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British Columbia's Wild Playground Boasts An Eccentric Past06/15/2012

The Best Art Town in Canada

My final stop is historic Nelson (population 9,752), situated on the West Arm of Kootenay Lake in the heart of the Selkirk Mountains. Known as the Queen City, this former mining boomtown is today as famous for its beautifully restored 19th century heritage buildings as for its mix of pioneer families, urban refugees, Vietnam draft dodgers hippies, New Age spiritualists and bohemian artists and artisans. Nelson has also been named the "best art town" in Canada by author John Villani in his book The 100 Best Art Towns in America, in recognition of its thriving artistic scene.

With a compact, pedestrian friendly downtown core jammed with boutique style stores, natural foods outlets, yoga studios, outdoor gear outlets and eclectic, offbeat restaurants and cafes, Nelson has something for everyone. Strolling along Baker Street through Nelson's Historic District fresh from a restorative Shanti yoga class I pop into one art gallery after another en route to a vegetarian café for lunch. It's not difficult to appreciate why Steve Martin chose this incredibly picturesque town for the setting of his 1986 film, Roxanne.  

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