Gallery Merrick, a commercial gallery space on Vancouver Island, opened in 2022. This newest public art gallery's collections in Victoria feature contemporary artists from across Canada. It includes fine art from some of the best emerging and established contemporary Canadian artists for sale.
If you are interested in painting, it is possible to look for artwork at a specific budget on their website and find and buy your favourite ones. Gallery Merrick is committed to representing a diverse range of living Canadian artists. Many are local to Vancouver Island and the surrounding islands, but it is not unexpected to see some talent from across the country.
Gallery Merrick is relocated from Nanaimo to Victoria in 2022. The design of this art gallery blends historic warmth with contemporary chic. Different rooms within the gallery offer unpredictable shifts in perspective, creating a delightfully dynamic viewing experience. It is possible to arrange a private guided tour and a behind-the-scenes look at each artist or body of work. Reaching out to the Gallery Merrick website, you can join their mailing list to read about free events and exhibition openings. You can also ask questions or purchase on their website.
From Nanaimo:
The fastest route from Nanaimo to Gallery Merrick is via Trans-Canada Hwy/BC-1 S. It is 110 km (68.3 mi) and takes about an hour and a half.
Go head east on Wallace St toward Fraser St for 350 m (1148.3 ft). Wallace St turns slightly right and becomes Victoria Crescent, and after 170 m (557.7 ft), Turn left onto Esplanade. After 36 m (118.1 ft), Turn right onto Trans-Canada Hwy/BC-1 S. Go on for 4.6 km (2.8 miles) straight to stay on Trans-Canada Hwy/BC-1 S. Drive 104 km (64.6 miles) more and turn right onto Government St. Destination will be on the right and after 1 km (0.6 miles), you will reach Gallery Merrick.
Gallery Merrick is located in downtown Victoria. There is a parking space in front of the gallery at the intersection of Government St and Herald St. You can choose to park your car there for the easiest access.
Downtown Victoria offers a wide variety of things to do and places to go. Many fantastic restaurants and coffee shops surround the Gallery Merrick, where you may have a delectable meal and a fine drink.
Just a few minutes from the gallery to the south, you will reach one of the oldest Chinatowns in Canada; Victoria's Chinatown is an excellent location with colourful architecture for photography.
If you are interested in visiting other museums and art galleries, then the Royal BC Museum and Miniature World are great places to go while you are in the area.
You can enjoy your free time at Beacon Hill Park, a beautiful park with the world's largest standing totem as a landmark and a momentum where you can get some peace.
Point Ellice House Museum and Gardens is a place for history enthusiasts and gardens and interior design lovers. It is a 19th-century Victorian home and garden full of everything nostalgic to you. As one of Victoria's oldest homes, it is located overlooking the scenic and historic Selkirk Water/Gorge Waterway. It includes vegetables, cut flowers, a small fruit orchard, and a greenhouse.
The Art Gallery of Greater Victoria or AGGV is home to artworks from talented artists of Canada and Asia. The building complex of the gallery includes the Spencer Mansion and the exhibition galleries. It also has gardens with a Japanese Shinto shrine. The art gallery is kid-friendly, and the staff is knowledgeable and helpful. The gift shop has gorgeous merchandise.
Located in Victoria, the Royal BC Museum is one of Canada's most significant cultural and historical treasures. It showcases natural wonders and includes artifacts, documents, specimens, and everything slightly relevant to British Columbia's natural and human history. The museum also provides a dynamic forum and a safe space for discussion and reflection.
Miniature World is among the top ten attractions in Victoria. It is the World of Smallness, the World of Story Books, and the World of Fact, Fiction, and Fantasy. It presents villages with different themes such as Camelot or the World's Smallest Operational Sawmill or Space 2201 AD and Avian 1 Spaceship. Miniature World is so unique that you may want to visit it every time you're in Victoria.
Gallery Merrick is home to many native artists. The purpose of the gallery is to appreciate beauty everywhere we look. The priority of the gallery is to help working artists who make their livings out of their art. Many artists from Vancouver Island, surrounding islands, and across the country exhibit their talents here.
Wear decent hiking boots for a moderate hiking trail near Sooke. It is not for the faint of heart, but it is an enjoyable trail that leads you to Grass Lake and featuring Monument Mountain makes it possible to have amazing views from the top. Doing the Grass Lake Trail overnight and camping by the lake turns it into a memorable trip. Enjoy the trail in warmer seasons and get a dip into the lake.
