| Victoria
is more genteel than neighboring Vancouver -- it resembles
a picturesque English port town in a showcase of turn-of-the-century
architecture, ivy-covered mansions, ornamental street lamps
and the traditions of afternoon tea. The city's appeal is
decidedly British -- dare we say Victorian? With the mildest
climate in Canada, Victoria is a city of gardens: Roses, daffodils,
lilacs, begonias and a multitude of other blossoms fill large
formal gardens and spill from flower baskets around town. |
Crystal
Gardens
Situated behind the Empress Hotel, this glass-enclosed conservatory
contains a tropical jungle of exotic plants, colorful birds
and small animals. Look for the pygmy marmosets (tiny South
American monkeys that are excruciatingly cute).
Pacific
Undersea Gardens
Victoria's reputation as a city of gardens is not limited
to above-ground flora and fauna. This "aquarium"
across from the Parliament Buildings allows visitors to
peer into the underwater world. The gardens are on a floating
vessel moored in Victoria's inner harbor. After descending
a series of ramps and stairs, you'll see live displays of
brightly colored fish, urchins, starfish and sea anemone
native to the region's cold waters. Scuba divers equipped
with underwater microphones assist with the narration.
Miniature
World
Inside the Empress Hotel is a model universe that includes
an operational sawmill and an impressive railway, plus tiny
circus, space and frontier exhibits. Children will especially
enjoy this attraction, which includes more than 85 minatures.
Craigdarroch
Castle
Situated in a quiet, posh area northeast of downtown, this
lavish 39-room mansion overlooks the city. It was built
in the 1890s for coal baron Robert Dunsmuir and his wife,
Joan. The 20,000-sq-ft/1,850-sq-m mansion is a pleasing
medley of Roman arches, Jacobean dormers and Elizabethan
chimneys.
Royal
British Columbia Museum
This museum is an exceptional treasury of human history.
Dioramas and exhibits about deep-sea exploration, the province's
natural habitats and its native peoples are some of the
most ambitious and spectacular you'll see anywhere. A state-of-the-art
National Geographic IMAX Theatre is a recent addition to
the museum. The 400-seat theater shows spectacular eco-oriented
films.
Point
Ellice House
This lovely house overlooking scenic Gorge Inlet is a piece
of quintessential Victoriana: You can try your hand at croquet
and take afternoon tea amid luxuriant gardens and lawns.
But first tour the rambling Italianate home where some members
of Victoria's elite lived in the 1800s.
Beacon
Hill Park
You don't have to leave the city to see lovely gardens.
You can roam the colorful paths of this park, which starts
just two blocks from the inner harbor. Its expanse includes
flowers, lakes, playgrounds and a petting zoo. Other attractions
include sports fields and playgrounds, a bandshell and the
world's tallest free-standing totem pole. The 128-ft/39-m
masterpierce was created by renowned Kwakwaka'wakw artist
Mungo Martin in 1956.
Fort
Rodd Hill National Historic Park
About 15 minutes from downtown Victoria on Esquimalt Harbor,
this park is a wonderful place for a picnic lunch and a
hike. (There are picnic tables all around the grounds.)
A short hiking trail takes you through the woods to a machine
gun post and searchlight emplacements from the 1890s. The
Fisgard Lighthouse resides along the shore. In the park
you'll see plants and animals found nowhere else in Canada.
Parliament
Buildings
The domed and turreted Parliament Buildings were designed
by Francis Rattenbury and completed in 1898. Free tours
are offered daily during the week (weekends, too, during
summer). Paintings in the lower rotunda depict Canadian
hisotry. If the legislature is in session, you can slip
into the viewing balcony over the chambers and listen to
the political debate.
Art
Gallery of Greater Victoria
Housed in an 1889 mansion, the Art Gallery of Greater Victoria
includes many works by Emily Carr. Another prized piece
of the collection is Col. Lewis Broome's king-sized dollhouse.
On the grounds is a Japanese garden with the only authentic
Shinto shrine in North America -- which seems fitting because
the gallery contains the finest public collection of Japanese
art in Canada.
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