Wednesday, April 30, 2014
Hooliganting: Vancouver Island: Parksville to Victoria
Hooliganting: Vancouver Island: Parksville to Victoria: Vancouver Island has so much to offer. With the anticipation of meeting friends in Victoria, we left Parksville around 7:30 and pulled into ...
Vancouver Island: Parksville to Victoria
Vancouver Island has so much to offer. With the anticipation of meeting friends in Victoria, we left Parksville around 7:30 and pulled into downtown Victoria just after 9:30. The views over the Malahat reminded me of all sorts of adventures in loaded vehicles traveling to and from university, or just going there for the evening to hang out. With children in tow, we were all meeting in Chapters.
Chapters...wow. Victoria has something special in the downtown chapters. If you dodge the parking meter menace, this three story playhouse of books complete with coffee bar is something else. The girls spent over an hour combing the shelves, playing with toys and it felt like home with the staff offering all sorts of suggestions (read very bad ideas when traveling with suitcases for air travel) and in the end, a lovely tote to carry the books (read very bad idea and resulting in checked luggage for the return home). If you don't have to fly home, this is well worth the stop.
However, parking meters don't wait for everyone. In fact, I just dodged the meter police and drove to the Royal British Columbia Museum. This museum is an indoor playground of a museum. I loved it as a child and I still love it. Breathtaking waterfront scenery looking towards the Empress Hotel, totem poles and tourists greet you on site. You also might want to pre-purchase tickets as the line took about 30 minutes. Heading up the escalator, there are the familiar exhibits with the mammoth and the incredible interactives for climate change. These were deadly and my eldest was lost here for awhile. The echo zones still exist, in fact they added a new one in the climate area. The tide pool is still there but I loved the new to me shipwreck and all the microscopes. There is historical old town, aboriginal artifacts and temporary exhibitions. What I love here is that you can spend two hours or a whole day. In our case, the kids got hungry so that meant another experience.
Driving around Dallas road, you can find yourself at the Marina near Oak Bay. While the delicious food is definitely an attraction, the harbour seals stole the show. They splashed you for fish tidbits and generally played with the tourists. The girls were intrigued and could have spent a lot of time there had they not been with adults who were interested in moving on to the food portion of the stop. The houses in the area are tempting too.
After a late lunch, we braved the rain showers and headed to Buchart Gardens. They hosted an Easter Bunny hunt through spectacular gardens. I was also impressed when they provided us with free clear umbrellas that we could use for our visit. This allowed us to view the gardens without being blocked. The white porcelain bunnies were easy to find and were well scattered. The grounds are stunning in their expanse, floral scents and planning. This adventure took us until 6:00 when my friends had to leg it for a ferry, passing some marauding deer in the process.
In the evening, we drove out to Sooke for supper with friends. This is a lovely drive and would have been much appreciated in daylight. I fully intend to explore it better one day. That is truly one of the charms of Vancouver Island, you can't go anywhere without finding some spectacular scenery to just stop and drink in. The best part about Victoria is that it can be a day trip or a weekend trip...you won't run out of things to do.
Chapters...wow. Victoria has something special in the downtown chapters. If you dodge the parking meter menace, this three story playhouse of books complete with coffee bar is something else. The girls spent over an hour combing the shelves, playing with toys and it felt like home with the staff offering all sorts of suggestions (read very bad ideas when traveling with suitcases for air travel) and in the end, a lovely tote to carry the books (read very bad idea and resulting in checked luggage for the return home). If you don't have to fly home, this is well worth the stop.
However, parking meters don't wait for everyone. In fact, I just dodged the meter police and drove to the Royal British Columbia Museum. This museum is an indoor playground of a museum. I loved it as a child and I still love it. Breathtaking waterfront scenery looking towards the Empress Hotel, totem poles and tourists greet you on site. You also might want to pre-purchase tickets as the line took about 30 minutes. Heading up the escalator, there are the familiar exhibits with the mammoth and the incredible interactives for climate change. These were deadly and my eldest was lost here for awhile. The echo zones still exist, in fact they added a new one in the climate area. The tide pool is still there but I loved the new to me shipwreck and all the microscopes. There is historical old town, aboriginal artifacts and temporary exhibitions. What I love here is that you can spend two hours or a whole day. In our case, the kids got hungry so that meant another experience.
Driving around Dallas road, you can find yourself at the Marina near Oak Bay. While the delicious food is definitely an attraction, the harbour seals stole the show. They splashed you for fish tidbits and generally played with the tourists. The girls were intrigued and could have spent a lot of time there had they not been with adults who were interested in moving on to the food portion of the stop. The houses in the area are tempting too.
After a late lunch, we braved the rain showers and headed to Buchart Gardens. They hosted an Easter Bunny hunt through spectacular gardens. I was also impressed when they provided us with free clear umbrellas that we could use for our visit. This allowed us to view the gardens without being blocked. The white porcelain bunnies were easy to find and were well scattered. The grounds are stunning in their expanse, floral scents and planning. This adventure took us until 6:00 when my friends had to leg it for a ferry, passing some marauding deer in the process.
