Family Discovery Tour on Vancouver Island: Six Unforgettable Places Your Children Will Love
Beacon Hill Park:
Fabulous park in Victoria, British Columbia, across from the Olympic snowcapped mountains and Juan de Fuca Strait. Huge trees and trails, nesting grounds for blue heron, ducks, peacocks and the Children’s Farm are sure to dazzle your kids on your Family Discovery Tour of Victoria visit to Vancouver Island. Explore secret gardens, climb the branches of a 100-year-old sequoia, and mingle with baby goats, in this heavenly park right in the city of Victoria, BC. The children’s petting farm features baby llamas, rare species of chickens, adorable ponies, and little pigs. A favourite park for local kids, everyone lines up daily at 10:10am to cheer on the baby goat stampede. Major fun!
Bird Sanctuary Beaches:
Some three hundred migratory birds visit the southern coastline of Vancouver Island. Victoria’s Harbour and spectacular southern coastline hosts Canada’s first urban migratory bird sanctuary. Established in 1923, volunteers and government agencies, have contributed to the return of clean waters and wildlife not seen in more than half a century. On your private Family Discover Tour , you’ll visit hidden coves and beaches with views of Gulf Islands and snowcapped mountains across Vancouver Island, BC. Your kids will love exploring the unique rocky west coast beaches of driftwood and the world of coastal migratory seabirds.
Fisgard Light House:
A national historic site, Fort Rodd, an 1900’s century coastal artillery fort, is home to the oldest light house in Canada’s west coast. Step inside the lighthouse and capture the feeling of ship wrecks and lives saved. Fisgard Light House is a fun 2 floor museum with interactive displays for kids to enjoy. The grounds are a mysterious maze built by the British when Vancouver Island was not yet part of Canada. The sea views and nearby fresh water lagoon, are yet another interesting place to explore with your children.
Butterfly Gardens: This lovely little indoor jungle not far from Butchart Gardens is filled with thousands of butterflies, flying freely in a tropical, warm setting. Kids love the colourful butterflies, tropical birds, frogs, turtles, and plants that include carnivorous species. The Butterfly gardens is a delightful place to visit with your kids, and it is also home to an impressive Insectarium.
Sidney by the Sea: This lovely coastal town by the Salish Sea, close to Victoria, BC., is a great destination of unique shops, street markets, restaurants, museum, galleries. Walk along a causeway of whimsical local sculptures, pier, and picnic area to Glass Beach. Kids love the Shaw Ocean Centre, a world class hands-on aquarium and learning centre where displays focus on the ecosystem of the Salish Sea.
Craigdarroch Castle:
Victoria’s glamorous past comes alive in this fairytale like nineteenth century castle overlooking the city of Victoria, BC. Built on a promise to his wife Joan, Scottish immigrant Robert Dunsmuir’s is a rags to riches story. The Dunsmuirs spared no expense lavishing this 4-floor mansion with stained-glass art, intricate wooden carvings, and quirky Victorian-era furnishings. Exploring inside Craigdarroch castle, kids will glimpse the life of a Victorian privileged family. Behind the castle is a big grass lawn where kids love to run and race.