A lovely mansion to stroll along in the afternoon with the family. You get to read about the…read morehistory of the home of Bob Moran, who used to be the mayor of Seattle. It's well kept and I got to walk around and explore to my hearts content. Then, I went to the Lounge.

A lovely and peaceful spot, the sunroom was a beautiful place to sit and enjoy a coffee while…read moreenjoying the serenity of the space and gardens. Enjoyed visiting this historic house and watching a video they offered on site. It's a very nostalgic place, definitely gives you a glimpse into history. They have a small gift shop/area where I was able to find a poster I'd been wanting. Thankful that this place is preserved, hope it stays exactly how it is.

Wish it was open this march! My son would have loved to go in. Outside was charming and location…read morewas super close to other attractions

Friends told me I had to visit this place and boy am I glad I did. Our downside was that it was…read morerainy. :( However, you can still walk around. They do offer umbrellas for you to use which is nice. Beautiful garden with different areas. Spend however much time you want. It's just beautiful. You really can't go wrong.

Happy June 1st, Oh my goodness, My heart is filled with…read morehappy tears & Joy, I finally get to cross The Butchart Gardens off my bucket list, also it will be one of those places that I have to add back on the bucket list. I always wated to visit the Butchart Garden, a dream of mines since 2019, when we first visited Canada but there wasn't time. I keep requested to the hubby to take me back to Canada every time we visit PNW but he kept saying the weather has to be good. ( We normally visit PNW during Spring and Winter) Welp, if finally happened after 7 years, I planned our trip in May and the weather was so perfect, it was meant to be! Thank you to my wonderful love, he drove 6 hours, 3 hours round trip ferry ride, not including the drive from Richmond- Ferry, & Ferry to Butchart Gardens. hehe. Who does this? but this is all to make me happy which I so grateful. I have to say, this visit was an expensive one, round trip Ferry ride on the BC Ferries, plus admission to gardens, came out to $300. but it was all so worth it as I cared more for collecting memories vs. things. I loaded 100+ plus photos on Yelp, went crazy! About Butchart Gardens, some quick notes/facts from researching before my trip: *located in Brentwood Bay, near Victoria BC on Vancouver Island *55 arces of display gardens *started in 1904 by Jennie Butchart *National Historic Site, family owned for 4 generations with 1 million visitors/year. 5 main gardens you will see: Sunken Garden, Rose Garden, Japanese Garden, Italian Garden, Mediterranean Garden. My thoughts: Where do I begin, when I saw my other half taking photos too of the plants/florals, ( & this is not something he would do) this filled my heart with joy even more, hehe. The Butchart Gardens was sooooo Amazing, I had such a great time strolling the gardens with the love of my life, enjoying and taking it all in, seeing all the florals, plants, trees, every thing, just too much leave in my review. Things that make me so happy! I just love the happy place vibe so much! Our visit was during late May and it is Rhododendrons and Azaleas are in season, the trees are so beautiful and such nice colors! So happy to see the Peonies blooming, thinking of my sister. Thinking of my momma and I wished she was here to see this. I've asked the staff about Cherry Blossoms trees and he mentioned there are a total of 2 in the gardens. I didn't see any Hoya plants growing here. As usual, I wish we got more time here, like I would spend the entire day here not, just 4 hours. Check out the map, explore the garden, take your time, wear comfortable shoes, ask all the questions you have at the information center, check out the Butchart Garden book, if you like to know more about the owner and history of the Gardens, its at the information center. There is also a boat ride but that is additional fee. Overall, I LOVED my visit and hope to be back again not soon but I will plan to be back, if the hubby will take me again. hehe. Happiness blooms from within, enjoy life and these precious moments!

Very dissatisfied. We used to come to tea here and it was served on the lawn. The staff dressed up…read moreand took you back to tye 1800's. Today it was so different. Served in a run down room. Uncomfortable. Not tea at all. Owners changed and its going down hill :( sad

My family and I had tea here yesterday and it was wonderful! Living in Seattle, we have been to…read moreVictoria numerous times and were looking for something different. The Point Ellice House is not a well advertised tea, but we decided to give it a shot since we read a few good reviews online. We walked the 1.5 miles from downtown to the house, but the water taxi that came right to the property's yard looked like it would have been fun. As other reviewers mentioned, it is located just outside of town in an industrial area. This is really no fault of the museum, and we found that that the gardens blocked much of the noise and any sight of machinery. The grounds are beautifully maintained and the museum collection was extensive and interesting. The tea service itself is really a great value compared to other teas we've had in Victoria (and Seattle). We made an email reservation and their customer service was very responsive and had a set table ready for us. Our group was impressed with the variety of food and tea, and the fact that it all was house made. Our favorite was probably the butternut squash soup. The service was attentive and we had 3 ladies waiting on us (we only had a group of 6 so I am wondering if this is because we had a reservation?). They were able to accommodate dietary restrictions. I would highly recommend this tea and museum. Weather note: The tea is served outdoors in the back lawn. We were blessed with a dry, sunny day and loved sitting outside. While they did have tents with side flaps, it probably would not have been as enjoyable if it was cold and rainy. I would suggest planning accordingly based on the weather.

