Nanaimo, B.C. ideas

[Gingee]

Going to be in Nanaimo for the day on a cruise. I haven't found anything interesting on the excursions from the cruise ship except maybe a walking tour for $25. Any ideas anyone?

[Putterdude]

I live across Georgia Strait from Nanaimo and look into its harbour but the best that I am going to do is provide you with this link which may help.

 

http://www.tourismnanaimo.com/

[Sally Forth]

Going to be in Nanaimo for the day on a cruise. I haven't found anything interesting on the excursions from the cruise ship except maybe a walking tour for $25. Any ideas anyone?

 

Rent a car. Drive to Englishman River Falls Park, then go to Parksville and walk on the beach. It's huge at low tide.

 

http://www.env.gov.bc.ca/bcparks/explore/parkpgs/englishman_rv/

 

Viv

[Gingee]

Thanks. I think I will leave the driving to others on our vacation. I bet it is pretty though. Is there anything to do at the port?

[Sally Forth]

Thanks. I think I will leave the driving to others on our vacation. I bet it is pretty though. Is there anything to do at the port?

 

It's a fairly typical little town with a small old fort. They've done a good job of creating walkways along the water, so that's worth a stroll. I would think that most of the activities would be out of town, though.

 

Viv

[Sally Forth]

Thanks. I think I will leave the driving to others on our vacation. I bet it is pretty though. Is there anything to do at the port?

 

I'm going there for a meeting on April 9-10th. I will report back if I find anything I haven't thought of.

 

Viv

[Gingee]

Thanks. I would love to hear about the port area.

[ilovethecooks]

How about Bungee jumping or zip lining?? See link below:

http://www.wildplay.com/parks/nanaimo

[cabeaglemom]

Thanks. I would love to hear about the port area.

 

We were in Nanaimo as a stop on an Alaska cruise we took in 2007. DH and I spent the day walking around and enjoying the city. We visited a farmer's market down at the harbor and also visited the Bastion. We are on the Millenium in Sept and one of the stops is Nanaimo. I think this time we are going to rent a car and drive to the falls and the wildlife rescue center.

[Gingee]

Bungee jumping and zip lining is not for me. If the area around the boat is interesting to walk around, then that would satisfy me. LOL

[Putterdude]

If you are into renting a car then a drive to Cathedral Grove is good and a stop at the Coombs Market is another idea.

 

http://www.vancouverisland.com/parks/?id=286

 

http://www.oldcountrymarket.com/

[The Nice Family]

We roll out the carpet for cruisers here in Nanaimo. I'm not unbiased, because I live here, but I'm also a cruiser who likes to wander around ports. I'd say Nanaimo's one of the best for independent shops, cafes, restaurants, art galleries etc. No cruise line jewellery stores here. Wander the seafront, certainly, because it's beautiful but, make sure you walk along Commercial street and up Fitzwilliam street into the Old City Quarter as well. The Market has already been mentioned but, it is truly worthwhile - this is a local's market where local's go to buy locally produced goods.

 

I'm not sure what time of year you'll be here but, the harbour pickle boats should be running so, if you fancy a nice, level hike, take the boat across to Newcastle Island. you can walk around it completely in a couple of hours. Or, you can have lunch at the Dinghy Dock pub, a floating pub located on Protection Island, directly across from downtown and beside Newcastle Island. The views from the harbour as well as both of these islands is stunning on a clear day. The harbour itself is a marvel with pleasure craft, sea planes, fishing boats and crabbers and fishermen all peacefully co-existing in the hustle and bustle. Grab an ice cream and take in the show!

 

Yes, there are those who will hop on a shuttle or rent a car and leave Nanaimo for the day but, they will be missing out on some wonderful scenery, history, shopping, eating and local interaction for sure.

 

See - I told you I wasn't unbiased. I do love sharing this wonderful city with people and, I don't think, at least judging by the responses here, that many people really know Nanaimo. Please don't hesitate to ask if you'd like any more info? There will be no shortage of helpful people pointing you in the right direction once you get off the ship as well so, enjoy!

[The Nice Family]

It's a fairly typical little town with a small old fort. They've done a good job of creating walkways along the water, so that's worth a stroll. I would think that most of the activities would be out of town, though.

 

Viv

 

Just to put things into perspective, Nanaimo is a little town of about 80,000. Not sure what the population of a typical little town in the US is though ;).

[Sally Forth]

Just to put things into perspective, Nanaimo is a little town of about 80,000. Not sure what the population of a typical little town in the US is though ;).

 

I consider anything that still has a nice downtown core instead of endless strip malls a nice little town.

