Sidney
The town of Sidney is a seaside community with a wonderful variety of shops, restaurants, art galleries,
and a number of recreational activities such as carriage rides, harbour ferry tours and free concerts in
Bandstand Park. Sidney also has quite a reputation among book lovers for its many excellent new and
used book stores.
Other activities include diving around the two sunken diving reefs - the G.B. Church and the HMCS
Mackenzie, sailing, kayaking, or Island hopping. Pack a picnic lunch and board a ferry to Sidney Spit
Marine Park, a favorite spot for a day out at the beach, where you will also find excellent picnic facilities,
drinking water, restrooms, camping sites and hiking trails. The Sidney Spit ferry is located at the Beacon
Avenue government wharf in Sidney.
Take a guided whale watching tour on boats specifically designed with equipment to track the movement
of three resident pods of orca whales or enjoy a saltwater fishing excursion. Year-round salmon fishing is
available, as well as cod, snapper, halibut, sole, crab, prawns and shrimp in local waters.
Stop by the Sidney Historical and Marine Mammal Museum, known for its outstanding whale displays
and exhibits, located at the foot of Beacon Avenue. Recent additions to the museum include interactive
and hands-on displays. An echolocation hall allows visitors to experience how the mammals are able to
hear underwater. In addition to the marine exhibit, the Museum features historical photographs and
artifacts on display portraying the history of the Saanich Peninsula. The historical items focus on the
Coast Salish Aboriginal Peoples and European and Asian settlers.
Tucked away on Canora Road in a hangar at the Victoria International Airport, the BC Aviation Museum
features a hangar full of historic artifacts, photographs and personal histories as well as many aircraft
including a full size replica of the Gibson Twin Plane, a Cessna Crane, Luscombe, Pietenpol, large
Sikorska helicopter, SE-5, Nieuport, Seabee, a three-quarter Spitfire and Bell 47 helicopter. Volunteers
at the museum are currently working on reconstructing a Norseman - a classic single-engine bush plane
built in Canada in the 1930's, and an Anson aircraft, used as a training plane in the Second World War.
The Victoria International Airport can be used by private planes and to clear customs. Ground
transportation includes an airport shuttle service to downtown Victoria. Both Sidney and the Swartz Bay
Ferry terminal, also close by, are served by BC Transit buses to and from downtown Victoria.
McDonald Provincial Park is located a short distance from the Swartz Bay ferry terminal, just off Highway
17. The 20-hectare park has 49 campsites and facilities include pit toilets, water, and picnic tables.
Victoria and Vancouver Island Accommodations
Return to Main Menu
| Discover Vancouver Island
|
