Local Landmarks

Long ago life was clean

Sex was bad and obscene

And the rich were so mean

Stately homes for the lords

Croquet lawns, village greens

Victoria was my queen

- from the song "Victoria" by The Kinks

Known by some as the 'City of Gardens', Victoria British Columbia is a smallish city of about three hundred thousand or so.

By B.C. standards, Victoria has a fair amount of history. The Hudson's Bay Company, let by James Douglas, founded Victoria in 1843. Much of the city still has a colonial feel... partially because of the historic buildings, partially because we have several British Sweet shops and partially because 98% of the population is white.

Victoria has an abundance of ocean related events and culture. There is the naval base in esquimalt. There are lots of cruise ships with tourists that flock downtown over the summer. We have a Tall Ship festival, sailboat races and paddlers fighting with developers over plans for a mega yacht marina.

There's lots for visitors to do. Do you like insects? Perfect. There is a Butterfly Garden AND a Bug Zoo. Do you like observing wildlife? Perfect. There are one million bunny rabbits breeding and shitting up at uvic campus AND an abundance of fat ass seals to feed at fisherman's wharf.

How about walking? Well you can walk the beautiful inner harbour and explore plenty of historic alleys through the downtown core. I've even included a map of some of the more popular alley's below... enjoy!