 

viv

[Sally Forth]

Just to put things into perspective, Nanaimo is a little town of about 80,000. Not sure what the population of a typical little town in the US is though ;).

 

I consider any place that still has a downtown core instead of endless strip malls a nice little town.

 

Viv

[Gingee]

So it sounds like it is a good town to walk around. Can't wait. Hope I head in the right direction.

[cabeaglemom]

Just to put things into perspective, Nanaimo is a little town of about 80,000. Not sure what the population of a typical little town in the US is though ;).

 

My town of Vacaville, CA is just over 90,000. We are known for our Factory Stores. And that is ok as both our daughters worked there in high school.

 

I LOVED Nanaimo when we were there last. Stopped in a brew pub recommended by some locals. Wish I could remember the name. It was off the beaten path, that is for sure. Also stopped in a stereo store (my brother wanted to check it out) and a local car dealership selling the Smart Car (it had not come to the US yet). It was a wonderful day there.

[SixOneTwo]

So, Nice Family, you mention "crabbers." Does any of that crab stay in town and if so, where would be a good place to have a "crabby lunch?"

[The Nice Family]

I'll address a few things here -

 

- The downtown core and Old City Quarter are quite compact and hard to miss. OP, I wouldn't worry about going the wrong direction - as long as you're not in the water, you're in the right area. As I said, you will find people falling over themselves welcoming you and pointing you in whatever direction you'd like to go.

 

- The brewpub I think you're probably talking about is the Longwood Brewpub. Excellent beverages, for sure but, as you say, not really in town. You'll see loads of strip malls on the way there. In fact, it's even located in the parking lot of a strip mall, albeit a very nice West Coast style strip mall.

 

I'm not a beer drinker myself but, I know that we do have lots of local breweries and micro-breweries here on the Island. Many of the establishments in town will serve these beers/ales on tap, I would think. Places in town that immediately spring to mind are ACME (on Commercial street) and Dinghy Dock Pub - a 10 minute boat ride across the harbour and my personal favourite, The Fox & Hounds British Pub (located just up from the Old City Quarter off Fitzwilliam Street on, I believe, Milton). There's also the Diners Rendezvous, the Modern Cafe, Gina's Mexican Cafe and quite a few others where you could get both a snack/meal and a nice drink. There's a bar/restaurant built right out over the harbour as well. The name escapes me right now but, you can't miss it. It's on stilts, two stories high and has a seaplane dock attached to it.

 

- Crab. Well, that's a bit of a challenge. I do love my town to bits but, one thing I never quite understood was why, in a area where seafood is so abundant, there aren't more fish/seafood restaurants around. It's crazy really. I think it's a case of, if I can get it for free, why would I pay for it in a restaurant. Truly. Around here you can get crab, salmon, trout, shrimp, oysters, all off the beach or just offshore. Everyone knows someone who will drop off some of the days catch for you, for nothing or for very little cost. It's one of the wonderful things about living here. For someone who likes to eat out, and eat seafood when they do eat out, it's pretty slim pickings. That's not to say you can't get amazing fish & chips around town. There's a floating fish & chip place right in the harbour. The aforementionned Fox & Hounds pub is also known for the F&C. There's also Pirate Chips, on Commercial Street, who are famous for not only their fried fish but also their deep-fried bounty bars/nanaimo bars/candy bars! Fresh crab though? Sorry, maybe someone else can come up with an answer for you there.

 

Hope this helps everyone.

[Urban trekker]

Thanks for the food update - now for my question

 

I have a general idea of where the new dock is - last time on a cruise we tendered in and I was close to the little ferry to Newcastle island

 

I may want to go over there again this time - how will I get to that dock - will i be able to walk - or will the First Nations who have the contract for the boatride be able to take people from the cruise dock over to Newcastle Island - also i beleive it happens on occassion that at extreme low tides you can walk from Newcastle to Protection island - is there any way of knowing when this might happen - if not - where would I catch the boat to Protection Island - it is one place in Nanaimo that I haven`t yet visited.

 

One thing that people might be interested in - as we sail out of Nanaimo and you look eastward and see a bright glow - assuming it is dark enough - those are the lights of Greater Vancouver and the ones in the Sky are either Cypress Mt or Grouse in Vancouver.

 

Cheers

 

Dennis

[Gingee]

Thanks for the info. I think we will just walk around and see what we discover.

[Putterdude]

One thing that people might be interested in - as we sail out of Nanaimo and you look eastward and see a bright glow - assuming it is dark enough - those are the lights of Greater Vancouver and the ones in the Sky are either Cypress Mt or Grouse in Vancouver.

