Travel Deal for Canada Day Weekend, June 29-July 1, 2013
What better way to celebrate Canada Day than by visiting one of the jewels of this nation? Parks Canada offers free admission to any of its 36 national parks, eight national park reserves, 167 national historic sites and four national marine conservation areas on July 1, 2013.
That means you could enter some of the finest and most acclaimed attractions in the nation for no cost at all, a savings of about $20 per person on several of the parks’ entry fees.
Here are just a handful of the outstanding sites you can visit on Canada Day for free.
Fortress Louisbourg, Cape Breton, Nova Scotia: Vacay.ca named the national historic site the No. 1 place to visit in Canada this year. Here’s your chance to learn why first hand. And you’ll save $17.60 on the adult admission cost.
More about Louisbourg’s selection as the top spot for 2013: “Settled by French colonists in 1713, the fortified city at the southeast tip of Cape Breton is an unusual national park. It’s a fabricated landmark made to represent one-fifth of colonial Louisbourg, which at its peak had a population of more than 6,000 people. The depiction of life in the 18th century is not only fascinating, but thoroughly entertaining, with visitors having the opportunity to participate in workshops and meet historic figures. Among the facts you’ll learn is that five to nine languages were spoken in Louisbourg at any given time, because of the multicultural nature of its fishing operations. In fact, the more you get to know about this seaport, the more you realize that Louisbourg300 is actually a celebration of the beginning of Canada, not just a French colony on the Atlantic.” Read more about Louisbourg
Prince Albert National Park, Saskatchewan: This park north of Saskatoon is a treasure of natural wonders, including Canada’s only colony of white pelicans and a herd of plains bison. The park is also home to the No. 5 place to visit in Canada in 2013, according to Vacay.ca. Beautiful Lake Waskesiu is a large, clean body of water with loads of water sports for families to enjoy. Entry fee to the park for an adult is usually $7.80.
Waterton Lakes, Alberta: This is where the US and Canada collide. This magnificent national park shares some territory with Glacier National Park across the border in Montana. The entry fee outside of the July 1 holiday is $7.80. Vacay.ca writer Karen Evenden says: ” Visitors can rent canoes, kayaks and pedal boats at this glacier-formed lake and in two hours or less can paddle across borders as the boundaries of Alberta, British Columbia and Montana converge.” Read more about Waterton Lakes
Point Pelee, Ontario: A haven for birds, Point Pelee annually attracts tens of thousand of migratory songbirds and is home to the Festival of Birds each May. Entry is $7.80 per adult, but is zero on Canada Day. Vacay.ca’s Nicole Keck writes: “Point Pelee, more than four hours southwest of Toronto and an hour east of Windsor, is a place of perpetual change in terms of its geography and migrating creatures — both avian and insect — who find respite in its Carolinian forests. The park extends seven kilometres into the western basin of Lake Erie. The peninsula gradually narrows into what is referred to as ‘the tip,’ where visitors can stand barefoot in the coarse sand and be almost completely surrounded by water.” Read more about Point Pelee National Park
As Canada turns 146, make it a point to visit one of the glorious natural spaces that are a big reason this country is again the No. 1 country brand in the world, according to the Reputation Institute.
For more about Parks Canada: Visit the government agency’s website.
