Things To Do In Victoria BC with Kids – Tips for Traveling with Kids
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Things To Do In Victoria BC with Kids – Tips for Traveling with Kids
If you are looking for a great family getaway that is not too far away, consider Victoria B.C. It is only a few hours from the Seattle area if you take the Victoria Clipper, so you can make it a day trip or spend a few nights there. We love it there, and have a big list here of things to do in Victoria BC, especially if you have kids in tow!
I recently visited Victoria B.C. with my two daughters, and my mom. The city is beautiful this time of the year, and there were plenty of affordable options to have fun with kids in tow. My kids are home schooled at this time, and we found so many wonderful learning activities, that my kids only saw as FUN! Here is a list of things to do in Victoria BC with Kids, that won’t break the bank!
When you are planning your Victoria getaway you will want to consider the following:
- Transportation options – We took the Victoria Clipper, and highly recommend this option for convenience and the ability to get their quickly.
- Where to stay in Victoria – Its important to understand the layout of the city, so you will know where the best location is for your family. We have more details on that here.
We opted to stay at the Chateau Victoria; it is a nice family option. It is located in the downtown area, just up from the Empress (an easy walk from the harbor) and includes suite rooms (there is a bedroom with closing door, and then main room with a second bed and couch). There is also a roof top restaurant, with great views of Victoria.
- Where to eat in Victoria
- What to do in Victoria (We have family friendly specific tips below, but in case you want a more general approach to your trip check out this article).
Things to Do In Victoria BC for Families (Kid & Parent Friendly)!
Malhat Skywalk & Slide!
They have recently added the Malahat Skywalk in Victoria, and it has a 65 foot slide to ride down it! It looks like lots of fun. This was not there when we visited, so we cannot share personal experience, but it certainly looks like a ‘not to be missed’ attraction currently! Find out all of the details here.
My mom and I teamed up to take my two youngest to Victoria. We planned our trip to be as family friendly as possible. My kids are school age, but many of these activities will appeal to a wide variety of ages.
Free things to do in Victoria BC
Victoria is a great walking city. There are a number of things to do right in the harbor and downtown areas of Victoria. If your not up for a lot of walking, there are also great transportation options. We detail more of those transportation options here, but a couple to note are the water taxis, complimentary hotel shuttles and renting bikes.
One of the wonderful things about this city is that there are a number of free things to do in Victoria BC, most right in walking distance from the downtown hotels if you are staying n one of them. Here were some of our favorite spots we visited this Spring.
Tour Parliament for FREE!
The Parliament building in Victoria is beautiful and completely free to go through. All of the following activities at the Parliament building are free:
- Express Tours
- Garden Tours
- Architectural Tours
- Self Guided Tours – this is the one we did. They give you a brochure, and you can tour the building at your own pace. Its not huge, so if you want a longer tour I would recommend one of the guided tours, but my kids loved roaming the building freely.
You can find the schedules for upcoming tours here. Some are available on a walk in basis, and some you need to schedule.
You can also find the Parliament Sitting dates here if you want to sit in a session. You will need to go to the third floor, and there is a special viewing area up there. Sessions are on Tuesdays. We viewed them preparing, but did not stay for the session.
Walk the Harbor Area on the Waterfront
There is plenty to view along the waterfront. It is one of the prettiest waterfronts, in that the views are beautiful looking out over the water, or up over the city. There are beach areas if you walk down far enough, coffee shops, gift shops, restaurants and more to explore.
There were some pretty amazing private boats docked at the harbor while we were there. You can walk out on some of the piers to see the boats up close too.
Exploring the city!
If you take the Victoria Clipper over they will provide you a map on the boat. Your hotel concierge can also be a great resource. If you want to plan ahead, you can download walking map app, or print out a few specific walking tours here.
My kids saw their first phone booth ever. It was so funny to hear them ask questions about how you use the phone, and get really excited about the fact that it still worked. This gem is located in the brick walkways between the Bug Zoo and Miniature Museum, so its a really easy walk if your planning to visit both those spots and you have children who do not know what a phone booth is too!
As part of walking through Victoria we were sure to stop in at the famous Empress Hotel. This is the atrium area attached to the hotel, just beyond their shops.
Visit Chinatown
This is about a 15 minute walk from the harbor area of Victoria, and is not huge, but fun to go through. Its the oldest Chinatown, second to San Francisco. Fan Tan Alley is also the narrowest in the city, and there are shops and restaurants to explore.
