55 Best Sights in Vancouver Island, British Columbia

Trails wind through displays of indigenous plant life, and the occasional whimsical garden sculpture may catch your eye at Naa'Waya'Sum Gardens (formerly Tofino Botanical Gardens). The 12-acre waterfront site, about 2 km (1 mile) south of Tofino on the Pacific Rim Highway, is also home to a café and an affordable ecolodge. The admission fee is good for three days.

Small-batch beers, handcrafted using local seasonal ingredients are on tap here. Located in a brick building that formerly housed a motorcycle shop along the highway, this popular craft brewery launched in 2015 with signature brews like Sweet Leaf IPA and Piggy Pale Ale. Feature beers, such as a mushroom-infused Lion's Mane Golden Ale and Idle Hands Oaked Orange Ale, change regularly. The Midnite Umber Ale won bronze at the 2019 BC Brewing Awards. A flight of three beers is C$6.

Riot Brewing Co. is an award-winning craft brewery offering tours, samples and flights of beer. Their outdoor patio, complete with fire pit, is kid- and dog-friendly.

Salt Spring Vineyards produces a dozen wines, including Pinot Gris, Pinot Noir, and blackberry port, almost entirely from island-grown fruit. Be sure to try one of the Evolution series, made with a grape variety developed right on Salt Spring Island, and the Charme de L'Ile bubbly. Tastings are paired with local, seasonal food. Wine by the glass, bread, cheese, smoked fish, and other fixings are available for summer picnics on the vineyard-view patio. Live bands entertain on Friday evenings in summer; events, from food fests to outdoor theater, happen regularly, too.

This small brewery, housed in a former garage, is an homage to classic cars and craft brews sourced from local ingredients. In the taproom, local couple Cate and Aaron Scally pour core brews, such as Hornet Blonde Ale and Green Goblin Irish Red, alongside rotating seasonal offerings. Snacks are available. In summer, Friday nights feature wood-fired pizza from the Vancouver Island Pizza food truck. Across the parking lot at Stillhead Distillery, distiller Brennan Colebank is producing gin, wild blackberry–infused vodka, and whiskey from BC-grown fruits and grains.

At this conservation center about 10 minutes northeast of Duncan, you can see owls, hawks, falcons, and eagles in natural settings. Free-flying bird demonstrations are held daily at 10:30, 12:30, 2:30, and 4:30; you can also join a trainer on a brief falconry or ecology course.

You can stop for a meal or a drink on the deck at this lodge, once one of the province's oldest continuously operating hotels. It's been around since 1892 but no longer rents cabins or lodge rooms.

This craft beer microbrewery is located inside the former St. Aiden's Church. Owner Dennis Morgan transformed the building using repurposed and salvaged wood in both the bar and kitchen. Along with beers, such as the aptly named Resurrection Red Irish Red Ale and Seventh Day Kolsch, a Beer and Biologist Tour is also on offer. It includes a half-hour tour of the aquarium, followed by two hours of kayaking, and finished off with a well-deserved cold brew.

Plan to spend a couple of hours at this family-owned and -operated boutique winery, where tastings of Pinot Gris, Pinot Noir, and port-style dessert wine are on offer. The business has also extended to include vodka production. Guided tours are offered Friday through Sunday at 11:30 am and 2:30 pm. The picturesque grounds are also home to Unsworth Restaurant, a charming bistro in a restored early-1900s farmhouse serving lunch and dinner Wednesday through Sunday, overlooking the vineyards. On Monday and Tuesday from noon to 4 pm dine alfresco on the Pizza Patio. 

This small family business prides itself on not using any pesticides or herbicides in its limited-release products. While it started out making wine, Venturi-Schulze is quickly becoming known more for its balsamic vinegars, which are crafted using an ancient process. Regular, maple, and 100-year-old balsamics are available. Enjoy a glass of wine and lunch on the picnic patio. Tastings, which include 3–5 wines and a balsamic vinegar, are available Wednesday to Sunday from June to August (Thursday to Saturday from March to May). Tours are available by appointment.

Running along the coast from Bamfield to Port Renfrew, this is an extremely rugged 75-km (47-mile) trail for experienced hikers only. It takes an average of six days to complete and is open from May 1 to September 30. A quota system helps the park manage the number of hikers, and reservations, through Parks Canada, are mandatory. Hiking requires payment of a reservation fee, ferry fares, and an overnight-use fee.

A local favorite is Zanatta Winery (formerly Vigneti Zanatta), Vancouver Island's first estate winery which produces lovely Ortega, Pinot Grigio, and Damasco entirely from grapes grown on its own 25 acres. If you can, time your visit for an Italian-style lunch on the veranda at Vinoteca, a restaurant and wine bar in the winery's 1903 farmhouse.