Canada's top sports vacations

Canada has a rich sports history and sports vacations offer an outstanding way to combine a holiday with a favourite activity. Below are some great vacation options for the sportsman (or sportswoman) in you.

If there's one sport that gets a Canadian's blood pumping, it's hockey. There isn't a better place to enjoy the sport's history than at the Hockey Hall of Fame in Toronto. A ticket to the Hall, which ranges from $12 for children to $18 for adults, gives you access to the greatest players and events in the history of the sport. Watch hockey flicks in the HHOF's two theatres, drop the puck at some of the Hall's interactive exhibits, and see the Stanley Cup in all its glory.

If you go during the season, you can check out a Toronto Maple Leafs game since the Air Canada Centre is a mere 350-metre walk from the HHOF. If the Maple Leafs aren't your favourite NHL team, you can also travel to see the Vancouver Canucks, Calgary Flames, Edmonton Oilers, Winnipeg Jets, Ottawa Senators or the Montreal Canadiens play.

Canada gets a lot of snow, which makes skiing the perfect activity for sports vacations. The country offers plenty of places to zoom down the slopes on fresh powder, although the main ski areas are located in the mountainous western provinces of British Columbia and Alberta. Whistler Blackcomb in British Columbia is North America's largest ski resort. The 2010 Winter Olympics alpine skiing events were hosted at the resort, which is just 125 km north of Vancouver. Some other great places to take a ski vacation are Banff/Lake Louise in Alberta, Mount Tremblant in Quebec and Blue Mountain Resort in Ontario.

If you prefer hot, sunny weather to cold and snowy, a summer vacation might be a better option for you. Canada has summer sports vacationers covered quite well. Fishing vacations are a favourite pastime during the warmer months. Canada has over 30,000 lakes, providing an ample supply of fish. Ontario, Quebec and Manitoba are the main destinations for Canadian fishing. Places such as Anderson's Lodge in Northwest Ontario and Kississing Lake Lodge in Manitoba give sportsmen a chance to reel in walleye, smallmouth bass, northern pike and muskies, among other fish. Many fishing resorts also offer boating, swimming and hiking options.

Canada's love affair with sports provide plenty of sports vacation options. No matter where you go in the country, you can unwind and lose yourself in sports.