For the ladies that act as docents for the Pickett house, this is truly a labor of love. Their…read moreexcitement about the house and it's history are contagious. When you visit, donate well, as the house needs a lot of care. Many of the repairs are done by the ladies themselves.

Hatley Castle, tucked away on Victoria Island, was a serene and picturesque stop on a crisp…read moremorning. Even though the air was chilly and the castle didn't open until 10 a.m., wandering the grounds beforehand felt like a moment out of a storybook. The expansive, beautifully kept gardens and coastal views made the stroll well worth it, offering a quiet and peaceful way to take in the surroundings. Paid parking is available, making it an easy stop to add to a morning itinerary.

Cool to view but tours are closed in the winter, so we were able to wander the grounds only. Not…read morethe size expected for a castle, it's part of the university and classes are held in the winter which is why there weren't any tours available.

Review #1 for 2026 I…read morewas determined to go to the Parliament buildings when we did a day trip to Victoria from Vancouver. The building itself is huge from the outside and does feel a bit smaller on the inside, but it is beautiful! They do free tours and I was afraid we would not be able to catch a tour, but during the summer, they do tours everyday of the week! The tour tickets are first come first serve. We managed to get tickets for the 12pm tour the day we were there. You just go towards the entrance and there will be volunteers passing out tour tickets for the next available tour. The tours are all done by volunteers. The parliament buildings are part of British history and now used for government business. We had roughly 30 minutes before our tour. So we went and took pictures around the outside of the building. To get the entire building, you have to take a picture from the sidewalk since the building is so big. There is a water fountain in front of the building as well as across the street. There is also a massive totem pole near the building. The tour was filled with information. Make sure you go to the bathroom before they start the tour. I think the tour is about an hour long, but it flew by as all of it was so interesting and there was so much so see. I enjoyed the tour. There is a gift shop at the end of the tour. The gift shop is TINY! I ended up getting some pins as I collect them and I also bought some Parlia-Mints! Get it? HAHA. My husband loved it and had a good laugh. I think I should had gotten some more to hand out to people when I got home. It came in a cute metal container. Apparently there is also a cafe here which I would had liked to try but it was not open when we were there. Also at night, the buildings are lit up. We had to leave before the lights came on as we had a ferry to catch back to Vancouver, but the pictures I have seen look absolutely stunning. Would I come back? Yes I would! I would love to see the buildings all lit up at night... and of course I have to buy some more of those ParliaMints!!

Take a stroll through history. Just walking the grounds is great with a lot to see…read more Monuments, grass, architecture, and a lot of people. This is a great place to stretch your legs before going next door to the museum.

The longest walk I've ever done to get to a lighthouse. It's about 5 miles to and back, not…read moreincluding the walk from the parking lot. Direct sunlight, so wear a hat and sunblock. The nice part is you're next to the waters and there's sea shells and neat rocks to find along the way. Once you get to the lighthouse, you can go up to observe the views, and there's a bathroom. It's just a very long walk!

Definitely worth the hike to the lighthouse. 5.5 miles one way or 11 miles round trip. Took me…read moreabout five hours including the lighthouse tour. Beach is clean and waves crashing is loud so kind of cool. Staff at park entrance are friendly and will answer questions if you have them. $3 to enter the park.

A short 0.2 roundtrip paved hike trail nestled through the rainforest with a beautiful 60-ft…read morewaterfall. A picnic area and bench at the end of this short trail will leave you in awe! It will take about 5 minutes or less to reach the waterfall; the pathway can get a little muddy, so I recommend you wear shoes/boots with excellent traction, especially in the wet season. The Elwha River is across Madison Falls; you can glimpse salmon and trout! Unfortunately, we didn't experience this; however, the spring/summer is the best time.

Short and sweet trail leading you to a very beautiful waterfall that you'll surely remember…read moreforever. About a 5 minute walk on a paved trail that will take you around some magnificent trees to a 60ft waterfall. I found myself a seat, closed my eyes for a few minutes and just listed to the cascading water. There are no words beautiful enough to describe listening to this very sound. It was gentle and serene. It put me into an immediate place of peace. Plenty of parking and even a few picnic tables to enjoy. It's so green in every direction. There's also an open field right next door that's the site of the late 19th-century Sweet family homestead that is now used for the parks horses and mules to pasture in the summer months. Across the street you'll find the Elwha River which is another great place to sit and look up at your breathtaking surroundings.

Irving House, completed in 1865, is the one oldest homes in the Lower Mainland and it is the oldest…read moreheritage house museum in B.C.! Being a fan of Burnaby Heritage Museum, I never knew about this place until my family told me about it. I came here with my parents, and there were no other visitors other than my family during the entire tour of the house. Tracy, the tour guide, was super friendly and helpful with the tour and I was able to stop and ask any questions during the tour. I loved how Tracy did a vintage vacuum demonstration as I haven't seen anything like it before. I loved the fact that visitors could go upstairs and see the entire house! Many of the items in the home were original from the original owners, though some were purchased or donated from other sources.

