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| Victoria Attractions: Hits & Misses |
Art Gallery of Greater Victoria: Their permanent collection includes a number of Emily Carr's works and a wide range of Japanese art from silk paintings to Samurai armour. Check their website for current and coming exhibitions as well as featured permanent pieces.
Beacon Hill Park: In 1850, Sir James Douglas set this land aside for public enjoyment. In 1882 it was turned over to the city. Modelled after the stately parks of London, ducks, swans and seagulls alike take refuge in the park's many lakes. There is a childrens' playground with a spraypark and a children's farm, famous for its peacocks and cavorting goats. For the adults there is a small putting green and a cricket pitch. In one corner stands what was once the world's tallest totem pole and on top of the hill for which the park was named sits a house, now boarded up, that held the beacon to warn ships of the rocky coast. Throughout the area are gardens featuring a variety of native and introduced plants.
Maritime Museum: Located in Bastion Square, in a building which used to be the provincial courthouse. Dedicated to "promoting, presenting and interpreting ... our vibrant maritime heritage, through stimulating exhibits and dynamic educational and performing arts programs" the museum includes exhibits on all aspects of maritime history. From dugout canoes to vast naval and passenger vessels, if it floats, you can learn more here. As an aside, it contains the oldest continually running elevator in B.C. and I had to operate it one summer as a janitor!
Royal BC Museum: Wow. This place awed me when I was ten and still does. I have been hundreds of times and still visit just to see the travelling exhibits which keep getting more and more elaborate. I have often used this museum as a yardstick for others which almost always come up short. Basically they display artifacts in thier historical or natural context which is really the best way to understand it. This place will take at least three hours to see properly and it is most crowded on weekends in the summer months. The lastest addition to the RBCM is an IMAX theatre (adding to the crowds).
Heritage Acres (Saanich Historical Artifacts Society): Located at 7321 Lochside Drive, just off the #17 Highway, it is worth the drive, or worth a stop en route to the Schwartz Bay Ferry Terminal. It is open 364 days a year from 9 am-noon (9am - 4pm in June, July and August). Run by volunteers, the society is "dedicated to preserve the past for the future." The on-site museum includes all sorts of artifacts from homes and businesses on Vancouver Island throughout the years. The site also houses a two-room schoolhouse, a small church, a log cabin, a blacksmith's shop a sawmill, and dozens of tractors and other artifacts. The small chapel is available for weddings other services, and the schoolhouse can also be booked for meetings. The grounds are home to the Vancouver Island Model Engineers, whose scale model steam engines can take passengers on a tour of the grounds. Admission is by donation except for special events twice a year.
Mineral World/Scratch Patch: If you make it out to Heritage Acres, you should also try visiting Mineral World/Scratch Patch. The attraction is free to enter -- the only fee is for the baggies to collect stones (of course kids will want to collect stones, so be prepared to shell out up to $10 each) and pan for gold. The interpretive centre is at the back of what at first glance appears to be an artsy retail store, but there's plenty to learn here. The Scratch Patch is open in all weather but best to visit under clear skies.
TLC Abkhazi Garden: The variety and number of plants artfully crowded into this residential acreage is truly astounding; it took me nearly two hours to take it all in. I was most amazed by the rhododendron forest -- century old plants that tower overhead -- and the way the garden integrates the native Garry Oaks. The garden features a mixture of native and introduced plants, some of which are for sale at the tea house and gift shop. It's also a quick drive or bus ride from town (and a dollar off if you arrive by bus, bike, or foot) making it a nice nearby alternative to the Butchart Gardens. Consider arriving in time for a traditional Devonshire Cream Tea in the afternoon overlooking the gorgeous grounds. Open March-September only.
BC Heritage Houses: Emily Carr House; Craigflower Manor; Helmecken House; and Point Ellice House. All of these buildings are important historical sites and each has its own merits. Emily Carr House was immortalized by the artist and sometime author in her "House of Small" journals; Craigflower Manor was part of a Hudson's Bay Company farm and the Schoolhouse is the oldest standing in BC. Helmecken House was home to Victoria's first doctor and is the oldest house on an original site in BC; Point Ellice house, where you can take in afternoon tea is also reported to be haunted! Certainly if you are in town longer than a weekend, these are worth visiting, especially if you are a local history buff.