Stop By Beacon Hill Children’s Farm (with Petting Zoo area) at Beacon Hill Park
This was a favorite of my families, and we stopped here on our bike tour. Beacon Hill Park does not allow any commercial enterprises, so this farm is free of charge but donations are encouraged. The petting zoo area is full of goats and you can let your kids sit down and they will climb on them. My girls loved playing with the goats.
If you get there in the morning or afternoon (contact them for current schedules) you can watch “The Running of the Goats”. This is a daily event where they have everyone move off the walking paths and they open the gates from the upper pen area and have the goats run down to the petting zoo area (and vice versa in the afternoon). It does not take long, but is very exciting for the kids.
Both male and female Peacocks roam freely throughout the park, so you get to enjoy them up close and personal. They have been known to roam into the nearby neighborhoods too on occasion.
Spend Some Time at Fishermans Warf
This was another spot we hit on our bike tour with The Pedaler, and we loved it! Its a small collection of very eclectic water boats, as well as some restaurants and shops (it gets going in full swing as we get closer to the summer months). If you love Fish and Chips, its a great spot to stop for a meal. We biked here, but you could walk (a longer walk), drive, or take a water taxi from various areas in the city.
More Things To Do In Victoria BC For Families (beyond free)
Feed the Seals on Fishermans Warf
This was so cool! We bought some fish food from the Fish and Chips stand right on the doc for a few dollars and the kids were able to throw it to the seals at the doc next to the shop. The seals do not disappoint here, they put on a full show for you!
The seals all come rushing up for the food (but so do the Seagulls so you have to keep the food covered or they will steal it).
Ride a Water Taxi
You can book a water tour, or just use the water taxis as a way to get around town. The prices will vary based on where you want to go, but it can be an affordable option to get from point A to point B. Plus, starting in May, they offer FREE water ballet shows on the weekends!
Stop In At Miniature World
Miniature World was one of our favorite stops. We were not sure if we wanted to spend the money to go in here at first, but we were so glad we did. It was full of miniature exhibits of little towns, and trains, as well as houses, circuses, fairy tales and more. I think it took us a good 40 minutes to an hour to enjoy this spot, and we did not regret it at all.
Check out the Victorias Bug Zoo
This museum was very small, and I do not think we would do it again. That is probably because there is one in Bremerton that we visited for free, so it seemed pricey to me for the number of exhibits. They state at the front that it takes about an hour to go through – but that is assuming you are letting the tour guide take you through. Otherwise it took my kids about 10 to 15 minutes to see it all. We were definitely out of there in under 20 minutes. If you are someone who loves bugs though, and would be interested in the tour then it would likely be a great spot for you.
Visit the Royal BC Museum – great for families!
Find all the details you need to know about the Royal BC Museum here, as well as tips for visiting with kids. Jens family recently went, and they loved the museum, and have lots of great info to share on it!
Photo Credit: Wikipedia
Check out Craigdarroch Castle
This is one we had hoped to visit, but ran out of time before we made it there. I have heard it is fun to tour, and is very affordable, and definitely plan to stop in next time around!
Take A Bike Tour Around Town
My crew went on a bike tour with The Pedaler Cycling Tours, and it was one of our favorite things that we experienced in Victoria. Our tour guide, Paul, was full of knowledge, and really great with the kids and accommodating people at different levels. They book custom bike tours for families, so you can go at your own pace. If you have a special needs child, this might be a nice option for your family, as they have experience in making sure the bike tour is a good fit for everyone.
If you do not want to pay for a guided tour, their bike rentals are very affordable, and a great way to explore the city. There are lots of options too, from classic bikes to e-bikes and even tandem bikes and more.
Everyone from grandma to my youngest enjoyed our bike tour. I even had one child who was not feeling well, and started to run out of energy mid way through the trip. Our tour guide did not lose patience with her. Instead he had us walk our bikes back to their office, and got a special bike he could push her in for the rest of the tour. Now that is going above and beyond!
If you have little ones, you can strap them into the blue box (mine where a bit big for it, but you get the idea if you have toddlers or pre-schoolers and still want to book a tour).
The bike tour allowed us to explore neighborhoods in Victoria that we would likely not have seen. It is a very bike friendly town, and so we found it easy to ride throughout. The neighborhoods were so beautiful with all of the historic homes, and was a very serene ride.
