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Top Attractions in Victoria

Royal British Columbia Museum

Founded in 1886, the Royal British Columbia Museum consists of The Province of British Columbias natural and human history museum as well as the British Columbia Provincial Archives. The museum is located in Victoria, British Columbia, Canada. The "Royal" title was approved by Queen Elizabeth II and bestowed by HRH Prince Philip in 1987, to coincide with a Royal tour of that year. The museum merged with the British Columbia Provincial Archives in 2003. The Royal BC Museum includes three permanent galleries: modern history, natural history, and local First Nations’ history. The museum’s collections comprise approximately 7 million objects, including artifacts, natural history specimens, and archival records. The natural history collections have 750,000 records of specimens almost exclusively from BC and neighbouring states, provinces, or territories. The collections are divided into eight disciplines: Entomology, Botany, Paleontology, Ichthyology, Invertebrate Zoology, Herpetology, Mammals, and Ornithology. Bryophytes and Algae are not well represented. The museum also hosts touring exhibits, and previous exhibits have included artifacts related to the RMS Titanic, Leonardo da Vinci, Egyptian artifacts, and Genghis Khan. The museums IMAX theatre shows educational films as well as commercial entertainment. The museum is beside Victorias Inner Harbour, between the Empress Hotel and the Legislature Buildings. The museum anchors the Royal BC Museum Cultural Precinct, a surrounding area with historical sites and monuments, including Thunderbird Park. There was also a summer satellite gallery at the Wing Sang building in Vancouver’s Chinatown, opened in June 2012. The overarching exhibition of the summer satellite gallery was "Curious," made up of four installations: Intimate Glimpses, Artifact/ Artifiction, Magic Lantern and Bottled Beauty. On 26 March 2012 Jack Lohman was appointed CEO of the Royal BC Museum. Various groups assist with the development, success, and maintenance of the Royal BC Museum. These include volunteers, who number over 500 and outnumber the Royal BC Museum staff 4 to 1; the Royal BC Museum Foundation, a non-profit organization created in 1970 to support the Royal BC Museum financially and to assist its work by forming links within the community; Security Services, responsible for risk management, emergency response, security services, and business continuity expertise; and Property Management and Operations, who focus on sustainability, recycling, and environment control within the museum.

Galloping Goose Regional Trail

The Galloping Goose Regional Trail is a 55-kilometre rail trail between Victoria, British Columbia, Canada, and the ghost town of Leechtown, north of Sooke, where it meets the old Sooke Flowline. The trail is a popular route both for commuting and recreation, including within the urban areas of central Victoria, which it penetrates in part. It is frequented by people walking, running, cycling, skateboarding and riding horses. It connects up with many other trails and parks in the area. The trail was created in 1987 on the former right-of-way of the Canadian National Railway, and runs through the communities of Sooke, Metchosin, Colwood, Langford, View Royal, Saanich, and Victoria as well as the unincorporated community of East Sooke. The trail surface is paved from its beginning at the west side of Johnson Street Bridge up to Wale Road, approximately 13 kilometers or one quarter of its total length. In 1996 two important connecting links were opened. The rebuilt Selkirk Trestle across the Selkirk Water and the Switch Bridge over the Trans-Canada Highway. The trail was named after the local gas-powered passenger car that ran on the line from 1922 to 1931. It also forms part of the Trans-Canada Trail, and intersects the Lochside Regional Trail. It is maintained by the Capital Regional District. Although maps show Leechtown as being the end of the trail, since 2007 this area is restricted as part of the Greater Victoria water supply. In 2010 a warning sign and locked gate greet hikers before the end of the trail, Leechtown is not accessible.

Beacon Hill Park

Beacon Hill Park is a 75 ha park located along the shore of Juan de Fuca Strait in Victoria, British Columbia. The park is popular both with tourists and locals, and contains a number of amenities including woodland and shoreline trails, two playgrounds, a waterpark, playing fields, a petting zoo, tennis courts, many ponds, and landscaped gardens. The land was originally set aside as a protected area by Sir James Douglas, governor of the Colony of Vancouver Island in 1858. In 1882, the land was officially made a municipal park of the City of Victoria, and given its present name. The name is derived from a small hill overlooking the Strait, upon which once stood navigational beacons. The hill is culturally significant, having been a burial site for the First Nations Coast Salish people, who are the original inhabitants of the Greater Victoria region. It provides scenic vistas of the Strait and the Olympic Mountains of Washington. Although much of the park has been landscaped into gardens and playing fields, and populated with various structures, a great deal of the native flora has been preserved. Garry oak, arbutus, Douglas-fir, western redcedar, camas, trillium, snowberry, Oregon grape, and fawn lily still remain in the park. Raccoons, river otters, squirrels, and many types of birds are frequently to be seen. The ponds in the park are noted for their swans, turtles, ducks, Canada geese, and blue herons. The park is notable for a few human-made features, as well. Most prominent is the worlds fourth-tallest totem pole, a 38.8-metre work carved by Kwakwakawakw craftsman Mungo Martin, and erected in 1956 and was when built, the worlds tallest. The pebble bridge over the stream between Goodacre and Fountain Lake is a tribute to renowned BC artist Emily Carr, erected by her sister Alice Carr in 1945. In the middle of the park, the Cameron Bandshell, otherwise known as "The Stage", is the site of concerts from June through September. "Mile 0" of the Trans-Canada Highway is at the south-west corner of the park, along with the old Beacon Lodge and the famous Beacon Drive In.