It is time to put your heart into hiking and step into a moderate multi-use trail with some great views along the way and on top. Mount Manuel Quimper has a beautiful summit worth the climb, which gives you excellent vistas of Sooke Harbour and a chance to visit one of the last fire lookouts left on the island.
Here is a highly recommended and well-marked trail for challenges enthusiasts. Hiking on Mount Empress from Sooke Potholes via Mary Vine and Todd Creek Trails offers you insane 360° views of the Sooke Basin, Victoria, and San Juan Islands.
Extraordinary opportunities to make your diving experience memorable in the heart of Greater Victoria, including high-ranked spots for diving. These spots provide you with inevitable diving opportunities which allow you to explore the alien underwater world of Victoria's waters saturated with magnificent creatures. Do not miss it for the world.
Looking for a reliable place to go whale watching for the first time on Vancouver Island? Why not starting with Sidney North Saanich Yacht Club, one of the famous Yacht Clubs on the island. You will have the opportunity to observe these gigantic creatures and probably other sea creatures in the waters of the Salish Sea.
Start your whale watching journey with Van Isle Marina, a critical marine zone on Vancouver Island, capable of serving 200 boats simultaneously, which has made it an ideal destination for the fans of whale watching. There is a high chance to observe other sea creatures other than whales.
As one of the best tourist attractions of Sooke and Vancouver Island, West Coast comprises many outdoor excitements that cannot be denied. You are provided with different wildlife to watch and various food to eat, not to mention that you observe a rare nature that is outstanding. So, chances are high to see different whales and other marine creatures.
You would better plan a visit to Cabin Point Coastline between April-September. It is the best time for those preparing for Sooke Whale Watching in one of the famous coastlines for it in the Salish sea. You are given adequate opportunity to gaze upon these marvellous sea creatures.
Beechey Head and its loop are two of the hot spots for whale watching in Sooke. In addition to fantastic opportunities for whale watching, Beechey Head is a hiking and nature trip location that offers you excellent activities, such as birdwatching.
Spirit Bay has a rich community offering settlings for whale watching lovers beside incredible wildlife; therefore, it would be an excellent point to start your Sooke Whale Watching. Plus, it has a cute beach. You cannot get over the beauty of it and its scenic views.
Featuring wildflowers and fantastic sceneries, Creyke Point Trail is a suitable spot for whale watching, bird watching, and nature trips with splendid beaches and forests. So if you are having a great time in Sooke, remember to stop by Creyke Point to have more fun.
Located in the heart of Victoria and adjacent to many whale watching operators, Victoria Harbour Ferry is a starting point for your whale watching tour. Many visitors come here to watch whales annually; not only whale watching but open waterways of Salish make Victoria Harbour Ferry a remarkable place for anglers, wildlife followers and daily tourists.
Due to certified whale watching agencies, Fisherman's Wharf Park is a significant place to visit for whale watching enthusiasts. As one of the most prodigious and phenomenal creators worldwide, whales are ample during specific whale watching seasons.
Featuring Victoria Harbour and West Bay, Esquimalt could be your starting point for whale watching in Victoria. You can also have the pleasure of watching sea lions, seals, porpoises, and a wide variety of marine birds are other stunning creators that may be highly admirable to wildlife watching fanatics.
Cattle Point is a part of Uplands Park in Victoria, runs along the coastline of Oak Bay. During falls and winters, especially November through March, the Cattle Point Storm Watching is an exhilarating experience. Watch storms smashing from spectacular vantage points as dark clouds blanket the sky, rains whipping, gusts of winds making barreling high waves.
Spiral Beach in Victoria is where the blue of the sea and sky and the Olympic Mountains at a distance is situated in a perfect picture. There are hills along the beach to stand on for a wide view. Walk on the sands and pebbles with the driftwoods around on the beach. Listen to the waves, walk on the shoreline, and have the storm watching pleasure in the fall and winter.
McNeill Bay has plenty of benches along the seawall to sit and enjoy the landscape of Trial Island, the Strait of Juan de Fuca, and Olympic Mountain. Do exciting water activities on McNeill Bay Beach and experience its wonderful esplanade and photogenic scenery. It is considered one of the fantastic off-leash dog beaches in Victoria.
