With the mildest climate in Canada, half the rainfall of neighboring Seattle and Vancouver, and a stunning setting on the edge of Vancouver Island, Victoria is a great year-round destination full of family-friendly events and attractions. It’s small and walkable, too, making it a great multi-generational vacation for families whose family membres have different attention spans.
Getting Oriented to Victoria
In addition to museums, Victoria offers a wide variety of family oriented attractions. If you want to get oriented quickly, and tour the the city from a different perspective, check out Tally Ho Carriage Tours (250/514-9257 or 866/383-5067), a horse-drawn carriage company that has carted both tourists and locals around Victoria since 1903. With a homebase at the corner of Belleville and Menzies Streets, the tour offers a rich history of Victoria with fun and humorous ancedotes, making it a favorite activity for locals, who enjoy celebrating birthdays and anniversaries en route! There are six different route options to choose from, with tours ranging from 15 minutes to almost two hours. The carriages can accommodate up to six people and pass by various attractions depending on which route you select.
Victoria’s Favorite Family Attractions
The highly regarded Royal British Columbia Museum (888/447-7977 or 250/356-7226) is centrally located at 675 Belleville Street, Victoria, BC Canada V8W 9W2. This extraordinary museum has a wide array of permanent and temporary exhibits that make for a full day of activities. The Ocean Station Exhibit allows visitors to explore, interact and experience the underwater world of the West Coast. The 360 liter aquarium is visible from a floor to ceiling window with portholes and all. Inside the tank are sea stars, fishes, sea urchins and more. Other permanent displays include the First People’s Gallery, Modern History Gallery and Natural History Gallery. Scheduled hourly tours are offered free with admission and will guide visitors through all three exhibits. The Museum is open daily with later hours in summer, and offers a family entrance package in addition to individual entry fees.
Also housed in the Royal BC Museum is the National Geographic IMAX Theater (250/953-4629). With 406 seats, this 2-D screen is six stories high and 70 feet wide, nearly 10 times larger than a standard movie theater. Although admission is separate from the museum (family package pricing applies here, too), it is worth it to see a film on this really, really big screen. The theater features educational films, especially those pertaining to wildlife and nature, but also shows major motion pictures that have recently been released in theaters.
The Shaw Ocean Discovery Centre (250/665-7511) at 9811 Seaport Place, Sidney, BC V8L 4X3 opened in 2009 and boasts 87 tonnes of seawater in 17 different habitats. Kids will love the elevator that descends into the “ocean” and the array of interactive exhibits. Teens and little ones shoudl not miss the enormous Giant Pacific octapus and a touch pool for the curious. Be sure to ask one of the uniformed Oceaneers for their insights; they man each exhibit.
For nature lovers, Victoria boasts an indoor tropical rainforest at the Victoria Butterfly Gardens (877/722-0272 or 250/652-3822) at 1461 Benvenuto Avenue in Brentwood Bay, BC V8M 1R3. This paradise experience includes 35 specides of free flying butterflies, including the uniquely exotic Blue Morpho and Giant Owl. Waterfalls, trees, orchids and even carnivorous plants are also included in the display. Beauty is not the only thing the Butterfly Gardens offers to family, it is also an incredibly educational find. Before entry there is video preview which explains the cycle of a butterfly’s life; tours and access to the Learning Center are also available. Family discounts are offered.
Victoria Trip Planning Details
Visit Tourism Victoria or call 800/663-3883 for more information and get started planning your trip today.
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Good address for ski. My daughter loves skiing very much. It will be a good option for us for the next winter holiday.
Good to know as I have a daughter at 10 YOD and she loves skiing very much.
Seems there are lots of fun for kids in Las Vegas. I have never though about a such thing there. It will be a good option to consider for our next family holiday. Thank you.
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What’s an amazing trip. Thank you for sharing.
Very nice day. We don’t have it in Vietnam 🙁
Amazing hotels. I love eco-resort with nature style instead of modern hotels.
Good to read this before I prepare my family trip in the summer.
Good to know this. Thank you for sharing. I will consider this for my children.
Thank you for these tips on how to plan a family safari! I’d like to be able to take my whole family and show them the beauty of Africa. But it always seemed so daunting to plan a whole trip that everyone would enjoy. I mean there’s always the age differences, and differences in interest as well to think about. Just thinking of ensuring that everything goes well planned is stressing me out. That’s why I turned to the internet in search of tips! Definitely will use your tips on how to choose a safari.
Very good tips. We all should follow these tips for a safe road trip. Thanks for the great help.
Thankyou Mr Ralph S for giving precise information on the overland.
i will be travelling for the 1st time from adelaide to melbourne this month end. it will be of grt help.
Soon I’ll be planning a trip to Dubai. Thanks for the information about what’s worth visiting.
