Museum of Anthropology
Arthur Erickson’s concrete-and-glass building alone justifies the UBC trip. The totem poles inside the Great Hall seal it.
Things to Do in Canada
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Citadel of Quebec
The Changing of the Guard here is the real thing — an active regiment, a live goat mascot, and views over the St. Lawrence that put the whole city in context.
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Auberge Saint-Antoine
Auberge Saint-Antoine put 5,000 artifacts in my hallway. My room had a documented relic on the wall. Quebec City history doesn’t get more literal.
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Moraine Lake
Moraine Lake’s turquoise water peaks in late June — that color is real, it’s glacial rock flour, and it’s worth rearranging your whole Banff itinerary.
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Banff National Park
Moraine Lake gets the photos, but the Icefields Parkway is where Banff actually earns its reputation.
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Banff Springs Hotel
The Banff Springs has been calling itself a castle since 1888 — staying here once makes it hard to argue otherwise.
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Park Distillery Restaurant + Bar
Park Distillery is Canada’s only distillery inside a national park — glacier water, wood-fired meats, and house-made rye in downtown Banff.
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Banff Park Museum
The Banff Park Museum is a 1903 log building frozen in time — Victorian cases, original specimens, and a conservation story most visitors walk right past.
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Queen Elizabeth Theatre
The QET’s cantilevered balconies mean no bad seats — and Bill Reid’s lobby sculpture alone is worth arriving early for.
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Banff Gondola
Eight minutes up, 2,281 meters high, six mountain ranges in view. The ridgetop boardwalk to Sanson’s Peak is the part most visitors skip.
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The Maple Leaf Grill & Lounge
Maple jalapeño duck wings and Alberta bison in downtown Banff — The Maple Leaf has been the local benchmark for Canadian cuisine since 2000.
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Stanley Park
Stanley Park’s 8.8 km Seawall costs nothing and outperforms every Vancouver tour package. Budget 3 hours minimum — most people need more.
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Miku Restaurant
Aburi sushi — flame-seared, pressed, and torched tableside — is what Miku does better than anyone else in Vancouver.
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Musée de la civilisation
The Musée de la civilisation sits steps from the Saint Lawrence and covers Quebec identity better than anywhere else in the city.
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Gastown Steam Clock
Built in 1977, the Gastown Steam Clock looks Victorian but isn’t — and that small deception makes it more interesting, not less.
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Le District Saint-Joseph
Old Quebec gets the crowds, but Saint-Joseph is where locals actually eat, drink, and make things worth seeing.
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Vancouver Aquarium
The Vancouver Aquarium has rescued over 150 marine mammals a year since 1956 — and you can watch that work up close.
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Lake Louise
That turquoise color isn’t a filter — it’s rock flour from the Victoria Glacier. Get there before 8am or accept the crowds.
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Café La Maison Smith
Café La Maison Smith sits in a 1653 building at Place Royale — order the coffee, slow down, and let Old Quebec do the rest.
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Plains of Abraham
A 30-minute battle in 1759 shaped all of Canada. Walking these 98 hectares above the St. Lawrence, that weight is hard to shake.