Victoria and Vancouver - October 2022 - Family Trip

Might need to split Sea to Sky and North Van into two trips?

If the weather cooperates I would not try to do Whistler and other stops all in one day, unless you plan to spend a night in Whistler, which would give some additional time the next day. With the trails, shops, chairlift/gondolas at Whistler it is easy to fill an entire day.

Sorry, I forgot to mention that as part of Sea to Sky, we're indifferent about going all the way to Whistler (since we've seen plenty of ski villages). I figured we could go as far as Squamish, or another logical "turning around" point. Our main goal is the scenery and coastal rainforest experience. That may still not leave enough time for other North Van sights, but I did want to clarify. Thanks!

There are a lot of art galleries in Yaletown/Gastown and not too far away. You may want to check the local web closer to your trip and see if any are having special events in the evenings.

The Anthro. Museum at UBC is (to me) the best of all the museums in Vancouver. If it's raining forget Kit's and do this with Granville Island.

Butchart and whale watching are past their prime in OCT. If the weather's good I'd think a ride out Hwy 14 would be a better choice.

Agree with KGC. Fit the anthropology museum in somewhere.

Jake, Just a small comment, but we had the fancy tea experience in Victoria, and it was pretty fun. Not the expensive one at the Empress, but once at a smaller cafe in town and once at Butchart gardens. It was fun even for our kids.
We didn't spend enough time in Vancouver, but our kids loved Stanley park. We played at the beach for a little while (it was summer, we just waded) and explored some. I love your idea of biking! I remember some enormous trees we have great photos of. They also enjoyed the Granville market and we tasted lots of yummy treats!

Thanks for the input so far!

• Anthropology is on my TBD list for two reasons: (1) the great entrance hall is closed and I've heard that's a big draw for the casual fans; and (2) it takes a while to get out there, so it seems like you'd want to make a half-day out of UBC. But to that point, if we rent a car for Sea to Sky, maybe we add an extra day so we can visit UBC more efficiently (and have the freedom to visit other neighborhoods more easily).
• Understood that whale watching and Butchart may be past their prime, but I'm assuming they're still worthwhile if you're not sure you'll ever be back. Bad whale watching in Victoria beats good whale watching in Atlanta ; ).
• Love the idea about high tea! My family would enjoy that. If anyone has recommendations, I'd love to hear them. We won't have dressy attire, but can clean up a little.

Also, although I'd prefer to explore Victoria our first day, I'm probably better off renting a car when we arrive at YYJ, and then using it the next day to visit Butchart and other areas. This assumes the rental desk is still open at midnight, and that I can drop it off intown the next evening.

Hi Jake,
Just an FYI - yours dates are our Thanksgiving weekend in Canada. It will be a busy travel weekend for residents so would allow a little extra time for check ins at airlines and recommend reservations for dinners. Have a great time on your visit here in B.C.

My kids were 8 when we visited Victoria and Vancouver many years ago. Butchart Gardens was boring for them. They loved our guided kayak tour out of Victoria as well as our whale watching trip (but we visited in the month of August). In Vancouver, we had a blast at the science museum (we are science geeks) and at the Britannia Mine Museum about an hour north of the city. https://www.britanniaminemuseum.ca/
It’s an old copper mine to tour. Really cool!
There’s a lot to do in that part of Canada so I’m sure you’ll have fun no matter what.

I was also going to suggest the Brittania Mine Museum as that might be a more interesting stop. I'm not sure if this would be interesting to your group, but have a look at it - https://www.vandusengarden.org/ .

If you like good Italian food, Commercial Drive is the place for that!

You don’t need a car in Vancouver, the transit system will get you where you need to go, just buy a day pass. There are express bus routes that will get you to certain location much quicker than the trolley routes. For instance, to go to UBC there is the #84 that runs along 4th ave, the 99 that runs along Broadway, and the R4 that runs along 41st. These routes make limited stops, and run frequently so will get you there quit quickly. Check here for schedules and routes https://www.translink.ca/schedules-and-maps/bus-schedules

I live in Victoria, and I think your kids would enjoy a visit to Fisherman's wharf - walkable from James Bay Inn. Try the fish and chips at Barb's or ice cream at Jacksons. Check out the float homes, and see if the resident sea lion is around. You could do a little harbour ferry trip from there as well on the little "pickle" boats. Feel free to pm me if you have specific questions about Victoria.

