VICTORIA AND VANCOUVER ISLAND - British Columbia: Including the Alaska Highway - page 213

Nanaimo and Vicinity
Nanaimo (pronounced na-NYE-mo) sprawls lazily up and down the hilly coastal terrain
between sparkling Nanaimo Harbour and Mount Benson, on the east coast of Vancouver
Island 110 kilometers (69 miles) north of Victoria. With a population of 82,000, it's the is-
land's second-largest city and one of the 10 largest in British Columbia. It's also a vibrant
city enjoying a rich history, mild climate, wide range of visitor services, and a direct ferry
link to both of Vancouver's ferry terminals.
SIGHTS
Downtown Nanaimo lies in a wide bowl sloping down to the waterfront, where forward
thinking by early town planners has left wide expanses of parkland. Down near the water,
the Civic Arena building makes a good place to park your vehicle and go exploring on foot.
Right in front of the Civic Arena is Swy-A-Lana Lagoon, a unique manmade tidal lagoon
full of interesting marine life. A promenade leads south from the lagoon to a bustling down-
town marina filled with commercial fishing boats and leisure craft. Beside the marina is a
distinctive mastlike sculpture that provides foot access to a tiered development with various
viewpoints. Up in downtown proper, many historical buildings still stand, most around the
corner of Front and Church Streets and along Commercial Street.
Nanaimo Museum
In the heart of downtown, the Nanaimo Museum (100 Museum Way, 250/753-1821,
10am-5pm daily in summer, 10am-5pm Tues.-Sat. the rest of the year, adult $2, senior
$1.75, child $1) is a modern facility showcasing local and island history. Walk around the
outside to appreciate harbor, city, and mountain views, as well as replica petroglyphs of an-
imals, humans, and spiritual creatures. Then allow at least an hour for wandering through
the displays inside, which focus on life in early Nanaimo and include topics such as geo-
logy, First Nations peoples, pioneers, and local sporting heroes. An exhibit on the coal-min-
ing days features a realistic coal mine from the 1850s.
The Bastion
Overlooking the harbor at the junction of Bastion and Front Streets stands the Bastion, a
well-protected fort built in 1853 by the Hudson's Bay Company as a fort, company office,
arsenal, and supply house. Today, it houses the Bastion Museum (10am-4pm daily June-