Many Unique Things To Do in Dawson City by Julia Bryan, Feb 04, 2012

Title: Belleville Intelligencer

Publication Type: Daily Newspaper Section: Travel

In Dawson City, they have a saying "come for the history, but stay for the adventure." A small town with a dramatic history and an endless number of attractions, Dawson City offers it all in a rugged and majestic setting. In 1896, George Carmack, Dawson Charlie, and Skookum Jim found gold in what is now called Bonanza Creek, and changed the history of the Yukon forever. Their discovery triggered one of the world's greatest gold rush stampedes as nearly 100,000 prospectors yearned to strike it rich in the Klondike gold fields.

Designated as a national historic site, Dawson City has recreated the Klondike Gold Rush, and many of the city's buildings have been restored to evoke the ambience of the original gold rush days.

Today, gold seekers still visit Dawson City. The Klondike Visitors' Association maintains the original claim at Bonanza Creek, and welcomes anyone to give gold panning a try. If you don't have your own gold pan, you can rent one, and they even offer panning lessons!

They say there's still gold to be found if you have patience and a little luck. So take your pan to Bonanza Creek, dig some dirt from the surrounding banks and wash it out in the river.

Remember -any gold you find, you can keep!

If you'd rather try your luck at gambling, visit Dawson City's world famous casino named after the bona fide dance hall queen "Diamond Tooth Gertie." Offering can-can dancers and a singing master of ceremonies named Gertie, Canada's oldest gambling hall gives you a chance to re-live the Gold Rush era, all while playing blackjack, roulette, poker or an array of glittering slot machines.

But for those that prefer the majesty of nature to the glitter of the gold rush, some of the most spectacular views in the Yukon can be found in nearby Tombstone Territorial Park.

The Tombstone mountain range has been referred to as the Patagonia of the Northern Hemisphere, and it is home to flora and fauna that cannot be found anywhere else in North America. Here, visitors can experience the awesome beauty of a northern mountain wilderness.

With so many unique things to do and see in Dawson City, is easy to see why there's another local saying: "some come for the golden moments in the wild, and others for the golden memories that will last a lifetime."

Julia Bryan manages the communications and public relations for DeNure Tours.