Butterfly Gardens: If you do make the trek out to Butchart Gardens, you should stop in to see the Butterfly Gardens too; but I wouldn't recommend making the trip out solely to see the butterflies (unless that's your "thing"). The Gardens are relatively small and not unique to Victoria; it took me about 30 minutes at a really leisurely pace to see them all. Kids will get more out of it if you take in a guided tour; there is plenty to learn about the life cycle and science of the butterflies (and birds and fish) which live in the building. They inherited the flamingos and ibis along with some plants from the Crystal Gardens.
Government House: Located at 1401 Rockland avenue, you usually can't tour the house (it is the official residence of the Lieutenant Governor -- BC's direct link to the Queen of England) but the gardens are lovely to walk through, and they are open until dusk every day. If you are in town New Year's Day, however, they hold a levee here that is always packed with curious locals. The house itself has been damaged by fire twice in its history (!!) -- the large rock entranceway is all that remains of the original structure.
Hatley Castle at Royal Roads University. A bit out of the way, but an amusing side trip as this has been used as a location for several film productions. While you are there, check out the extensive gardens (including formal Japanese and Italian gardens) and grounds.
Miniature World: I couldn't quite put this in the misses category, because it is interesting, especially to kids. You can see miniature dioramas of history, war, and fantasy, along with scale replicas of stately homes. I'm particularly fond of the circus display at the end. It's located in the basement of the Empress Hotel.
Victoria Bug Zoo: If you or your family have even the slightest interest in creepy crawly critters, especially those that masquerade as foliage, then you really should stop in to the Bug Zoo for a guided tour of insects, arachnids and other multi-legged crawlers. The cockroaches have their own miniature house, and the ants have an amazing habitat to fill. The guides know their stuff and there's a great gift shop attached; I'd put this in the HITS category except for the way some people react to bugs.
Buchart Gardens: the main reasons this is on my "misses" list is the cost and the distance. There are plenty of gardens in Victoria that don't cost anything to see (try Beacon Hill Park and Government House), and which don't take a forty minute bus-ride to reach. That said, if you do decide to go, try to go toward dusk so you can see the fireworks display.
Craigdarroch Castle: don't let the name mislead you, this is not a castle in the European sense of the word. It has some fanciful architecture, but it was built as a residence by coal barron Robert Dunsmuir. It is a National Historical Site, but save yourself the price of admission and visit the website instead (the virtual tour is very thorough)!
High Tea at the Empress. A formidable landmark on the inner harbour, the building is well worth a snooping-about. High Tea, however, costs $55 per person and you need to make reservations at least three days in advance!! Sure, it's kind of fun to imagine all the pompus twits who have dined from the same china, and the place is always packed... but for that kind of cash I want more than scones and crust-less sandwiches! Try the Blethering Place ($16.95, full tea course), the Gatsby Mansion ($21.95, full tea), or the James Bay Tea Room ($12.75, full afternoon tea) instead.
Pacific Undersea Gardens: since Sealand of the Pacific closed down a few years back this is the only aquarium in town, but really it is kinda lame. Sure, you can watch the dive show and there is a tiny touch-and-feel tank, but otherwise it is quite unimpressive. I would also warn you that there are NO washrooms on board and there are steep stairs to climb down (so no strollers allowed either!). If you are going to be in the region for a while either make the road trip up-Island to Botanical Beach and see real tide-pools and sea-life as it should be, or make the trek to Vancouver and check out the Vancouver Aquarium at Stanley Park, which is a world-class attraction.
Royal London Wax Museum: well.. if you have never been to any Wax Museum then this might be worth the bucks... if you have been in any which use the heads created by Madame Tussad's then this will not show you anything new. Maybe it's just me.. but I find this place a great yawn. [Of course, you should take a close look at the building itself -- it used to be the CPR Steamship terminal. Look up to the corners and you can see Neptune smiling down]. Like the CPR-owned Empress Hotel and Crystal Gardens, this building was one of Rattenbury's designs.
Tally Ho Sightseeing Tours: These horse-drawn carriages with the red and white awnings are a fixture of Victoria. Unfortunately, their historical tour script contains errors which, when I attempted to correct them were met with a shrug. Better bet is to take a private carriage tour or one of the many pedi-cabs -- but be warned even in the summer these can be chilly tours!.
Other Attractions: (sorry I haven't rated these yet!)
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(last updated April 2007)
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