san juan islands or victoria with teens
Jul 31st, 2011, 11:46 AM
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san juan islands or victoria with teens
we plan on leaving seattle on day 1 (travel day) and have 2 days of touring and travel day to return to seattle on day 4. We have a 13 year old girl and 15 year old boy. Love quaint and unique but hate too much bustle. Thinking of traveling to Victoria for a full day there and to one of the San Juan Islands for a full day. Is that just too much travel? We were looking at the Victoria Clipper. It seemed like they both offer two different things. They are outdoorsy kids (kayak?) but also like tea in Victoria. A little bit of all?
Jul 31st, 2011, 04:34 PM
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I sorta think that, for the ages you mention, the full dose of Victoria might be ideal.
Victoria, for the very reason that it IS isolated on an island, is not overrun by society. They maintain some tradition and propriety there, and I'm guessing that the full Victoria scene (Empress Hotel, Butchart Gardens, Parliament Buildings/harbor at night, Craigdarroch Castle, etc. etc. ) will be quite suitable for young teens.
Furthermore, to include both Victoria and the San Juans involves MORE 'travel' in between the two.
My vibe is that you should just stick with a round-trip to Victoria from Seattle.
Victoria, for the very reason that it IS isolated on an island, is not overrun by society. They maintain some tradition and propriety there, and I'm guessing that the full Victoria scene (Empress Hotel, Butchart Gardens, Parliament Buildings/harbor at night, Craigdarroch Castle, etc. etc. ) will be quite suitable for young teens.
Furthermore, to include both Victoria and the San Juans involves MORE 'travel' in between the two.
My vibe is that you should just stick with a round-trip to Victoria from Seattle.
Jul 31st, 2011, 06:52 PM
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I just had great fun with teens in Victoria. They loved the Harbor, Butchart Gardens in the evening and a ghost walk tour. Also, while we did this in Nanaimo, there is a Wild Play near Victoria which they, and you, might enjoy.
Jul 31st, 2011, 09:38 PM
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My girls love the Harbour vibe in Victoria - the Blackfish Cafe ( Wharf St , right near the whale watch tours), Red Fish Blue Fish also in the Inner Harbour serving out of a shipping container, Noodle House near the Empress. There's a friendly seal or two near Barb's Fish and Chips always great for photo memories.
They love to wander around Fan Tan Alley where the opium dens used to be.. You can go in and check them out (recreations in the actual rooms) at the entrance to Chinatown. The most interesting way to enter is on Pandora ( which is one block over from the Blue Bridge on Johnson) Enter in the skinny brick alley mid way up the street You'll want a pic of this cool thoroughfare. ....Victoria has quite a lurid history, which you learn about on the Ghost Tours. Meet at the Visitor's Centre and take the late night one (9 ish). No need to purchase in advance, as you can pay on the spot. Try to get in the group with John hosting as he is a most colorful guide.
For kayaking there are 1.5 hour tours of the Inner Harbour. While it may not be pristine and silent, it is certainly a rush when, say , the Victoria Clipper comes into the Harbour and you realize that you are sharing the same water.
Did a bike ride along the Galloping Goose Trail which we enjoyed though I wouldn't spend time doing that with only two days.
Another favorite restaurant for forno oven pizza is Prima Strada, on Cook Street, You can walk there through Beacon Hill Park, which we enjoy as much as Butchart Gardens, which is 30 min from Downtown. My kids would prefer a nice dessert in Murchies to High Tea at the Empress. Stuffy and $$. It's fifty bucks!!
There's an incredible used book store on Fort St called Russell Books has all sorts of rare and out of print books.
You will have fun for sure!
They love to wander around Fan Tan Alley where the opium dens used to be.. You can go in and check them out (recreations in the actual rooms) at the entrance to Chinatown. The most interesting way to enter is on Pandora ( which is one block over from the Blue Bridge on Johnson) Enter in the skinny brick alley mid way up the street You'll want a pic of this cool thoroughfare. ....Victoria has quite a lurid history, which you learn about on the Ghost Tours. Meet at the Visitor's Centre and take the late night one (9 ish). No need to purchase in advance, as you can pay on the spot. Try to get in the group with John hosting as he is a most colorful guide.
