One Hundred Dollars a Month

This past weekend I took The Girl and one of her BFF’s to Victoria, BC for our last girls trip before they girls head off to college.  I took your advice and decided it would be a good destination with plenty to do.

There’s about a million things to do, once you start digging around, but here’s my top 10:

1. Royal BC Museum – This museum has a little bit of everything, but it’s pretty darn cool to get a little Canadian history.  The Viking exhibit was totally worth the trip. And the stuffed mammoth? Totally awesome.
2. The Butchart Gardens – You know I had to include at least one garden.  It is full of almost shocking colors.  Plus, if you can’t convince the fam to stroll through the gardens, you can plan your trip just right and catch one of the concerts they have going on during the summer.  You can soak up the ambiance and enjoy life music on a bed of grass.
3. Craigdarroch Castle – The castle was built by one of the richest men in Canada, Robert Dunsmuir, in the 1800’s.  It’s massive, and seriously a architectural mind-blower.  You can tour the grounds and the inside of the castle–the tour will give you the scoop on the Dunsmuir Family.
4. Inner Harbor – The harbor is a bustling hub of activity.  You can stroll along  the water, do some shopping, or choose from tons of great restaurants.
5. Afternoon Tea at the Empress Hotel – The Empress is located at the Inner Harbor–and you know where there is afternoon tea, I’m gonna be there.  Tea isn’t just tea here, it’s an experience, complete with china, scones, and service.
6. Victoria Pier – This is another pier that is complete with the maritime scene, local street performers and quaint little cafes. We ended up going kayaking and had a blast!
7. Old Town – Old Town is full of specialty shops catering to Scottish and Irish imports.  You can totally get a sense of B.C.’s immigrant influence.  It’s not huge, so walking it is totally possible.  In the 1800’s it was the center and hub of B.C., now it is a bit more touristy, but still worth seeing. Oh, and they have pastries. Lot’s and lot’s of pastries. 😉 
8. Parliament Buildings – The parliament buildings will be hard to miss if you get anywhere near the area.  They are impressive to say the least.  I recommend making it a destination instead of just strolling past, though.  You can take guided tours that only last about 30 minutes, but are totally worth it.
9. Juan de Fuca Provincial Park – If you’re into venturing out of the city and exploring Vancouver Island, this park boasts miles of pretty amazing hiking trails.  You can even look for sea critters in the many tide pools.
10. Miniature World – You can walk here from Inner Harbor.  It houses 85 miniature displays all with different themes {circus, the future, etc.}.  They are basically dioramas with unbelievable detail.  Kids will love getting lost in the tiny displays.

How about you? Have you been to Victoria, B.C.? What was your favorite thing?

Mavis