Victoria
Art Gallery of Greater Victoria
Housing almost 16,000 works of art, this is the largest public collection in BC. Once contained within the 1889 mansion that now stands adjacent to the galleries, the Art Gallery prides itself on its diverse assortment of exhibitions. Its permanent display of Emily Carr’s work, BC’s foremost historical artist, educates and entertains visitors.
Butchart Gardens
The Butcharts made their home on Vancouver Island in 1904. As Butchart used the limestone from his quarry, his wife solved the problem of an unsightly exhausted quarry by filling it with topsoil, and eventually turning it into what has become the spectacular Sunken Garden. Visitors will be fascinated by the variety of floral displays throughout the 55-acre gardens.
Minimum Time Required: 2 hours
Craigdarroch Castle
Built in the 1890s, Craigdarroch Castle is a Victorian-era mansion offering groups a trip into the past. Travel up through 4 1/2 stories to see the 39 rooms, most furnished from the period, and see how the rich and famous lived. On most days visitors can see artisans hard at work as they continue restoring the castle.
Minimum Time Required: 1.5 hours
Centre of the Universe
This educational and fun stop houses a planetarium, interactive exhibits and the 80-year-old Plaskett Telescape, originally used to study the Milky Way, today used by visitors to study the stars and sky. Gain a newfound appreciation for the planets and the universe at this fabulous stop.
Minimum Time Required: 1.5 hours
Fort Rodd Hill National Historic Site and Fisgard Lighthouse National Historic Site of Canada
A coastal artillery fort, Fort Rodd Hill was built in the late 1890s to defend Victoria. An excellent educational activity, the fort has three gun batteries, underground magazines, command posts, guardhouses and barracks all telling the history of late 19th century military life.
The Maritime Museum of British Columbia
See Tilikum, a modified canoe made from a single cedar log that sailed from Victoria in 1901 and arrived in England in 1905. View the vast collection of ship models on display. Learn about the tragic shipwrecks that occurred on BC’s coastline, and about the pirate stories that grip the imagination.
Minimum Time Required: 1.5 hours
National Geographic IMAX Theatre
Located inside the Royal BC Museum, this 2D IMAX 406 seat theatre showcases both educational and feature films. The IMAX experience brings images to life with a projected area more than 6 stories high and 70 feet wide and 12,000 watts of pure IMAX Digital surround sound.
Pacific Undersea Gardens
Get a spectacularly unique view of undersea life by descending 15 feet beneath the ocean’s surface in the lower level of this floating vessel. In the theatre, a guide and diver offer a tour beneath the ocean, while the visitors sit in comfort and experience the fully narrated adventure. The vessel is located at the Inner Harbor.
Minimum Time Required: 1 hour
Royal BC Museum
Experience the Natural and Human History of British Columbia and its First Peoples through unique displays and galleries. The museum is also host to periodic exhibits or international renown.
Minimum Time Required: 2 hours
Royal London Wax Museum
Located near Beacon Hill Park and downtown , the Royal London Wax Museum was the first North American exhibition of wax figures from Josephine Tussaud''s famous gallery in London, England. Housed in a historic steamships terminal, the museum documents a myriad of events, with three hundred authentically-costumed wax figures of the famous and infamous.
Victoria Butterfly Gardens
Explore the gardens, the ponds, and then the emerging area, where butterflies emerge from chrysalis to become the spectacular creatures you saw in the gardens. Located adjacent to the Butchart Gardens.
Minimum time required: 1 hour