Hello Lansdell family! This is a great place for a long weekend of outdoors exploration and a beautiful park. In late May, a new business is opening = https://www.floattheriver.net/ = which will run float trips on inner tubes on portions of the river. I asked some locals and they suggested that after biking and hiking and riding the train, your kids might enjoy day trips to nearby Canton, Akron or Cleveland. Each has lots of Metroparks (the public system of urban parks) and museums, etc to do and see. With some planning, all your days can be as full of variety as you would like. We hope you have a wonderful trip.
How did you get around the Darien Gap?
Very good
Thank you for sharing these warm and touching thoughts of yours! I’ve only been the Belarus once, but I wish I read it before going, something in my experience would definitely be different then. I did use some advise – from the telegram channel for foreigners https://t.me/Belanews but I guess your opinion would be great to consider and embrace too.
Thanks for all the info. We are planning on going in August, and are trying to find a nature-centered vacation for our family of 4, kids ages 7 and 4. We are from Southern Ontario, Canada and we came across this national park. Would you recommend this place for 3-4 days? Is there enough to do (hiking, train rides, exploring etc)? Somewhere else? We also looked at the Smoky Mountains but its about a 11-12 hours vs the 5-6 hours to Cuyohoga. Any advice would be helpful.
That place is really amazing. I want to spend my vacations on this beautiful place. Thanks for sharing this nice information.
I've been there last year. If someone is looking for a nice hotel I can highly recommend to take a look at the Hotel Rappen Rothenburg ob der Tauber.
Such a good information.Nice work.Very useful for us.
The gardens of Suzhou are absolutely beautiful and something that you don’t want to miss while you are there.
Traveling with your children in s Suzhou is super easy and safe. My family had a lot of fun and the kids really enjoyed there time there. One thing they really loved was going down all of the canals. Here is some great information on all the beautiful canals that you can explore.
It looks like a beautiful experience. Turkey is a wonderful country -and the fact that it’s not that expensive compared to other countries makes a visit there even more tempting. Thanks for sharing.
good tips, safety comes first so that our trip may be remembered as a happy memoir when we went to see and explore new places and have fun. and not as a terrifying night in the ER. god bless you all , be safe
Thanks for your insight for your fantastic posting. I’m glad I have taken the time to see this.
Great tips for road trips!
Thanks for posting, very valuable information .
Being visiting is one of the best experiences of my life. Being there and enjoying every bit of time is wonderful. Personally, my best experience is an underground aquarium and desert safari. One visited Dubai must go for these two activities.
Would love this for our family!
We’ve always wanted to go and now they are old enough to enjoy it.
Thanks so much for doing this!
The beaches, the weather, the food, the attractions and the activities- everything was perfect.
I think parents should focus more on preparing or educating their children about the proper etiquette and behaviors before the flight to avoid being a nuisance to others. I don’t know much about kids but as a first-time mom, that’s what I will do.
Hi,
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Thanks
Seeking for your positive reply.
Hi,
I would like to travel out of the US with my son. I understand that I would need his father to sign and notarize a letter. He had not been a stand up dad to take care of his responsibilities so he left and I can’t find him. What can I do in a situation like that to travel with my son?
happy you enjoyed the story. This park is in Ohio where the climate can be capricious! It’s hottest between late April and November, however even April has the danger of some snow. In case you’re enjoying the great outdoors with children, the most secure wager is June to August, since it’s hotter and there’s little downpour. Make the most of your trek.
Wonderfully informative article!
I want to go travel with kids but I was not decided where we go. Your post is helpful for me. Thanks for sharing.
Tenerife is SO stunning! I love this volcanic landscape, sometimes you feel like you traveled to the Moon. This place has it all – great views, pleasant weather, awesome food, wine and laid-back people. Thanks for sharing ideas, I’ll use some of them on my next trip 🙂
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I automatically think the word “gumbling” when I heard Las Vegas. I never knew that Las Vegas has something to offer for youngsters. Will bring my children here soon.
Nice Article, it is very helpful to me.
There is no Doubt, Dubai is most popular destination among tourists from across the world and have gained high popularity in last decade. If you are in Dubai and dhow go for dhow cruise, there is some thing missing on your list. There are Dubai dhow cruise, Musandam Dibba dhow cruise and Khasab Musandam dhow cruise. Try some of them and you will love.
Istanbul layover tour is a great service to use the best of your time in Istanbul Airport. However if you like to have a private attention and flexibility, you can check private tour services of ISTANBUL LAYOVER TOURS. They are offering the layover tours from Istanbul International Airport.
Great article! Wanted for Christmas again. Do you know anything about this place ? It is very interesting to know the opinions. How much advance it is necessary to book a hotel and various entertainment before the holidays?