FACTSHEET March 8, 2011 Ministry of Tourism, Trade and Investment

GETTING THERE IS HALF THE FUN (VS. ARE WE THERE YET?)

VICTORIA – If you plan to enjoy a spring staycation in B.C. next week, there’s a good chance your kids will spend some time in the back seat, en route to some of the family-friendly locations and activities all over the province.

You could load the laptop or iPod with movies or games to keep your young passengers occupied. Or you could try some other options that will help them engage with their surroundings, urban or rural – and enjoy the ride through Super, Natural B.C.

Scavenger hunts, also known as car bingo, help your kids notice details of their environment. Print out enough car bingo lists for everyone (except the driver), and see who can check the most items on their list.

1. Rural scavenger hunt Circle route signs. Did you know B.C. has nine circle routes, starting and ending at the same place and focusing on different themes, including hot springs (seven of them, from Revelstoke through Radium and )? For more information: http://www.th.gov.bc.ca/Circle_Routes/circle_routes_home.htm#indexmap B&B signs. www.hellobc.com lists over 700 bed and breakfasts throughout the province. A train. Three passenger trains operate in B.C. – VIA Rail, Rocky Mountaineer, and Amtrak – as well as CN and CP’s freight trains. The last spike of the was driven on Nov. 7, 1885, at Craigellachie, marking the completion of Canada’s first transcontinental railway. A tunnel. B.C. has numerous tunnels, including the Spiral Tunnels in near Field. These two tunnels are the only ones of their kind in North America, and were built in the 1900s to ease the grade along one of the steepest and most hazardous sections of the Canadian Pacific Railway. Look for a long train to pass through the tunnel – it actually “criss-crosses” underneath itself. Wild animals. Try to spot a bear, elk, deer, mountain goat, moose or sheep. has more than 1,100 different wildlife species and some of the most diverse ecosystems in the world. A BC Parks sign. B.C. has nearly 1,000 provincial parks and protected areas, attracting about 20 million visits every year. This year marks the 100th anniversary of B.C.’s first provincial park, Strathcona Provincial Park. (You might want to check www.env.gov.bc.ca/bcparks/explore/regions.html before you leave to make sure there’s one on your route – and stop there if you have the time.) A waterfall. B.C. is home to most of Canada’s highest waterfalls, including Della Falls on Island, nearly eight times the height of Niagara.

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Overhead road message signs. B.C. has 45 electronic overhead signs – including some on Vancouver Island on both sides of the Malahat, in the Fraser Valley before Hope, and on the Coquihalla – reporting weather and road conditions. If you’re travelling the Coquihalla, bonus points for spotting the Shakespeare signs named after nearby Kettle Valley Railway stations, built between 1910 and 1916. Chief engineer Andrew McCulloch had a real passion for the Bard, and he named the stations along the Coquihalla section of the railway after characters from Shakespeare’s plays. A rest area. B.C. has 170 of them, offering washrooms, picnic benches and other facilities for travellers needing a break. A visitor centre. Look for the blue and yellow logo. Visitor centres are found throughout the province and offer tourist information, assistance and advice. A fishing rod. If you’re driving by the Houston Visitor Centre in northern B.C., look for Canada’s largest fly fishing rod – eight metres high. B.C. has 468 species of fish, including North America’s largest freshwater fish, the white sturgeon. They have been known to grow to six metres, or the length of a small school bus, and can live more than 100 years. A horse. The Cariboo Chilcotin Coast is B.C.’s cowboy country, and is home to the province’s highest concentration of guest and dude ranches. Ranches offer activities besides horseback riding, including hiking, fishing, canoeing, swimming and biking.

2. Urban scavenger hunt

Any kind of aircraft, helicopter, seaplane, jet, turboprop, ultralight – in the air, on the water, or on the ground. B.C. has more than three dozen certified airports – from YVR in Vancouver (Canada’s second busiest) to small airports like YGB on Texada Island. A police car. (Bonus points if it’s a ghost car). A sign in a language other than Canada’s two official ones, French and English. A limousine. (Bonus points if it’s a stretch limo). A British Columbia flag. At the top is a rendition of the Union Flag with a crown in the centre. Four wavy white and blue lines below symbolize B.C.’s location between the Pacific Ocean and the Rocky Mountains, with a setting sun below. It was first flown on a BC Ferries vessel in 1960. A White Spot. This legendary B.C. restaurant started in 1928, when Nat Bailey opened his first drive-in on Granville Street in Vancouver. White Spots are now found throughout B.C. and in , and its burgers are served on BC Ferries. A totem pole. British Columbia has the world’s tallest totem pole in Alert Bay (52.7 metres); the world’s tallest, free-standing totem pole carved from a single log in Beacon Hill Park in Victoria; the world’s thickest totem pole in Duncan (1.8 metres in diameter); and the world’s smallest totem pole in the Museum of Anthropology at the University of B.C. (4.4 centimetres, carved by Roy Hanuse). A cyclist. Victoria is the Cycling Capital of Canada and boasts more cyclists per capita than any other city in Canada. In Vancouver, try and spot the “cyclist green light” – Vancouver has more than 300 traffic signals for bikes. A deer. Hundreds of thousands of deer live in rural B.C. – but increasingly they’re establishing their homes in cities, too. If you spot one by the road, be sure to let the driver know – deer and cars don’t mix! -more-

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A bus. There are a variety of different buses in urban areas. Get a point for each type you spot, but keep in mind, not all styles listed will be in every city. Types to look for include: 1) Regular trolley (with the bars attached to electric lines overhead). 2) Articulated trolley (like the regular trolley, but made of two cars that bend in the middle, known as “bendy buses” or “slinkies”). 3) Regular diesel. 4) Articulated diesel (“bendy” or “slinky”). 5) Community shuttles (smaller buses). 6) Double decker.

Why It Matters:

Tourism provides employment for nearly 129,000 British Columbians in every region of the province, and is a $12.7-billion sector. B.C. residents make up the single largest group of travellers within B.C.

Quote:

Margaret MacDiarmid, Minister of Tourism, Trade and Investment, and Minister of Education:

“Spring break is the perfect time to explore the attractions in our province that draw tourists to B.C. from all over the world. By travelling close to home, you’ll reduce your family’s carbon footprint, support a key industry in B.C.’s economy and the families who rely on it for their paycheques, and help your children learn more about their home province.”

Learn More at:

Tourism BC: www.hellobc.com

Media Contact: Carolyn Heiman Public Affairs Bureau Ministry of Tourism, Trade and Investment 250 387-2799

For more information on government services or to subscribe to the Province’s news feeds using RSS, visit the Province’s website at www.gov.bc.ca.