Cathedral Grove’s old growth forest is spectacular – keep your eyes open for deer, bears and eagles. Spider Lake is beautiful, Horne Lake is excellent for caving. Catch coho, sockeye and halibut in the ocean or in the nearby rivers and streams. Go mountain biking, explore old-growth forest on horseback, hike or ski the Mount Arrowsmith area, swim in the ocean or the Englishman River. Sail or kayak to one of the small, nearby idyllic islands. Climb mountains, scuba dive off Nanoose Bay – maybe you’ll sight a much talked about giant Pacific octopus. This area offers a real opportunity to learn and respect the fragile nature of the island’s rare arbutus forest ecosystem.

It will take more than a few days to explore the 8 provincial parks in the Oceanside area, visit the nearby lakes and old-growth forest, take the kids to the local petting zoos, see the Big Bug Jungle & Butterfly Gardens and visit the World Parrot Refuge.

Try out ‘geocaching’, a high-tech scavenger hunt that has become a favorite pastime of B.C.’ers. And don’t miss visiting Coomb’s Old Country Market – the art is unique and the goats that live on the grass rooftop of the general store amuse kids of all ages!