Best for: discounts on new cookbooks…read more Huge space, lots of books and yet... their selection seems small. I can't usually find what I'm looking for, new or used. Shelves are a bit too close together for browsing. More signs indicating genre and letter of alphabet would be nice. As for browsing.. I wish they had displays and handwritten reviews, tables highlighting new releases by genres, etc. Their new releases shelves are shockingly small and oddly placed upstairs. What a great space! It just needs help with the browsing experience.

Forget Munro's Book on Government St., this is where it's at. Honestly the outside is not…read moreremarkable at all, as the mini strip mall and immediate surroundings are deceiving. The inside is way different being bright, spacious and airy...and best of all 2 floors with an elevator and escalator. While there is a lot to look at as a casual browser, the kids/toddler book section was pretty impressive. There was a large variety and some quality items were even on clearance markdowns which I could never recall seeing at any bookstore in my lifetime. The currency conversion works out in with U.S. dollars too. Overall I think it's worth a tourist stop if visiting in town.

Small arcade with primarily 80's games, Dance Dance and a more recent Mario Kart version…read more $20 went far, as we were able to play all the games we wanted and additional rounds as well. Not ADA accessible; the only way to get there is downstairs. Something to keep in mind. There are no chairs either, but there are a few barstools. No food or drink served.

They just started playing Tom Sawyer by Rush and I might have cried. A variety of games (video &…read morepinball) with coins to play.

A wall of rubber ducks!!! [double take]. Nope, I'm right, that's right a wall of ducks! Rubber…read moreducks of all shapes and sizes - from Obama, Jesus and Elvis to pirates, fairies and superheros. Not only are there rubber ducks galore, there's every other bit of nostalgia-gag-gift-goodness you wish you could find elsewhere: "Cat Butt" Gum,"Everytime you masturbate, God kills a kitten" Gum, Gumby, magnets, funny baby onesies and "grow your own unicorns" The list just goes on and on! Friendly staff who are obviously enjoying work and groups of people getting giggley over silly toys. Ah, now that's my idea of fun! Oh... Rubber ducky, you're the one You make bath time lots of fun...http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gTOLfG49XRg&feature=related

Such a cool store! From inflatable Van Gogh picture to bacon jelly beans and devil rubber ducks…read more You definitely need to spend some time browsing through the store, its full of interesting stuff! Staff is so nice and friendly!

I first met Raimie when he changed my life as a potter during a 1 on 1 coaching session at his…read morestudio in Quadra Villiage in Victoria. I was really frustrated learning how to centre but after a few hours under Raimie's instruction and coaching everything started to make sense. I spend 6 months of the year in Victoria and immediately signed up for their beginner program for the potter's wheel which I am thoroughly enjoying. I recently attended the "Make a Mug Night" where we learned hand building skills to create a mug. It was amazing to see that after 2 hours everyone created something to be proud of. I've been so impressed at how organized and friendly the studio is with instructors and members keen on sharing their skills. I have learned more than expected in the short time and look forward to signing up for more programs during my time in Victoria. Thank you to Raimie and his team at Hands on Pottery for great instruction a fun place to hang out and keeping a new potter's dream alive.

From the owner: Pottery classes & workshops for adults of all skill levels…read more Learn how to use the potter's wheel or hand-build a variety of functional pieces you can be proud of! We offer a variety of programs including single session workshops and weekly classes of four, six and eight or eight sessions. Our studio is also where the Hands On Clay Collective creates their line of amazing mugs, tumblers and other ceramics for your home. Check out their retail gallery next to the inner harbour – 1208 Wharf St.

This is a wonderful store with great selection, friendly staff, and a great layout in a historic…read moreformer bank building.

Big fan of bookstores and architecture so this was such a treat! Didn't spend a lot of time in it…read morebut from what I can tell, it's a huge bookstore with a huge selection of books. At the least, it has all of the most popular books right now. It has quite a bit of bookish items like stickers, postcards, and bags, and I always find those items to be fun to browse. I love the history behind the place that it was designed for the Royal Bank of Canada. The stained glass and brightness of the place made it look so beautiful. I didn't end up getting anything so I can't comment on the service but the books were averagely priced. Really cool for a pop in and out!

Miniature world was one of my favorite things I did in Victoria BC. I loved looking at all the mini…read morefigurines and the detail and craftsmanship that went into creating these miniature dioramas. I spent about an hour here and it was really cool that they had themed areas. I will say that a lot of families come here with children, so that felt a little bit overstimulating at times. If you come here, try to come during off hours maybe to try and get a more quiet experience.

My nine year old son really enjoyed the "Miniature World" attraction. Miniature dioramas of World…read moreWar II, US Civil War, Battle of Britain, and Napoleonic battles were hand constructed and painted. The history of Canada, Vancouver Island, and the Trans-Canadian Railroad were also displayed. Other miniature dioramas displayed science fiction scenes, fairy tales, scenes from literature, and the circus. The final wing was all miniatures of King Arthur and Knights of the Round Table. Well worth the nominal price of admission if you are on holiday with your kids.