 

Cheers

 

Dennis

 

Hey, you forgot about the bright lights of Sechelt...I will be watching.;)

[The Nice Family]

Thanks for the food update - now for my question

 

I have a general idea of where the new dock is - last time on a cruise we tendered in and I was close to the little ferry to Newcastle island

 

I may want to go over there again this time - how will I get to that dock - will i be able to walk - or will the First Nations who have the contract for the boatride be able to take people from the cruise dock over to Newcastle Island - also i beleive it happens on occassion that at extreme low tides you can walk from Newcastle to Protection island - is there any way of knowing when this might happen - if not - where would I catch the boat to Protection Island - it is one place in Nanaimo that I haven`t yet visited.

 

Dennis

 

First of all, yes, you can certainly walk across from Newcastle to Protection Island at low tides. I've done it. For tide info you could follow this link - http://www.nanaimoinformation.com/nanaimo-weather-tides.php. If you can read it that is. It's all gibberish to me.

 

I also know where you catch the boat to Protection Island. It's at the furthest point south in the harbour. Look for the two condo towers (one about 6 stories, the other about 18, out on a spit of land. The ferry is tucked into the curve at that end of the harbour.

 

Now for what I don't know (well, just a bit of what I don't know, I could go on forever if I revealed everything I'm in the dark about:)) -

 

I'm not sure what's going to happen with our "pickle boats" this year. It's possible they'll run or, just as possible they won't. I haven't heard yet. If they ARE running then, they will take you to both Protection and Newcastle, I believe. Their schedule will be posted at the harbourfront.

 

I do not believe that the First Nations shuttle will take you to Protection.

 

There's another thread here somewhere about the new Cruise Ship Terminal in Nanaimo. I hate to sound like a total idiot but, honestly, I have no idea where it is. I drove down to the working port the other day, trying to find it. It's supposed to be completed by the end of this month but, where it is exactly, I just don't know. It must be more of a dock than a "terminal" since, for the life of me, I can't see any new buildings down on the seafront. As long as it provides the opportunity to step off the ship onto land, it'll be an improvement over tenders (I suppose. Although I've never really minded tenders myself). It really is something I should know so, I'll find out and get back to you on it.

 

Again, I'll repeat, you can ask pretty much anyone to point you in the right direction once you get off the ship. Except those carrying cruiseline logo bags - they'll probably be looking for directions too!

[The Nice Family]

Okay, I called the Port Authority who tell me that the Terminal will be a Terminal, not just a dock, and that completion is scheduled for 1 May. I Google'd for ages and couldn't find anything so, I asked them to show me the way and, here it is - http://www.npa.ca/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=80&Itemid=122 - it's the Nanaimo Port Authority's own website. It has a link to a presentation on the facility. It is located very close to the Harbour and town - about a 10 minute stroll max, I'd say.

 

I also asked them about the pickle boats for Nanaimo this summer. They didn't know if they'd be running since it's a company out of Victoria that does it. The toll-free number for info on those is 1-877-297-8526, if you'd like more definite info.

 

As for the Newcastle shuttle going to Protection, again, no definite answer. Sorry, we're starting to sound a little ditzy here but, it's one of our charms - we're not 'corporate' we're just friendly, eager to pleasee but, somewhat disorganized. Port Authority says - "I'm not sure. I think I've taken the Protection Island boat to Newcastle, or, was it the Newcastle boat to Protection? Can't quite remember." There you go folks. Official word from the Nanaimo Port Authority. She (the PA lady) did say, and rightly so, that once you're on these boats, if you just ask the skipper, they're usually happy to drop you wherever. Something everyone needs to keep in mind, especially if you haven't been here before and seen for yourself, the distances we're talking here are very short. You could practically swim from one shore to another (Nanaimo to Newcastle).

 

I'm just relived it's not just me. Seems like the whole town's a bit short on info.....I can promise you that, if you hit us on a sunny day, you won't find a more charming, strollable, friendly, shoppable and scenic port on your cruise. IMHO.

[Urban trekker]

Thanks for digging up the info - will spend some time on it over the weekend - always thought that the boat to Protection Island was more of a pub related thing than anything else.

 

I am a regular at Yellowpoint Lodge and will be there in a couple of weeks so perhaps it is time for me to slow down going through town and check out the dock areas.

 

As for PD - will look for you shining light but we will be heading south to Victoria so unlike on the Alaskan Cruises we wont be going pass your humble hillside home.

 

Off to the gym to burtn off a few calories.

 

Cheers

 

Dennis