If you book the custom family tour you can choose where you want to go. We did a two hour tour, and our first stop was the Running of the Goats and Petting Zoo we mention above. Next we saw the largest free standing totem pole in the world. It was so interesting to learn so much about the history of Victoria while on our bike trip. Lastly, we headed out to Fishermans Warf and fed the seals. It was a great way to fit these outlying activities into our short schedule.
Afternoon Tea in Victoria BC
If you want to experience an Afternoon Tea (that Victoria is so famous for), but do not want to pay the high prices at The Empress, then check out this list of various other spots you can enjoy a traditional afternoon tea time during your visit.
Photo Credit: The Butchart Gardens Blog
Butchart Gardens
We were not able to make it out to Butchart Gardens this visit, but Jen has been, and highly recommends it. She went at Christmas time last year (and has lots of times on how to get there and what to expect here), but I have heard that it is beautiful in the Spring time as well.
Carriage Rides
These are not cheap, and will start at around $55 (CAN) pp, for a 15 minute tour. It can be a splurge event if its something you love to do (I recommend taking it in the evening, when the Parliament building is all lit up if you choose to do this one). We did not make it on one this trip, but my mom has done the evening rides in the past and she really enjoyed it as a splurge.
Tips For Riding on the Victoria Clipper
We have a full article with Tips on Riding the Victoria Clipper here, if you want more information. Here are some highlights from our recent trip as well.
Getting There / Seating Assignments (how to get good seating) –
My family found the Victoria Clipper a very convenient and comfortable way to travel from Seattle to Victoria. Here are some recent tips we discovered to make your trip better:
- You can park at a nearby parking garage for $10 per night (they give you a voucher that will bring your parking down to this rate – which is a great daily rate for downtown Seattle).
- Be sure to arrive an hour prior to your departure time. They start to board around 45 minutes prior to departure, and stop boarding 15 minutes prior to departure.
Seating works by putting you in boarding groups. Those boarding first get their first pick of seating. The boats can book up, so chances are you will be sharing seats with others. Here are some tips on how to get the best seating:
- Boarding groups are assigned by your purchase date. If you know you will be traveling to Victoria, book your tickets as early as possible. The longer you put it off, the further back you will likely be in the boarding group order.
- You can check in up to 7 days in advance to get your boarding group assigned.
- If you are traveling with small children, ask to pre-board when you check in. The website says that is allows priority boarding for families with kids 3 and under, but on our recent trip they were making announcements for kids 6 and under – so you may want to ask at check in if you can board early if you have young kids.
- Priority boarding is also given to those with a disability, and those needing extra time to board.
ID Required to Travel to Canada (especially with kids) –
Travel to Canada requires an enhanced ID or passport for adults.
If you are traveling with children under 15 you will need to bring their certified birth certificate.
** Note ** If you are traveling without both parents present you will need to bring a signed note from the parent that is not traveling with you expressing their permission for the kids to enter Canada, or custody papers if you have full custody (I had my husband include his number if they wanted to contact him). This is true even if there are no custody issues and parents are still married.
You are riding on a boat, and thus the possibility of experiencing some sea sickness. Here are our best tips if your prone to getting queasy –
- They do sell Sea Sickness medicine on the boat, however it takes 20 minutes to get in your system so I recommend you buy it ahead of time and take it before boarding. If you forget, and would like to buy it, you can get it at the gift shop on the boat. I would recommend making that your first stop after finding your seats.
- Pack a few Gallon sized Ziploc bags. One of my girls was not feeling well, and these bags were very handy to have on hand for when she got sick. We would easily zip them up and dispose of them. Its also great to have a travel pack of wet wipes on hand for clean up.
- We asked one of the Clipper employs where it was best to sit if you got sea sick. They recommended the bottom level of the boat, and towards the back. We sat at a table in the back of the bottom level by the gift shop, and that seemed to well.
More Articles You Might Be Interested In:
- Tips for Visiting Victoria BC – What to See, How to Get Around & more
- Restaurants in Victoria BC
- Accommodations in Victoria BC – Where to Stay & How to Save the Most
- Travel to Victoria – Tips & the Best Ways to Save
- Butchart Gardens at Christmas
- Northwest Travel Page – information about lodging (including hotel reviews), restaurants, activities & attractions for an area & more for Portland, Mt Hood, Seattle Staycation Tips, Leavenworth & more!
Disclosure: This giveaway and our trip over to Victoria and tour have all been sponsored by the Victoria Clipper. All opinions are 100% mine. See our disclosure policy for more details.
