victoria, british colombia

View of the Fairmont Empress Hotel and the Parliament Building

Whale watching and the a picture of the abundant rain forest
around Victoria.

The Parliament Building and Victoria harbor

Butchart Gardens here and here

The Fisgard Lighthouse and the ocean around Victoria Island

One of the most beautiful pictures I saw was Victoria at night.

Victoria is Vancouver Island in British Colombia which you can only get to by ferry or plane. I originally thought it was Victoria Island, but that is somewhere around Nunavut I believe. The Vancouver Island tourist website describes the island by saying, "Emerald forests are dense with towering trees. White-capped waves crash thunderously onto glittering beaches and jagged shorelines. Pristine bays and inlets, lakes and rushing rivers, snow-capped peaks and glistening glaciers - its nature in all its splendour."

Some of the big attractions in Victoria are Butchart Gardens, Fairmont Empress Hotel, Fisgard Lighthouse and the Parliament Buildings. If I were going to Victoria, some of the museums I would make sure to stop by would be the British Colombia Maritime Museum and the Craigdarroch Castle Historic Home Museum. Visiting old homes is one of my favorite things to when I travel though. If I had kids I would probably add the Pacific Underseas Garden to the list.

As for the outdoor recreational draw of Victoria and Vancouver Island, they list hiking, boating, horse back riding, kayaking and canoeing, scooters, and zip lines. I am getting more and more excited about Victoria, hopefully my sister can talk my Dad into a family trip there, it looks and sounds amazing.

P.S. My sister demanded more research to go with the pretty pictures, behold my research.