This post was originally published August 30, 2016 and updated May 19, 2018.
The Butchart Gardens is a world famous garden located near Victoria, British Columbia in Canada. It’s about a 40 minute drive from downtown Victoria and it’s the most popular thing to do in Victoria, BC.
We saved the world-famous The Butchart Gardens for the last day of our Babymoon in Victoria so we’d end strong. We hopped on the CVS Tour bus located directly in front of the Fairmont Empress Hotel. Our guide was humorous and gave us a lot of background information about The Butchart Gardens and the Butchart family during the 40 minute drive. When we arrived, we felt like we had a solid understanding of the place, which made exploring even more fun!
Originally published August 12, 2016, updated April 13, 2018
On our trip to Vancouver, BC with a toddler, we decided to take a walk around the city on our last day. We packed my toddler in his stroller and went for a walk through Downtown Vancouver to get a feel for the city. Our first priority was to check out the Vancouver Lookout at Harbour Centre and then enjoy a Harbour Cruise in Vancouver. Here’s what we thought of each activity:
Science World is a “must-do” if you are visiting Vancouver, BC with a toddler. It’s such a well-thought out museum with tons of things for children and adults. Even if you aren’t a fan of science museums, it’s a fun place to play with your kids. We checked it out last year when our toddler was 2 years old and we returned this year when he was almost 3 years old along with our 2-month-old baby.
Our family has a tradition of heading up to Vancouver, BC after Christmas each year to take advantage of Boxing Day sales and to celebrate our son’s birthday. We always see fun holiday-themed activities, but never seem to have time to participate. This year, we decided to add an extra weekend trip at the beginning of December to check them out. Here are our top 3 things to do in Vancouver BC for the Holidays.
We Love Trains
My toddler has a deep appreciation for trains. We’ve been fortunate to be able to explore opportunities to go on train rides here in the Pacific Northwest. Not only have I learned more than I ever thought I’d know about trains, but it’s been a fun learning experience for the whole family. This past summer, we got to experience the West Coast Railway Heritage Park up in Squamish, BC (just North of Vancouver, BC.) This was the coolest train museum we’d ever been to! When I heard they had a Polar Express train event, I was instantly intrigued and determined to head back up for it. I’m so glad we did!
When my Mom offered to watch our toddler for a weekend getaway from Seattle, we figured it would be perfect timing to go on a babymoon.
Wow! Simply wow! I’ve wanted to stay at the Fairmont Empress Hotel since they donated to one of the many auctions I used to manage for nonprofits back in my former life. There was something so magical and authentic about the hotel and I knew if I ever had the opportunity to head up to Vancouver Island, that’s where I’d stay in Victoria, BC. When my Mom offered to watch our toddler for the weekend, I seized this opportunity to finally stay at the Fairmont Empress Hotel and explore Victoria, BC. We were able to get a fantastic rate through Boeing.
You can’t come to Victoria, BC and not do Afternoon Tea. I think it’s basically a requirement. Like eating pasta in Rome or nibbling on a crepe in Paris. When I saw that the Teahouse at Abkhazi Garden offered an Afternoon Tea, I was immediately intrigued!
When we saw that Victoria, BC offered a tour of a castle, we figured we should probably check it out. Thankfully, it was a stop on our Victoria Sightseeing Tour. The road to get up to Craigdarroch Castle is narrow, so our tour bus dropped us at the bottom of the hill and was walked up. This was cool because we really got that “Oh Wow” moment when the castle appear around the corner.
As soon as I told my friends that my husband and I were spending our Babymoon in Victoria, one of their first suggestions was to check out the Royal BC Museum. I hadn’t really heard of it before, so I went online to take a closer look. I saw that they had a Mammoth exhibit going on while we’d be there, which was motivation enough to visit. When I saw that it was located across the street from our hotel, it felt like a sign that we must make the visit happen.