Celebrate Canada’s 150th birthday with frugal activities!

It’s Canada’s 150th birthday this year and you get presents- in the form of stretching your travel budget this summer. Parks Canada is giving away Discovery Passes that give you free admission for 2017 to national parks and historic sites across the country. The Discovery Pass encompasses 46 national parks, 1 national urban park, 171 national historic sites and 4 national marine conservation areas. If you intend to camp in the parks, know that the Discovery Pass doesn’t cover camping fees.
Summer holiday travel with the family can be super expensive and blow up your budget if you don’t plan ahead and look for ways to save money. Why not go road tripping with the family and explore your area or a region that you’d always wanted to check out?
This is literally a freebie with lots of mileage. Here is a selection of some of the notables that you can visit for free this year.
Yoho National Park
This BC jewel is known for breathtaking scenery, waterfalls, colourful glacier lakes and rock formations. It has exceptional hiking and sightseeing opportunities.
Rouge National Urban Park
This urban park in Toronto is the first of its kind in Canada and is still expanding. Once completed, it will be larger than another famous urban park- Central Park in New York City.
Bellevue House
This national historic site on a quiet leafy street in Kingston was the home of our first Prime Minister, Sir John A. MacDonald. The house is preserved to reflect the period, complete with character actors and an expansive working garden.
Fundy National Park
Witness some of the highest tides in the world at this New Brunswick park. In addition to loads of green space, there are beaches, a heated saltwater pool and tennis courts.
Quebec City
Quebec City, with its rich history is home to numerous national historic sites, like the Fortifications of Quebec and the Saint-Louis Forts and Châteaux National Historic Site. You can take in many in a single day.