Langford is a city on the south coast of Vancouver Island and heaven for golfers. You can stay at lodgings and play at challenging hillside courses and enjoy yourself at luxurious advantages like the Amatista Spa. Beautiful parks surround the city, so go hiking through scenic forests or have peaceful moments beside lakes. Langford offers shops, family activities, sheep farms, and a bike park.
Gonzales Bay is a small scenic bay with a crescent-shaped beach. Its sandy beach is often quiet and peaceful. Walking on the Gonzales Bay beach near the ocean can help to release the world's anxiety. Lie on the beach and see the peaks of Olympic Mountain and enjoy the Mediterrane climate. Dogs are allowed off-leash on the beach from September through May.
A trail leads you to Fisgard Lighthouse NHS, the first lighthouse on the west coast of Canada. This historic lighthouse is still operating, but the entrance is not allowed. The keeper's house is open to the public which comprises wonderful exhibitions. There you can see shipwrecks, far-flung lights, storms, and the working equipment the lightkeepers used about a century ago.
Sooke is known as the Tall Tree Capital of Canada. The area's popularity is mainly based on tourists visiting the wilderness parks, hiking the West Coast Trail and the extremely popular Juan de Fuca Marine Trail. Sooke is also famous for its beaches and is a destination for cycling and mountain biking. The arts community of Sooke is vibrant and hosts the annual Sooke Fine Arts Festival.
Point Ellice House Museum and Gardens is a place for history enthusiasts and gardens and interior design lovers. It is a 19th-century Victorian home and garden full of everything nostalgic to you. As one of Victoria's oldest homes, it is located overlooking the scenic and historic Selkirk Water/Gorge Waterway. It includes vegetables, cut flowers, a small fruit orchard, and a greenhouse.
The Art Gallery of Greater Victoria or AGGV is home to artworks from talented artists of Canada and Asia. The building complex of the gallery includes the Spencer Mansion and the exhibition galleries. It also has gardens with a Japanese Shinto shrine. The art gallery is kid-friendly, and the staff is knowledgeable and helpful. The gift shop has gorgeous merchandise.
Located in Victoria, the Royal BC Museum is one of Canada's most significant cultural and historical treasures. It showcases natural wonders and includes artifacts, documents, specimens, and everything slightly relevant to British Columbia's natural and human history. The museum also provides a dynamic forum and a safe space for discussion and reflection.
Miniature World is among the top ten attractions in Victoria. It is the World of Smallness, the World of Story Books, and the World of Fact, Fiction, and Fantasy. It presents villages with different themes such as Camelot or the World's Smallest Operational Sawmill or Space 2201 AD and Avian 1 Spaceship. Miniature World is so unique that you may want to visit it every time you're in Victoria.
If you are a fan of sun and beach, Victoria has the warmest weather in Canada to take a sunbath and swim, and Willows Beach is located in this area. This white sandy beach is south of Willows Park and has protected water suitable for a family vacation. Get the most out of your visit when you are at the park. Have a meal or drink in its cafe with a view of the sea.
Race Rocks Ecological Reserve was established to preserve intertidal and subtidal communities that became very rich due to strong tidal currents. It features marine mammals like whales, sea lions and seals, birds like ducks, cormorants, black oyster-catchers and bald eagles. Fish species, marine invertebrates, and animals like marine algae and seagrass are among other inhabitants.
Sitting Lady Falls or Witty's Lagoon Falls with a wonderful forest around, and the moss-covered rocks is a magical place, something out of a fairy tale but near Victoria. The waterfall with 100 m (328 ft) height is divided into two parts, like a fork, making a unique shape worth visiting. The good thing about Sitting Lady Falls is the variety of birds living in the area.
Gallery Merrick is home to many native artists. The purpose of the gallery is to appreciate beauty everywhere we look. The priority of the gallery is to help working artists who make their livings out of their art. Many artists from Vancouver Island, surrounding islands, and across the country exhibit their talents here.
You may have limitations for yourself, but if you are not a beginner at cave exploring, overcome your own limits. Find a hidden gem in Langford, somewhere that few people know. Florence Lake Cave is a mystery waiting to be discovered for professional cavers. Some believe that it is the largest cave in Greater Victoria. Don't waste your time hesitating and pack your bag for a challenge.