A New Official Community Plan for Nanaimo On September 8, 2008 City Council adopted a new Official Community Plan - planNanaimo which replaces the former community plan adopted in 1996. The new Official Community Plan (OCP) is the result of a two-year community consultation process. The process reaffirmed strategies contained in planNanaimo 1996 and provided new strategies for meeting the many growth challenges the City continues to face. The new OCP will guide City Council in making land use and development decisions over the next 25 years. Leisure Guide Active for Life--that's the theme of the Fall and Winter Leisure Guide. Pick up your copy at Beban Park, Bowen Park, Nanaimo Aquatic Centre, Nanaimo Ice Centre, Oliver Woods Community Centre or City Hall. You can also view the PDF version on our website! Virtual Tours The City of Nanaimo's Information Technology and Parks, Recreation and Culture Departments are pleased to announce the launch of new virtual tours available through the City's CityMap. With the assistance of Alan Reimer of Enviroscopics, visitors to the website can now take virtual tours of Beban Park, Bowen Park, May Richards Bennett Pioneer Park and the Harewood Mining Community Water Park. Virtual tours have proven to be a great asset for the City of Nanaimo's website. Last year, a similar launch occurred featuring the City's heritage sites. More virtual tours are planned for the future showcasing to both residents and visitors some of the great parks, trails and facilities found in our area. Some examples of these virtual tours are included below: Nanaimo, Vancouver Island's 2nd largest city, is among British Columbia's most liveable cities, having a favorable balance of lifestyle, employment and investment opportunities.
Nanaimo is an excellent place to live, work and do business. All this in the friendliest climate in Canada. With breathtaking views, exciting attractions, and friendly people, Nanaimo is the premier gateway to Vancouver Island. Nanaimo is here to offer you what this great city has to offer, from its oceanfront scenery and stunning mountain views, to the charming downtown area. Whether you're looking for local eateries, outdoor adventures, or a guide to the arts scene, Nanaimo has it all. The warm, temperate climate makes Nanaimo an ideal residence all year long. Nanaimo has more than 1250 hotel rooms, and more than 200 eating establishments. Nanaimo is centrally located on Vancouver Island, making it a the perfect base for your West Coast vacation. There are 19 courses within an hour’s drive of Nanaimo, many with pro facilities. Nanaimo Golf Club, located in the heart of the city is rated as one of the top 10 courses in B.C. Pryde Vista Golf Course is a challenging nine-hole executive-size golf course, also centrally located at 155 Pryde Ave., just off Bowen Road. Winchelsea View Golf Course, located in North Nanaimo at 7655 Harby Rd. in Lantzville, offers a par 64 mid-length course that challenges players of all skill levels. Eagle Quest is a nine-hole par 3 golf course featuring grass tees at 1601 Thatcher Rd., in South Wellington. Cottonwood Golf Course’s par 72 challenge is south of the city, near the airport. Gabriola Island also
has a challenging nine-hole golf course. Nanaimo is known for its world class scuba diving and nationally and internationally renowned performances at the Port Theatre. VANCOUVER ISLAND SYMPHONY – Nanaimo’s own professional orchestra offers a season of concerts from September to May at the Port Theatre. Free outdoor symphony concert, 6 p.m., Aug. 5 at Lion’s Pavilion in Maffeo Sutton Park. For concert information, call 754-0177. For tickets, call the Port Theatre box office, 754-8550. www.viso.bc.ca There is a thriving sports and athletics scene in the city. ROCK CLIMBING – Indoor rock climbing, lessons for all ages, from the beginner to advanced. Call the Romper Room at 751-7625. BUNGY JUMPING – North America’s only legal bungy bridge, spanning the Nanaimo River. 716-7874
BIKE RIDING – Cycling is permitted in all Nanaimo parks unless otherwise indicated. Excellent cycling paths include the Parkway trail, E&N trail, Bowen Park trail, and Westwood Lake. Call the Greater Nanaimo Cycling Coalition for information. 722-4665. www.thegncc.org.
MOUNTAIN BIKING – Nanaimo and its surrounding areas are good mountain bike territory. Trails on Mount Benson, Doumont Road, Nanaimo Lakes Road. For maps see www.nanaimomountainbikeclub.com.
SKATEBOARDING – Nanaimo Skateboard Park on the corner of Comox Road and Wall Street, across from Bowen Park behind the Curling Club. Pioneer Skatepark behind Canadian Tire.
ICE SKATING – A good way to cool down on a hot summer day. Drop-in skating sessions are available throughout the summer season at Frank Crane Arena, 2300 Bowen Rd.; Cliff McNabb Arena, 2300 Bowen Rd.; Nanaimo Ice Centre, 750 Third St. 756-5200 www.nanaimo.ca.
NANAIMO AQUATIC CENTRE – A 52-metre pool, three water slides, a leisure pool, wave pool, steam room, hot tub, lazy river, spacious weight room and restaurant. The wave pool at the NAC is the largest west of Edmonton. Operated by City of Nanaimo Parks and Recreation daily from 6 a.m. to 10 p.m. 756-5200. www.nanaimo.ca.
