Victoria, Canada
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Victoria lies at the southern tip of the Saanich Peninsula, a fertile strip of land dotted with family farms and a growing number of esteemed wineries. It's worth spending an afternoon exploring this region, whose most famous attraction is Butchart Gardens, a half-hour northwest of the city. The Butchart family made its fortune manufacturing cement in the late 19th century; when they finished mining their quarry, they transformed it into this magnificent collection of gardens. Among the 55 acres you'll see every imaginable flower, and there are concerts as well as Saturday-night fireworks displays in July and August.

From Butchart, there are several wineries within an easy drive. As you motor around the countryside, keep an eye out for farm stands and roadside markets, many of them selling fresh jams, baked goods, flowers, and produce. They often operate on an honor system - pick out your goods, and leave behind payment. Wineries of particular note include Marley Farm, a family-run establishment that specializes in some quite unusual fruit wines, including kiwi, pear, loganberry, and quince varieties. You're apt to see sheep and horses wandering the 5-acre grounds. Tiny Chalet Estate Vineyard is well-regarded for its high-quality, unfiltered vintages, from syrahs to viogniers.

Where there are wineries, there are virtually always wonderful restaurants, and Victoria is no exception. Probably the most gay-popular of the city's up-market restaurants, Cafe Brio is a sophisticated little chef-owned bistro that's an absolute delight for romantic, intimate meals. The contemporary West Coast cuisine has Tuscan overtones - you might start with crispy roasted sweetbreads with poached rhubarb, followed by tomato-and-molasses-braised lamb shank with fresh-mint-potato gnocchi. For some of the best modern Italian food in town, including fantastic wood-fired pizzas with such creative toppings as smoked ahi tuna and marinated artichokes, dine at Il Terrazzo, whose airy dining room resembles a cloistered courtyard. It's steps from the diverting shopping along Johnson Street and features one of the city's best wine lists.

With a memorable setting inside a former schoolhouse in Canada's oldest Chinatown, Brasserie L'Ecole is the domain of talented chef-owner Sean Brennan, who utilizes local produce in his innovative regional fare, such as local trout with escarole and Jerusalem artichokes. Well-seasoned, imaginatively prepared vegetarian fare is the specialty at Re-Bar Modern Food, an offbeat spot on downtown's Bastion Square, where you might dine on shiitake-tofu potstickers or Thai coconut-cashew prawn curry.

For lighter dining and snacking, grab a latte or cappuccino at gay-popular Bean Around the World Coffee, a Chinatown java joint that uses organic coffee beans. Or nosh on eggs Benedict, hefty burgers, and other short-order fare at Rosie's Diner, a downtown cafe with a festive '50s-inspired retro look. The city's sizable Asian community ensures a wealth of first-rate Chinese, Thai, and Japanese restaurants. For sensational Thai fare, try Siam Thai.
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