I haven’t been to Victoria since I was a kid so I would love to take my girls up there. There is so much I would love to take them to see.
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We loved the miniature museum last time we went to Victoria. Even the big kids think it’s cool.
Next time we go, we really want to do high tea. The places mentioned on the Clipper magazine looked great.
Looking forward to touring the castle
I haven’t been to Victoria since I was a kid. I really enjoyed Buchart Gardens (close to Victoria) and the Craigdarroch Castle. I’d love to go back and experience Victoria as an adult, and show my kids all the great things to do there.
Favorite place is Miniature World, but honestly it’s hard to choose just one. This is where we went on our honeymoon and it was just enjoyable walking around.
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Never been, would love the experience in itself.
I would love to go visit my best friend who lives in Victoria. It is such a beautiful place but I have not been able to visit since I was in high school!
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Clipper magazine had so many great ideas of what to do in Victoria but one thing I think would be amazing to see is the Bucharest gardens season of bloom. I have always loved flowers and the colors are just beautiful.
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Pretty sure we would need to take a visit to the Adrenaline Zip Line tour that was mentioned in the Clipper.
I’d like to have high tea at the Empress hotel, my kids love to explore the city and who doesn’t love gardens? We’ve never been as a family. In fact I think last time I went I was a teen…too long ago.
I love going to the bookstore and riding the water taxis and drinking coffee. Love a shop called the Regional Aasembly of Text and Beacon Hill park.
My favorite thing in Victoria is walking the waterfront and seeing the booth vendors there.
I went to Victoria twice with my high school orchestra. We took the huge ferries out of Tawassen(?) It was a lot of fun! My favorites were the museum and just walking the city. ☺
High on my WA state bucket list. I would love to visit Victoria with my family and explore all of the activities you have detailed so nicely above! :) My girls would really enjoy the boat ride, petting zoo and high tea for sure.
The Royal BC Museum is our favorite place to explore, would love to take our kids there!
We have recently moved to the west coast from the east coast and haven’t been to Victoria yet! Would love to take our kids for a homeschool getaway!
I’d really like to try the Clipper because I never have!
I love Butchart Gardens.
Checked out the family fun article in the Clipper Magazine. I think the boys would love the museum.
The bug zoo in the Clipper magazine looks fun for the kiddos!
We loved looking at the boathouses at the warf and eating fish and chips on the dock!
It’s been a very long time since nice been, but I do fondly remember visiting the Empress and marveling at its beauty!
I subscribed to thrifty nw mom :)
Afternoon tea sounds divine. Plus just being surrounded by all that beautiful scenery!
Love the Girls Getaway article in the Clipper mag!
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I would love to ride bikes thru the city my kids would love it!!!
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Liked the Clupper Magazine article on Girls Weekend! Would love to do that.
We’ve never been but my kids would love Fisherman’s wharf and the ferry ride itself. My husband and I would love the food and just being somewhere new!
Our family loved taking the Water taxi to fisherman’s wharf and feeding the seals. We also enjoyed visiting the Royal B.C. museum, amazing exhibits and the fact that kids 5 and under are free was a great bonus.
I love high tea!
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checked out Clipper Magazine- I think the ‘kids would like the Royal British Museum
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I would LOVE to win the Clipper drawing!
~I’m subscribed already to ThriftyNWMom.
~My favorite thing to do in BC is visit my sister and nephews and go to China Town!
~The clipper magazine showed a picture of Butchart Garden which I have never been to and would love to go! It looks so pretty!
~And shared!
Butchery Gardens & Afternoon Tea at The Empress.
I’ve never been to Victoria! We had a trip planned last year but had to cancel it. I think we’d love doing the bike tour!
I would love to take my girls to high tea!
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Checked out clipper magazine … The architecture would be amazing to see! Like going to Europe!
My favorite thing to do (that I remember, it’s been years since I’ve been) is have tea at Murchie’s it was a wonderful experience and more layed back than other teas I’ve been too.
The castle is a must see as is the wax museum.
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We love the Royal BC Museum! Parliament Building is also a must as are the gardens at the Beacon Hill park.
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I have never been to Victoria but I would love to see the Butchart Gardens!
I have loved in Washington for most of my life and never been to Canada! This family friendly trip looks dreamy!
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Clipper magazine: my girlfriends and I did just that. We went MLK weekend a few years back. Stayed at empress. Went to castle and wax museum. As well as high tea and bc museum. We took clipper. Then on return trip clipper was down so we took a bus and a Canadian ferry to get back to WA. Quite the adventure. So many laughs
I went to Victoria island in 2012. We had a great time. What I liked the most was the bug museum. I want to bring my mom who is coming to visit us for the first time since we moved to Seattle in 2013.