Ogden Point

Ogden Point is a deep water port facility located in the southwestern corner of the city of Victoria, British Columbia, Canada. Its location in the historic and beautiful city on the southern tip of Vancouver Island, by the Strait of Juan de Fuca not far from Vancouver and Seattle, US, has made it an attractive cruise ship destination. It also serves as a ship repair and supply facility for cruise ships and other vessels such as deep sea cable laying ships. Ogden Point also has a heliport with frequent service to Vancouver Harbour, Vancouver International Airport, and Seattle. The port lies at the eastern entrance of Victoria Harbour. For smaller boats there is boat ramp for trailerable boats. The cruise ship facility is scheduled to handle 226 ship visits in 2010, with 23 ships carrying up to 3,000 passengers each from ten cruise lines expected to call between late April and early October. Most visits are single day or evening visits from liners cruising to Alaska from Seattle, Los Angeles, or San Francisco, but there are also cruises of the Pacific Northwest, often including Vancouver and/or Seattle, along with cruises to Hawaii and around the world.

Save-On-Foods Memorial Centre

The Save-On-Foods Memorial Centre is an indoor arena located in Victoria, British Columbia, Canada, and is the largest arena in British Columbia outside of Vancouver. It is primarily used for ice hockey, previously the home arena of the Victoria Salmon Kings of the ECHL, and currently the home of the Victoria Royals of the Western Hockey League. It is also used for concerts and other special events such as figure skating, curling, plays, trade shows and conferences. It is also opened for public ice skating on special occasions; the public skated with the former Victoria Salmon Kings players after some of the games. The building also features a fine dining restaurant, retail meeting space. Shaw Communications has a TV studio on the main floor and itgroove Professional Services shares office space with the arena and Victoria Royals personnel. It occupies the site of the former Victoria Memorial Arena as its successor facility. It is located within 10–15 minutes walking distance from the other Downtown Victoria landmarks such as: Chinatown, Victoria, Bay Centre shopping centre, Market Square, Victoria. It was completed in 2005 and has a maximum seating capacity of 7,400. It replaced the aging and outdated Memorial Arena, also known as the "Barn on Blanshard" which had been constructed in 1949. The first event to be held at the new arena was a Rod Stewart concert, one in which Rod and his performers came out on stage in hardhats and orange safety vests, poking fun at the fact the arena wasnt totally completed at the time. The SOFMC was developed and is operated by RG Properties Ltd., a Vancouver based development/entertainment company with commercial, recreational and entertainment facilities throughout BC. RG Properties Ltd. was the corporate owner of the former Victoria Salmon Kings hockey team and owns the Victoria Royals. There are 26 luxury suites at the arena.

Beacon Drive In

The Beacon Drive In is a restaurant in Victoria, British Columbia, Canada. Founded and built in 1958 by Bill Pistol and Bob McMillan, it has become known as a "Victoria institution" for its soft-serve ice cream, friendly service, and local clientele. Located at 126 Douglas Street, the Beacon Drive In is directly across from the 75-hectare Beacon Hill Park, which does not allow food to be sold within the park grounds — making the fast-food restaurant a destination for picnickers and park-goers. It is also just up the road from the old Beacon Lodge. The most popular item on the menu is the ice cream, which comes in a variety of dips and flavours, as it is known locally as Victoria's soft ice cream headquarters. Part of the Beacon Drive In's appeal stems from the fact that it has been in business for more than 50 years with very few changes. Aside from adding a few awnings, outdoor heaters, and a new colour scheme the building is still the same as it was when it was built. Even the menu is largely unchanged, with current co-owner Peter Loubardeas boasting that "[o]ur top 10 items have been the same for, I’m going to say, the past 40 years," Loubardeas, along with his father Gus, bought the restaurant in 2005 from Jim Douglas who ran it for more than 42 years, following in the footsteps of his father, H.W. Douglas. According to Gus, and other long-time employees, much of the credit for the unchanging character of the Beacon Drive In belongs to Jim, who was driven by two mottoes — "the customer always comes first" and "we don’t change." The Beacon Drive In's mascot and logo is Beacon Bill, a stylized seagull dressed in rain gear and carrying a life preserver. Beacon Bill was conceived and illustrated by local Victoria artist Bill Hitchcox in 1978 upon the request of a local printer responsible for the menus.

