Entertainment ✨
Step into Cowichan Valley’s Entertainment Playground
35 minutes from the Cottage
Tubing the Cowichan River [Seasonal]
Experience the ride of a lifetime with The Tube Shack, Lake Cowichan’s premier all-inclusive tubing adventure company!
Tube the Cowichan River and enjoy the crystal clear water and pristine scenery as you embark on a two and a half hour journey down one of the most beautiful places on earth! Vancouver Island’s best kept secret is Cowichan River Tubing!
The Tube Shack provides fully licensed and insured river tube rentals with complimentary shuttle service back to Lake Cowichan. The Tube Shack is the best way to tube the Cowichan River! Visit Cowichan River
10 minutes from the Cottage
Wild Play
WildPlay is an exhilarating outdoor recreation park that’s fun for all ages and experience levels! Whether you’re a first-time thrill seeker or a full-time adrenaline chaser, our tightropes, log bridges, ropes swing, cargo nets, and ziplines will get your heart racing as you climb from six to sixty feet! Elevate the adrenaline rush with our “What’s to Fear Jump” and take the plunge from 40ft. Our Bungy Jump, Primal Swing, and Zipline tour, will have you soaring above the Nanaimo River. 100’s of feet above the water these activities are sure to get your blood pumping! WildPlay is perfect for families, friends, groups, or as a teambuilding activity.
Departure Point 20 minutes from the Cottage
Whale Watching
You’ll experience BC’s most sustainable whale watching on an unforgettable day at sea aboard your choice of vessel (open zodiac-style boats or our semi-covered vessel).
Your adventure is guided by expert mariners and professional researchers who know the whales by name, and collect field data on every single trip. Our award-winning tours are designed to give you an in-depth understanding of the whales and the complex ecosystem they call home. We’ll take you through the Salish Sea ecosystem to see whales and other spectacular marine flora and fauna, while you learn all about them!
Throughout the trip (usually 3-5 hours long), your crew will ensure that we respect the whales while offering an educational experience that gives you a better understanding of their role in the ecosystem. You’ll learn about the different species and their behaviours, as well as the efforts being made to protect them.
Join us on the adventure of a lifetime, and let the the Salish Sea leave you feeling humbled and inspired, all while supporting the protection of this life-sustaining ecosystem.
25 minutes from the Cottage
Up Close with Raptors
Getting up close and personal with raptors never really crossed my mind, but this was an experience to remember! Pacific Northwest Raptors is a sanctuary dedicated to educating visitors on beautiful birds of prey, like falcons, eagles, and owls, to increase awareness and conservation efforts.
Their “Close” General Admission (Adults $22 CAD; Children $14 CAD; Under 3: Free) includes all-day admission and access to the flying demonstration. We opted for this and absolutely loved it! The birds swoop so low you feel like their wingtips might graze you! We spent about 45 minutes learning from biologists and trained handlers about these amazing animals, the threats they face, and how we can help. If you’re feeling brave, the “Closer” option (Adults $48 CAD; Children $36 CAD; Under 3: Free) adds the “Hawk Walk,” allowing a hawk to swoop down and land on your (gloved!) hand. For the ultimate experience, the “Closest Encounter” (Adults $80 CAD; Children $65 CAD; Under 3: Free) includes all the above plus a 30-minute one-on-one encounter with the raptors.
5 minutes from the Cottage
Kayak & SUP Rentals [Seasonal]
Exploring Canada’s west coast by kayak is an extraordinarily peaceful and colourful way to see BC’s wildlife, sea life and coastal mountains. All rentals include a short introduction. No experience is necessary for one-hour single kayak rentals or two-hour double sea kayak rentals. However, beyond these time limits, we require wet exit certification from renters to ensure your safety. If you wish to paddle for longer, you may want to take our ‘wet exit clinic’ or Sealegs’ Basic Sea Kayaking Course. Although, sit-upon kayaks can be rented without the hourly restrictions. Vist SEALEGS Here.
SEA KAYAK RENTALS Our sea kayaks have great initial stability and are perfect for novice kayakers. Two of our double kayaks can comfortably fit two adults and a tiny passenger (usually fits children ages 2 – 6)
SIT-ON-TOP KAYAK RENTALS The perfect recreational kayak for beginners, families or paddlers just wanting to get out on the water! it’s not so much the destination as it is the journey. Sit-on-tops are stable kayaks, easy to access and fun to paddle!