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We are going next month and I can’t wait. This has been so helpful! I don’t know what I look forward to seeing most!!
I’ve never been to Victoria, would love to explore as much as possible!
Riding the Clipper with my boys for the first time.
Can’t wait to ride the clipper!!!!??
I subscribe to TNWM!
I’m a email subscriber
I shared!!!???
After checking out Clipper Magazine, I found the whale watching interesting. That might make our list of things to do if we ever visit.
I would really enjoy visiting the Royal BC Museum with my family
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I’ve never been but would love to see the gardens.
Reading the clipper magazine- I think my son would enjoy the miniature world.
I went to Victoria with my husband after 6 months of being married (6 years ago!). We scored a great deal staying at the Empress and I LOVED every second of it. I don’t know if I had one favorite part, the food, the shopping, the drinks! It was all amazing. We agreed we liked it more than our mexico honeymoon. If we were to go back with our 2 kids it would be a totally different experience, but so fun to do the gardens, tea, and other kid friendly things :)
Shared! I’ve never been to BC and I love in Olympia! Would love to take my family on the clipper!
My favorite thing is tea at the Empress Hotel.
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My girls would like miniature world.
I’d love to see Butchart!
I would love to see the gardens!
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Victoria’s Tea Scene
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I would be most excited to ride the clipper and explore Canada with my family. My husband and I love touring old homes so the gatsby mansion would also be a must!
I’m subscribed to the email.?
I love all the food choices in Victoria!
I looked at clipper magazines article and I would definitely love to check out the boutiques in old downtown. The colors and vibrancy are stunning!
I haven’t been to Victoria since I was a kid but my favorite thing was the big mammoth at the museum :)
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I hope we can go sometime & will meet up with friends who live nearby. I’m most looking forward to taking my kids to see the Craigdarroch Castle.
I am subscribed to the e-mail.
I shared your post on Facebook.
Ride the water taxi and explore downtown that’s what I am looking forward to.
Would love to go to buchart garden! Went to see the tulips in mount Vernon this week and my Lo loved it! We spent like 2 hours admiring the tulips so I imagine she would get a kick out of the buchart garden. :)
Checked out Clipper Magazine & now know a great place to get some Alishan tea when we visit. Yay!
The afternoon tea on the clipper website sounds amazing. The photo made the treats look scrumptious! Plus I envision being able to dress up the kiddos in fancy dresses and making it a big event for them. :)
Loved visiting Butchart Garden but it’s been years and would love to take my kids with me.
It’s been several years since I have been to Victoria, but my favorites were high tea and the fun water taxi!
I’d love to take the kids to high tea at the Empress hotel in Vsncouver BC!
I would love to take my sons out to afternoon tea! We’ve been studying our heritage lately and they’re very interested in all things British as a result.
I Subscribe to Thrifty Northwest Mom’s newsletter (that’s how I found out about this)
I really liked Clipper Magazine’s article on Tea Time in Victoria, especially the piece about the Butchart Gardens.
We’ve never been but I’d love to visit Butchart Gardens!
My favorite thing is Butchart Gardens.
I subscribe to Thrifty NW Mom email.
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I would love to take my family there. When there were would like to explore the city, parks, historical building and not to forget afternoon tea at the mansion. Thank you
Looked at the Clipper Magazine and would love to have tea in Victoria!
My favorite things in Victoria are the wax museum, and visiting the Christmas store!
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Browsed The Clipper, reminded me that I have always wanted to do High Tea at The Empress!
Looks nice. I’m looking forward to Visiting the Buchardt gardens.
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Loved the tips on high tea from Clipper Magazine!
I have never been to Victoria, but would love to visit! I have always wanted to check out the Butchart Gardens, definitely at the top of my list.
I am a long time subscriber to the email newsletter!
Checked out the Clipper magazine and I would definitely have to check out the museum. The totems looked really cool and love learning about history.
I would love to take my kids through Butchart Gardens. I went pre-kids and it was AMAZING!!!!
I subscribe to Thrifty NW Mom email.
I have not been to Victoria and would love to see Butchart gardens.
I checked out the clipper Magazine, I enjoyed the 30 things to do in the NW. I have only done 9 and 19. But would LOVE to do 25.
