The Coastal Villages of the Sunshine Coast, BC

Are you ready for an adventure on the stunning Sunshine Coast of British Columbia? We're here to take you through the charming coastal towns and villages that make this region such a special place.

From welcoming Gibsons to the bustling seaside town of Sechelt, we'll take you for a virtual drive up the coastline showcasing each unique community.

Find all the links and show notes at:
Jaunty Everywhere - Sunshine Coast

Transcript

You've probably heard of the sunshine coast of Australia, but did you know that we have our own Sunshine Coast right here in British Columbia? 
The Sunshine Coast may be a hidden gem to some, but its rugged coastline, lush rainforests, and rich cultural history make it a must-see destination for any traveler exploring the Pacific Northwest. 

There are hidden pirate beaches, hiking trails all to yourself, and seaside villages that make this off-the-beaten-path location the perfect family vacation or romantic getaway. 

Today we'll be spotlighting the coastal communities from Gibson's to Egmont. Welcome to the Pacific Northwest Travel with Jaunty Everywhere. I'm your host, Cheri, and I'm here to help you plan your perfect Pacific Northwest vacation. Each week, we're going to highlight a different destination in Washington, Oregon, Idaho, northern California, or British Columbia to give you the inside scoop on the best places to go, things to see, and adventures to be had. 

First, because we know that you love discovering hidden gems. We'll begin with a location that we think is worth a stop. On the way to the Canadian border, you'll pass through the city of Bellingham, Washington. Today, I'm sharing the Spark Museum of Electrical Invention. 

It's a perfect museum for families, history buffs, and technology geeks. The museum is packed. It has a vast collection of the evolution of electricity, from the first telegraphs to cutting-edge inventions. But here's the real Zinger, the MegaZapper electrical show every Saturday and Sunday at 2:30, where they pull out a bunch of really cool electrical equipment and demonstrate it. 
This is edge-of-your-seat stuff. Then, as the finale, they bring out the giant Tesla coil. This is also called the Cage of Doom. It's no relation to the car. Tesla was a scientist. Whoever is brave enough to get in the cage will have 4.6 million volts of electricity surrounding them. It's shocking. I'm sorry. 

Moving on to British Columbia. British Columbia is huge, and it has so many islands, nooks, and crannies that it could take a lifetime to explore. Today, we will take the ferry from the city of Vancouver to Langdale and tour up the coast from Gibson's to the Skookumchuck Narrows on the mainland side of the Sechelt Inlet. 

By the way, everything I mention and all the links will be included in the Show Notes at jauntyeverywhere.com/podcast, so you can sit back and listen. 

Why go to the Sunshine Coast? 

Well, because it's beautiful. The region is known for its rugged coastline, which creates hundreds of tiny little inlets, bays, and swimming holes. The lush forests offer extensive hiking, and you can kayak, fish, swim, and beach comb all day long. The water temperature in the Sechelt Inlet will warm to the high 50s in summer. And that's downright balmy on the Pacific Coast. There are also Provincial parks, aka state parks, golf courses, and wildlife experiences available. 

The Sunshine Coast is home to many First Nation communities, and you can learn about their culture, history, and art all up and down the coastline. 

Dotted up the coastline are these little towns and villages, from the seaport feel of Gibson's to the artist colony vibe of Roberts Creek. Each one has a unique flavor.

There's a growing food scene, well, everywhere, in the Pacific Northwest. The Sunshine Coast is the home of many farms, miles of rivers, and of course, the ocean. So you'll find a wide variety of farm-to-table, seafood, breweries, and winery options in this region. 

When is the best time to go? 

The peak season is from May to September. The Sunshine Coast doesn't exactly get crowded in the summer, but the ferry ride and the two-lane highway can make a small crowd feel like a crowd. 

Summer is the season of festivals. We spent three summers in Roberts Creek when our kids attended a music camp. If you want to attend one of the many events and festivals, be sure to book your accommodations early. A lot of residents get out of town in the summer and rent their homes out to visitors. We found our rental house through the festival organizer, that connected us with a family that rents their house that one week out of the year. 

Even in July, we took many hikes, kayak excursions and found hidden inlets where we were completely alone. 