This place is a jewel. Go here. Make sure to get reservations for tea. The garden walks are…read morespectacular. For tea you have a choice of 3 sizes of food - all the food was lovely. Scones - cheddar and currant, profiteroles, sandwiches, tiny tarts, chocolates, creme brulee, and you get a big pot of your choice of tea. Don't miss the gift shop! (Full disclosure - I couldn't eat here with my food allergy to corn and carrageenan but my friends could and my server graciously allowed me to drink a pot of tea and watch others eat the food. I loved the tea so much - royal Abakhazi - that I bought 2 tins of it.)

A delightful High Tea amid gorgeous gardens…read more We had a lovely experience enjoying high tea at Abkhazi Gardens. The grounds are gorgeous and lovingly maintained--it felt like stepping into a hidden oasis. We were especially lucky to catch a rare lily in bloom during our visit, which made the garden stroll even more special. The tea house itself is quaint, but charming in its simplicity. We ordered high tea for three and spent a leisurely afternoon savoring bites alongside the house black tea blend, which was smooth and fragrant. What added an extra layer of richness to the experience was learning the incredible family story of the Abkhazis. It's fascinating and makes the visit feel truly meaningful. ** Donations to support the gardens are requested upon entry. I recommended carrying some cash to drop into the collection box. They take American dollars as well. For anyone looking for a peaceful escape, delicious high tea, and a touch of history, I definitely recommend a trip to the Abkhazi gardens!

We had scoped out this as a place to stop with our 4 yr old. We walked over and her entry was free…read more She enjoyed all the buttons to push and the displays, the beginning part through "space" and all the castles and trains. We appreciated the stop. In general, I'm not sure if I would go out of my way to come back but with kids who like small things, trains, dioramas, it was worth doing! I think we were in and out in about an hour. I bet some kids could zoom through in less time (then maybe not worth the price?) and some kids might take 1.5-2 hours, so maybe try to gauge if you think its something you/your family would enjoy. Some displays had buttons that didn't work but for the most part if you looked or read the placard you could figure out what was going on.

Miniature World has some truly impressive displays, and there were several miniatures that were…read moreincredibly detailed and beautifully crafted. It was clear that a lot of time and talent went into many of the exhibits. That said, the experience felt a bit inconsistent. Some areas were much more engaging than others, and a few of the displays didn't have the same level of detail. At times, multiple audio narrations were playing at once, which made it difficult to focus and became a little overwhelming. We also noticed that several of the interactive buttons and TV displays weren't working during our visit. For $19, I don't regret stopping by, but it just wasn't quite what I was expecting. For me, it's more of a one-time attraction than somewhere I'd visit again. If you enjoy miniature art and displays, it may be worth checking out, but it ultimately wasn't the right fit for my interests.

Canada Parks and Lighthouses [Victoria BC]…read more The beautiful grounds of Fort Rodd Hill was once an active 19th-century west coast artillery fortress from 1895 to 1956. We arrived with just enough time to explore before they took the last visitors in at 4:30p (the grounds close at 5:00p). There is an $8.50 (CAD) admission fee which came out to U.S. $6.25. Wether you like history or not the Fort Rodd Hill National Historic Site is worth a visit. I used to fall asleep in History class during high school but as I got older I'm more and more drawn to the subject. We explored all three gun batteries, underground magazines, command posts, guard houses, and barracks. The defensive walls with rifle slots in the Upper Battery were built to fight land assaults. And our self-guided tour was not even enough to cover the entire grounds. There are interpretive signs to read for each point of interests. Clear directional signs are sprinkled throughout to help guide visitors. We spent the last 30 mins at the lighthouse before heading back. One of the best landmarks in Victoria, it used to be in an island but now a causeway was built to join the lighthouse to Fort Rodd Hill. The short hike to the light tower presented beautiful coastal views. Fisgard Lighthouse is the oldest lighthouse on Canada's west coast. We were able to go inside and explore but the stairs to the light was not accessible to the public. Fort Rodd Hill and Fisgard Lighthouse was about 20-25-mins drive from downtown Victoria. Review #3171

A nice place to see and visit the lighthouse and the nearby military battery. It's a little walk…read moredown the hill from the military site to the lighthouse. We enjoyed both places but I really like visiting lighthouses.

Finnerty Gardens in on the University of Victoria campus in Victoria, and is free except for a…read more$1.25 per hour parking fee. It consists of a about 6 or 7 acres of trees, shrubs, and flowers in a setting that is more natural if less spectacular than Butchert Gardens. You can easily wander around its shaded pathes for an hour, encountering (in season) a pletheora of beautiful plants in natural settings. We were a bit late for the rhododendrons, which appear to be well represented here, and only a few still had flowers. I bet its really gorgeous when they are in full bloom. I went about ten minutes out of my way to see Finnerty Gardens and was very glad I did.