Vancouver's Stanley Park named world's best park

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      Would you believe that the best park in the world is in your own backyard?

      It's true, according to TripAdvisor. The travel website announced the winners of their Travel Choice awards for attractions on June 17.

      Winners were chosen according to algorithm that evaluated the quantity and quality of reviews over one year.

      Stanley Park, which was created in 1888, tops the website's list of best parks in the world, and was the only Canadian park to make the top 10. Central Park in New York City came third.

      As one of Vancouver's major tourist attractions, the 1001-acre park, surrounded by 8.8 kilometre paved Seawall and lined with several beaches, is located on a peninsula adjacent to downtown Vancouver and attracts about eight million visitors every year.

      The freshwater Beaver Lake and the man-made Lost Lagoon, which feature wildlife populations, as well as swimming pools and the Vancouver Aquarium are also located in the park.

      In 2006, the park was struck by a fierce windstorm that leveled 41 acres of forest and damaged much of the Seawall. A $10-million restoration project, using government funding and public donations, helped to both restore and improve the park. 

      The park was the location of the First Nations village Xwáýxway. Squamish elder and carver Robert Yelton suggested in 2010 that the park's name be reverted back to Xwáýxway. The proposed name change was denied by the Harper government.

      Here is TripAdvisor's list of top 10 world parks:

      1. Stanley Park, Vancouver, Canada

      2. Garden of the Gods, Colorado Springs, Colorado

      3. Central Park, New York City, New York

      4. Millennium Park, Chicago, Illinois

      5. High Line, New York City, New York

      6. Kings Park and Botanic Garden, Perth, Australia

      7. Guell Park, Barcelona, Spain

      8. Ibirapuera Park, Sao Paulo, Brazil

      9. Retiro Park, Madrid, Spain

      10. Luxembourg Gardens, Paris, France

      Within Canada, Vancouver's Queen Elizabeth Park made TripAdvisor's top 10 best parks. The Canadian list is as follows:

      1. Stanley Park, Vancouver, BC

      2. Mont Royal, Montreal, QC

      3. Beacon Hill Park, Victoria, BC

      4. High Park, Toronto, ON

      5. Queen Elizabeth Park, Vancouver, BC

      6. Plains of Abraham, Quebec City, QC

      7. Gatineau Park, Gatineau, QC

      8. Queen Victoria Park, Niagara Falls, ON

      9. Assiniboine Park, Winnipeg, MB

      10. Parksville Community Park and Skate Park, Parksville, BC

      Vancouver was also named the number one destination in Canada by TripAdvisor, followed by Toronto and Montreal. Victoria came fifth and Whistler came ninth.

      Comments

      2 Comments

      Meathead

      Jun 21, 2014 at 4:03am

      Nice to see Winnipeg crack a top-10 list once and a while...

      Look at us...

      May 31, 2015 at 2:13pm

      ...congratulating ourselves on how this city makes international top-ten LISTS because there is fuck-all else to do. See you on the Seawall, I guess!