This was incredibly helpful and efficient. Short wait, as they were very busy and helpful to…read moreeveryone; searched all over for a Laundrymat open on Labor day for another visitor. Our hotel had no maps at all. The visitor center provided maps and then the lady proceeded to annotate everything we could ever want to do, including en route to Tofino. She recommended getting smoked salmon at the Thrifty Grocery; we stocked up there - great selection-- I wish i had gotten more salmon. She knew where out rental cottage was, what events to skip, and where to go hiking (we also saw bear). Thank you!

We went in the off-season and they didn't have any of the summer merchandise stocked yet (I was…read moreafter postcards). The woman at the desk was helpful but spoke down to me like I was a simple child who needed block-by-block instructions on how to get places (as she showed me on the map).

This is a visitor center and a the same time it is also a historical site. B and I came here to…read morecheck out inside. There are three floors in side. Not lots to see on each floor but it does contain a write up of what each item represent. Note it is free to go inside. The people at the visitor centers are really friendly.

My wife and I did the short hike from the parking lot to the suspension bridge. It was a fairly…read moresimple hike. We then went to the rocks close to the river. Unfortunately, I didn't realize that rocks were so uneven, and I fell and scrapped my knee and elbow. Tom at the information center had a first aid kit, and I was able to disinfect and bind my wounds.

We were going to do the Elk Falls via Millenium Trail but ended up doing the shorter Elk Falls Loop…read moreTrail. It's a nice hike, once you get past the construction for the salmon run, and the Elk Falls are cool. When the salmon run is completed the whole hike will be very nice.

Plain as they come BUT bonus star because it's a nice view to sit and drink your coffee at while…read morerelaxing. Would even consider it a good place to sit n read etc :)

This park is fairly close to downtown Nanaimo with its charming restaurants and bookstores and home…read moreto a beautiful waterfall. They gave a map of the area in the visitor center as the other reviewer kindly noted it had a duck pond, fountains, and a waterfall. On the snowy day that we were there we also noticed many sledding and a few intrepid photographers hoping to capture the perfect shot. The waterfall isn't tall but perfect in its nature setting and made our youngest quite happy to see its beauty.

Bowen park is a long park with the entrances mainly on Bowen. The park has a creek running through…read moreit as well as several ponds. The park is great for trail running or just walking around or taking photos. Through out the park has many informational landmarks about nanaimo.

I have 3 animals from these guys. After this last adoption there are just too many red flags and…read moreirresponsible practices going on. Animals are not properly vetted, they use Atlas clinic for Vancouver and they almost killed my first dog from B&S. Now my latest is supposed to have vaccines covered but nope, hasn't been checked for heart worm and has had multiple heat cycles with a risk for mammary cancer. When I reach out I'm met with attitude. Avoid.

Very questionably run. Suspected puppy flipping business. Rescues puppies and marks them up to make…read morea profit. My experience and red flags that others should look for: 1) Website & Facebook page have no information as to who's responsible for the rescue. Who's behind the scene? No team names. No accountability 2) The audit on the website is from some random place in California (pretty sure it's the same place they get the dogs from) The link is broken so you can't verify. 3) Dogs all seem to be imported from California. Also she primarily only saves puppies to flip the costs. The owner complains about the third party transportation costs. But why can I adopt a dog from Taiwan that includes a flight & more health vetting included for less? There are also PLENTY of dogs right across the border in Seattle. 4) The quote Larissa gave me for a pup was 1000$. Mixed breed, not spayed/neutered, or fully vaccinated, despite their claim to spay and neuter all dogs on their website. Meaning we'd still have to pay another 500-700$ out-of-pocket to cover the rest of the initial costs. 5) After doing more research on other similar rescues, we thought the fee was too high. I offered to pay 800 and that we'd cover the remaining vet costs ourselves (which was still way too high, but I fell in love with the pup we met). Next I received a very aggressive text, email, and phone call from her telling me numerous times it was unacceptable and "not okay" that I questioned the fee or compared Big & Small to other rescues. There are reviews elsewhere about of her flipping a personality switch, so I was a bit prepared but same time I wasn't. I didn't mean to upset her by just asking a simple, innocent question. I had so much anxiety writing that email because I was terrified of the response I was going to get. There are so many ways she could have professionally handled it but she sadly chose to be aggressive and mean about it. 6) Larissa will only tell you about the adoption fee in a private email. I later found out that a lady and I were being quoted two different prices - 50$ difference for the same pup. 7) A quick google of Big & Small will have two top hits, the second is a Facebook page dedicated to outing this rescue. 8) There's a video on YouTube of the husband acting horribly towards a family who also questioned the adoption fees. Can be found with a little internet digging. 9) There is a CBC article about this business that's also worth a read. 10) If you look at Instagram and Facebook you'll notice Big & Small has zero outreach. I'm guessing because they aren't reputable and no other rescues or business will work with them. 11) The comments on their Facebook page are heavily censored. I have watched comments get deleted if people question a breed type listed as incorrect. Or Facebook will say there are a large number of comments, e.g. 40, but only 16 show up. 12) Initially I tried to give Larissa the benefit of the doubt. I emailed advice to help her rescue. I offered to do dog portraits as a fundraiser. I also asked for the Google form I filled out so I could reuse the text to quicker fill out adoption applications. I received no return communication, I'm guessing because I told Larissa we wouldn't be paying the 1k and so she crossed us off. So here I am. Bottom line is there are better and more friendly rescues in the area that don't treat rescue dogs as a profitable business or take advantage of people for money. Save yourself the stress by supporting a rescue elsewhere. To Larissa: People genuinely want to support rescue animals. Don't treat these people like the enemy just because they can't afford your insanely high and unfair adoption fees. If you're really a non-profit, your rescue needs more transparency. And just be nice to people. It's really not that difficult! Update: Larissa has blocked my Facebook for reviewing.