Check out our blogs, especially
Linda's as mine as sillier or less complete, at
my website.
Churchill Northern Studies Centre
- accessible, comfortable, great educational/science staff and
lectures, great food, hot showers, nice rooms, away from the lights for
auroras. You'll meet interesting people and maybe a polar bear
researcher or two. We've gone 6 times and plan to go more, still have
to do the belugas and birds plus we love the North, the auroras, and
the friends we have made up there!
Learning Vacations
(price is $CAD so will be less is $US) - sign up and travel on your own
(Linda and I know all the ropes so happy to answer any questions; we
love taking the train but it does make for a longer adventure). These
courses do fill up, 24 max for the aurora courses. Polar bear courses
fill up especially quickly.
Road Scholar
- chaperoned and they make travel arrangements once you get to Winnipeg
including Winnipeg-based tours. If listed on the CNSC website note that
the prices are most likely in $US. You can also go to the Road Scholar
website to sign up. Aurora courses do fill up, 24 for the aurora
courses. Polar bear tours fill up especially quickly.
Spaceweather.com - realtime aurora and other astronomical information, also lets you post pictures of auroras, etc.
Explore.org - has webcams all over the world with the
Northern Lights one being on a building at CNSC, live video 24/7, good quality
Alan Dyer - one of the two aurora in-house astronomers and fantastic photographer of
worldwide astronomical events; has a
book on photogaphing/processing nightscapes/time-lapses including auroras
Alex De Vries-Magnifico - Churchill based photographer and adventurer,
Facebook, Discover_Churchill on Instagram, store in town with great photos for sale but he's hard to nail down as he runs tours.
How to Photograph the Northern Lights by
Patrick Endres
- excellent PDF book for auroras and cold weather photography; he also
does amazing photo journeys into the arctic and subarctic from Alaska
so check out his home page
Yellowknife aurora video cam - another aurora cam but from Alaska
Travel to Churchill from Winnipeg is either by
VIA rail (42
hour, two nights, meals included, get a sleeping berth or a cabin, this
year (2017) the train had a chef and a viewing car for the aurora
season; polar bear season I would expect the same, make your
reservations early like many months in advance, try to get the
discounted berths and sign up with VIA to get emails especially for
Discount Tuesdays) or by
Calm Air.
Trains will get you to the start date of your CNSC adventure but on the
way back you will have to stay a couple days in town or fly home. Spend
some more time at the Eskimo museum, venture out at night to the town
beach to get that Inukshuk shot of the aurora, have another meal at the
Seaport or, if you are there after the first weekend in March or during
bear season, make it definitely to
Gypsy's Or maybe a movie at the Polar Cinema or a drink at the Legion.
Calm Air flies to Churchill via
Arviat, return flight is direct from Churchill, make reservations
early. If going by Road Scholar or another tour group they should make
the arrangements for you I believe - not sure as we've always done the
train and Learning Vacations on our own. They fly every day weather permitting.
We have driven to Winnipeg from Sturbridge (about 2000 miles one way)
but usually take a flight from Bradley via Chicago to Winnipeg.
If going by train you should seriously consider staying at the
Fort Garry Hotel which is a short walk even with baggage to the train station.
We have lots more information both on what to do in Winnipeg,
Thompson if going by train, and the Churchill area. Feel free to ask us.