STAND-UP PADDLE BOARDS Are the hottest new water sport trend. Our bay is perfect for paddle boarding. There are no sea planes, we’re in protected waters and the current and winds are typically not strong.
55 minutes from the Cottage
Malahat Sky Walk
Immerse yourself in pristine nature: a steep, forested mountain, high above the Salish Sea. Previously, only agile explorers could enjoy such experiences of the wild. Now, our TreeWalk and Spiral Tower make this environment easily accessible, including strollers and wheelchairs.
Ascend the spiral ramp to peak adventure. At 250 m above sea level, the tower offers some of the best views on Vancouver Island, including a sweeping panorama of Mt. Baker, Finlayson Arm, the Saanich Peninsula, and islands in two countries. Explore the West Coast from a whole new perspective and then choose your descent with a return walk down the ramp or take the fast route on our Spiral Slide.
The arbutus, or Pacific madrone, appears wonderfully exotic with its smooth chartreuse wood covered by reddish, papery bark. It grows on rocky coastlines and, in spring, bears white flowers that smell like honey. In autumn, red berries help feed many of the local birds and wildlife.
Coming down from the tower on the 20-metre spiral slide might be the only thing as awesome as the view from the top. Go ahead, take as many turns as you like – we’ll understand.
With the ground far below you and breathtaking scenery all around, walk out onto the sturdy 84 ㎡ Adventure Net for an experience unlike any other. Suspended above the centre of the tower, you’ll have uninterrupted views of the lush arbutus forest and the spiraling structure beneath your feet. https://malahatskywalk.com/
30 minutes from cottage
Hand of Man Museum
Couldn’t state it better, here’s a recent five-star review from TripAdvisor
SeaTac, WA
Mind Blowing Museum
Jul 2023
“I’m a museum junkie, I admit it. But this museum was so over the top amazing, I can’t even begin to review it. You have a little bit of almost everything here. From skeletons to stuffed animals, to tribal bits and pieces from all over the world. This collection represents the lifelong interests of a man called James Shockey. The exhibits are interactive, in a sense. You’re given an IPad at the beginning of the tour, and many of the exhibits have a number. You punch in the corresponding number on the Ipad and have Jim Shockey himself telling you all about the item you’re looking at, where he acquired said item, and the history of it. You need to set aside several hours or go back multiple times to look at everything. It is a donation-only, museum, but I encourage anyone who goes there to give a little more or go back multiple times. The museum is inside an old school, and while it doesn’t look like much from the outside, you do need to go in and look.”
20 minutes from the Cottage
BC Forest Discovery Centre
This adventure is indoor and outdoor. Dogs are welcome.
The BC Forest Discovery Centre is a 100-acre museum park full of opportunities for discovery, education and fun! From our operational narrow-gauge railway to our forested trails, from our Ranger Station exhibit to our historic 1930s logging camp buildings, there is always something engaging to experience.
Ride one of the historic trains over the Somenos Lake Trestle. Relax and enjoy views
of the 100-acre museum from the train!
Whether on the track or on exhibit, the museum’s locomotive collection draws visitors into BC’s past. The sounds, power and presence of these impressive machines represent the ingenuity behind connecting towns and accessing many of the province’s rich natural resources.
The locomotives in the collection date back over one hundred years. They demonstrate the changing face of technology during the 20th century and are powered by steam, gas and diesel electric engines.
Members of the coastal forest industry in collaboration with the BC Forest Discovery Centre have created an exciting new exhibit which tells the story of modern forest innovation on the coast of BC.
This exhibit provides an immersive and interactive experience that enhance visitors’ understanding of why BC’s forests are unique in the world and how science and technology is helping us sustainably manage our forest resource, as well as providing opportunities to further explore BC’s working forest. Forests Forever demonstrates how careful management of the forest resource means that everyone can enjoy the forest for generations to come. Much of the story demonstrates the parallel growth in our growing Vancouver Island economy with the creation of wood products that are among the most sustainable in the world.
