Victoria Things to Do Tips by MDH

The BC Parliament Buildings (or for Americans, the equivelent to the state capitol) is the center of political life in the province, despite the fact that Victoria is no longer British Columbia's largest and most important city. Built between 1892 through 1897 by British engineer Francis Mawson Rattenbury (who was later murdered by his own chauffer in the 1930s in a messy love affair), the "Marble Palace" dominates the Inner Harbour as much as the nearby Empress Hotel. The grounds around the parliament buildings are dotted with parks and memorials dedicated to war veterans and the city's name-sake, Queen Victoria.

Inside the parliament buildings, you can watch debate live in the visitors galleries without prior appointment. Debate especially between the center-Left Liberals and far-Left NDP can get quite intense at times.

The architecture of the buildings themselves are a work of art, and I highly recommended to have a look inside or around the grounds. At night, the building is lit up like a giant Christmas tree, with thousands of white light bulbs lighting the entire structure.

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Phone: 250-387-3046
Address: 501 Belleville St.
Directions: At the intersection of Belleville and Government next to the Inner Harbour. Not far away from the Empress Hotel and Royal BC Museum
Website: http://www.legis.gov.bc.ca/

This great museum document's the province's natural and cultural history, from its early Ice Age days when mammoths walked around ice-sheeted plains, to the First Nations tribes, and finally to the modern day. Each exhibit is extensive and documents the many eras very well.

There are also travelling exhibits here, which come and go with monthly frequency.

Finally, the museum is home to Vancouver Island's only IMAX theatre, operated by the National Geographic Society.

The museum is open Monday through Sunday from 9 to 5. Check out their great website for admission prices and other information.

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Phone: 1-888-447-7977
Address: 675 Belleville Street
Directions: Directly across the street from the BC Parliament.
Website: http://rbcm1.rbcm.gov.bc.ca/
Other Contact: (250) 356-7226

The Empress is Victoria's perfect example of a crown jewel hotel. Designed by the same man who built the nearby BC Parliament (Rattenbury) in 1908, this five star hotel has served kings, queens, prime ministers, presidents, actors, actresses, and anyone else you can imagine that's important. Today, the Empress is one of Canada's most famous hotels, as well as one of the symbols of the city it serves.

The hotel was originally built by the Canadian Pacific Railway for the purpose of serving travellers along the way as they went from one side of the country to the other. Other hotels, like the Chateau Laurier in Ottawa and the Chateau Frontenac in Quebec City were also built for the same purpose (and therefor all sort of look like each other). Today, however, the Empress--and its sister hotels--are now in the hands of the Fairmont company.

The interior of the hotel is like entering a time warp, harping back to a time when British colonials would have walked up down the great corridors, ready for tea time. Extensive refurbishment in 1980s and '90s has helped restore much of the hotel's old look.

A ritual that is still held today in the Empress is Afternoon Tea, where for twenty dollars and sometimes with a reservation of more than two weeks ahead (all depending on the season) you can be served like a high ranking colonial of days past, having warm tea, biscuits and crumpets, completed with the surroundings fern plants, hard wood floors, and giant windows. Afternoon Tea is one of Victoria's cultural traditions: one of the last true living examples of the city's imperial past.

Even if you're staying at the Empress or not, it's great to have a look around the premises and inside the building. You won't be dissapointed.

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Phone: 250-348-8111
Address: 721 Government St.
Directions: Along the southern end of Government St. near the BC Parliament and the Royal BC Museum.
Website: http://www.fairmont.com/

Although not located within Victoria proper, this is one of the city's most visited destinations. Located 15 miles north of the city center, the Butchart Gardens has been around since 1904 when Jenny Butchart , the wife of a local industrialist, began to beautify a quarry site that had been stripped of its resources and had become an eye-soar. A hundred years later, except for the few odd remains of smokestacks and hidden ruins, you wouldn't even guess that this fifty-four acre site was once teaming with miners.

Today, meandering paths and rows of trees and flowers of every imaginable color cover the entire grounds, in perhaps one of the province's most lush and beautified sites. Think of the palace grounds of Versailles, minus the palace.

When in season, I highly recommend this place for all travellers. The Butchart Gardens is simply breath-taking

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Phone: 250-652-5262
Address: 800 Benvenuto Ave
Directions: Travel up Highway 17 towards Swartz Bay. Turn on Highway 17A, and follow the signs for the Butchart Gardens. It will be on 800 Benvenuto Ave.
Website: http://www.butchartgardens.com/