Explore Vancouver Island {family-friendly things to do & see}

We lived on Vancouver Island from 2010-2014 while going to school at UVic. While we live in the lower mainland now, we still try to visit the Island as often as we can. Victoria offers a lot of family-friendly activities and events, and the surrounding Island is beautiful. The more I see, the more I want to explore!

Here are the places we’ve had a chance to visit so far…

Great Family Hikes around Vancouver Island

• East Sooke Park offers beautiful beaches and a lovely oceanside hike.
• Mount Work
• Sombrio Beach is one of the best beaches on the Island and part of the Juan de Fuca trail.
• Goldstream Park offers numerous trails, waterfalls, and more.
• Mount Finlayson is a tough, 2-3 hour hike with a great view at the top.
• Mount Douglas can be either hiked up or driven up and offers nice views of the area.
• Swan Lake Nature Sanctuary is an easy hike around a lake with lots of birdwatching.
• Goldstream Train Tunnel Trestle Trail is a short trail to a scenic railway bridge.
• Salmon Run at Goldstream is worth the trip in the fall to learn more about the salmon life cycle.
• Kinsol Trestle Hike is a short, easy hike to a huge, out-of-use railway bridge (with picnic areas nearby).
• Morden Collieries Trail (near Nanaimo)
• Tex Lyon Regional Trail (near Port Hardy)

Favourite Tourist Spots in Victoria

Downtown:

• Miniature World
• Royal BC Museum
• The Maritime Museum of BC
• Pacific Undersea Gardens (now closed)
• Victoria Bug Zoo
• Beacon Hill Park
• Craigdarroch Castle

Esquimalt:

• Hatley Castle and Gardens
• Fort Rodd Hill and Fisgard Lightouse

Sidney:

• Shaw Ocean Discovery Centre is a small, kid-friendly aquariam.
• Victoria Butterfly Gardens is perfect for a cold, rainy day—have a mini tropical getaway!
• Butchart Gardens offers stunning gardens.

Up the Island:

• The Raptors Birds of Prey Centre (near Duncan)
• Horne Lake Caves (near Parksville)

Can’t make it to the Island this summer? Plan a Virtual Field Trip around Vancouver Island!

Beaches on Vancouver Island

• Smuggler’s Cove (in Victoria)
• Mystic Beach
• Sombrio Beach (near Port Renfrew)
• Rathtrevor Beach (near Parksville)
• Hornby Island

Camping and More

• Tofino, BC
• Pacific Marine Circle Route
• Rondalyn Resort near Nanaimo, BC
• Hornby Island
• Port Hardy (north Island)

Victoria Hotels

A Hop, Skip and a Jump Away

• Seattle, Washington
• Vancouver, BC

Other Vancouver Island Blogs

These are a few other bloggers who live on the Island and blog about life here (among other things).  I love meeting local bloggers, so if you’re also a Vancouver Island blogger, email me and I’ll add you to this list!

• Victoria Mom
• Practicing Mammal
• 3 Chickens and a Boat
• My Family Stuff
• Vancouver Island View
• Traveling Islanders
• Sass & Smalls