Centennial Square

Centennial Square is a plaza in Victoria, British Columbia, Canada. It was built to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the incorporation of the City of Victoria. The Victoria Police Station, city hall and McPherson Playhouse are adjacent to the square. There is a fountain in the square. In the summer, the city hires musicians to perform every weekday, charging no admission fee. For the British Columbia Day holiday, Centennial Square is one of the venues for the Victoria Electronic Music Festival, where musicians and DJs play for free. In the winter, the Downtown Victoria Business Association has temporarily set up Christmas lights, a Ferris wheel, and an ice skating rink in the square. In 2011, Occupy Victoria protesters camped in the square until a court, at the behest of the city, ordered them to leave.

Art Gallery of Greater Victoria

The Art Gallery of Greater Victoria is a Canadian art gallery located in Victoria, British Columbia. Opened in 1951, the gallery possesses notable works by artists such as Emily Carr, and has one of Canadas most significant collections of Asian art. An Asian garden located on the gallery grounds includes the only authentic Japanese Shinto shrine in North America. The modern Art Gallery addition is connected to a Victorian era home known as Gyppeswyk, built in 1889 for the Green family. When Cary Castle, the original Government House, was destroyed by fire in 1903, Gyppeswyck served briefly as the residence of the Lieutenant Governor of British Columbia. When it first opened in 1951, the Art Gallery of Greater Victoria exhibited art in the historic 1889 mansion that is now adjacent to its seven modern galleries. With almost 17,000 works of art, the Art Gallery has the largest public collection in BC and is a vibrant and active part of Victorias artist community.

Johnson Street Bridge

The Johnson Street Bridge is a bascule bridge that spans the harbour of Victoria, British Columbia. It is commonly referred to as the "Blue Bridge" because of its distinctive blue colour. The bascule spans were designed by the Strauss Bascule Company Limited and were fabricated in Ontario. The sub-structure was built by the City of Victoria Engineering Department and required 9,144 cubic metres of concrete. The bridge was completed in January 1924 at a cost of C$918,000. The bridge originally had street car rails running down the center of the road span, but they were never used, and were removed a few years later. The original wood deck was replaced by a steel grid in 1966 and the steel structure was repainted in 1979 as part of an extensive renovation. The bridge had two opening spans of 45 m that operate independently, a three-lane highway span of 350 tonnes and a railway span of 150 tons. The approaches are fixed girders, the east is 34 m and the west is 22 m . The counterweights are made of hollow concrete and total 780 tonnes. Daily traffic in 2010 is 30,000 trips a day at peak usage, of which 4000 are pedestrians, 3000 cyclists, and 23,000 vehicles. Until 2011, the rail span for the EN was used twice a day by the Via Rail Dayliner, for trips up the island towards Duncan, Nanaimo and Courtenay. The rail span and counterweight have now been removed.

St. Ann's Academy

St. Ann's Academy was built by the Roman Catholic women’s Congregation of the Sisters of St. Ann of Lachine, Quebec. The chapel was built in 1858 and is the oldest part of the Academy. The chapel was the original St. Andrew's Cathedral (Victoria, British Columbia). The chapel was later moved from its original location, encased in brick, and became the ’heart’ of the newly built school of St. Ann’s Academy (1871). Later a Convent was added (1886) to the west side of the Academy and behind the Academy (1909). St. Ann’s Academy was an all-girls Catholic school and convent. The Sisters of St. Ann closed the Academy and in 1974 sold the property to the provincial government of British Columbia which used it as office space for the public service for a few years, but it was in need of major repairs and had to be closed. Years-long civic debate of diverse proposals for the future of the building and site ensued. Placed under the stewardship of the Provincial Capital Commission, the interior of the building was gutted and rebuilt, basement to attic, providing seismic upgrade and rehabilitation into modern office space. Once completed, the majority of the building was leased to the BC Ministry of Advanced Education, a use consistent with the Sisters' aims. The exterior facade of his heritage building was retained and repaired. The chapel, parlours and infirmary were retained as an interpretive centre and restored to their 1920s decor. The auditorium at the other end of the building was also seismically upgraded and restored and is used for public lectures and concerts. The building was re-opened in 1997. The chapel was deconsecrated when the Sisters sold the property. Since the restoration of the chapel and the adjacent Novitiate Garden, these have been in great demand as a venue for weddings and other functions. An annex behind the main building which had been occupied by the Victoria Conservatory of Music was demolished in 2000 following the Conservatory's move to the former Metropolitan United Church buildings. The cleared site became green space, blending the Academy grounds with the adjacent Beacon Hill Park.

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