State Places Challenge -- A to Z

[AZBuck]

Its motto, "Super, Natural", doesn't do it justice

Aboriginal Tourism: The First Nations of BC offer a unique perspective on the land
Butchart Gardens: 55 acres of amazing plants
Crowsnest Highway: Across the Canadian Rockies near the U.S. border, makes a great loop with the Trans-Canada
Dawson Creek: The starting point of the Alaska Highway
Elkford: The wilderness capitol of BC, and that's saying a lot
Fort Nelson: Gateway to the far north, nest stop: the Yukon
Glacier National Park: Some of the best of the Canadian Rockies
Hornby Island: If you really want to get away from it all...
Invermere: Gateway to Kootenay National Park
Juan de Fuca Provincial Park: The Pacific Coast of Vancouver Island
Kootenay Lake Ferry: Take a little inland cruise
Lillooet: Ground Zero of the historic Cariboo Gold Rush
Mayne Island: One of half a dozen or so islands in the Straight of Georgia reachable by ferry
Nelson: Actually, this is one of my favorite places in BC
Osoyoos: in the Okanagan Valley, Canada's only true desert
Pacific Rim National Park Reserve: Coastal Rainforest
Quesnel: Home of the world's largest gold pan
Royal BC Museum: Victoria, The human and natural history of the province
Sea to Sky Highway: As scenic a road as you're likely to find anywhere
Totem Poles: Everywhere along the coast, here's a guide to some of the best
Ucluelet: "Safe Harbour" on the Pacific Rim coast
Vancouver: An incredibly cosmopolitan city, home to the 2010 Winter Olympics
Whistler: One of the best year-round mountain destinations in the world
Xá:Ytem Longhouse Interpretive Centre: The traditional meeting site of the Stó:lo First Nation
Yoho National Park: The other side of the Rockies from Banff
Zeballos: Near the northern end of Vancouver Island, a kayaker's paradise

[click here to get an explanation of what this is all about and to see the other states in our list]

[Syv]

Ontario

AGAWA CANYON - train ride, Algoma Country, Sault Ste. Marie
BRUCE PENINSULA NATIONAL PARK - Bruce Trail, Tobermory, hiking, warm beaches, & 20 shipwrecks for divers to explore
CN TOWER (1,815 feet and 5 inches tall) and CASA LOMA (castle & gardens) - Toronto
DRESDEN - home of Uncle Tom's Cabin Historical Site, tour the home of Rev. Josiah Henson whose life inspired the novel
ELMIRA - "kissing bridge" only remaining covered bridge in Ontario, Mennonite country, farmers' markets, Elora Gorge, bicycling
FENELON FALLS - on the Trent-Severn Waterway, fishing, boat tours
GANANOQUE - on the St. Lawrence Seaway - 1,000 Island boat cruises
HALIBURTON HIGHLANDS - winter dogsled derby & ice fishing, summer ATV & hummer rides, hiking, picturesque rolling hills & jagged rocks
ISLAND QUEEN - Canada's largest sightseeing cruise ship tours the rugged beauty of the 30,000 islands region, Georgian Bay, Parry Sound
JAMES BAY - board the Polar Bear Express in Cochrane for a train ride across Arctic terrain to James Bay
KITCHENER-WATERLOO OKTOBERFEST - the largest Bavarian festival in North America
or KAKABEKA FALLS - Thunder Bay, "Niagara of the north"
LAKE SUPERIOR - north shore scenic coastal drive including Canada's longest foot suspension bridge at Dorion, Terry Fox (Canada's hero) scenic lookout, Sleeping Giant Provincial Park
MUSKOKA - "cottage country" - resorts, lakes, golf, forests, fishing
NIAGARA FALLS - (Canadian side) - Maid of the Mist boat ride, Journey Behind the Falls, butterfly conservatory, shops, walking & bicycling paths, whirlpool lookout, gardens, casino, Marineland
OUIMET CANYON PROVINCIAL PARK - a geological fault 500 feet deep and wide, supporting arctic-alpine plants
POINT PELEE NATIONAL PARK - bird watching, sandy beaches, fall monarch butterfly migration
QUETICO PROVINCIAL PARK - wilderness canoeing, fishing, camping
ROYAL ONTARIO MUSEUM and ROYAL WINTER FAIR - Toronto
STRATFORD - Shakespearean plays & festival, antiques shopping
or SANDBANKS PROVINCIAL PARK
TIMMINS - home of Shania Twain, gold mine tour
or TULIP FESTIVAL - in Canada's capital city Ottawa - the largest tulip fest in the world
UPPER CANADA VILLAGE - 1860's pioneer village, west of Cornwall in Morrisburg
VINEYARDS - Niagara escarpment area wineries
WASAGA BEACH - world's longest freshwater beach, 8 miles of white sand on Georgian Bay
X-COUNTRY SKIING - cross-country and downhill skiing in Collingwood, Barrie and area, and the Muskoka area
YORK REGION - Canada's Wonderland (amusement park), Bass Pro Outlet (Vaughan Mills mall), The Briars golf and country club with full spa facilities
ZOO - Metro Toronto, Canada's best zoo with over 5,000 animals from around the world.

