Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Emily Carr House
In 1871 artist Emily Carr was born in this typical upper-class 1864 Victorian-era home,
which now hosts visitors as the
Emily Carr House
(207 Government St., 250/383-5843,
11am-4pmTues.-Sat.May-Sept.,adult$7,seniorandstudent$6,child$4.50).Carrmoved
tothemainlandatanearlyage,escapingtheconfinesofthecapitaltodrawandwriteabout
the First Nations people of the west coast and the wilderness in which she lived. She is
best remembered today for her painting, a medium she took up in later years.
Beacon Hill Park
Known to Coast Salish as Meeacan (a First Nations word for “belly”), for its resemblance
to a man lying on his back, this large tract of land immediately south of downtown was
protected as parkland in 1882. Today the 25-hectare (62-acre) park is an oasis of green
that extends from the back of the Royal BC Museum along Douglas Street out to cliffs
that offer spectacular views of Juan de Fuca Strait and, on a clear day, the distant Olympic
Mountains.
The park is geographically divided in two by Dallas Road. On the downtown side of
theroadarelandscapedgardensprotectedbygrandGarryoaktrees,tenniscourts,bowling
greens, playgrounds, mini golf, bird-filled ponds, and even a cricket pitch.
Beacon Hill Childrens Farm
(Circle Dr., 250/381-2532, 10am-4pm April-Oct., adult
$3.50,child $2.50)ishometochickens, pigs,donkeys,andgoats.Thefarmwasoriginally
part of a much larger zoo complex which operated between 1883 and 1990. Although zoo
animals have long since been removed, peacocks that were let loose upon its closure run
free through the surrounding greenery.
South of Dallas Road, natural beauty takes precedent over landscaped gardens. Here,
you can catch a sea breeze and gaze at all the strolling, cycling, dog-walking, and stroller-
pushing Victorians passing by. For a tidbit of history, explore rocky Finlayson Point, once
the site of a fortified First Nations village. Between 1878 and 1892, two enormous guns
mounted on the point protected Victoria against an expected but unrealized Russian inva-
sion.
ThishistoricalpartofdowntownliesbehindtheInnerHarbour,eastofDouglasStreet,and
is easily accessible on foot.