One other sight you might enjoy if you have a car, is this Aquarium north of Victoria in Sidney - https://www.salishseacentre.org/#intro . As I recall, there was a nice waterfront Pub next door that had fantastic food.

Jake:
Not High Tea, but Afternoon Tea is what I think you mean.
That’s the one with the scones, little sandwiches and pastries and fine china in a nice hotel.

High tea refers to a savoury meal like bacon and eggs , served around 6pm .
That’s what the servants and “lower” classes ate back in the day.

https://www.ohhowcivilized.com/afternoon-tea-101-afternoon-tea-and-high-tea-definitions/

The Empress Hotel will be one of the places in Victoria that will serve Afternoon Tea.

We went whale watching in Victoria one early November and had a far more amazing experience than we had previously had one July. We saw whales both times, though. On the July tour, we happened to hit a "superpod" day, where two pods of Orcas had gathered to socialize. But on the November tour (we did the afternoon tour), we saw not only Orcas, but humpbacks, and even got "mugged" by a humpback for over 20 minutes. (It kept coming right up to our boat, sticking its head up and looking at us, slapping the water with a flipper, swimming under the boat and then poking its head up on the other side, spraying us with its spout, etc.). So exciting! There's no guarantee this would happen with you, of course. Even our captain was really excited about it, because it doesn't happen all the time. But we definitely thought it was a wonderful time to go, even though it was chilly.

Make sure you do a zodiac tour and not one of the bigger boats. It's much more fun and exciting. Even the ride, itself, is fun.

Whale watching is always an unknown and a delight when you see whales. You never know when/where that might be. I watched a pod from shore last week just off Point Roberts (a few miles from ferry dock for BC ferries).

One additional note to mention. Although these areas aren't mentioned on your list, I wanted to stress that tourists should NOT visit Chinatown or the downtown eastside in Vancouver!!! These are NOT appropriate locations for tourists at the present time, although there are people working to bring Chinatown back to its former glory.

Here's a recent news article that illustrates this point - https://globalnews.ca/news/9049039/vancouver-downtown-negative-reviews-tripadvisor/ .

Despite the negative reviews, I would probably still visit Gastown but would be aware of those around you.

For the Victoria portion, I’m thinking this plan.

Sun, Oct 9 (Essential Victoria)
* Explore the Inner Harbour + Downtown
* Rent bikes and/or walk James Bay + Dallas Rd / coast
* Sunset whale tour OR late Pendray House tea service

Mon, Oct 10 (Greater Victoria w/ car)
* Butchart Gardens at opening
* Natural attractions (see below)
* Sunset whale Tour OR late Pendray House tea service

Question
Given that we'll also visit Vancouver and Squamish, which natural attractions near Victoria should we prioritize? Or should we just get our nature fix after Victoria? If the salmon are running yet, Goldstream sounds unique. I was also looking at Tod Inlet, Mt Douglas, Malahat Skywalk, and East Sooke Potholes. If we make a big day of driving around, then we’d do the whale tour on the other day.

Bc museum is a much faster trip than it has been because it is mainly closed. 1 floor is open and worth seeing-but it isn’t a long visit.

Butchart is pretty-but I would agree with the other person who said not too interesting for children. My son is 11 and he advises you to choose something different. That said…I love it…so I understand why it’s so popular…

Whale watching is great but will take 4+ hrs.

I agree with the Fisherman’s Wharf idea and you can catch the harbour ferries there…I enjoy that.

Bug zoo is great…if you like bugs (I find it interesting) About 1 hour.

Chinatown and places like Fan Tan alley are fun to poke around in.

Craigdarroch castle is lovely…but I’ve never seen a European castle…

I like your idea of Goldstream…watching the salmon spawn is awe-inspiring. You can even bring supplies and roast marshmallows and hotdogs and the picnic sites if you want. Definitely need to rent a car to go there.

Lovely hikes around Goldstream as well.

I don’t think going to Goldstream and Sooke Potholes will work with your amount of time. Stick to Goldstream at this time of year.

I absolutely recommend a ghost tour of James Bay they tell you the history and stories. Our family loved it. https://discoverthepast.com/.

Thoughts from my family… enjoy!