardens

A beautiful piece of landscaping, the Halifax Public Gardens, located in downtown Halifax is a gorgeous place to take a stroll, have a picnic or just take a seat and relax.  These gardens are well-maintained and off a variety of plant life to please your eyes.

In the center is a large lake, which helps to enhance the scenery.  In one corner, there is also a model of the Titanic sitting in the water, as an homage to the ship that sank 100 years ago and had its survivors rescued by  residents of Halifax.  There are also some large geese in the park to view.

When taking a walk through Halifax, this is a great place to spend 30 minutes to an hour to get out of the city type of mind-set.

Doubletree Fallsview Resort & Spa, Niagara Falls - Hotel Review

The Doubletree Fallsview Resort & Spa in Niagara Falls, Canada is a perfect spot to spend your vacation in Niagara Falls.  While it is a little further away from the main tourist area than some of the other 4-star hotels in the area, it takes only about 10 minutes maximum to walk down to the falls from the hotel.  Even from that distance, if you have a room on one of the upper floors, you'll still get a nice view of the American Falls from your room, which is quite a nice sight to see when waking up in the morning.

The walk to the main tourist area either walks past gift shops and eateries or through a beautiful park and into the area that houses the Niagara Falls Skywheel. Both enjoyable walks.

The room itself is a standard 4-star quality room with comfortable beds and well-maintained by the housekeeping staff.  In our interactions with the front desk staff they were quite friendly and more than willing to continually give you free chocolate chip cookies throughout your stay.  The lobby has a lodge-like feel and is warm and inviting.  There is even a small art gallery open to the public on the first floor.

We did spend some time in the hot tub. The pool facilities were clean and the hot tub worked wonderfully.  Parking in front of the hotel was ample and was $12/day, which was reasonable compared to other locations in the Falls area.

I'd definitely recommend this hotel to anyone visiting Niagara Falls and would stay there again.

Mackenzie Heritage Printing Museum

On the drive from Niagara Falls to Niagara-on-the-Lake, make sure to make a stop at the Mackenzie Heritage Printing Museum. This restored home was the home of rebel newspaper publisher William Lyon Mackenzie.

The museum is very hands on, with one of the world's only remaining wooden printing presses on display, a working linotype machine, and a working press that visitors are encouraged to use to help make a poster.

While making the poster, visitors are also taught how to line type and learn the origin of why we call it "upper case" and "lower case."

Our tour guide also gave us some Canadian history and while we were touring the printing museum, other presses were being used to make posters and flyers.

This small museum is very interesting and intriguing; make sure this is one of your stops while you're visiting Niagara Falls. Teaching children, and yourself, about the history of Canada, Canada's newspaper history, and the history of printing, is made fun!

Skylon Tower

We chose to have dinner at the Skylon revolving restaurant for a number of reasons. Number one, it has the best bird's eye view of Niagara Falls and you get a free trip to the observation deck with dinner. Second, those little yellow bugs that go up and down are so cute! And third, the menu looked amazing!

They do an early dinner that has sittings at 4:30 p.m. and 5 p.m. with a prefixe menu that is offered all year. The prefixe menu includes a house salad, an entree and chocolate mousse.

During your dinner the restaurant rotates so you can see the falls from a birds eye view, as well as the town. The restaurant rotates about one full rotation an hour. As you spin, there are great little factoids on the side that tells you about what you are seeing, either past or present.

After dinner, head up to the observation decks to see the area again and take some photos, sans glass. The wait staff at the restaurant is very friendly and is more than willing to take photos of your group together if you ask.

Whirlpool Aero Car

Everyone comes to Niagara Falls to see the waterfalls, but how many people know that further up the river is a whirlpool?  Back in the early 1900's, this "aero car" was developed to allow visitors to get a bird's eye view of this phenomenon.  

While it isn't quite what I expected from seeing whirlpools in movies, it is still a sight that should be seen by anyone who makes a trip all the way to the Niagara region.  It is also easily reachable by the People Mover bus from the main Niagara Falls tourist area.

