This jam-packed community museum is like a 100-year-old attic turned inside-out. It illuminates the area's rugged pioneer days with dioramas, glass cases, clothing and old newspapers. Check out Moss Cottage in the museum grounds – built in 1869, it's the oldest residence west of Victoria – and the Douglas fir cut-out that's older than 1200 years. The museum shares the same building and hours as the visitor center.
Sooke Region Museum
Vancouver Island
Lonely Planet's must-see attractions
16.62 MILES
Far more than just another pretty flower arrangement, Butchart is a national historic site and a triumph of early-20th-century gardening aesthetics. With…
15.79 MILES
Arguably the finest museum in British Columbia and carrier of a ‘royal’ prefix since 1987, Victoria’s flagship sight mixes the cream of BC’s provincial…
16.9 MILES
More ostentatious country mansion than fortified castle, Craigdarroch, with its turrets, stained-glass windows and palatial interior, looks like it might…
15.66 MILES
This dramatically handsome confection of turrets, domes and stained glass is British Columbia's working legislature and is also open to visitors. You can…
15.87 MILES
It’s not big, nor are its resident critters (although some of them are alarmingly colossal by insect standards); however, this diminutive indoor ‘zoo’ is…
15.85 MILES
Tucked along the side of the Fairmont Empress Hotel, this huge collection of skillfully crafted models depicting important battles, historic towns and…
15.84 MILES
Fringed by crashing ocean, this waterfront park is ideal for feeling the breeze in your hair – check out the windswept trees along the cliff top. You'll…
27.16 MILES
Clinging to the island's rocky west coast, this beautiful park overlooks the deep Haro Strait and is reputedly one of the best places in the world to view…
Nearby Vancouver Island attractions
1. Sooke Potholes Provincial Park
3.17 MILES
This relaxed park has been a favorite natural hangout among locals for generations. With the potholes (natural rock pools) carved into the river base…
9.27 MILES
This swath of temperate rainforest a 20-minute drive from the city is bisected by the Trans-Canada but squeezes a lot of nature into its 4.5 sq km. A…
15.11 MILES
A waterfront walk from the Inner Harbour (or, better yet, a short hop by mini-ferry) delivers you to this floating, boardwalk-linked clutch of houseboats,…
15.62 MILES
The birthplace of BC's best-known painter, this bright-yellow gingerbread-style house has plenty of period rooms, plus displays on the artist's life and…
15.63 MILES
Colonizing part of the Inner Harbour's landmark Steamship Terminal building, this gallery showcases the photo-realistic work of Canada's most celebrated…
15.66 MILES
This dramatically handsome confection of turrets, domes and stained glass is British Columbia's working legislature and is also open to visitors. You can…
15.69 MILES
Victoria’s much-loved bascule bridge across the Inner Harbour reopened in March 2018 with a handsome new streamlined structure replacing the steel-and…
15.79 MILES
Arguably the finest museum in British Columbia and carrier of a ‘royal’ prefix since 1987, Victoria’s flagship sight mixes the cream of BC’s provincial…