Victoria Lane
In summer, the Euro-narrow streets of Victoria, B.C., are crammed with tourists, hotel signs blinking “no vacancy” and impatient lines out restaurant doors – particularly so this year, the 150th anniversary of British Columbia’s founding. So families should find weekends in springtime more accommodating. After all, April and May each offer 187 hours (or more) of sunshine, coupled with cheaper shoulder season rates, plus room to maneuver a stroller through pedestrian-only routes.
Bugs and blooms
As soon as we step off the ferry, my children clamor for the Bug Zoo, currently celebrating its 10th year of “edutainment.”
Entomologist Carol Maier scours Amazonian jungles and American deserts for kitten-sized tarantulas and glow-in-the-dark scorpions.
My 2-year-old son loves holding swaying stick insects, while my 7-year old daughter gets a kick out of the bug guide’s repartee, worthy of a stand-up comedian.
“I encourage them to steal each others’ best lines,” Maier explains.
Visitors not in the mood for the Bug Zoo’s centipede lollipops can score a kid-friendly meal around the corner at The Noodle Box.
Highchairs, no-spice noodles and an inexpensive menu all make for easy eating with tots. For braver palates, dishes like the Malaysian free-range chicken curry bite back.
Ready to view insects in their natural habitat? The 55-acre Butchart Gardens is our favorite afternoon outing for running off energy on sweetly scented trails. Just off the main path, a small wooden hut acts as a kid playhouse above the thousand-bloomed Sunken Garden.
Play “I Spy” with Butchart’s free flower guide in hand: April brings showers (of petals) from Japanese cherries, while May’s flowers include tulips and peonies. Fountains and fields create grand backdrops for photo ops.
When bellies grumble, downtown Victoria’s Rebar offers family-friendly fusion. With crayons as bright as the restaurant’s Mexican oilcloths, kids have plenty to do until their peanut butter, banana and honey sandwich arrives.
Penny-pinching parents can share with adventurous children by ordering the platter-sized yam-pepita quesadilla with chipotle sauce. Cookies and brownies round out the selection, and table-top toys (dinosaurs, robots) are available upon request.
Breakfast and browsing
A Victoria-based foodie friend suggests the Cup of Joe Cafe for breakfast. Tucked away in the basement of a nondescript business building, employees sling morning meals from a witty menu.
My kids go for the “Chuck Berry” pancakes for $7.95 – a heaping stack of buttermilk goodness, served with berry sauce and whipped cream.
Down the street from Joe’s, the Royal BC Museum opens its wide doors at 9 a.m., perfect for early risers. Seemingly designed to silence protests of boredom, a thundering, life-sized woolly mammoth intrigues toddlers, and dino poop interests even skeptical ‘tweens.
Through January 2009, the institution hosts the exhibit “Free Spirit: Stories of You, Me and BC,” a celebration of the province’s best, brightest and quirkiest people.
Children will appreciate the Fairmont Empress Hotel’s lunchtime tea, one block away from the museum. Served inside the 100-year-old, chateau-peaked Fairmont, this service perfectly suits little princesses (or princes).
Live piano music accompanies a three-tiered tray of scones, rich pastries and crustless sandwiches. The experience is expensive but rewarding ($44-$54 adults, $22-$27 kids aged 6-12, 5 and under free). Jeans aren’t allowed in the tea room, but toddlers are welcome.
Next, hit the genteel streets of Victoria and scout out kid picks.
Kaboodles packs an impressive amount of toys into a shoebox-sized store. Wooden puzzles, board games, noisy wind-up cars and German-made animal figurines fill the shop from floor to ceiling.
Several streets over, preschoolers collide engines at the train table and create scary brews in the play kitchen at the appropriately named Scallywags. Meanwhile, browse Canadian-brand apparel and the newest Robeez infant slippers.
Keep walking, because The British Candy Shoppe sells masses of enamel-eating sweeties straight from bins.
The 6-and-up crowd enjoys the mega-manga at Victoria’s comics corner, on the 600 block of Johnson Street. At Legends, Yellow Jacket or Curious Comics, kids can pick up Pokemon cards or figurines, plus Spider-Man books for the ferry ride home.
Plan one more pit stop before loading the crew onto the ferry. Paradiso di Stelle’s mix-and-match pasta dishes keep everyone content; just choose your noodle shape, then pair with sauces like tomato, Alfredo or smoked salmon.
Eat outside with a full view of the harbor, while the kids feed plucky pigeons. Italian coffee and gelato provide a tasteful finish.
And then, give a royal goodbye wave to Victoria, and wish her luck – she’ll need it, with all the travelers arriving on her shores come summer.