BY CLAY LARROY
Leisure
travel is
a wonderful experience that everyone should have in their lifetime. Even
business travel can be made enjoyable. There are some aspects of travel that
can detract from your enjoyment. When
planning to fly for a trip, don't forget any frequent flier miles you might
have racked up. It does you no good to hang onto those once you've already gone
on your big vacation. Even if you don't have enough miles to cover the whole
trip, many airlines will allow you to discount your rate using your miles. When you want to
plan a vacation contact me!
YELLOWKNIFE, "DIAMOND CAPITAL OF NORTH AMERICA"
Friendly Little City
Yellowknife
has a reputation as a friendly little city, a happy reminder of its frontier
past. The City of Yellowknife sits on the north shore of Great Slave Lake, the
ninth-largest lake in the world, and the deepest recorded lake in North
America. It is a unique urban outpost of a town, with all the modern amenities
of a large city in the middle of a vast subarctic wilderness. You are only
minutes away from nature trails, lakes, abundant wildlife, and
waterfalls.
Yellowknife offers the visitor plenty
of opportunity to experience the North’s cultural heritage. Learn about the
ancient aboriginal history of the north shore of Great Slave Lake, the fur
trading empire that stretched along the waterways of the 19th century, and the
settlers that came to Yellowknife Bay in the mid-1930s in search of precious
metals. Experience northern heritage in today's landscape, where old traditions
mix with the modern way of life, a Yellowknife where diamonds are now
mined from the Canadian Shield, while old methods of transportation - ice roads
and vintage airplanes - still provide steady service to our communities.
Northern Frontier
Visitors Center
Yellowknife's regional visitors center
should be your first stop when you arrive. It is easily accessible just off the
main highway leading into town and our staff can offer you a wide range of
information on the surrounding landscape. Exhibits on Yellowknife history,
mining and geology, natural history, and aboriginal culture is presented in
constantly evolving displays. A small gift shop offers a selection of northern
souvenirs. Our staff can help you plan your visit to Yellowknife by providing
contact information for services and brochures on what there is to see and
do.
Prince of Wales
Northern Heritage Center
The Prince of Wales Northern Heritage Center is the NWT museum and archives. The museum acquires and manages
objects and archival materials that represent the cultures and history of the
Northwest Territories, plays a primary role in documenting and providing
information about the cultures and history of the NWT, and provides
professional museum, archives and cultural resource management services to
partner organizations. The museum holds in trust for the public a large collection
of objects that represent the peoples and cultures of the NWT, and produces
exhibitions that tell stories about the land, people and history. Visit http://www.pwnhc.ca for more information on exhibits.
Northern Arts and
Cultural Centre
The Northern Arts and Cultural Center (NACC) is a 313 seat theater facility located in Yellowknife, Northwest
Territories, Canada. It was built with the help of the publisher of the
Globe and Mail newspaper whose fund raising efforts
raised monies from varied sources across Canada. It is
the only fully equipped live performance theater in the NWT. NACC is
a venue and supporting agency for northern, national and international
artists. We operate a variety of programs in communities throughout the
NWT on an ongoing basis. From educational workshops to performing artist mentor-ships, the NACC is a vital part of the community of the Northwest
Territories. Visit the NACC website at http://www.naccnt.ca/for
information on upcoming performances.
NWT Diamond Centre
Visit the NWT Diamond Center at
5105-49th St. where the stories of Diavik and Snap Lake Mine -
located 300 kilometers north of Yellowknife - is told in this interpretive
exhibit, showcasing the fascinating geology of kimberlite deposits, the technology
of mining in the sub-arctic, and the process to turn a rough stone in a
beautiful diamond. Visitors to the center may purchase diamonds that
have been mined, cut and polished in the NWT. The NWT Diamond Center is
open from 9am-5pm Monday to Friday. For more information, please call
(867) 920-7108.
Mining Heritage
Displays
The NWT Mining Heritage Society has
begun development of a mining interpretive center at the old Giant Mine town-site. Outdoor exhibits of old mining machinery, vehicles, and some buildings
are on display for public viewing near the Public Boat Launch at Giant Mine.
Visit http://www.nwtminingheritage.com for
more information about the proposed mining museum.