I loved to just walk around and visit some of the unique shops. I don’t buy much but get inspired by all the neat items.
Check out the architecture & treat myself to High Tea!
Clipper Magazine looks great, liked the Girl’s getaway ideas
We would love to see Butchart Gardens.
The new Clipper Magazine looked great! I love that it covers all of the Pacific Northwest and you can search things to do by location.
The article about 4 festivals not to miss was great!
We went with Girl Scouts years and years ago. I loved riding my bike thru the steers.
I subscribe!
I visited Clipper Magazine!
I shared on Facebook!
I am looking most forward to a beautiful, much needed getaway with my three boys. It would be so exciting to visit Canada! ❤️
I’d like to go to Miniature World and see Parliament!
Would love to win and see Butchart Gardens
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I loved going to the craigdarroch castle. My great-great grandma worked in the castle and their is a plaque in her honor with her picture picture.
We loved riding the clipper, walking the waterfront, eating in Chinatown, and Butchart Gardens :)
I would love to do the high the next time I go.
I would love to do the kids activities and tour the parliament. We have never taken the kids there.
I subscribe!
Been a long time since I took the clipper to Victoria.
Love Victoria!! While adore simply being away, my favorite thing to do is visit Bouchard gardens.
Looks to a vacation with my family of four!
The Empress & Buchart gardens with my then fiance. We’ve been married 16 years, and now have 2 beautiful children. We would love to take them!
The clipper ride over., you never know what you may see!!
I’d love to do the Parliament tour.
I have been to Vancouver a number of times and lived in Kelowna, BC but somehow have never made it to Victoria and have always wanted to go! Would love to take my family to see the Butchart Gardens.
From the Clipper magazine – I know the kids would like to try the Zipline Adventures!
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Never been to Victoria, but always wanted to go to Butchart Gardens to see the Christmas lights. Although after reading this article, I know I couldn’t pass up the petting zoo (yes, I am an adult) – those goats are so cute!
My favorite thing was High Tea at the Empress Hotel!
This is a beautiful city.
From the Clipper magazine, I think I’d like to take my family to Butchart Gardens!
The only time I’ve been to Victoria was my 8th grade trip in middle school. I love to go back with my kids. I think doing the afternoon tea would be fun. And the miniature world looks like it’ll be interesting too.
Sounds like Miniature World would be neat to visit especially since they closed the wax museum which was my favorite place to go in Victoria.
Would Love to visit Victoria!
Never been and would love to win!
I shared!
Wow, that’s a lot of information! Much thanks for the legwork and we would love to check out some of these places in person.
We loved going to tea at the emperess hotel.
My girls would like the free water ballet show
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We want to explore the beauty of Victoria and see the butchart gardens!
I love the Wharf area. So wanting to take my kids now.
Subscribe to your emails :)
After looking at Clipper Magazine, my daughter would love the World of Miniatures. too
I shared it on Pinterest, too.
Walking around the waterfront or Buchart gardens!
Love Buchart Gardens in the spring!
My husband and I haven’t been since before our kids were born. 3 kids later we’ve been talking about going back and taking them for the first time. Our favorite places we’re looking forward to seeing again include the miniature museum, the Buchart Gardens, and the Empress Hotel. In addition we look forward to checking out Chinatown, the bike rental place, parliament, and Gatsby Mansion. Thanks so much for all the great ideas. I’ve foll you on facebook for a while now subscribed to email. Keep up the good work!
I haven’t been to Victoria in years, and my kids have never been – we would love to go!!
I subscribe to the emails.
I would love to visit the Buchart gardens, but my kids would want to try the zip line mentioned in the Clipper!
My favorite was visiting the Buchart Gardens when I was 16. I would love to take my family to visit!
I subscribe to the Thrifty NW Mom email newsletters.
We are excited to take the kids up for a new adventure.
Shared the giveaway on Facebook!
I want to tour the Royal British Columbia Museum
My favorite thing to do in Victoria is walk the breakwater at Dallas point!
I checked out Clipper magazine and liked the family ideas for Victoria.
I shared on Facebook.
Tug boat rides
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My family and I have never been. I would like to visit Buchart Gardens.
Wow. It all looks amazing! I think the miniature place looks really fun
Would love to have tea at the Empress!
#1 the garden of course
My husband and I went to Victoria many years ago. My favorite place was definitely Butchart Gardens – so beautiful! We would love to take our two boys there.