For kayaking there are 1.5 hour tours of the Inner Harbour. While it may not be pristine and silent, it is certainly a rush when, say , the Victoria Clipper comes into the Harbour and you realize that you are sharing the same water.
Did a bike ride along the Galloping Goose Trail which we enjoyed though I wouldn't spend time doing that with only two days.
Another favorite restaurant for forno oven pizza is Prima Strada, on Cook Street, You can walk there through Beacon Hill Park, which we enjoy as much as Butchart Gardens, which is 30 min from Downtown. My kids would prefer a nice dessert in Murchies to High Tea at the Empress. Stuffy and $$. It's fifty bucks!!
There's an incredible used book store on Fort St called Russell Books has all sorts of rare and out of print books.
You will have fun for sure!
Jul 31st, 2011, 10:03 PM
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So Glad to hear that you have decided to visit Victoria as you will not be disappointed. Victoria is a very walkable city so you can take in all it has to offer. Do not miss a visit to the Royal BC Museum www.royalbcmuseum.bc.ca as it is one of the best museums in North America. A current exhibit is "Behind the Scenes" which brings all sorts of treasures from the back rooms for the public to see. It is an interactive exhibit which makes even more fun. also located at the Museum is the Victoria Imax theatre www.imaxvictoria.com which may be more of a draw for your teens.
Butchart Gardens is amazing as it is a quarry that has been transformed into a garden where you can see plants even you could grow!! If you are here over a Saturday, prior to Labour Day, Butchart Gardens puts on a fireworks display that is fantastic. You can get a bus tour to Butcharts at the bus depot behind the Empress Hotel which is probably the best way for you to go. Butterfly Gardens is just up the road from Butcharts and you might enjoy that also (I've never been) as it may be a package deal you could check out. Hope this will help with your plans, and I hope you have a great visit.
Butchart Gardens is amazing as it is a quarry that has been transformed into a garden where you can see plants even you could grow!! If you are here over a Saturday, prior to Labour Day, Butchart Gardens puts on a fireworks display that is fantastic. You can get a bus tour to Butcharts at the bus depot behind the Empress Hotel which is probably the best way for you to go. Butterfly Gardens is just up the road from Butcharts and you might enjoy that also (I've never been) as it may be a package deal you could check out. Hope this will help with your plans, and I hope you have a great visit.
Aug 1st, 2011, 08:24 AM
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Victoria's a great destination. Sure, it has its British colonial history, but it's also very much a contemporary city with lots of interesting shops that would interest teenagers (skate shops, clothing boutiques, vintage stores, gag gift shops, neat book stores, etc.) - so even a stroll through the side streets of downtown would make a good outing.
The Royal BC Museum is truly fantastic - life-size walk through displays of different periods of the region's history. You could easily spend 2-3 hours there.
Afternoon tea is a left-over tradition from Victoria of 100+ years ago and still exists mainly for tourists. Having tea at the Empress is expensive ($60-ish per person if I recall), but there are other places around Victoria that do a traditional afternoon tea for a fraction of the price. You can stroll through the Empress without actually having the tea. If you do want the tea, you'll have to reserve well in advance. Note that the Empress Hotel has 2 lobbies - it's kind of confusing. One lobby is the Fairmont lobby to check into the hotel. The other lobby (next to the rose garden) has the restaurants, the tea, the gift shop.
The Royal BC Museum is truly fantastic - life-size walk through displays of different periods of the region's history. You could easily spend 2-3 hours there.
Afternoon tea is a left-over tradition from Victoria of 100+ years ago and still exists mainly for tourists. Having tea at the Empress is expensive ($60-ish per person if I recall), but there are other places around Victoria that do a traditional afternoon tea for a fraction of the price. You can stroll through the Empress without actually having the tea. If you do want the tea, you'll have to reserve well in advance. Note that the Empress Hotel has 2 lobbies - it's kind of confusing. One lobby is the Fairmont lobby to check into the hotel. The other lobby (next to the rose garden) has the restaurants, the tea, the gift shop.