If you're someone who is scared of heights though, be forewarned that you may get a little queasy up here.  But be assured, this is perfectly safe and offers a nice view of the whirlpool.

White Water Walk

A couple of miles north of Niagara Falls is the White Water Walk (which can easily be reached by the People Mover bus that runs throughout the day through Niagara Parks).  Many people come to Niagara Falls to see the falls, but most don't realize that there are some extreme white water rapids further north on the river.  

These rapids are extremely dangerous to anyone who chooses to try and venture riding them, and many have died trying (hence, it isn't legally allowed anymore).  However, there is a pathway set up that you can enter to walk right next to the rapids to at least partially experience their power.  To get there, you'll take an elevator down from the main road and have the ability to walk a quarter of a mile next to the rapids.

If you're considering doing this attraction as well as the other popular ones in the area, I'd highly recommend getting the Niagara Falls Adventure Pass to save a few bucks.  It combines the price of this attraction, the Maid of the Mist, the Journey Behind The Falls and Niagara's Fury all into one.

Maid Of The Mist

If there is one attraction that everyone knows of in Niagara Falls, it's the Maid of the Mist.  For over 100 years they have been taking daring travelers as close to falls as is safely allowed.  While long lines form to board the boat, the boat holds hundreds of people, so the line moves fast.  Be sure before you board that you secure your camera in some type of waterproofing as you will get soaked!

Once on board, try to get to the starboard (or right) side of the boat to get the closest and best view of the Canadian Horseshoe Falls.  Most people intuitively try to avoid this side as you start off with the opposite side facing the American Falls, so it should be easy to secure a spot.

Not much else can be said about this boat ride in words, but from the pictures below, you'll see why it's well worth taking your time to do.

If you're considering doing this attraction as well as the other popular ones in the area, I'd highly recommend getting the Niagara Falls Adventure Pass to save a few bucks.  It combines the price of this attraction, the Journey Behind The Falls, the White Water Walk and Niagara's Fury all into one.

Niagara's Fury

Right near the Canadian Horseshoe Falls is Table Rock, which is the main tourist building for all things Niagara Falls related.  In the building itself, a new attraction built in 2008 allows visitors to "experience" the creation of Niagara Falls.

To start the show, you'll meet some woodland characters who teach you in a humorous way how Niagara Falls was created started in the last Ice Age.  From there, you'll walk into a 360 degree theater where you witness the creation of the falls reduced to a few minutes.  You'll feel the wind, power and water during the show and a poncho is definitely needed (and freely provided!).  

We really didn't know what to expect heading into this unique experience, but we came out of it with smiles on our face and our ponchos thoroughly drenched!

If you're considering doing this attraction as well as the other popular ones in the area, I'd highly recommend getting the Niagara Falls Adventure Pass to save a few bucks.  It combines the price of this attraction, the Maid of the Mist, the White Water Walk and Journey Behind The Falls all into one.

Journey Behind The Falls

Want to experience the true power of Niagara Falls?  Well, this is about as close as you can get.  The "Journey Behind The Falls" attraction allows you to enter into caves with exits that go right behind the falls.  The sheer power you'll feel is quite extraordinary.  However, the best views are had when you walk just to the side of the falls.  

From here, you'll get a great view, as shown below, of the Canadian Horseshoe falls.  From the second you exit the doorway, you'll feel the mist hitting you, and as you get closer to the falls, it'll feel more like you're in a storm than anything else.  

The free ponchos that are provided are a must-need (unless you want to get soaked).  You should also make sure you take either a water proof camera or secure it in a way so that it won't get wet if you want to continue taking photos on your trip.

If you're considering doing this attraction as well as the other popular ones in the area, I'd highly recommend getting the Niagara Falls Adventure Pass to save a few bucks.  It combines the price of this attraction, the Maid of the Mist, the White Water Walk and Niagara's Fury all into one.