In terms of travel, the year’s end is a time to remember what fun we had on vacations, where we went and where we didn’t go.
The new year is a time to look ahead. With that in mind, here are four places that you might have been meaning to visit for years, but haven’t yet gotten around to it.
Plan now and reserve early so that next year you’ll be reminiscing about at least four great trips you took in 2005.
Spring in Victoria
Being in Victoria, B.C., is like being in England, with its tea shops, antiques and pictures of Queen Elizabeth II everywhere you look.
There is so much to do on a getaway to Victoria that tourists can easily get caught up in the hustle of shopping, museums and quaint British whatnots.
The Royal British Columbia Museum is a great place to visit for a day or two, especially because admission tickets can be used more than one day.
The First Peoples Gallery, with its beautiful dancer masks and longhouse, are worth the visit alone. The Modern History Gallery takes you on a replica of the HMS Discovery captained by George Vancouver in the late 18th century. Walk on cobblestone streets past the Grand Hotel to the Northern Pacific Saloon.
At the Inner Harbour and just across the road from the museum, you can visit the elegant Fairmont Empress Hotel. If you’re willing to splurge, take afternoon tea, served there since the early 1900s. Otherwise, walk through and take in the elegant ambience of this turn-of-the-century hotel.
Since afternoon tea in Victoria is imperative, you may consider the not-so-fancy-schmancy teahouses: Murchies on Government Street or off Victoria’s beaten track in Oak Bay, The White Heather Tea Room where “The Big Muckle Tea” offers plenty of food for two people, a challenge to finish.
Any time of year, a trip to the award-winning Butchart Gardens is fun. The 55 acres of floral displays include a Japanese garden, a sunken garden, a rose garden and fountains. Stop along the way for a beverage or lunch.
Accommodations in Victoria range from expensive downtown hotels such as the Empress and the Hotel Grand Pacific to moderate and inexpensive lodgings such as Abigail’s Hotel and Heathergate House Bed and Breakfast in James Bay.
Summer on the coast
Ahh, there’s nothing like the long warm days of summer on the Oregon coast for walks on the beach with beautiful ocean views. Sea, sand and fresh air are interspersed with small towns and lighthouses.
Just north of Cannon Beach, a visit to Ecola State Park provides a good view of Tillamook Rock Lighthouse. This lighthouse is now a columbarium cemetery, a place where ashes of the dead are stored.
Sandcastle Days at Cannon Beach is an event that attracts people from all across the world to play in the sand. This year the event will take place from June 3 through 6.
One of the most popular attractions is Haystack Rock. At low tide, colorful creatures including starfish and crabs can be viewed in the tide pools.
A little further south in Newport is the Oregon Coast Aquarium, former home of Keiko, the killer whale star of the movie “Free Willy.” The aquarium offers a variety of day camps and sleepovers to suit everyone.
Visitors can stay in hotels, motels or bed and breakfasts. There are also some cottage and cabin accommodations that work well for those who want to cook their own food and take their own time.
Fall into the hot springs
North of the border up Canada way, but without having to take a ferry, is the peaceful little town of Harrison.
A few days at Harrison, in the Fraser Valley and about 90 minutes east of Vancouver, can be restful in this idyllic setting on Harrison Lake.
The town itself is famous for its mineral hot springs that melt away your cares. The public hot springs pools are open year-round. Visitors are charged a nominal fee for admission.
Adventure is also readily available. Take a boat trip on the lake, water ski, wind surf or hike the surrounding hills. In the summer the beach is host to a popular sand-sculpting competition.
People from all around the world come to the Harrison Hot Springs Resort and Spa to soak in the five indoor and outdoor pools and stay in one of the more than 300 rooms, cottages and suites. The pools are different temperatures, and there’s a spa for hot stone massages, pedicures and other services.
Restaurants at the resort include the Copper Room for fine dining and dancing. The Lakeside Cafe is more casual, with a great view of the lake.
Winter on Whidbey Island
Although the Web site for Whidbey and Camano islands says “do nothing here,” there is so much to do on Whidbey, even in the winter, that frequent getaways to this jewel are a must.
Winter hasn’t officially started by Dec. 4 but visitors to the Whidbey Holiday Bed and Breakfast Tour and Tastes in Langley can get a feel for the upcoming holiday season.
Inns, B&Bs and guest cottages dress up in their holiday finery and open their doors so that people can take a peek at their cozy havens. Along the way collect recipe cards from the establishments and taste a dish or dessert made by your hosts.
The Langley Mystery Weekend is a great winter getaway with fun for the whole family. This interactive murder mystery spans two days. Collect clues from actors strolling the streets and lurking in local businesses. There’s a chance to win prizes for sleuths who find out whodunit. This year the event will be Feb. 26 and 27.
The town of Coupeville hosts the Penn Cove Mussel Festival March 5 and 6. Visitors can sign up for the mussel-eating contest and a scavenger hunt or enter the mussel recipe contest.
Catch a song or two from the Shifty Sailors, who roam around singing sea chanteys. There are races and scavenger hunts for kids, too.
Reporter Christina Harper: 425-339-3491 or harper@heraldnet.com.
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