TL;DR: Chaotic, fun, and not for everyone. Go for a show,…read morestay longer than planned. If you're nearby and there's a drag show, it's worth going. It's fun, different, and a welcome disruption to the usual Victoria vibe. Vibe: Wizard of Oz-themed gay bar with zero subtlety. Loud, campy, and a sharp contrast to the rest of Victoria's generally polite energy. Not really a place straight couples need to linger unless there's a show. Drinks: Strong and fast. These are drinks, not cocktails, and that's exactly right for the room. Entertainment: We caught a Taylor Swift-themed drag show. I'm very much not a Swift fan, my girlfriend is, and we both had a good time. The performers carried the night. What could be better: If there's no show, the appeal drops fast unless this is already your scene.

This may be a gay bar by night, but there's nothing queer about the brunch menu here, folks!…read more My wife and I spotted this place the night before, when it was lit up in all manner of multichromatic madness, gleaming and glittering gaily, with pulse-pounding tunes pouring down the adjacent alleyway. The interior décor intrigued me, but as we had our toddler son with us, we couldn't enter during the "adult" hours, but we resolved to return in the morning for their legendary "best brunch in Victoria". Did it live up to its reputation? YAAAS QUEEN, SLAY those taste buds! My wife ordered the Homemade Maple Bacon, drizzled in mezcal cheese and accompanied by similarly glitzed-up scrambled eggs, roti flatbread, and a light salad with vinaigrette. After waffling back and forth over two dishes, I went with the ambiguously named "Tomatoes" which, as expected included tomatoes, of course, resting on a bed of a soft, moist cheese similar to queso fresco, dressed in chili crunch oil with peanuts and topped with spinach. It was wonderful, with my only regret being there wasn't enough of it. I had decided against the Steak and Eggs, as I'd wanted something lighter for breakfast, but in the end, what I'd ordered was a little too light for me. No matter; I helped the wife finish her meal as well, so everything worked out! I will say, though, that menus that lean in a little too far into brevity when it comes to the description of their entrées for the sake of being cute should probably rethink this strategy, and in all honesty, $16 CAD is a little steep for a dish this paltry in size, no matter how good it is. Alright, I've been enough of a basic bitch about nitpicky things, so let's put a bow on this review, slap its backside and send it on it's way! The "Lions, Tigers and Bears" cocktail was a frisky, refreshing take on my favorite, the Old Fashioned, and my pregnant wife's (virgin) Caesar may have been Bloody Mary-red, but it left me green with envy after a couple sips! I would be hard-pressed to choose between the view on our (inevitable) return visit to Victoria which, I hope, will be far sooner than later. For now, we'll be somewhere over the rainbow back home, waiting for a tornado to whisk us up and fling us back over the border. Vancouver may be the true Emerald City, but the yellow brick road leads directly to Friends of Dorothy in Victoria!

Luminara is a wonderful free annual festival that occurs on a Saturday in July at St. Ann's…read moreAcademy. This lantern festival attracts between 15,000-20,000 people. The festival features installation art, costumed performers, and lots of lanterns. Kids will love Luminara and so will adults.

How could they close such a center... There are plenty of…read moregyms all over downtown--you can just walk into any hotel and work out. But there was only one place where kids could come play basketball every day. There's not a single decent gym in the entire area where you can work out year-round, in any weather, for $30 a month. So what now?.. Long live the home and the computer

I recently visited Victoria on vacation and it turned out the YMCA/YWCA two blocks from my hotel…read moreoffers day passes to its gym. This facility is a great option for anyone visiting Victoria who needs to work on their strength training while on vacation. They have several Life Fitness machines, including pectoral fly/rear deltoid. They also have some older machines from a brand I have never heard of before called Keiser, which turned out to be an American brand based in Fresno, California. The Keiser machines are strange because they have thumb controls to manipulate a pneumatic system which controls resistance, rather than the traditional system of sticking a pin into a weight stack. But once you figure out how to use them, they're okay.

I approached Tapestry Music in Victoria with a special request, a Baritone Ukulele with Tenor…read moretuning. Cam responded very promptly with exactly what I had in mind. We then texted and phoned about several additional items and today the courier delivered the package. Everything is absolutely perfect, world-class! It just does not get any better than this. Thank you Tapestry Team, you're totally amazing!

All I can tell you is the experience I had taking group fiddle lessons at Tapestry just before they…read moremoved to Bay St. I paid $80 and what a waste of money that was! So very little time was actually spent teaching us fiddle! The young lady spent most of the 1 hour lessons tuning our fiddles and then there was maybe 15 minutes left actually teaching us something. It obviously would have been far more productive if the lessons had been at least 90 minutes, then we would have had time to actually learn something. I wonder if it's too late to get my money back⁉