This July 1, join hundreds of thousands of patriotic partiers at THE place-to-be to celebrate Canada Day – Ottawa!

Catch one of the many trains proud sponsor VIA Rail has serving the nation’s capital and enjoy a celebration packed with food, fireworks and fun.

Must-sees include:

• headliner Sarah McLachlan and rising star Shane Yellowbird in concert
• all-out fireworks lighting up the night above Parliament Hill, and
• the crowd-pleasing 17th annual Great Chicken BBQ at Major’s Hill Park

Plus free shows by some of Canada’s best acts, a flypast by the Snowbirds, honored guests such as the Prime Minister and Governor General, and a special tribute to Canada’s 2010 Olympic athletes.

Find the complete lineup here.

Love to travel? Don’t miss a single issue of VIA Rail’s free on-board bilingual magazine by browsing VIA destinations online!

Six times a year, you’ll find essential guides to Canada’s most spectacular travel adventures, including: 

This June/July, discover how astronaut Julie Payette is “living her dream,” take a quick tour of Toronto’s hottest neighbourhood, Leslieville, check out summer music fests from coast to coast, and more.

Enjoy the read!

Stopping in Winnipeg? Step off the platform on Main Street and head straight to these, my must-sees!:

1. The Forks (off Main St. where the Assiniboine and Red Rivers meet) For over six thousand years (when First Nations people first traded here) great shopping, dining and people-watching have been staples at The Forks. Snack at the market, catch a free concert, or linger by the skate park.
2. St. Boniface Cross the new pedestrian bridge to the city’s French quarter, where the burnt-out shell of St. Boniface cathedral looms impressively. Don’t miss the museum, housed in Winnipeg’s oldest building, to learn more about Métis history.
3. Assiniboine Riverwalk From The Forks, travel the north shore of the Assiniboine River along a 1km lit path, admiring river views and the Manitoba Legislature (get up close to spot the fossils embedded in its limestone façade!)
4. Fort Garry Hotel Circle back near The Forks to the Palm Lounge of the Fort Garry Hotel, where jazz favourites play nightly and cocktails flow freely.
5. Assiniboine Park Leave downtown for this relaxing oasis, where VIA Rail Garden Route attraction – the Leo Mol Sculpture Garden – combines artistic and natural beauty.

If you pop over to VIA Rail today, you’ll spot a brand spanking new website! After intensive, behind-the-scenes work, VIA’s got a fresh look packed with revamped navigation, search, content and design. Give it a whirl, then let us know what you think of our facelift…

Looking forward to reading your comments here on the blog, or in our survey!

Remember our contest on the VIA Rail and train travel topics you’d love to see more of? Great feedback, including this question from Lori-Ann:

I would like to see a post about travelling on VIA Rail with a wheelchair. How accessible are the trains? The dining car? The washrooms? Are the wheelchair tie downs in the general seating area or are wheelchair users in a seperate seating area? Just some thoughts as I plan my train trip with my son this summer. –Lori-Ann

You’ll be happy to know all VIA trains are accessible to travellers in wheelchairs, although services vary by region, station and train cars in use. Highlights include:

• High-level platforms or mechanical lifts at several stations, plus boarding help from VIA personnel
• Various seating tie-down areas, adapted washrooms, narrow wheelchairs, and more
• In-seat dining service, if requested on some transcontinental trains
• Possible free travel to one escort, if needed

Look up station services and view diagrams of our train cars or simply contact us through VIA Rail.

Hope you and your son enjoy your train trip this summer Lori-Ann!

Courtesy of TheTruthAboutMortgage.com

VIA Rail’s getting a brand new look-and-feel and we want to know what you think! Check out the About VIA section of the new site, set to launch officially June 17. Then share your thoughts in our survey or leave comments on the blog.

Looking forward to hearing your feedback on the facelift!

Our readers shared some amazing family train trip memories in our latest contest! We’re thrilled to announce our winner – Kristy – who wrote:

It’s a tough one but I think the best trip so far was probably taking the Royal Hudson to Squamish when I was a child.
It was a beautiful day, the scenery was amazing and sharing that experience with family was thrilling.
We’ll be travelling by train again this summer for teh first time in many years and are very excited about it. –Kristy

Congratulations Kristy – we hope your $200 VIA Rail travel credit prize comes in handy as your family boards the train again this summer!

A big thanks to everyone who entered – we loved reading about:

• Nathalie McMaster’s impromptu concert in a VIA dome car, shared by Brian Flanagan 
• Beedahsiga Elliot’s romantic honeymoon jaunt by train to Niagara Falls 
• How Suzanne Pratley’s lifelong love of trains got its start

And so many more great stories! Browse all the entries, and keep an eye out for our next contest!

Discover Canada’s outstanding gardens! From B.C. to the Maritimes, the VIA RAIL Garden Route brings out the green thumb in all of us.

Floral explosions. Zen retreats. Native plant havens. With 15 award-winning gardens and 30 Communities in Bloom to visit, you’ll explore lush landscapes and chat with passionate gardeners… and come away inspired!

A few of the fabulous gardens on the route include:

• The Butchart Gardens in Victoria, BC
• Devonian Botanic Garden in Edmonton, AB
• Royal Botanical Garden in Burlington, ON
• The Montréal Botanical Garden
• Reford Gardens in Grand-Metis, QC

Don’t forget your cameras! Nature will be putting on quite the show.