If you have the flexibility, September is the ideal month in my book. It's still warm, there will be less people in the off-season. It can get chilly, and you are in a temperate rainforest, so you can expect rain, probably lots of rain. But if you're looking to unplug and cuddle up to read and work jigsaw puzzles, you can't do much better than the Sunshine Coast in winter. 

Well, how will you get there?

Unless you have a boat, you'll be taking a British Columbia ferry, or what's known as the BC ferry. You'll go to Horseshoe Bay, which is just outside of Vancouver, BC to Langdale. It's a 40 minutes ride, and it's part of the fun. In summer, it's a good idea to go online and make a reservation for the ferry. And yes, you will want to take your car across. 

There are endless outdoor activities to enjoy on the Sunshine Coast, but that's a topic for another podcast. Today I'm going to take you on a tour up the coast and stop at each village. You'll begin in Langdale. This is where you get off the ferry, and you're going to head straight into Gibson's. 

Gibson's has an ocean esplanade or walking path. It has some of the best beaches and swimming on the coastline. Try Bonnie Brook Beach in Gibson's. It's quite a busy beach. You'll find kitesurfers, stand-up paddleboarders, and sometimes paragliders. It has the sandiest stretches of beach. Because many of the beaches on the Sunshine Coast are quite rocky or covered with driftwood, it makes them hard to walk on.

Gibson's Landing is the little commercial area in Gibson's. That's where you'll find the waterfront and a marina full of sailboats. The Sunshine Coast History Museum is here. That's a wonderful little museum. There's a Marine education center, which is a collect and release aquarium. 

There are many galleries and shops that you can hop. The Sunshine Coast is a haven for artists. There are so many galleries and art studios to visit. I will put a link in the show notes to the art map where you can find these studios. Many of them require appointments to tour, but they're worth seeking out.

 There is kayaking in the marina out of Gibson's. That's a good place to kayak. And there's also a visitor's center right in the heart of town. For restaurants, I have quite a few recommendations in Gibson's as it's one of the bigger towns on the coast. 

You have Smitty's Oyster House in Gibson's Landing, which serves oysters and other seafood. Molly's Reach, which is famous from the show The Beachcombers. This was a Canadian TV show that ran for 18 years. The restaurant is the actual building where the show was filmed. They serve breakfast, fish and chips, and a variety of diner-type food. Persephone Brewing, which is near the Langdale Ferry, is named after the famous boat in the Beachcomber Show. It's a farm that hosts many events, pairing dinners, workshops, and festivals. Tapworks is in Lower Gibsons. They serve pub food and beer. 101 Brew House and Distillery, also in Gibsons, serves food and has occasional live music. There's also Batch 44 Brewery and Kitchen and Sunday Cider, which is a cider house and picnic area. It's open seven days a week, not just on Sunday. 

Heading up the coast, we come to Roberts Creek. Roberts Creek has this wonderful pier. My kids love this area the most. The creek meets the ocean, and it creates this outdoor playground where kids can wade around, build forts with the driftwood. Do keep in mind there is a very small parking lot, so you'll want to get there early to grab a spot. It fills up by the middle of the day. Nearby in Roberts Creek is also the Cliff Gilker Park. It's mossy, has ferns, mushrooms, Douglas FIR, a network of trails. But there's a 1 hour, three-kilometer loop with many waterfall viewing spots. 

There are also galleries and studios around the Roberts Creek area. They're usually housed in houses and in barns. And again, check the show notes for the link to the art map. 

There aren't a lot of options for food in Roberts Creek. You have the Gumboot Cafe and the Gumboot Restaurant, which are right next door to each other. The cafes serve soup, pizza, sweets, and coffee. The Gumboot restaurant has lunch and dinner. The menu is more extensive than the cafe, and it's considered a little fancy for the Sunshine Coast. 

Moving on we come to Davis Bay. Davis Bay has a large sandy beach. It's great for kite flying. You can play in the calm water, build sandcastles. Sometimes there's tide pools. And there's Davis Bay Pier, where you can drop crab traps. Right across the street. You'll find food, ice cream, and souvenir shops. There are restrooms, picnic areas, and plenty of parking. As a matter of fact, if you have small children and all the gear that they require, Davis Bay Beach is one of the best places to go because you can park right on the street next to the beach and unload; it's just a few yards from where you're going to sit. It's great. 

