| The City of Victoria has
created four self-guided walking-tour maps of Victoria. The walking tours are
thematically grouped and take the user over different parts of downtown.
One walk, called Happy
Hauntings, starts at St. Ann's Academy, and describes sightings of long-dead
artist Emily Carr and a mysterious bell that is reported to ring. It ends at the
Maritime Museum in Bastion Square, reputed to be the most haunted building in
Victoria. The other
brochures are called Forbidden City, on the early years of Chinatown; Law
and Disorder, telling tales of robbery, murder and deadly lover's triangles;
and Fools Rush In, on the Gold Rush era. The latter recounts a story from
the 1800s, when two of the city's volunteer fire brigades arrived at a fire at
the same time. As an argument about jurisdiction got heated and turned into fisticuffs,
the building burned to the ground. The
walking maps are available at City Hall, the Victoria Visitors Centre, offices
of the Downtown Victoria Business Association, and the Provincial Capital Commission. Victoria:
A Lady with a Past!
Victoria's Inner
Harbour and The Empress Hotel | Find
out where Victoria began: Explore the Inner Harbour in downtown Victoria. Walk
the perimeters of the Hudson's Bay Company fort - the first HBC settlement on
the West Coast of Canada. Hear about the ghosts of Bastion Square, including the
"Woman in the Window," the "Hanging Judge," and "The
White Lady of Langley Street." Walk along Government Street - the first official
street west of the Rocky Mountains. See how a reclaimed tidal mudflat became the
foundation for the elegant and grand Empress Hotel.
Victoria:
Olde Town
Chinatown,
Victoria | Visit
Victoria's first commercial centre, built to serve the thousands of men who came
here looking for gold. Wander through wood-blocked alleyways. Walk through the
inner courtyard of a cluster of 1870s hotels where ladies of the night entertained
their guests. Stroll through the smallest and second-oldest Chinatown on this
continent's west coast. See buildings that once housed gambling dens and opium
factories. Taste the many varieties of tea. Saunter along the narrowest street
in North America.
Emily
Carr House
Emily
Carr House, Victoria
| Artist
Emily Carr - unappreciated in her lifetime - is now recognized as one of Canada's
national treasures. She was also a writer. Her first book, "Klee Wyck,"
won a Governor General's award. Her second book, "The Book of Small"
("Small" is how Emily saw herself as child), describes her childhood
growing up in 19th-century Victoria. Explore the wonderful "World of Small."
See where Emily Carr was born. Enjoy readings from her books. Find out about the
people, pets and places that helped shape her life.
Greater
Victoria
Craigdarroch
Castle, Victoria | For
adventures farther afield, take a fascinating narrated tour through Victoria's
many heritage sites and residential areas. Highlights include Government House,
Craigdarroch Castle, Mt. Tolmie, Oak Bay and Uplands, and Beacon Hill Park. Drive
the scenic Malahat highway to Goldstream Provincial Park, and Duncan and Chemainus
in the Cowichan Valley. Follow the old west coast road to the Western Communities
of Greater Victoria, and visit Fort Rodd Hill National Historic Site, Hatley Castle,
Sooke, and Jordan River. Guided
Tours with Local Author Danda Humphreys
As
a special treat during your stay, take a personalized tour with resident author
and storyteller-guide Danda Humphreys. Danda's tours are easy, entertaining and
fun. She will escort you to and from the tour route and personally conduct your
tour. Danda's tours
include entertaining tales about the characters who once lived in Victoria, many
of whom are featured in her fascinating book about the origin of Victoria's street
names, entitled, On The Street Where You Live: Pioneer Pathways of Early Victoria.
Call Danda
Humphreys to book your unique Victoria experience. |
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