I checked out the magazine and would love to see the butterfly gardens also
Just shared this contest on my Facebook page. I thought the Whistler Beartrek Zip Tour shown on the clipper vacations website looked really fun!
I would love to go in spring or summer again with some girl friends to do high tea !
I haven’t been beofre but would love to see Craigdarroch Castle amd miniature
Would love to win! We LOVE the bug zoo – stick with the tour guide to actually learn a ton about the bugs and get to hold many of them – we have spent well over an hour and we are not what you would call “bug people” :)
Clipper magazine had some interesting stuff – liked the high time for tea time article – I love exploring afternoon tea spots and little tea shops with interesting varieties :)
I haven’t been in years and would love take my family! I love just walking around – there’s so much to see! The castle and Butchart Gardens were a couple of favorites.
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I haven’t been there before, but would love to go to an afternoon tea! Also just explore, looks beautiful there!
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I haven’t been to Victoria since I was a kid. But I would really love to do the bike tours. That looks so fun!
I’m most looking forward to exploring a new place with my kids and husband.
We love the botanical gardens on Victoria!
Whoohoo!! I’m now a verified email subscriber.
According to the Clipper Magazine, that AdrelaLINE Zipline adventure looks pretty fun, I think it would be scary but I know my kids would think its fabulous!
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I’m most excited for the water taxi and the Empress Hotel
Our family loves Miniature World!
I have never been to Victoria but I am looking forward to exploring the city and taking my children to another country for the first time.
After looking at the Clipper Magazine, I would love to have tea with my daughters in Victoria. We just recently bought each of us a tea cup of our choice and had tea today and are planning to do it once a week. How fun would it be in one of these gorgeous locations?
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I have not been, but we were just talk about going! I would LOVE to visit the Butchart Gardens!
I have not yet visited Victoria, but when I go, I am looking forward to tea at the Gatsby Mansion!
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After reading the Clipper Vacations article, I am also excited to see Miniature World.
I shared the giveaway on Facebook.
We honeymooned there so we have a number of special places with wonderful memories we love to go to.
Long time Thrifty Northwest MOM Subscriber :)
Butchart gardens is our families favorite!!
I want to visit the castle and to see the seals and goats.
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I would like to enter for the give away to Victoria. We are a retired couple who take their grandkids on an adventure every summer. This one would be wonderful for them and much appreciated on our limited retirement income.
Thank you for all of your great information.
Thanks for the tips. We are heading to Victoria next month with our kiddo. Excited to take him to the Royal BC Museum.
The wax museum frightens and delights me at the same time. I’d love to go and do the kid friendly trip you described.
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When my husband and I went to Victoria, we had tea time and loved the Wax museum. We would love to take our kids this time around.
I liked all the high tea options discussed in an article in the clipper magazine. More options than I was aware of.
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I’ve never been to Victoria but would love to take the family & do a bike tour!!
These all sound like fun things to do! We have been wanting to go visit Butchart Gardens for years.
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The High Tea would be fun and all the museums. The Clipper magazine had lots of good articles.
I’d love to do the petting zoo, and feeding the seals. My little girls would FLIP OUT lol
I think the trip on the Victoria Clipper would itself be a huge adventure for us. My husband and I have been on a boat before, but my kids never have. Not so much as a canoe!
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The RBCM has always been a must see for us!
We love to eat! So many awesome places
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Going to have to check out the “tea scene” as described in the magazine.
I shared the giveaway on FB.
We would love to see Miniature World, the Children’s Farm and the Museum. Great vacation post!
We were there 5.5 years ago when my kids were 4, 2, and newborn. We loved Beacon Hill Park and went there a lot. There is an awesome tree there for a family picture, and we were also there for a movie in the park. Also I want to the thrift shop for souvenirs: teacups and kid-sized Victoria t-shirts! It was one of our all-time favorite vacations.
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I shared the giveaway on FB
I haven’t been to Victoria for over 20 years -when my husband and I were still dating! No favorite place, but would love to go explore everything with our two kids!
I’m looking to Miniture World
I subscribe to email
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I shared this article on facebook!
I checked out the clipper magazine and loved the information about Butchart Gardens which is amazing!!!!
We loved visiting the Butchart Gardens! The sunken garden was our absolute favorite!
Next time we go to Victoria we want to go to the Butterfly Gardens and the BC Museum/IMAX :)
Would love to see Butchart Gardens
I have never been to Victoria but would love to see the amazing architecture!
I subscribed to your email.
