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Victoria |
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Go to the beach – Vancouver Island has
long, long stretches of public beach front everywhere. In the summer, they're
the spot to go for picnics and swimming, but the spectacular season is winter,
especially on the west coast, with its fantastic displays of stormy skies
and wild seas. |
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Lakes – Vancouver Island has many small
interior lakes, where you
can hike, swim, picnic. The pace in these lake
villages is slow, from another era. If you're going to drive from one part of the island to another,
try mapping out the trip to take advantage of the lakes and plan a stop along
the route. |
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Sailing – A natural for an island,
sailing is a favorite. It's not hard to find boat rentals in the larger
towns on the Island, for afternoons or day trips. Also whale
watching, fishing, or just cruising along the coast. |
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Hiking – Over 130 Provincial
Parks are in the Vancouver Island area. Each one has hiking trails, some well planned and maintained by the Parks department, others formed
by locals meandering across hills and along the ocean. Many of the Provincial
Parks permit camping, boating, and fishing; some exist only to protect the
land. |
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 Mount
Douglas is 500 acres of parkland just north of Victoria. A great
place for children of all ages to hike, with a view from farmlands to the
ocean. You’ll see dozens of bird species, rabbits, and other wildlife. |
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Shaw Centre for the Salish Sea (Sidney) – This aquarium is a wonderful way for kids to experience amazing marine life of the inland Salish Sea, off Vancouver Island. Once you step inside, you'll be wowed by the diversity, from giant Pacific octopus to teeny plankton. Find out what lives in the Salish Sea, one of the world's largest inland seas. |
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Museums – |
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Heritage Acres – Operated by the Saanich Historical Artifacts Society, check out antique vehicles, carriages, steam engines, working
sawmill, blacksmith, go for a hay ride or pan for gold and experience the
world of the early 19th century settlers. (Just outside Victoria.) |
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Courtenay Museum and Palaeontology Centre – The Comox Valley is site major paleontological finds, 80 million year
old marine reptiles, putting the Courtenay on the Great Canadian Fossil
Trail. In the summer, museum has tours to visit fossil sites in the Comox. |
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Museum
at Campbell River – No other museum does so well at celebrating
all the peoples who have lived and worked on Vancouver Island. Great exhibits
about pre-history archaeology, First Nations art (Salish – First Nations people who created the baskets,
masks, woodwork, and ceremonial objects you’ll see), logging that
built up the Island (step into a replica log cabin), fishing and boat building; pioneer antique clothing and toys. |
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Explore habitats of the Pacific Northwest – forests with giant trees and diverse wildlife, beaches and tide pools, freshwater ponds with beaver and salmon, changing seasons throughout the year. 100 fabulous illustrations of animals, plants, and fascinating facts. (Guide)
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On the longest day of the year, in the summer sun little Mia and her family stand on the shore, and look for orcas in the Salish Sea. Will they see Granny, great-great-grandmother who watches over three families of orcas? Gorgeous illustrations bring to life relationships and connections between these amazing marine mammals. (Picture book)
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One summer, a family joins a group of French-speaking volunteers to plant seedlings, replacing trees cut down by loggers. And 40 years later, the author takes her own family back to Vancouver Island to see a million fully-grown trees. Find out how to plant trees, words in French, adventures in camp and outdoors, delightfully illustrated! (Picture book)
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Celebration of Salish Sea that surrounds Vancouver Island, not just the marine life, but trees, birds, and rain drops. Wonderful papercut illustrations! (Picture book)
One stubby squid exploring below
Seven seals napping all day
Twenty clams for an octopus's feast
Ten thousand plankton glowing at midnight
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Learn about amazing life of the Salish Sea surrounding Vancouver Island – orcas, giant pacific octopus, birds, salmon, gray whales, sea otters, wolf eels and more. Fabulous photos, a super nature guide. (Illustrated chapter book)
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