Legislative
Assembly
The seat of government for the
Northwest Territories is located in the capital city of Yellowknife. The
Legislative Assembly building is one of the newest legislatures in Canada and
one of the most unique, highlighting our consensus style of government and also
the traditional values of the people of the territory. The Legislative
Assembly is where Members from across the Northwest Territories come together
and make decisions on behalf of all Northerners. Tours are available of the
facility, where visitors can learn about the unique system of consensus
government that sets the Northwest Territories apart. Visithttp://www.assembly.gov.nt.ca/_live/pages/wpPages/visitortours.aspx for information on tours.
Bristol Monument
This old airplane introduces the
visitor to Yellowknife along Highway #3, near the Airport. It is a Bristol
freighter, once operated by Wardair Limited, an early air operator in the
community. This very plane was the first the land on skis at the
North Pole in 1967. The historic craft was donated to the City of Yellowknife
in 1970 and is on display for all to see and appreciate the north's aviation
heritage.
Ice Roads
The north has very few all-season roads
because construction is expensive and often an engineering feat in the
sub-arctic. Luckily, intrepid transportation engineers have devised a way to
keep our communities and mining projects open to traffic nearly year-round,
through the construction of ice roads. Several ice roads, including an access
road across Yellowknife Bay to the aboriginal community of Dettah, and the
famous ice road to the diamond mines, are open for public use in the winter
months of January to March each year. It is suggested that travelers keep
up-to-date on road conditions by visiting the GNWT Department of
Transportation website at: http://www.dot.gov.nt.ca/_live/pages/wpPages/roadConditions.aspx
Old Town
Yellowknife’s Old Town is a
must-see for all visitors. It’s a rocky point of land, part of the City’s Great
Slave Lake waterfront, with a colorful past. It was an ideal location to begin
a community in the 1930's. The waterfront was once the commercial hub
of the region, where float planes and barges would pull up to their moorage,
and several pioneer business got their start to service the miners and
trappers. Old Town is now an upscale residential and commercial
area with many gift shops, restaurants, cafes, and accommodations.
Walk the historic streets of Old Town
with a heritage guidebook available for free from the Northern Frontier
Visitors Center. Buildings from the 1930's rub shoulders with unique homes designed
by local architects. Bush planes still tie up to the docks and land on the
historic water domes of Back Bay. In summer, eat at the Wildcat Café, the
city’s oldest restaurant, dating back to 1937. Year round, try the fish and
chips cooked to order at Bullock's Bistro. Shop for your clothing needs at
Weaver & Devore Trading, Yellowknife's oldest trading post in business
since 1936.
Don’t miss the panoramic view from the
Bush Pilots Monument. In summer, Great Slave Lake stretches to the horizon, in
fall and winter, the aurora dances overhead. The monument commemorates the men
and women who flew the tiny bush planes which opened the North. Hike up the
stairs, the view of water, rock and the city is truly breathtaking.
New Town
The downtown core of Yellowknife was
established in 1945 to accommodate the growth of the community which had out
grew its roots along the waterfront. It is now the commercial core of the city
and offers all of your shopping and accommodation needs. A heritage
guidebook available for free from the Northern Frontier Visitors Centre can
help show you some of the local history of the area, where old suburban houses
from the 1940s mix with government office towers.
Ragged Ass Road
Ragged Ass Road in Old Town's Willow
Flats area is a must see for visitors. 'Ragged Ass' is a colloquial term for
“dirt poor”. The story involves three local fellows, a late night and just
the right amount of liquor. The boys decided to rename their street Ragged Ass
Road. They painted a sign and put it up, in a part of Yellowknife called Old
Town. The name stuck, and soon after, Ragged Ass Road was adopted as an
official street name. Singer Tom Cochrane named a music album after Ragged
Ass Road. Pick up your very own full sized (or pint sized) official Ragged Ass
Road sign from the Northern Frontier Visitor's Center gift shop, together with
a wide variety of other Ragged Ass memorabilia.
Art Walk
Yellowknife hosts a vibrant art
community. There are dozens of galleries and artists in residence, plus a
number of public displays of art, murals, and sculptures around the town.
Please visit the Northern Frontier Visitor's Center for an 'Artswalk'
brochure.
REFERENCE SITE:
I used to live in Canada. It's a beautiful country with a lot of different kind of topographic regions.
Sebastian Bach
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