For restaurants. You have the Wobbly Canoe, which serves locally sourced food, handhelds, and bowls. It also has a great name, Wobbly Canoe. And there's Joe's on the Beach, which serves seafood. 

Moving up the coastline, you'll come to Sechelt. This is the largest town on this end of the coast. You'll find the most shopping, the most restaurants, and services here. Check out the Sechelt waterfront. This is a great place to take a walk. And you have the Sechelt Aquatic Center. They have a full-size Olympic pool. All the water is saline filtered. And they also have a family pool - I'll call it - with a slide and a lazy river. If it's raining, which it often does on the Sunshine Coast, even in the summer, the Aquatic Center will save your trip. We spent many days there. If you're in Sechelt in the winter, Dakota Ridge is nearby. This is great for cross-country skiing and snowshoeing. 

You have a lot of options for restaurants in Sechelt, so I'll mention a few. El Segundo is a beautiful tropical fusion restaurant. They have a large creative menu. Saffron is a family-owned East Indian restaurant. They have all the Indian goodies. Shift Kitchen and bar - I would classify this one as fusion also - you'll find chicken souvlaki next to barbecue jackfruit tacos. I love it because it's creative, and the hamburgers are delicious. 

By the way, the cool kids call hamburgers handhelds now because "they have hamburgers" does not sound fancy, but "they have fabulous handhelds" sounds like you're going somewhere special. Bricker Cider company has a tasting room, a food hut -they call it a food hut - with a light menu and a picnic area so you could bring your own food. 

And finally, at the north end of this trip, near the town of Egmont, you'll come to the Skookumchuck Narrows. This is a natural wonder. As the tide changes, massive amounts of water pour through this narrow opening. You can hike a short four-kilometer trail out to a rocky outcropping and watch this phenomenon. If you're lucky, there will be daredevil kayakers out riding the waves. And it is so much fun to watch. You can actually walk out onto these flat rocks, and you'll just be within feet of the kayakers, but not in the water. There's also the Egmont Heritage Center, which is a nice history museum that tells the story of the indigenous peoples, the early pioneers, and the area industry. 

You don't have a lot of options for food in the Egmont area. There's the Skookumchuck Bakery, which is in Egmont, and it's special because it's in a wood cabin. There's also the Inlets Restaurant at the West Coast Wilderness Lodge. This is fine dining, as in no prices on the menu fine dining. So I haven't been there. 

From Langdale to Egmont, it's only one and a half hour drive, so this stretch of coastline is definitely doable in a weekend. 

As a reminder for the full show notes and all the links to any Sunshine Coast related blog posts and any information we have to help you plan your trip, visit jauntyeverywhere.com/ podcast. If you know someone that's interested in Pacific Northwest travel, share the link to this podcast. You can do it right from your podcast app. They will thank you, and so do we.

On to the travel Tip of the Week. Each week we'll be sharing one of our tried and true travel tips; that's a tongue twister. One of our first stops on any trip is the visitors or tourist center. Not only do they have a wealth of information on local attractions and events, but they also offer maps, brochures, and often discounts that will help you plan your trip. A resident, usually a volunteer, will be available to answer your questions and make personal suggestions. They have up-to-date insider knowledge and a local's perspective of the area. Visitor centers vary in polish, depending on the location, aka the tourism budget. In Coeur d'Alene, you'll find an architectural showplace packed with brochures and professionally trained docents. In small communities, you may have to hunt for a walk-in closet-sized room with limited hours and volunteers. And in this day of PDFs and at your fingertip downloads, you'd be surprised how many will ask you, would you like a copy of our very non-techy, printed out, black and white list of XYZ? And before you know it, you have some secret information that's not available anywhere else. 

This happened to us in Sechelt. They offered us a pamphlet for a nearby nature preserve, and we had an impromptu scavenger hunt. No matter if it's fancy or humble, the visitor center always comes through for us.

In our next episode, we're packing our bags and heading across the Pacific Northwest to Coeur d'Alene, Idaho, to explore all the water activities that you can do on the lake. Have a great week. Bye.