Feastival Nanaimo Feed Your Body and Spirit

Nanaimo’s annual festival of food, Feastival returns for the second year, June 17-18, 2016. It features a tradeshow event, family cooking classes, celebrity chefs, and Sips at Feastival, featuring local craft breweries, small-batch island wineries, local artisanal spirit producers. I recently wrote a story for FestivalSeekers about another major component of the festival: the third annual chowder competition.

While you’re in town for the savoury treats cooked up at Feastival, you can enjoy some sweets — and some sweet views — with these other activities to get the most out of your Nanaimo visit for Feastival:

Nanaimo Bar Trail

This classic Vancouver Island dessert has an entire self-guided walking tour in its honour, the Nanaimo Bar Trail. With over 30 suggested stops, you can devour classic squares or Nanaimo Bar truffles and cupcakes, deep fried Nanaimo Bars, and even a Nanaimo Bar Martini.

Ammonite Falls Hike

Just a quick drive from town, you can hike into Ammonite Falls in Benson Creek Falls Regional Park. Wind up and down the hilly terrain on a well-marked path that leads you between evergreens and across a brief clearing until you reach the ravine carved out by the falls. At the top, you’ll find a steep pathway down to the base of the falls along with a rope to help you keep your balance, and steady your footing on the way back up.

Pose for Instagram photos in the mist once the waterfalls are reached, cool down, then begin your return trip. It’s definitely a popular course, about 1 hour each way from the designated parking lot to the falls, and you’ll find other hikers and trail runners along the route.

Flightseeing Tour with Sunshine Coast Air

Want to get a unique view of the city of Nanaimo and its surrounding islands? Get above it all on a flightseeing tour with Sunshine Coast Air.

Departing right from the heart of the Nanaimo harbour, this scenic 40 minute float plane tour heads south Nanaimo through the Stuart Channel. Spot wildlife and take some photos of Gabriola Island, Cedar Island, DeCourcy Island, Ruxton Island, Valdes Island, and Thetis Island before you loop back towards Nanaimo harbour.

Feast in Nanaimo, and play in its backyard this summer! Read my full article about Feastival Nanaimo over on the FestivalSeekers website and check out Tourism Nanaimo‘s resources to plan your trip to this thriving Vancouver Island region.