6 Things to Do in Victoria, BC with Kids

Oak Bay Marina is a popular waterfront dining spot with a wonderful view, but is also known for its cute inhabitants – harbour seals that occasionally greet visitors around the docks. Great dining spots here include the alfresco tables at the Marina Dockside Eatery and the more upscale Marina Restaurant. Young kids will get a thrill from seeing 5 to 10 wild seals around the marina, let alone feeding them. You can buy their feed from the marina’s gift shop.

No trip to Victoria is complete without sightseeing around Victoria Harbour. You can walk the promenade along Inner Harbour for one of the most iconic views of the city, with the Parliament Building and the Empress Hotel serving as backdrop. For families with kids though, a ferry ride is a lot more fun (and a lot less walking). Harbour ferries connect you to various points in the city, such as Chinatown and Fisherman’s Wharf. On summer weekends, you can watch 5 ferry boats dance in their 12-minute synchronised water ballet spectacle, in sync with symphonies.

Victoria’s Fisherman’s Wharf Park is a green urban space overlooking the namesake pier and is a great recreational spot for families. Neat pathways wind through manicured lawns and natural gardens, and which lead you to playgrounds and benches that face the waterfront, with its sailboats, trawlers, parked seaplanes, and sometimes harbour seals. When the little ones feel peckish, you can take them to the great dining spots around the wharf, such as Barb’s Fish and Chips, The Fish Store, and Blue Crab Seafood House.

After enjoying your walks through the Royal BC Museum’s galleries and exploring the history of British Columbia and cultural treasures of the First Nations, you can enjoy the latest blockbusters at IMAX Victoria in the same building. It’s home to the largest IMAX screen in all British Columbia, which is also one among a few in the world to feature the latest 4K laser projection system. This means you’ll be able to watch documentaries and your favourite family movies in highly detailed cinematic glory.

You and your kids will likely spend hours admiring the highly detailed trains and railways, crafted foliage of mountain forests, and amazingly recreated landmarks from around the globe in tiny scale at Miniature World. It’s one of the unique indoor attractions in Victoria that can inspire all ages through countless dioramas that depict historical moments and scenes, as well as re-enactments of well-known fairy tales and pop culture fantasies. To add to the realism, each diorama features special lighting and sound effects.

By the eastern end of Holland Point Park is the Harrison Yacht Pond, which is a popular site for remote-controlled model yacht hobbyists to launch their prefab or custom-built craft. They come in a variety of beautiful designs, from military-style battleships to elegant tall-masted schooners. As a spectator, watching the small boats cruising along the calm surface of the pond against the lush forested background can be truly inspiring. If you want to get involved, there are one or two RC model shops around Victoria.