[click here to get an explanation of what this is all about and to see the other states in our list]

[AZBuck]

Land of the Living Skies

Andy Jamault Nature Trail: Arborfield, with a working paleontological dig at the end
Batoche National Historic Site: and Batoche Ghost Town
Canoeing: Thousands of square miles of wilderness, lakes and rivers
Duck Mountain Provincial Park: a self-described "island of green in a sea of grain"
Echo Valley Provincial Park: Named for the legend of an Indian brave who hears his love call to him the night she died
Fort Walsh National Historic Site: One of the original outposts of the North West Mounted Police
Grasslands National Park: Sitting Bull's refuge after the battle of the Little Bighorn
Heritage Farm & Village: North Battleford, recreating prairie life of the 1920s
Indian Head Museum: Indian Head, Tons of eclectic stuff, including a complete village garage from the '30s
Jasper Cultural & Historical Centre: Maple Creek, the Old West Canadian style
Katepwa Point Provincial Park: Regina's playground
Little Lake Manitou: The Lake of the Healing Waters
Moose Jaw: Besides having one of the coolest city names, it was a Capone hideout in the '20s
Nipawin Living Forestry Museum: Representative buildings and machinery, visit on Canada Day (July 1) if you can
Outlook & District Regional Park: Saskatchewan's 2005 Park of the Year
Prince Albert National Park: Boreal forest, free ranging buffalo, pelicans' summer home, and tundra
Qu'Appelle Valley: Saskatchewan's playground
RCMP Sunset Retreat: Regina, Akin to the Changing of the Guard, where the Mounties got started
Saskatchewan Science Centre: Regina, Family oriented and hands-on
T.rex Discovery Centre: Eastend, Built into and around the site of a world famous dino dig
Ukrainian Museum of Canada: Saskatoon, the story of their old and new homelands
Verigin: National Doukhobor Heritage site
Western Development Museum: Yorkton, The story of the settling of western Canada
X-Country Ski Trails: There are nearly 40 throughout the province
Yellowhead Highway: The Trans Canada to the great northwest
Zealandia: "Just" another small town on the prairie

[click here to get an explanation of what this is all about and to see the other states in our list]

[howard]

New Mexico A-Z #2

A - Anderson-Abruzzo Albuquerque International Balloon Museum - at the Balloon Fiesta Park. Some very cool stuff here.
B - Bandelier National Monument - Ancestral Pueblo dwellings near Los Alamos.
C - Chama Valley - fishing, boating, steam railroad, fishing....
D - Dorsey Mansion - near Springer in NW New Mexico.
E - Eagle Nest - in the beautiful Moreno Valley.
F - Farolitos - "little lanterns"
G - Gila Cliff Dwellings National Monument - near Silver City.
H - Heron Lake - Very scenic. "Quiet lake" - boats operate at no-wake speeds only.
I - Institute of American Indian Arts Museum - in Santa Fe.
J - Jemez Mountains - Camping, fishing, hot springs. Easy day trip from Santa Fe or Albuquerque.
K - Kasha-Katuwe Tent Rocks – Between Albuquerque and Santa Fe. Tent Rocks photos
L - Living Desert Zoo and Gardens State Park - I haven't been here, but I've heard real good things.
M - Maxwell Museum of Anthropology - on the UNM campus in Albuquerque. Free.
N - Nineteen Pueblos
O - Ojo Caliente - hot springs
P - Pecos Wilderness – 223,333 acres of wilderness in the Santa Fe and Carson National Forests.
Q - Quarai – One of the Salinas Pueblo Missions.
R - Rancho de las Golondrinas - a living history museum near Santa Fe.
S - Sandia Peak Tramway - World's longest aerial tramway.
T - Tinkertown - Thanks, Ross.
U - Uranium Mining Museum - in Grants. Nice place to visit. Very friendly staff and interesting exhibits.
V - Valley of Fires Recreation Area - near Carrizozo on US 380.
W - Wheeler Peak - highest point in the state
X - X Prize Cup – in Alamogordo.
Y - Yeso - ghost town on US 60.
Z - Zozobra - Old Man Gloom

[click here to get an explanation of what this is all about and to see the other states in our list]

[Mark Sedenquist]

Nice to see a new A to Z list here.

Mark

[howard]

“X” really had me stumped. I couldn’t find anything. Finally, I saw something about the X Prize in the newspaper.

[Quebec Gen]

Aztec city;
Ballet folklorico de Mexico;
Chapultepec Park;
Diego Riviera Studio Museum;
Estudio de Joaquín Clause : still has the original works he painted on the walls of his workspace.;
Frida Kahlo Museum;
Galeria de Historia;
Historic Center : a part of town featuring a lot of colonial architecture;
Iglesia de San Fernando : dedicated to King Fernando III;
Jose Luis Cuevas Museum;
K
Leon Trotsky Museum;
Metropolitan Cathedral : Construction began in the late 1500's;
National Museum of Anthropology;
Opera : a bar that still has the bullet holes made by Pancho Villa.
Plaza de la tres culturas;
Q
Rufino Tamayo Contemporary Art Museum;
Santa Maria de Guadelupe Cathedral;
Teotihuacan : the place where men became gods;
Universitario del Chopo Museum;
V
W
Xochimilco : floating gardens
Y
Zocalo : The historic center of Mexico City.

[click here to see some of the other states in our list]