Frommer's Favorite Experiences

Exploring the Cabot Trail in Nova Scotia: This wildly scenic driving loop around Cape Breton Highlands National Park delivers a surplus of dramatic coastal scenery. Take a few days to explore the area. You can hike along blustery headlands, search for whales on a tour boat, and dabble around a cove or two in a sea kayak.

Hiking Gros Morne National Park in Newfoundland: When the earth's land masses broke apart and shifted 500 million years ago, a piece of the mantle, the very shell of the planet, was thrust upward to form tableland mountains of rock here. Spend a week or more trekking along the coastal trails, venturing to scenic waterfalls, and strolling alongside landlocked fjords.

Watching the World Go by at a Québec City Café: On a sunny summer Saturday, sit outside at Le Marie-Clarisse restaurant in the Quartier Petit-Champlain at the foot of the Breakneck Stairs. From there you can watch the goings-on in one of the oldest European communities in the New World while enjoying some of the best seafood in town. A folksinger may do a half-hour set, and then be followed by a classical guitarist.

Spending a Night at the Theater in Toronto: Toronto has a reputation for producing some blockbuster shows. Toronto theater has included The Producers, Wicked, and a Les Misérables revival on its calendar. Just don't overlook the offerings from the city's excellent smaller troupes, such as the Canadian Stage Company (CanStage), the Tarragon Theatre, and the Lorraine Kimsa Theatre for Young People.

Seeing the Polar Bears in Churchill: In October or November, travel by train or plane to Churchill and the shores of Hudson Bay to view hundreds of magnificent polar bears, which migrate to the bay's icy shores and even lope into Churchill itself. In the evening, you can glimpse the famous aurora borealis (northern lights).

Horseback Riding in the Rockies: Rent a cabin on a rural guest ranch and get back in the saddle again. Spend a day fishing, then return to the lodge for a country dance or barbecue. Ride a horse to a backcountry chalet in the rugged mountain wilderness. Forget the crowded park highways and commercialized resort towns and just relax.

Sailing the Great Bear Rain Forest in British Columbia: About halfway up B.C.'s west coast is an isolated region of mountains, fjords, bays, rivers, and inlets. It's one of the last places where grizzly bear are still found in large numbers, plus salmon, killer whales, otters, and porpoises.

Spotting Whales at Digby Neck in Nova Scotia: For a chance to see fin, minke, or humpback whales, choose from a dozen whale-watching outfitters located along this narrow peninsula of remote fishing villages. Right, sperm, blue, and pilot whales, along with the infrequent orcas, have also been seen over the years. Getting to the tip of the peninsula is half the fun -- it requires two ferries.

Strolling on the Terrasse Dufferin in Québec City: This boardwalk promenade with benches and green-and-white-roofed gazebos runs along the cusp of the bluff rearing up behind the original colonial settlement. At its back is the landmark Château Frontenac, and out front is the long silvery sweep of the St. Lawrence, where ferries glide back and forth, and cruise ships and Great Lakes freighters and tankers put in at the port. To the east is the trailing edge of the Adirondacks, and downriver you can see the last of the Laurentian Mountains.

Looking for Pelicans in Prince Albert National Park: On Lavallee Lake roosts the second-largest pelican colony in North America. Bison, moose, elk, caribou, black bear, and red fox also roam free in this 400,000-hectare (1 million-acre) wilderness.

Driving along Icefields Parkway in Alberta: This is one of the world's grandest mountain drives. Cruising along it is like a trip back to the ice ages. The parkway climbs past glacier-notched peaks to the Columbia Icefields, a sprawling cap of snow, ice, and glacier at the very crest of the Rockies.

Peering Out from Niagara Falls: This is still a wonder of nature despite its commercial exploitation. You can experience the falls from the cockpit of a helicopter or from the decks of the Maid of the Mist, which takes you into the roaring maelstrom. The least intimidating view is from the Skylon Tower.

Walking along Halifax's Waterfront: Take your time strolling along Halifax's working waterfront. You can visit museums, board a historic ship or two, enjoy a snack, and take an inexpensive ferry ride across the harbor and back. Come evening, there's fiddle and guitar playing at the pubs.

Eating Fresh Lobster in Nova Scotia: Wherever you see the wooden lobster traps piled on a wharf, you'll know a fresh lobster meal isn't far away. The most productive lobster fisheries are around Shediac, New Brunswick, and all along Nova Scotia's Atlantic coast. Sunny days are ideal for cracking open a crustacean while sitting at a wharf-side picnic table, preferably with a locally brewed beer close at hand.

Bicycling in Prince Edward Island: This island province sometimes seems like it was created specifically for bike touring. The villages are reasonably spaced, the hills are virtually nonexistent, the coastal roads are picturesque in the extreme, and a new island-wide bike path offers detours through marshes and quiet woodlands.