Irving House was built in 1865, back when New Westminster was striving to be the capital of British…read moreColumbia. It was lived in by family members up to about 1950, when it was sold to the city of New Westminster, and turned into a historical centre. Thus, if you're a history buff, love antiques (especially Victorian-era pieces), or ever watched the show "America's Castles", you should take a tour of Irving House. The house was built in high style by Captain Irving, a man who made a lot of money in the California, Alaska, and BC Gold Rush, and virtually poured it into the house. The architectural details of the house are interesting and well explained by the costumed guides. Since I was practically the only visitor at the time, I pretty much got my own personal tour. According to them, all the furniture and pieces displayed in the house are authentic to the period - no reproductions (except for some fake food in the kitchen, perhaps). Many belonged to the Irving family and their descendants; others were donated. The house is currently decorated, Victorian-style, for Christmas. Lots of garlands, an amazing Christmas dinner setting, and a beautiful little Christmas tree. Those into old-fashioned decorations should check it out. Legend has it too, that the house is haunted by none other than Captain Irving himself. At the very least, you can see the bed he reportedly died in, and it's one enormous piece of furniture. My guide demurred on confirming the story that an indentation of a body can sometimes be seen in the bedcovers. I saw nothing on my visit, though. In any case, it is New Westminster's oldest surviving home, and thus probably one of the oldest homes in the Vancouver area. It's a wonderful glimpse into what life was like in the early years of British Columbia, if you were high society folk. Admission is by donation, so it's affordable even for writers to visit.

I love this park and lighthouse! The view is amazing of the mountains and of Puget Sound and if you…read moreare here at the right time you can see the big cargo ships making slow, gradual turns further into Puget Sound as they are heading to the ports of the larger cities off from the Sound like Seattle or Tacoma. It's also quite peaceful and just a great place to chill out. The beach is pebbly but it's still beautiful. In fact it may be even more beautiful because it is pebbly. I don't know if it's still there but there was a structure made out of wood probably a few beach combers made and it was cool to take a peek inside there too. Anyway I love Puget Sound and have seen it from all kinds of different angles but I think this spot is one of my favorites if not my favorite at the top of the list. The lighthouse is cute, a nice white painted building with red roof. Not terribly tall or towery like some lighthouses but beautifully maintained regardless. Definitely a stop to make if you enjoy lighthouses and absorbing the water and nature of Puget Sound.

Decided to drive up to this lighthouse while visiting the nearby charming Scandinavian town of…read morePoulsbo. This is the oldest lighthouse on Puget Sound, built in 1879. It marks the hazardous Point No Point shoal and north entrance to Puget Sound. There is a nice size beach across from the parking lot. The lighthouse grounds were gorgeous this time of year with all the red hot poker plants in bloom along the rock wall, from the beach all the way down to the lighthouse. There were quite a few driftwood art pieces along the path up to the lighthouse, including a bench, ball, giraffe, dolphin, seal, whale and horse. Overall we enjoyed the time we spent here...so beautiful and picturesque. Would definitely recommend.

Standing on the Deception Pass Bridge is one of those moments where you realize photos just can't…read morecapture how incredible a place really is. The bridge connects Whidbey Island and Fidalgo Island inside Deception Pass State Park, and the views are honestly breathtaking in every direction. The water below is this deep turquoise color, and when the tide is moving you can see the currents swirling through the pass. It's a little surreal looking down from the bridge -- you're about 180 feet above the water, and the cliffs, forest, and islands around you make it feel like something out of a movie. One thing I didn't realize until visiting is that it's actually two bridges, with a small island in between called Pass Island. You can walk across both bridges, and there are sidewalks on each side so you can stop and take in the views. It's definitely worth slowing down and just enjoying the moment. If you want to walk the bridge, most people park either at the small lot on the Whidbey Island side right before the bridge, or at pullouts and parking areas on the Fidalgo Island side. There are also bigger parking areas inside the park like Bowman Bay or West Beach if you want to explore trails or viewpoints nearby. Driving across the bridge itself is free, but if you park in the state park lots you'll need a Washington Discover Pass (about $10 for the day). If you can, try to go earlier in the morning or near sunset. The light hitting the water and cliffs makes the whole place feel even more magical. This is one of those places in Washington that really sticks with you. Whether you're walking the bridge, stopping for photos, or just watching the water rush through the pass below, it's absolutely worth the visit.

Parking is very limited, cost $10 so you have to decide if it's worth for you to pay for it to…read moresimply walking across the bridge to enjoy the view or to hike down to the water. We weren't prepared nor planned to hike down when we visit in late August of 2025. It's definitely worthwhile for a quick stop, walk across the bridge and enjoy the view from there for a bit. It could be noisy since cars will be driving through while you stand still on the bridge. We spotted some seals or sea lions played in the water. We couldn't tell the difference from the bridge without the telescope.

Just a quick place to view while visiting downtown LA Connor…read more Lots of restaurants and small shops to visit. Get out and stretch your legs.

Full disclosure for this review. The photos I posted show how close I got to the bridge. Since…read moremoving to WA from CA I have become interested in bridges. There are so many beautiful bridges here! I am impressed by the beauty and engineering of a bridge. I read about this bridge before visiting La Connor and was pleasantly surpised when taking a walk on the waterfront I turned around and saw it! I had read abut it being an orange bridge shaped like a rainbow. The view from where I was standing offerred a beautiful photo opportunity which I gladly took! I was close enought to do a check in, so I did. Next time I come to this small town I will drive up to this gorgeous bridge for more close up photos. WA, I am beginning to really really love you. Lol. Happy travels and Yelping.