Search for B.C.'s best roadside attraction: Finals, Cathedral Grove vs. Barkerville
British Columbia is holding a final vote to determine the province's best roadside attraction between Barkerville Historic Town and Cathedral Grove. Experts note that both sites represent curated versions of history and nature that have become central to the region's cultural identity.
Why it matters
The competition reflects how public perception of heritage and wilderness is constructed and maintained through tourism and infrastructure.
The other is an allegory for our determination to keep those resources in the ground – or towering high above it.
Regardless of whichever site wins, the two finalists in the search for B.C.'s best roadside attraction shows we sure do have a penchant for some old-fashioned mythmaking.
There's a collective B.C. legacy communicated in these places, according to Emily Carr University design professor Bonne Zabolotney.
The Early Edition 13:15 Search for B.C.’s Best Roadside Attraction: Semifinals Wrap-up Panel Weekly bracket panelists Bonne Zabolotney of Emily Carr University and Ben Bradley of University of Guelph walk through the winners and losers of the semifinals.
"They're both constructed experiences. Barkerville is a cleaned-up version of history. Cathedral Grove is a cleaned-up version of wilderness," she said. "They both exist to provide a positive, a hopeful experience for the public."
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