You can experience one of North America's largest Pow Wow's near Brantford
Brantford, Ontario - The Six Nations Champion of Champions Pow Wow, which includes traditional costumes, drumming, singing and a dance competition with over 400 participants, plus crafts and food booths. About 15,000 people get a taste of native culture at the annual two-day Pow Wow event, held the last weekend of July, at Ohsweken, southeast of Brantford. The name was chosen to attract dancers, who compete for the title 'Champion of Champion'. Dancers from across North America. While you're in the region, you can learn more about First Nations history at the 17th century Kanata Iroquois Village (an authentic replica with interactive exhibits that offers some sleep-over packages), the Woodland Cultural Centre, (the birthplace of poet Pauline Johnson) and Her Majesty's Chapel of the Mohawks (the only royal chapel outside of Britain). Actor Graham Greene was born on the Six Nations Reserve in 1952.
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.)
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:
