Whistler Canada: Best Things To do in Winter, Summer

Wining & Dining

Outdoors and glacier adventures aside, Whistler Village is fun for just strolling and perusing; the cobblestone streets are full of boutiques and offer a wide array of restaurants (about 90 in the area at last count). The dining options are wide, from lively après ski lounges and casual pubs flowing with B.C. beer to acclaimed gourmet dining and a sushi restaurant featuring sake margaritas.

Favorite spots include the outside patio at Citta' Bistro, a great pub for people-watching, and Garibaldi Lift Co. Bar & Grill at the base of Whistler Mountain, an après-slope spot with ski and snowboard videos aired to music. The Fairmont’s fireside lounge is a more elegant après option.

• Outdoor dining at Citta Restaurant in Whistler Village .
• Robin O'Neill Photography

For fine wining and dining, most agree that Rimrock Café in Whistler ranks among the best with regional favorites like succulent black cod (also known as butterfish for its rich buttery flavor) and flavorful arctic caribou. I’m not a big meat-eater, but I quite enjoy caribou. Araxi is another regional favorite, with excellent Pacific Northwest dishes made from local organic ingredients.

• A mountain biker in Mt. Seymour's CBC trail.
• andy_c

On the family side, the Old Spaghetti Factory, a Canadian institution, is a good choice, and for an off-the-wall dining adventure, enroll the kids in “climbing & dining” at the Core. Kids ages 4 and up can be dropped off for an evening of pizza and supervised rock climbing complete with a new Yeti Cave, tunnels, slides and cool boulder areas.

The only problem having fun in Whistler is that whether skiing or tubing, hiking or biking, zip-trekking or wildlife viewing, time always runs out before the options for adventure do. The resort area is overflowing with opportunities for new experiences, each seeming to be more fun than the next. So pack your bags, and tell your friends you’re going to see some bears, hike a glacier and maybe even bring a chunk home. And if the glacier souvenir doesn’t last long, at least you’ll be left with plenty of lasting memories of fun experiences in Whistler.