victoria and Butchart Gardens
 

Girls weekend in July to Victoria. We wanted to go to Butchart Gardens on Sat. morning then have tea at White feather tea room ( I think thats the name) do a little shopping in the area and go back to the garden in the evening for the fire works. Can you get back into the garden on the same day if you leave with out paying again. Some places stamp your hand or your ticket is good for the day.

They do give you a hand stamp. The name of the place is White Heather, and it's a bit of a hike from Butchart Gardens - will you have a car, or how are you getting back and forth? The traffic heading into the Gardens on Saturday evening will be pretty thick. Everybody wants to go for the fireworks.

yes we have a car, is it worth going back to the fire works? Our first thought was to have a late tea and go to the garden by 4 to see them in the day light then stay till the fire works. That just seem like such a long time in the garden at one time.

You'll probably have to get to Butchart's around 4:00 to get in for the fireworks. Anyway, according to their website "re-admission is not permitted on Fireworks Saturdays."

http://www.butchartgardens.com/plann...ion-rates.html

You should make a reservation at the White Heather as it is often booked up midday. Ph: 595-8020.

Thanks April,
The girls will have to make up their minds if they really want to see the fire works and stay that long at the gardens.

Why don't you have tea at the Dining Room at Butchart Gardens instead of leaving and coming back later? The menu sounds scrumptious, and the difference in price between White Heather would be made up in the savings of time, gas, and effort in going back and forth.

We just returned from Vancouver Island...had a terrific time at Butchart Gardens...stayed for tea at the gardens...the Dining Room Restaurant.
It was G R E A T ! !

I have posted a ton of photos of the Butchart Gardens.
(scroll down to June 14th posting)
http://baileyzimmerman.blogspot.com

Bailey, how did you manage to get those photos of Butchart's with hardly any people in them?

April,
We arrived when the gardens opened...9 am.
It was fairly quiet for the first hour.
We had reservations for tea at noon. It worked out well...we had over two hours to walk the gardens...taking time to photograph....and then some time for the fabulous gift shop!

I would love to return in the fall. . . . .

ps...April, if you look at most of my photos, there are very few people in them. I like the viewer to be able to see a photo without the distraction of other people in the photo.
Makes for better daydreams!

http://baileyzimmerman.blogspot
(I have galleries of my work posted on my blog...upper right hand corner)

The Fireworks display at Butcharts is AMAZING and WELL worth taking in. Admission is cut off for the fireworks late afternoon/early evening once capacity has been reached for the gardens. The White Heather tea is also amazing so, if you have time why not do Butcharts one day with a picnic supper to take in the fireworks and do tea at the White Heather another day?? Tea at Butcharts is also VERY good so you could do tea there rather than the White Heather if you are pressed for time.
Enjoy, whatever you decide!!

Thanks everyone,
I think the girls have chosen for now not to do the fire works. It looks like we will go see Craigdarroch Castle, have tea at the white heather room and then do a little shopping in that area. Then go back downtown Victoria and see whats there and do some sightseeing. Have drinks and dinner there at night, this will be on Sat.
On Sunday the day we leave we will go to the gardens taking the scenic hour-long drive. Take our time have a nice lunch there and after stop and see the Butterfly Gardens then back to victoria. I think its a 30 min. drive to catch our ferry and we want to leave around 4:00. We will be leaving seattle around 9:00 am on friday so we will have some time on friday and friday night to see things also. Anyone know of a good Irish bar, with good music?

Sounds like a good schedule. There aren't too many shops around the White Heather so be sure to go right into the village.

Irish pub in Victoria or Seattle? In Victoria there is one called Irish Times. I don't know anything about it though.

http://www.irishtimespub.ca/

April
Are the shops with in a couple blocks of the White Heather or do we have to drive a ways? I was looking for an Irish bar in Victoria thanks. Also an English shop that might sale tea cups.

I think you'd want to drive, but it's not that far by car.

Unfortunately, a good store for teacups recently closed up. There is a discontinued china store on Fort near the corner of Douglas Street.
http://www.jrdiscontinuedchina.com/store.html

There might be other stores on Fort Street that have teacups too. You could also try The Bay, at the same corner, but on Douglas across the street.

A store in the Empress Hotel might have something.

April,
Thank-you so much the store looks wonderful I can't wait!!!! Now the problem will be getting them home to IL. I hope we don't have much rain I have had enough of that I live by the mississippi river and our towns have taken a beating with rain and flooding. It would be nice to have some dry for awhile. I know why seattle, but my daughter who lives there says july is the sunny month.

Irish would really enjoy this store
http://thechinacupboard.com/ They have a lot of china on consignment there and all sorts of patterns that are no longer available etc. This place is closer to the White Heather so you might want to check it out. Also, although its not Irish the pennyfarthingpub.com is the closest put to being authentic in Victoria - also in Oak Bay. Enjoy!!

thanks traveller69,
I will check out the store and the pub. Both look wonderful.

I noticed the penny farthing pub sold single malt scotch and good Irish whiskey (something I have grown fond of visiting those counties).My husband says its in the blood because I'm Irish. I see they have a liquor store can you buy 2 or 3 bottles unopened and take them across the border back into Seattle?

Irish - you would have to check with US Customs on how much liquor you are allowed to take back. As Canadians we can only bring a 40 oz bottle back to Canada but I do think Americans are allowed more. Check before you come to Canada. How are you going back to Seattle? The airport has a duty free store and you could check to see what they carry and the price but if you are going back on the Clipper I don't think there is a shop.