The world's first long distance phone call was made from the Bell homestead near Brantford
Brantford, Ontario -The next Canada Cool ‘hot spot’ is the Bell ‘Homestead’, overlooking the Grand River, 5 km south of Brantford, an hour’s drive from Toronto. Brantford’s famous citizens have included hockey great Wayne Gretzky, comedian Phil Hartman, and telephone inventor Alexander Graham Bell. Bell worked on his famous invention at his family's home here at 94 Tutela Heights Rd, and he made the world’s first long-distance phone call from this location on August 10, 1876. There were actually three successful tests; from the Homestead to the general store in Mount Pleasant just south of Brantford, from Brantford to the Bell Homestead, and from a shop in the village of Paris to the Homestead. Bell's invention changed the world. For information on packages
Where: Brantford, just 93 km (58 miles) southwest of Toronto, boasts its own symphony orchestra, opera guild, and even an annual international jazz festival. There are eleven local museums, aboriginal tours, and it has a thriving community of artisans. For outdoors lovers the Grand River, a designated heritage river, offers canoeing, kayaking, rafting and fishing. For cyclists and hikers, local trails connect to the Trans Canada Trail. Quick Tip: Interested in learning about sustainable living? Check out the Luna project in the rural community of St. George, less than 20 minutes from Brantford. Three hour tours at alternative learning centre – two yurts with solar panels, wind turbines, composting toilets, etc. (contact lunaticadventures.com.)
In the News: The jewel of downtown Brantford, the beatuiflly restored Sanderson Centre for the Performing Arts. Productions range from children’s theatrical performances, comedies and dramas, to musical celebrities and orchestras.
Lucy Izon
Canada Cool is produced by award-winning Canadian travel writer & speaker Lucy Izon. Her travel stories & reports have appeared in numerous leading North American publications including the Los Angeles Times, Chicago Tribune, Toronto Star, Globe and Mail, and Chicken Soup for the Traveler's Soul. Bio page
Canada’s Coolest:
Welcome to a new feature on Canada Cool. I'll be presenting different 'Coolest' lists with my favorites and I encourage you to nominate suggestions from your own experiences. You can Twitter @CanadaCool or email [email protected]. Let me know what makes your suggestion exceptionally cool. Remember, by contributing your comments you are giving Canada Cool permission to quote you. Only a selection of submissions will be included, but all comments and submissions are greatly appreciated!
The first feature is: Canada's Coolest Single Day Scenic Drives
Here are some of my favorites...
The Icefields Parkway, Jasper National Park, Alberta - This 229 km (142 mi) Rocky Mountain route from Banff/Lake Louise to Jasper passes 100 frozen rivers and nudges the base of the Athabasca Glacier - the most accessible glacier in the world. You can stop and explore it. It spills down from the Columbia Icefield, an area of ice so massive that you could fit the entire population of North America on it with each person getting at least a square metre of space.
The Corridor, Algonquin Park, Ontario – this 56-km stretch of Hwy 60 cuts through the southwest section of Algonquin Park. Less than three hours north of Toronto the park is a nature-lover's paradise with 7,725 km of lakes, rivers, forest, trails, camping, comfortable lodges and 2000 km of canoe routes. Offers hiking trails to stop and enjoy, but what makes it really cool is that it’s one of the best places in North America to spot moose (especially in May and June). And, on Thursday nights in August up to 600 cars will gather to listen to wolves howl.
The Cabot Trail, Cape Breton, Nova Scotia – Driving this 303 km (187 mile) route is like riding a roller-coaster: the road snakes around hairpin turns, rises to heights over 365 metres (1200 ft), weaves around headlands revealing spectacular coastal scenery, and plunges down to sea level taking you into the heart of small fishing communities. The most dramatic scenery is between the Cape Breton Highlands National Park entrance near Cheticamp and Pleasant Bay, so go slow. And, plan some flexibility into your schedule, so you can drive it on a clear day.
And here are some of your nominations for 'Canada's Coolest Single Day Scenic Drives'...
More from Canada’s Coolest
'Canada's Coolest' topics we'll be publishing in the future:
- Golf Course Features
- Haunted Hotels
- Hotel Special Services
Send your suggestions to [email protected]
Recent 'Canada's Coolest' topics:
