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Get to know Vermilion locals to make your visit better
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Just two hours from Edmonton, Vermilion has a special local charm and we've got the hack to help you uncover it, featuring a chance to win a local shopping spree. (in partnership with @ExploreVermilion)
Over the years, my visits to Vermilion keep getting better as I get to know the locals. Whatever I need, I know where to go in Vermilion to find it: coffee, outdoor gear, shopping, art galleries, restaurants.
It’s the everyday interactions, in local shops or on the street, that give Vermilion its signature charm.
Casually talking up Toland Cochrane at Burnt Rock Adventure Co. on my last visit led me to a new find that I am keen to go back for: a new artist’s collective, opened up in the basement of Craig’s Cornerstone (red brick heritage building on Main Street).
Photo:
Jeremy Derksen
#BTS moment in Vermilion, on a recent visit. L-R: Vanessa Rifo, Clare Tolchard (of Kookum Clara's Custom Cree-ations), photographer Spencer Vandermeer and the author.
But how do you find out about these things? There’s no substitute for real, in-person interaction,
But for the first-time visitor or anyone newer to Vermilion, you’ll need a cheat code, and this is it: follow along with Explore Vermilion's Instagram.
Read on to find out how to win by following @ExploreVermilion.
#ExploreVermilion is your guide to who’s who, things to do, places to visit and where to eat on a Vermilion visit.
Photo:
Spencer Vandermeer
Shopping for unique local finds at Lighten Up Shop.
As a bonus, follow the #ExploreVermilion instagram over the course of the next 10 days and you’ll have the chance to win $250 in gift cards to local Vermilion businesses.
There are no tumbleweeds rolling down this eastern Alberta prairie town, just under two hours from Edmonton. Where many rural municipalities have been losing ground to the big cities for decades, Vermilion has found a way to thrive.
From local fashion retailers, to the local café, restaurants to drive for and the local cocktail joint that bring visitors from miles around, Vermilion nails prairie chic.
With a two-storey main street full of mid-20th century rural architecture, it just begs to be strolled leisurely, with your favourite coffee beverage or treat in hand. (Read more about natural, walkable Vermilion in this story.)
Photo:
Spencer Vandermeer
Strolling Main Street with a coffee from Red Brick Cafe.
Now picture all of that, with $250 in local gift cards burning a hole in your pocket. No doubt you’ll be feeling flush, which in local vernacular would make you a… Vermillionaire.
Enter to win a $250 Vermilion local spree
$50 x 5 local stores to explore and get to know Vermilion.
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People here know how to live the good life—they even have a local institute, aptly named the Good Life Institute, dedicated to building out “new ideas for living.”
Hint: it doesn’t involve urban stress, screen anxiety or costly user fees. Think an awesome slate of community-based events, including the town's own version of an "Amazing" race, the Taste of Vermilion (featuring the bucket brigade splash party below) and the Vermilion Fair, among them.
Photo:
Paul Lavoie
Community events keep things exciting in Vermilion.
So while @ExploreVermilion won’t have your latest celebrity gossip, you will know things like:
When to check out the Vernilion Fair?
Or, what are the latest drink specials at Copper Cork Distillery?
What’s on the new charcuterie platter at The Cheesery?
And, when to swoop in for free, freshly baked cinnamon buns from the community oven (yes, that is a thing in Vermilion).
We’d tell you more, but seriously, just follow @ExploreVermilion to enter the contest and it could be you with $250 in local bucks to spend exploring Vermilion. Enough said?
