Arts & Culture Along the Crowsnest | West Coast Traveller

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The Crowsnest scenic Highway 3 stretches from Hope, British Columbia to Medicine Hat, Alberta. Along the Crowsnest, there are many towns and communities, each with their own stories and quirks.

Smack dab in the middle of BC’s portion of Hwy 3 is Boundary Country and this place is filled with character. The best way to learn about a destination is to discover its arts and study and understand its history. Here are some of the best ways to learn about Boundary Country on your trip along the Crowsnest!

Boundary Country’s Arts Scene

Boundary Country is filled with wide-open spaces, lackadaisical rivers, peaceful lakes, emerald seas of pine, and rolling mountains that make for picturesque vistas. These visuals are responsible for luring artists and artisans here. Boundary’s beauty has inspired works of art in almost every form of media imaginable.

Discover what all the fuss is about and pick up your new favourite piece of art!

Boundary’s beauty has inspired works of art in almost every form of media imaginable. Art gallery 192, Gallery 2. Darren Robinson

Gallery 2 – Grand Forks Art Gallery is a totally inclusive art gallery which features work from artists on the local, regional and national levels. At Gallery 2, patrons will find a rotating exhibition program that changes every few months so stop in even if you’ve been before!

Continue your art search on the streets of downtown Grand Forks, where Archer Airbrushing has made walls his canvases and brought life to the mundane. See how many murals you can find – they’re perfect for a photo op!

After discovering the murals, head to Christina Lake to find Arts on 3 Gallery where there’s a tighter focus on the local lens. Find your favourite locally made product or check out the events schedule to take in some world-class performing arts!

Artisan markets continue through the fall, so check with a local visitor centre or the events calendar to see what’s on during your visit.

Historic Boundary Country

Boundary Country embraces its history and celebrates it! While making your way along the Crowsnest, there are plenty of places to stop in and learn about where this region derives its eclectic character from.

The Kettle River Museum, at Mile 0 of the Kettle Valley Railway, explores the region’s locomotive history and features a restored CP Rail caboose and railway station house. Darren Robinson photo

Each museum along the Crowsnest Highway has its own flavour. The Kettle River Museum in Midway is located at Mile 0 of the Kettle Valley Railway and offers insight into the region’s locomotive history and features a restored Canada Pacific (CP) Rail caboose and an authentic railway station house.

Learn about the Doukhobors when you visit the Boundary Museum & Interpretive Centre in Grand Forks. Doukhobors are of Russian descent and immigrated to Boundary Country to become pillars in the community and help shape the region. Further down Hwy 3, find the Greenwood Museum which tells the story of Canada’s Smallest City and explores the area’s mining and prospecting history, as well as that connected with the Japanese internment during the Second World War.

Pick up a map from the museum and take a self-guided walking tour of Greenwood’s colourful heritage buildings, including what once was the town jail. Boundary Country’s past is storied, but its stories are more than worth learning.