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Victoria offers some of the best weather in B.C.// © 2010 Tourism Victoria |
After spending several days on the rugged western coast of Vancouver Island, my family and I headed for the sunny seaside town of Victoria, British Columbia, with our two daughters for two days of exploration. For such a small city, Victoria is packed with activities for families — even for very young children — so much so, it was hard to know where to start. But our daughter, Ava, made it easy for us. She saw a sign for the Pacific Sea Underwater Gardens and shouted, “Mommy, I want to go down there!” And off we went.
The Pacific Sea Underwater Museum is a fun activity for young children. Located in Victoria’s Inner Harbour, the gardens give guests a unique view of the undersea life of the B.C. coastal region. Guests descend a stairway 15 feet underwater to the museum’s viewing area where they are met by a watery display of living marine plants and animals. The specially designed tidal ponds are filled with crabs, sea stars, anemones, rockfish and more, viewable through a series of windows that look out onto the sea floor. My daughter had a lot of fun pointing to the sea creatures she knew (mostly from watching “SpongeBob, SquarePants”) and telling us what she saw.
Dive shows and tours of the museum run throughout the day. The shows are approximately 20 minutes in length and the tour takes about 40-45 minutes, making the whole experience about one hour long. Our girls enjoyed the tour, but were a bit young to pay attention to the entire dive show, even though they were fascinated by the diver and his “funny mask.”
When we resurfaced, we decided that some playtime was in order. Victoria has several options for kids to expend some energy. For children over the age of 7, WildPlay Element Parks are ideal. In Victoria, WildPlay West Shore is located at West Shore Parks & Recreation and offers two aerial, tree-to-tree adventure courses suspended between six and 60 feet off the ground. Kids can climb, swing and play on fun apparatus such as ziplines, wobbly bridges, Tarzan ropes, scramble ropes and more.
Parents with younger children can head to the Fisherman’s Wharf area by taking a water taxi from the harbor, which is fun for young kids, or via a short walk from the Inner Harbour. Here, they will find a number of food stalls serving a variety of kid-friendly options such as burgers, hot dogs, French fries and, of course, fish and chips. Parents can purchase fish for their kids to feed to the harbor seals, who are always waiting for a handout. There’s also a beautiful park just above the wharf where children can play on a slide, run around on the grass and climb on rocking horses and a spider net.
We took a short boat ride back to the main part of town and strolled the streets of Victoria searching for souvenirs. The city’s main street, Government Street, has an ample selection of First Nations art and souvenir shops, as well as Roger’s Chocolates, which turned 125 years old this year. Lower Johnson Street between Wharf Street and Government Street is known as LoJo and is characterized by colorful heritage buildings and fashionable shops. Fisgard Street is also home to Canada’s oldest Chinatown.
Other attractions that are fun for children to explore include the Royal BC Museum with 26,000 square feet of indoor exhibits; the Victoria Bug Zoo where children can get an up-close encounter with more than 40 different bug species and view Canada’s largest ant farm; and Butchart Gardens.
We wrapped up our day with dinner at the Spaghetti Factory. I know, it’s not very original (nothing says Canada like spaghetti, right), but the restaurant was quick, delicious and family-friendly. And what more could we want after a long day of discovery?
What to Do:
1 Butchart Gardens
800 Benvenuto Avenue
Central Saanich
250-652-5256
www.butchartgardens.com
2 Fisherman’s Wharf
12 Erie Street
Victoria
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3 Pacific Sea Underwater Museum
490 Belleville Street
Victoria
250-382-5717
www.pacificunderseagardens.com
4 Royal BC Museum
675 Belleville Street
Victoria
250-356-7226
www.royalbcmuseum.bc.ca
5 Victoria Bug Zoo
631 Courtney Street
Victoria
250-384-2847
www.bugzoo.bc.ca
6 WildPlay West Shore
1767 Island Highway
Victoria
250-590-7529
www.wildplay.com
When to Go:
While Vancouver, B.C., and most of Vancouver Island are known to be rainy, Victoria boasts the mildest climate in Canada and is green year-round. The summer months are the driest months to visit.
Where to Eat:
1 Willie’s Bakery: B.C.’s oldest bakery features fresh-baked goods, coffee and a full breakfast menu.
537 Johnson Street
250-381-8414
2 Noodle Box: A local favorite serving East Asian noodles in classic, Chinese-style boxes.
818 Douglas Street
250-384-1314
3 The Old Spaghetti Factory: Just like home, the Old Spaghetti Factory serves up heaping portions spaghetti with classic sauces.
703 Douglas Street
250-381-8444
Where to Stay:
1 The Fairmont Empress Hotel
721 Government Street
Victoria
250-384-8111
www.fairmont.com/empress
2 Hotel Grand Pacific
463 Belleville Street
Victoria
250-386-0450
www.hotelgrandpacific.com
Getting There:
One of the best ways to get to Victoria is to travel by ferry. BC Ferries operates ferries from Vancouver. There are also ferries from Seattle and Port Angeles, Wash. Clients can also fly to Victoria from Vancouver or take a bus.