55 BEBAN PARK POOL – This pirate-themed pool features 61-metre waterslide, leisure pool, and pirate ship interactive water play feature. Beban also offers a 25-metre pool, weight room, hot tub and steam room. 756-5200. www.nanaimo.ca.
TENNIS – Beban Park or Bowen Park each feature six public tennis courts. Three courts at Bowen Park are open after dark. A token-operated timer enables use of the lights on the three upper courts for drop-in users. Buy tokens for $8 per hour at Bowen or Beban park offices or the Nanaimo Aquatic Centre. Drop-in use of the tennis courts on a first-come first-served basis.
HORSESHOE PITCHES – Six public horseshoe pitches available at Bowen Park, near the tennis courts, on a first-come-first-served basis.
YELLOW POINT SCENIC DRIVE – Minutes south of Nanaimo, the rural communities of Cedar and Yellow Point are set in a scenic landscape with hobby farms and artists’ galleries. Driving tour maps are available from Tourism Nanaimo. www.tourismnanaimo.com.
STROLL THROUGH A PARK – Nanaimo has many downtown parks and gardens, including Maffeo Sutton, Pioneer and Swy-a-lana Lagoon, City Hall gardens, Karlin Rose Garden and Bowen Park. www.nanaimodowntown.com. For a listing of city parks, see www.nanaimo.ca.
WALKING – Some of Nanaimo greatest assets are its walking trails: Buttertubs Marsh - 2.4 kilometres; Cable Bay Trail - 1.5 km; Jack Point/Biggs Park - 2.5 km; Parkway Trail - 20 km and Westwood Lake - 6 km. With more than 1,100 hectares of parkland and protected open space, Nanaimo offers many opportunities to enjoy nature. www.nanaimo.ca.
Nanaimo has outstanding accessibility from other communities. Get here by car, ferry, train, bus, or plane. Nanaimo residents enjoy the laid back lifestyle that is synonymous with west coast living. Nanaimo hosts some of the best festivals, events, and celebrations on Vancouver Island. Nanaimo is home to the Great International World Championship Bathtub Races. Legend traces the tasty Nanaimo Bar to coal mining days, but it was most likely inspired by a 1952 local cookbook recipe. Nanaimo boasts the largest artificial upright scuba diving reef in the world. Nanaimo's Vancouver Island Raiders junior football team went undefeated in the 2006 season and won the national title. Jazz greats Diana Krall and Ingrid Jensen are products of the Nanaimo School District jazz program. Canada's only floating pub, The Dinghy Dock Pub, is in the Nanaimo Harbour. Oh, and the best time to beachcomb is after a storm. There are many great ways to spend your day in Nanaimo; from scuba diving in a sunken navy ship, testing yourself at an indoor rock climbing wall, spending a day on the golf course, to watching a performance of the Vancouver Island Symphony at the Port Theatre. Whatever you do for fun, you'll find tourist attractions in Nanaimo that satisfy your needs, along with many activities you might not have tried before. Nanaimo's island coastal setting makes it a great place to spend the day outdoors. Here you can hike a rainforest mountain, take panoramic pictures of Georgia Strait, and cool off in a river canyon all in the same day. There are also several great ocean swimming and snorkeling spots along the city's waterfront, including Departure Bay, Neck Point, Jack Point, and Snake Island. For the more adventurous types, there are activities such as bungy jumping, zip-lining, and ATVing. For deep water enthusiasts, the ocean floor just outside Nanaimo Harbour has a number of popular scuba diving spots. The area is home to three artificial diving reefs made from sunken ships, including the retired Canadian Supply Ship HMCS Cape Breton, the largest upright man-made diving reef in the world. Nanaimo is also an ideal starting point for any kind of boating trip, from fishing charters to kayaking adventures. From here you can boat across the Georgia Strait, spend the day exploring ocean passages and islands, and return to the city in time to catch dinner and a movie. Day trips all over Vancouver Island are also possible from Nanaimo, thanks to the city's convenient central location. Pacific Rim National Park on the island's west coast is a three hour drive from downtown, while the Comox Valley and Mount Washington resort can be reached in just over an hour. Cowichan Valley to the south, and the Oceanside region of Parksville and Qualicum to the North, can also be fun day trips from Nanaimo. For more ideas on how to spend your day in Nanaimo, just head downtown. The area features wonderful tourist-friendly attractions such as the Nanaimo District Museum, the charming Old City Quarter shopping district, the Bastion, and much more! The city center also offers a colourful array of art galleries, historic sites, generous green spaces to relax and play in, and an abundance of shopping opportunities along the waterfront. Tourists and residents alike also enjoy spending time indoors, indulging in some retail therapy. Dedicated shoppers can enjoy endless hours in their favourite retail destinations in several large malls throughout Nanaimo, including Woodgrove Mall, the largest shopping center on Vancouver Island, in the city's north end. |