There are so many fun things to do in and around "A Beautiful Island Away" victoria bed and breakfast within a short distance that we cannot possibly list them all, but here are some of our favourites, listed under "Explore Walking", "Explore Cycling or Driving" and "Explore Driving".
Showplace Beacon Hill Park …
walk through it to downtown or explore its formal gardens and casual wildflower meadows, the children's petting farm and wading pool, the bandshell,
World Famous Beacon Hill Park
Goodacre Lake and smaller ponds with waterfowl, creeks, fountains
Beacon Hill Park and stone bridges, the putting green and cricket pitch, lawn bowling and soccer fields. Our July 1st Canada Day Picnic is held there, in the open sunshine and in the comfortable shade of the glorious great evergreens.
4 blocks
Quaint Cook Street Village with its cafes, restaurants, our local pub, curios shops, book store, small groceterias, the bank, post office, and a variety of other services.
< Cook Street Village
10 blocks
Fort Street's Antique Row with its Auction Houses, and mirror, art, carpet, coin and antique shops along with fine restaurants.
12 blocks
The Inner Harbour Area with the
Inner Harbour
Legislative Building
world class Royal British Columbia Museum, the venerable and explorable Empress Hotel (High Tea, anyone?), our historic Legislature, and the souvenirs, designer fashions and delicacies within the shops and restaurants of Government Street, Trounce Alley, Wharf Street etc.
12 blocks
Heritage homes like the Carr House (where fine
artist, Emily Carr lived 100 years ago), the Spencer Mansion (now part
of the Art Gallery), the Helmcken House at Royal BC Museum, the public
gardens at the Lieutenant Governor's mansion, Point Ellice House (a
lovely, completely restored turn-of-the-century Victorian house and
heritage garden on the water's edge, with tours and/or
afternoon-tea-in-the-garden in summer)
12 blocks
Along the ocean walk, the Dive Centre at Ogden Point and the
wonderful Ogden Point Café at the breakwater, not to mention
beachcombing along the way
12 blocks
All kinds of wonderful performances at the Royal
Theatre (concerts, plays, opera, ballet), Christ Church Cathedral
(Chamber Concert Series every summer), the Belfry Theatre (an
entertaining and thought-provoking subscription of plays and special
presentations each year in this amazingly renovated church), the
McPherson Theatre (revues, concerts)
< Christ Church Cathedral
1/2 block
The ocean and miles of
walking and jogging pathways, cycle or blade on fabulous Marine
Drive.
10 Minutes
Legendary Craigdarroch Castle, the Art Gallery, the Lieutenant Governor's mansion's public gardens
with ocean views, the tree-lined neighbourhoods with Victorian mansions and
gardens. < Craigdarroch Castle
10 Minutes
Downtown
and the vibrant Inner Harbour area.
20 Minutes The Galloping Goose Trail's miles and miles of cycling (and walking
or roller blading) all the way to Sooke or up the Saanich
Peninsula.
< Galloping Goose Trail.
30 Minutes
Thetis Lake park, swimming and
hiking trails, Goldstream Park rainforest, and gateway to
the picturesque and mountainous Malahat Drive.
60 Minutes
The pure country feeling, fresh
air, forests and beaches of the Western Communities, Langford,
Sooke and Metchosin.
30 Minutes
Butchart Gardens, Butterfly Gardens, Island View Beach, gentle,
rural fields and forests of the Saanich Peninsula, the sleek new Sidney Marina.
Butchart Gardens
Sidney Marina
30 Minutes
The oceanside route along the scenic Marine Drive, (Dallas Road), through Fairfield, then past the Golf & Country Club (Canada's most photographed) then through quiet Oak Bay with its lovely seaside homes, through Cadboro Bay (watch for Cadborosaurus, who allegedly lurks somewhere out there, deep in the bay's waters) then Cordova Bay and up Mount Douglas (a 360 degree view of the entire peninsula)
30 Minutes
Goldstream Park rainforest with its very civilized walking paths, tallest waterfall and huge, huggable trees, plus a very entertaining and educational Nature Interpretive Centre (the Goldstream River is famous in October / November for the salmon returning from the ocean to spawn, then in December there are the Bald Eagles on the river's estuary, all part of the park).
< Goldstream Provincial Park
30 Minutes
Public golf courses galore, all within about 30 minutes of here, Arbutus Ridge, Cedar Hill, Cordova Bay, Olympic View, Royal Oak, etc.
30 Minutes
The Farmers Market at Saanich Fairgrounds, do a tour of artists' studios in the area, visit an orchard, the herb farms, or the real live llama farm
45 Minutes
The western beaches and parks including the East Sooke Park with its varied levels of hiking trails; and stunning southern views, or Point-No-Point with distant, cliff-top vistas to the west
45 Minutes
The quaint, picturesque towns of Duncan (Totem Town), Chemainus (the world famous huge outdoor murals) and Ladysmith (pick through antiques along the way).
The ocean and miles of both paved and grass paths for walking and jogging, cycle or blade on fabulous Marine Drive.
Quaint Cook Street Village with its cafes, restaurants, our local pub, curios shops, book store, small groceterias, the bank, post office, and a variety of other services.
egendary Craigdarroch Castle, the Art Gallery, the Lieutenant Governor's mansion's public gardens
with ocean views, the tree-lined neighbourhoods with Victorian mansions and
gardens.
Goldstream Park rainforest with its very civilized walking paths, tallest waterfall and huge, huggable trees, plus a very entertaining and educational Nature Interpretive Centre (the Goldstream River is famous in October / November for the salmon returning from the ocean to spawn, then in December there are the Bald Eagles on the river's estuary, all part of the park).
The quaint, picturesque towns of Duncan (Totem Town), Chemainus (the world famous huge outdoor murals) and Ladysmith (pick through antiques along the way).
