It’s been awhile since our last family trip. In 2021 my family and I ventured on a road trip to Whistler. Last week, the family and I went on an adventure to Victoria. It was an awesome, amazing trip from start to finish and filled with so much to do! We visited gardens, museums, went whale watching and ziplining! If you haven’t had a chance to explore Victoria and the surrounding area, I highly recommend it! Here is a little more about what we did.
After an enjoyable breakfast on our BC Ferry, we headed towards Victoria from Schwartz Bay, with a stop at Butchart Gardens along the way. This 55-acre display garden located in Brentwood Bay, is 120 years old and was created by Jennie Butchart. 77 gardeners ensure the gardens are well manicured. It shows, as it was absolutely stunning and filled with visual treasures. From hidden sculptures, to flowing fountains, there was something beautiful at every look in every corner.
After our visual senses had reached exhaustion, it was time to treat ourselves to one of their delicious gelatos. This is a location that all ages can enjoy happily exploring for two hours or more. Leave an entire afternoon available for your adventure.
Once we entered Victoria we headed to our accommodation at Chateau Victoria. Located in central Victoria the hotel is a short walk from the Harbour, Legislative Building, and numerous Museums. There are also an abundance of great restaurants nearby including Vista 18, where we enjoyed a breakfast, just a few floors up.
We stayed in a One bedroom suite, which was ideal. Visit online to see the floor plan of the room. We took the bedroom and the kids slept in the living room. One on the sofa bed and one on the Queen sized bed in the living room allowing for everyone to have a good night’s rest with no pushing each other off of the bed.
Another must have for a hotel is the pool. I don’t know about your children, but mine love to go for a swim. They were in the pool every time we had some downtime. They even managed to convince me to join them. The water was warm and enjoyable, there is even a hot tub if you prefer hotter water.
The final highlight of the hotel was the LEGO replica of the hotel – Chateau LEGO, found in the hotel lobby. This isn’t just a LEGO building it is so much more than that! We had an opportunity to speak with long-standing Bellman, Glenn Waddingham, who engineered this project over 18 months and poured an estimated 525 hours, 62,000+ pieces, and 1100 pictures of the building to construct this masterpiece with painstaking accuracy down to the details in the utility shed on the roof.
Glenn truly put his heart into the creation and added meaningful details filled with emotion. Details only a Bellman would notice such as a child on the baggage carrier while the parents carry their own bags. The bent over stop sign that used to get runover all the time and the minifigure of the Operations Manager in a similar suit to one he often wears. Each piece was purchased off Bricklink for a specific reason. Some were so specific to the design that Glenn had to search for discontinued pieces from 1985.
After we settled into the hotel, we walked a short distance to a couple of local museums. First on our list was Miniature World.
The name of this tiny museum perfectly captures what awaits inside. It features an array of stunning miniature dioramas, each crafted with meticulous detail. Exhibits span themes from Space to the Frontier to Camelot, presenting iconic moments from history and scenes from classic stories.
The museum boasts an impressive collection of antique dollhouses, carefully curated and generously donated by enthusiasts. Including two of the world’s largest doll houses, dating back to the 1880s. These remarkable creations contain over 50 rooms each, carefully furnished with exquisite detail.
“I loved the decorations in the doll houses”
Amelia – age 9
Another mini-location is the Victoria Bug Zoo. This tiny zoo is filled with over 50 species of insect and arachnids. An educator is always on-hand to help explain the various insects. They will also let you hold them if you’re brave enough!
Aside from holding the insects, another fun game to play is to count how many insects are in the terrarium.
Do you know which are leaves and which are bugs? How many bugs can you see?
Despite seeing all the bugs, we still had an appetite and headed to Pagliacci’s for dinner. This has been my favorite restaurant in Victoria since 2001, and it’s also a favorite among many celebrities. Our waitress was amazing, treating the kids to their first-ever Shirley Temple Drinks. We then enjoyed a delightful meal of delicious pasta, pizza, and mussels. The bread we delectable and devoured. The serving sizes were generous, the kids had leftovers to enjoy for lunch. They also have gluten-free pasta available for the more restricted diets. After nearly 25 years, I would still rate Pagliacci’s as one of my favourite restaurants in Victoria!
On Day two, we started off with a walk to the Legislative Assembly Building. There are tours available, but we didn’t get a chance to attend, instead we went next door to the Royal BC Museum.
The Royal BC Museum, has a plethora of things to see including the provincial archives and IMAX® Victoria. This cultural centre strives to broaden our understanding of British Columbia through collections, exhibits, outreach and community engagement. The current exhibitions include:
We spent most of our time learning about Stonehenge and the Indigenous people. My children were truly engaged and enjoyed the educational games through-out the exhibits.
We concluded our day with a boat tour with the Prince of Whales, accompanied by a fantastic team of naturalists—Jamie, Theo, and Maddie. They ensured we were well taken care of. Jamie answered all our questions about the wildlife we were seeing, while Theo captured stunning photos of the whales, seals, and an eagle. I was especially pleased to learn that the boats no longer watch the native orcas but instead focus on spotting the transient pods, which are less endangered than the resident orcas since they eat mammals and not just salmon.
After spotting the transient orcas we travelled further south, past the American border, to spot a large group of Humpbacks.
The day was an amazing experience and a lot was learned by all!
“Whale watching was the best part of the trip. It was so neat being so close to the animals and seeing them in their natural environment!“
Amelia – age 9
Before departing the hotel, we enjoyed a delightful breakfast at Vista 18. The food was exceptional, and the views were breathtaking. It was a perfect way to savor one last look at Victoria before heading north for the final adventures of the day and the ferry ride home.
Our final day was spent a little farther from Victoria. We journeyed North on the TransCanada Highway to the Malahat Skywalk, located just off the Highway, nestled in the wilderness.
The Skywalk makes pristine nature accessible to all, by providing an even path to move on. Stunning views included eagles soaring overhead and deer grazing below. There was plenty of space to move around, and it never felt crowded. At the end of the walk, we enjoyed a thrilling slide down from the Skywalk that brought us to a place to get some delicious vegan ice cream and a fun playground to enjoy.
The final stop on our Island adventure had us flying through the trees on the AdrenaLine Big Zip!
An expert team assisted us in gearing up to ensure our safety. We were then driven through the trees to the starting point, where each of us was securely connected to the line. With two lines available, we even had the chance to race to the finish. Unsurprisingly, the heavier person won both times. It was an absolute blast!
“The Big Zip was my favourite part of the trip. I loved flying through the air at such high speed!“
Oliver – age 13
Though our trip to Victoria was only a couple of days, we managed to pack in plenty of fun experiences! There was something memorable for everyone. Although I had lived in Victoria for a year, I never it enjoyed it as a tourist. I loved seeing Victoria from a new perspective, and it reminded me how enjoyable it can be to play tourist in your own back yard or Province. I highly recommend a visit to Victoria for some quality family fun!
Next, we’ll have to explore Interior BC or stay close to home and go deeper into what Vancouver has to offer.
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