City / Town: Yellowknife

You can still feel the frontier spirit of the 1930s gold-rush era in Yellowknife’s historic Old Town. Walk along Ragged Ass Road, colorfully named after an old mine. You’ll see rustic Dene homes, heritage sites and plenty of antler adornments. In summer, stop for lunch at the Wildcat Cafe; order the wild caribou burger while you make new friends at the shared split-log tables in this cozy Old Town eatery.

The last gold mines closed in 2004, but Yellowknife has kept its luster thanks to the discovery of local diamonds in 1991. Shop for your own bona fide Canadian gem, have it cut and polished, then set into a custom design. On the busy main drag of Franklin Avenue in New Town, you’ll find other treasures at the Prince of Wales Northern Heritage Centre. Tour the aviation gallery dedicated to bush pilots of the North and an exhibit documenting the treacherous search for the Northwest Passage. See mammoth ivory jewelry, intricate beaded Dene garments and Inuit stone carvings.

In summer, book an eco-adventure on one of the greatest rivers in the world, the 1,080-mile Mackenzie (Deh Cho in Dene). Go fly-fishing on Great Slave Lake or on a photo expedition to the tundra to capture wild Arctic mammals on camera. In winter, watch the arcs, streaks and spirals of shimmering green-blue, yellow and pink Northern Lights—the greatest natural light show on earth.