After looking at Clipper Magazine, I am now interested to try all the amazing food in Victoria!
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We are most excited to visit Butchard Gardens and to do a Afternoon tea.
We liked all the information in the Clipper magazine. And on what to see and tips where to stay.
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I am already a member of NW MOM.
I really look forward to just sight seeing all there is to see. And Butchart Gardens. I shared on FB.
I think our favorite thing to do was go Buchart Gardens but we went in the fall last time but would love to go again when all the flowers are blooming!
I subscribe to thrifty NW mom emails! :)
I shared the giveaway via email!
Checked out clipper magazine & the zip line tours look super cool!
We have gone pre-kids, it would be great to take a kids trip! We always loved walking around and interacting with the street vendors. They are always so friendly. We also loved how the city seems so clean!
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We loved Butchart Gardens when we were on our honeymoon there.
Would love to see the castle with my family
I already subscribe to the thrifty nw mom
The largest aquarium in canada was my favorite thing to do with my kids from clipper magazine.
I shared the giveaway on pinterest.
My family has never visited Victoria! We’d love this!
We haven’t been in a few years, but we had a great time in Butchart Gardens, Afternoon Tea at the Empress and wandering around the Harbor. The kids loved mini-word too. Such wonderful family memories.
Oooh, would love to take my husband and daughter. Shes been so sick all year it would be nice to take her as a surprise.
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Our family of 4 visited a few years ago and we loved our visit to the Buchart Gardens, Afternoon Tea at the Empress, and walking around the Harbor. Would love to visit again soon.
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I’d love to go to Victoria and bring my kiddo to butterfly world and tea at Murchies. The bike tour sounds really great too!
I’m subscribed via email
I read the Clipper Magazine article about the girls weekend ideas. I didn’t know there were wineries in the Cowichan Valley and the spas sounded amazing!
we kayaked around in the strait and also enjoyed a private beach where we were staying just a little bit west of victoria
Miniature World!
I love the undersea garden!!! It’s also fun to take horse and cart rides along the beautiful brick roads!
I’ve never been to Victoria but I would love to go!
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Love Clipper Magazines tips for tea time! I know my daughter and I would love that.
I love just wandering and people watching! Thanks for hosting this awesome giveaway!
I subscribed!
I would love to take my girl’s to high tea!
I tweeted!
Live in WA and still have not taken family to BC, even though we have family up that way. This would be a great way to get us up there. Love all the ideas posted. Youngest would love the Bug zoo (ok so would I) and gotta see the castle of course! We are subscribers to Thrifty NW MoM :)
Like the 7 Family Fun Ideas For A Spring Break Getaway To Victoria article…adding to list in case we win :)
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My son has never been to Victoria but would love to ride the double-decker buses.
I am an email subscriber.
The tea scene looks intriguing from the Clipper magazine.
I just went to Victoria a few weeks ago and did the Pedalers Bike Tour too! It was our favorite part of the trip as well. And I didn’t know they had a kid cart option. I’ll have to consider that for my nieces if I win!
I subscribed to Thrifty NW mom email.
Would love to visit Victoria. I have not been there . I would love to see Bushart Gardens. Hear they are gorgeous.
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Shared via Twitter and Facebook and Pinterest. Would enjoy seeing all the many sights but would really like to ride on the Clipper.
I would love to see the Miniature Museum. I love things that are small like that.
I haven’t been to Victoria in probably 8 years. But when I go there I love to just walk around and take in the town. I really enjoyed the wax museum last time I was there.
Would love to visit the castle and have tea.
My favorite thing to do in Victoria is visiting Butchart Gardens.
The Clipper has a great article about Beacon Hill Park and I would love to go.
I went to Victoria years ago and remember the wonderful waterfront and the shops.
Love the article and pictures in The Clipper about Butchart Gardens. Beautiful!
The Empress Hotel is beautiful at night when it is all lit up and the lights sparkle off the water.
The Clipper mentions a few different Tea shops that would be fun to visit.
I would love to visit the Butchart Gardens.
Have tea! *Favorite thing to do in Victoria.
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Entry #3: Clipper Magazine’s Miniature World activity looks fun!
My family would love to visit this beautiful city! We would definitely include a stop at Beacon Hill Farm for my girls as they adore goats.
I am already an email subscriber :)
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I love walking around the waterfront with my husband. It is so beautiful!!
After reading the magazine, I liked learning that the water taxis are called pickle boats. I didn’t know that.
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I would like to go to the beacon hill children’s farm
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