Nelson
A Mining Era Town With A Large Number Of Well Preserved Heritage Buildings Along Baker Street And Many Designated Heritage Sites, Set On Kootenay Lake. Touchstones Nelson Museum, A Streetcar And The Kootenay Lake Ferry, Said To Be The Longest Free Ferry Ride In The World, Are Nearby. · Nelson, British Columbia
Nelson is a small mining-era town on the West Arm of Kootenay Lake in the Selkirk Mountains of south-east British Columbia. It was founded in the late 1880s on silver money, and the brick and stone buildings along Baker Street are the reason to come: a large number of them survive, many with heritage status, and the street is lined with independent shops, cafes and galleries rather than chains. The streets climb steeply from the lake, so expect hills. Add the lakeshore promenade, the Touchstones Nelson museum and, nearby, the Kootenay Lake ferry, often called the longest free ferry ride in the world, and you have a pleasant half day or a good base for the wider Kootenays. It suits slow walkers who like old streets, couples, and winter visitors heading to the nearby ski hill. It is small, so do not expect a big sight list. Allow three to five hours in town, longer with the ferry. Confirm all hours and seasons.
Heritage lakeside town on the West Arm of Kootenay Lake in the Selkirk Mountains of south-east BC, with Baker Street's brick buildings, a lakeshore promenade and the Kootenay Lake Ferry nearby, Nelson, British Columbia, Canada
Nelson is an ordinary working town, so the streets and lakeshore are open at any hour and cost nothing. Baker Street shops and cafes generally keep daytime hours, with shorter days and some closures on Sundays and in the quiet months of late autumn and early spring. Touchstones Nelson museum keeps its own hours, usually closed on some weekdays outside summer, so confirm before you go. The streetcar, a short heritage tram run by volunteers, is seasonal and may not run at all on a given day, so treat it as a bonus. The Kootenay Lake ferry runs on a posted schedule with a longer day in summer; confirm the current timetable. The ski hill follows winter snow.