Nanaimo: The Lifestyle
What can we say? Come for the climate. Stay for the friends, the ocean, the mountains, the scenery, the wildlife, the golfing, the skiing, the sailing, the diving, the hiking, the cycling, the blossoms, the restaurants, the arts . . . No wonder people in British Columbia live longer on average than other Canadians. There’s just so much to do!
Whatever your choice of activities – from ambling along tranquil pathways bordered by towering fir trees and lush sword ferns or puttering about in your garden year round (the daffodils we planted in January were coming up in February!), to hiking up Mount Benson or kayaking around Newcastle Island - not to mention golfing in the morning and skiing in the afternoon – you can find them in or around Nanaimo. (As a former teacher, I recognize this is a run-on sentence, but it’s so very difficult to be concise when discussing options available in Nanaimo. Shortly after moving to the city, I observed to my niece that there seemed to be every conceivable sport here short of fencing. I stand corrected. There are weekly fencing classes on Gabriola Island.)
Art galleries and theatres abound. Check out the website for our incredible 800-seat Port Theatre (www.porttheatre.com) and get some idea of the depth of our eclectic arts community and the diversity of cultural opportunities offered here. Nanaimo is known as The Harbour City, but it could just as appropriately be called The Festival City (Maple Sugar Festival, Music Festival, Dragon Boat Festival, Marine Festival to name a few), if Stratford hadn’t already grabbed that moniker!
And did we mention the restaurants and shopping? Oooo, ahhh, mmmm! My mouth waters, and my debit card heats up! From the Old Quarter with its funky bistros and boutiques, to the Farmers’ Market, to the north end with its franchise restaurants and big box stores, Nanaimo has it all.
There’s always something new to see, do or learn about. Whether you are getting the scoop on historical buildings downtown from one of our outstanding tour guides, learning to kayak from one of our adventure/tour operators, absorbing culture from a new friend who moved here from another land, or enrolled in something more formal at Malaspina University-College (www.mala.ca), learning is a big part of living in Nanaimo.
Additional Links
Nanaimo Golf Club
www.nanaimogolfclub.ca
Diving
www.divingbc.com
Alberni Outpost (kayaking and biking)
www.albernioutpost.com
Adventuress Sea Kayaking
www.adventuress.ca
Coastal Revelations Vancouver Island Hiking Tours
www.coastalrevelations.com
Pacific EcoVentures (Elderhostel programs in British Columbia)
www.ecoventures.bc.ca
Mount Washington Alpine Resort
www.mountwashington.ca
Tracks Outdoor Adventures
www.tracksoutdooradventures.com
Fairwinds Resort (real estate, golf course, hotel, marina)
www.fairwinds.ca
Longwood Brew Pub
www.longwoodbrewpub.com
Woodgrove Shopping Centre (the largest indoor shopping center on the Island)
www.woodgrovecentre.com
Harbour Living (Events Resource)
www.harbourliving.ca
Synergy Magazine (Health and Wellness)
www.synergymag.ca
Nanaimo Movies | Nanaimo Movie Theatres
www.nanaimomovies.com
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