8 Best Sights in Canada

With an 1,100-seat main stage theater, a 1,000-seat outdoor amphitheater, and several studio stages, this block-long building—opened in 1964 to mark the centennial of the Charlottetown Conference—is the Island's leading cultural venue. From late June through September it hosts the Charlottetown Festival, which includes Anne of Green Gables—The Musical, plus concerts, comedy acts, and other productions. Weather permitting, there are free lunchtime performances in the amphitheater and on the plaza from Monday to Saturday. Off-season, a dynamic mix of touring and local productions, choral concerts, and special events is scheduled. A provincial art gallery has more than 15,000 works and around 20 exhibitions of Canadian art each year. The upper lobby has a replica of the Confederation Chamber, where the Fathers of Confederation met, and a film about the event and related historical themes.

The halls of the Aberdeen Cultural Centre ring with music and chatter. The converted schoolhouse is now home to theater and dance companies, a framing shop, artists' ateliers, and several galleries, and concerts and artist talks are also hosted here. Galerie 12 represents leading contemporary Acadian artists. Galerie Sans Nom is an artist-run co-op supporting avant-garde artists from throughout Canada. The artist-run IMAGO Inc. is the only print-production shop in the province. 

Blanc is an open-air art gallery whose mission is to bring the general public closer to art. Open 24/7, rain, snow, or shine, exhibitions showcase the work of different artists and change regularly. The gallery is open to anyone and there is no admission fee. It's located on rue Ste-Catherine E. between rue Wolfe and rue Atateken.

Stretching from just west of York Street to Spadina Avenue, this culture-and-recreation center is a match for San Francisco's Pier 39 and Baltimore's Inner Harbor. The original Harbourfront opened in 1974, rejuvenating more than a mile of city; today a streamlined 10-acre version draws more than 3 million visitors each year. Queens Quay Terminal is a former Terminal Warehouse building that was transformed in 1983 into a magnificent, eight-story building with specialty shops, eateries, and the 450-seat Fleck Dance Theatre. Exhibits of contemporary arts are mounted at the Power Plant (free), which can be spotted by its tall red smokestack; it was built in 1927 as a power station for the Terminal Warehouse's ice-making plant.

Developed by renowned cellist Yo-Yo Ma and garden designer Julie Moir Messervy, the Music Garden on the south side of Queens Quay is Ma's interpretation of J. S. Bach's Cello Suite No. 1 (which consists of six movements—Prelude, Allemande, Courante, Sarabande, Minuet, and Gigue). Each movement is reflected in the park's elaborate design: undulating riverscape, a forest grove of wandering trails, a swirling path through a wildflower meadow, a conifer grove, a formal flower parterre, and giant grass steps. York Quay Centre hosts concerts, theater, readings, and ateliers. The Craft Studio, for example, has professional craftspeople working in ceramics, glass, metal, and textiles from February to December, in full view of the public. A shallow pond outside is used for canoe lessons in warmer months and as the largest artificial ice-skating rink in North America in winter. At the nearby Nautical Centre, many private firms rent boats and give sailing and canoeing lessons. Seasonal events include the Ice Canoe Race in late January, Winterfest in February, a jazz festival in June, Canada Day celebrations and the Parade of Lights in July, the Authors' Festival and Harvest Festival in October, and the Swedish Christmas Fair in November.

Serving Toronto's Japanese community and thousands of lovers of Japanese culture, this space features a traditional garden and offers workshops and classes in martial arts, music, visual arts, traditional dance, cooking, and more. Visiting art shows are frequently in rotation, as well as artist talks and movie screenings; there's even a Japanese film festival each June. Plan a visit if checking out the nearby Aga Khan Museum.

This stately graystone heritage site has led a fascinating life since its construction in 1813, shifting from an execution site to a repository for national archives and Canada's first modern prison. A major transformation occurred in 1868, as it became Morrin College, one of the city's earliest private schools, and simultaneously welcomed the Literary and Historical Society of Québec—a direct forerunner to Canada's National Archives. Today, the building comes alive with historical and cultural talks presented in English, heavily focusing on Québec City's often-forgotten British heritage. Guided tours offer a compelling journey through its past, revealing two blocks of original prison cells, the grand Victorian-era library, and College Hall. This unique space proves particularly captivating for children and families alike.

An arts and cultural complex that tries to be all things to all people—and succeeds—the Rendez-vous de la Baie serves locals, tourists, and students. Housed in a contemporary structure on the Université Sainte-Anne campus, the center has as its highlight the Acadian Interpretive Centre and Museum, whose exhibits provide an evocative overview of Acadian culture and history. The Rendez-vous complex also includes an art gallery that shows contemporary works, a theater for live and media presentations, an Internet café that hosts events, and a visitor information center. The gift shop at the interpretive center carries an excellent selection of Acadian music.

Formerly Arts Commons, this complex was pieced together in the 1980s by incorporating the historic Calgary Public Building (1930) and the Burns Building (1913). Today it's one of Canada's largest arts complexes with five theater spaces and a state-of-the-art concert hall. There are also six resident companies—Alberta Theatre Projects, Arts Commons Presents, Calgary Philharmonic Orchestra, Downstage, Theatre Calgary, and One Yellow Rabbit—and six gallery spaces. The $600 million modernization and expansion plan also includes connecting to Olympic Plaza.