In the evening, we drove out to Sooke for supper with friends. This is a lovely drive and would have been much appreciated in daylight. I fully intend to explore it better one day. That is truly one of the charms of Vancouver Island, you can't go anywhere without finding some spectacular scenery to just stop and drink in. The best part about Victoria is that it can be a day trip or a weekend trip...you won't run out of things to do.
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| Scallops and Mac N Cheese...yummy |
Thursday, April 24, 2014
Hooliganting: Vancouver Island: Parksville Area Things to Do Day...
Hooliganting: Vancouver Island: Parksville Area Things to Do Day...: Being a tourist in your own backyard can be a bit odd. I grew up on Vancouver Island and would definitely classify myself as an Islander at ...
Vancouver Island: Parksville Area Things to Do Day One
Being a tourist in your own backyard can be a bit odd. I grew up on Vancouver Island and would definitely classify myself as an Islander at heart. As a child, I spent hours tootling up and down the coastline, being frustrated by tourists and sometimes doing educational things because the schools or my parents made me. Now fast forward several years and I am back in my own neck of the woods and have to find interesting and fun things to do with active 8 and 11 year old children.
First, I opted to hotel it in Parksville as my mother had already left for the UK. I choose Pacific Shores when I can as it has an indoor pool, outdoor hot tubs, beachfront, grassy fields, and family friendly rooms. There is a spa and restaurant on site, with close access to the highway. The kids love it there and even the sofa bed is comfortable. It was awesome.
In the area, you are two hours away from Victoria and 15 minutes from Coombs and Qualicum. This trip, we only had three days to visit friends and family. The main goal was to spend time with my Dad. In order to do this with the girls, I have to find interesting and unique opportunities as my family doesn't have a place that is welcoming to congregate. So, off we went. First, I took the girls to Oceanside Village Spa called Tranquil Moments. Massages and pretty nails were accomplished and then it was time to meet up with the family.
I chose Tiger Lily Farms as we had been there before and I knew it was great for kids. There the girls giggled ecstatically over the baby goats, bottle feeding them and thoroughly engaging with them. 4 day old chicks were cuddled, calves were petted and ponies were ridden. We hunted eggs and decorated Easter baskets. The girls couldn't have had a better experience. From there, we visited the Vancouver Island Wildlife Recovery Centre, which is just down the road. We explored the gift shop and then saw the flight practice cage. What I love is that the goal is to rehabilitate wildlife to the wilderness. The birds that are caged are not ever going to be well enough to fly so they are given beautiful spaces to live. The grounds are spacious and we met Oliver the owl. He was lovely.
Time was still on our side so we wandered back up the road to Englishman River Falls. There is a gorgeous walking trail that meanders around both sides of the Falls. It is just long enough for a good stretch and there are plenty of picture opportunities. After that, we were hungry or at least the girls were. That mean ice creams at Coombs Country Market. I have always said that they had the best ice cream cones on the Island and they did not disappoint.
In the evening, the grandparents decided to wend their way home. The girls and I went back to Pacific Shores and wallowed in the hot tub on the point. The waves rolled bay and the soothing sounds of the birds kept us company. Hot tubs are the best invention ever after a day of being outdoors. All in all, if you are looking for fun on the Island - Parksville might just have the best of all worlds.
I chose Tiger Lily Farms as we had been there before and I knew it was great for kids. There the girls giggled ecstatically over the baby goats, bottle feeding them and thoroughly engaging with them. 4 day old chicks were cuddled, calves were petted and ponies were ridden. We hunted eggs and decorated Easter baskets. The girls couldn't have had a better experience. From there, we visited the Vancouver Island Wildlife Recovery Centre, which is just down the road. We explored the gift shop and then saw the flight practice cage. What I love is that the goal is to rehabilitate wildlife to the wilderness. The birds that are caged are not ever going to be well enough to fly so they are given beautiful spaces to live. The grounds are spacious and we met Oliver the owl. He was lovely.
Time was still on our side so we wandered back up the road to Englishman River Falls. There is a gorgeous walking trail that meanders around both sides of the Falls. It is just long enough for a good stretch and there are plenty of picture opportunities. After that, we were hungry or at least the girls were. That mean ice creams at Coombs Country Market. I have always said that they had the best ice cream cones on the Island and they did not disappoint.
In the evening, the grandparents decided to wend their way home. The girls and I went back to Pacific Shores and wallowed in the hot tub on the point. The waves rolled bay and the soothing sounds of the birds kept us company. Hot tubs are the best invention ever after a day of being outdoors. All in all, if you are looking for fun on the Island - Parksville might just have the best of all worlds.
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| Craig's Bay from Pacific Shores |
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| Oliver |
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