Self-guided Sightseeing Tour #3 in Victoria, Canada

Fan Tan Alley is an alley in the Chinatown neighbourhood of Victoria, British Columbia, Canada that is known for being the narrowest commercial street in North America, being less than 0.9 m (3.0 ft) wide at its narrowest point. It runs south from Fisgard Avenue to Pandora Avenue at the block between Government Street and Store Street. Named after the Chinese gambling game Fan-Tan, the alley was originally well known for opium factories that produced opium until it was made illegal in 1908. The alley became known for gambling and got its Fan Tan name from the card game of the same name during the 1910s. Police raids on the illegal gambling clubs and declining visitors led to the closure of the gambling clubs in the 1950s and 60s. Fan Tan alley fell into disrepair and buildings were condemned at the time but was later revitalized in the 1970s and 80s with leadership from David Chuenyan Lai. Today the alley is a tourist destination containing many small shops, an art gallery, restaurants, apartments, and offices. It was designated as a heritage property by the local government in 2001.

Wikipedia: Fan Tan Alley (EN)

Congregation Emanu-El is a Conservative synagogue located in Victoria, British Columbia, Canada. The congregation is affiliated with the United Synagogue of Conservative Judaism.

Wikipedia: Congregation Emanu-El (Victoria, British Columbia) (EN), Website

Christ Church Cathedral in Victoria, British Columbia is the cathedral church of the Diocese of British Columbia of the Anglican Church of Canada.

Wikipedia: Christ Church Cathedral (Victoria, British Columbia) (EN), Website

The Maritime Museum of British Columbia (MMBC) is a museum in Victoria, British Columbia, Canada, that engages people with the maritime culture and history of the Pacific Northwest through rotating exhibits, educational and community-based programs, research services, and more.

Wikipedia: Maritime Museum of British Columbia (EN), Website

The Victoria Bug Zoo is a two-room minizoo that is located in downtown Victoria, British Columbia, Canada, one block north of the Fairmont Empress Hotel. It was sold to Xing Chen in 2014. The Victoria Bug Zoo is run by General Manager Jaymie Chudiak and Outreach Manager Karlee Friesen.

Wikipedia: Victoria Bug Zoo (EN), Website

The Old Victoria Custom House or Malahat Building, in Victoria was completed in 1875 and designated as a historic building in 1987. It is a three-storey, mansard-roofed, custom house overlooking Victoria's harbour, symbolic of the time when Victoria was the pre-eminent commercial centre on Canada's West Coast. The building is described by the Historic Sites and Monuments Board of Canada as a "relatively plain example of the imposing Second Empire style adopted for these buildings under Thomas Seaton Scott, first Chief Architect of the Department of Public Works (1872-1881). Its modest design and materials are in keeping with the relative size of Victoria at that time."

Wikipedia: Old Victoria Custom House (EN)

The British Columbia Legislature Cenotaph, also known as the Victoria Cenotaph and the War Memorial to the Unknown Soldier, is a war memorial, installed outside the British Columbia Parliament Buildings in Victoria, British Columbia, Canada. Unveiled by Lt.-Gov. W.C. Nichol on July 12, 1925, the granite cenotaph commemorates the sacrifices of Canadian Forces personnel and citizens during both World Wars, the Korean War and peacekeeping missions. The bronze statue was designed by sculptors Vernon and Sidney March.

Wikipedia: British Columbia Legislature Cenotaph (EN)

The statue of Queen Victoria is a bronze sculpture depicting Queen Victoria by British artist Albert Bruce-Joy, installed outside the British Columbia Parliament Buildings, in Victoria, British Columbia. The 4-metre (13 ft) statue was commissioned by Richard McBride in 1912, and completed in 1914. World War I delayed the sculpture's unveiling until 1921. The statue was vandalized in 2021 regarding the controversial meaning connected to residential schools.

Wikipedia: Statue of Queen Victoria (Victoria, British Columbia) (EN)

Douglas Obelisk is an 8-metre (27 ft) marble obelisk, installed outside the British Columbia Parliament Buildings in Victoria, British Columbia. The sculpture was erected in 1881 to honour James Douglas, the first Governor of the Colony of British Columbia, and was made by Mortimer & Reid using marble from Beaver Cove, Vancouver Island.

Wikipedia: Douglas Obelisk (EN)

The Knowledge Totem Pole is a totem pole carved by Coast Salish artist Cicero August and sons Darrel and Doug August, installed outside the British Columbia Parliament Buildings, in Victoria, British Columbia. The pole was originally created for the 1994 Commonwealth Games.

Wikipedia: Knowledge Totem Pole (EN)

The British Columbia Search and Rescue Volunteer Memorial, located in Victoria, British Columbia, commemorates volunteers who serve, including those who died in the line of duty. The memorial was unveiled on March 2, 2017.

Wikipedia: British Columbia Search and Rescue Volunteer Memorial (EN)

The Fallen Paramedics Memorial is a monument commemorating paramedics who have died in the line of duty, installed in Victoria, British Columbia. The memorial was unveiled on May 6, 2015. It is located in the BC Emergency Services Garden of Honour, south of the Legislative Buildings.

Wikipedia: Fallen Paramedics Memorial (EN)

The Royal British Columbia Museum, founded in 1886, is a history museum in Victoria, British Columbia, Canada. The "Royal" title was approved by Queen Elizabeth II and bestowed by Prince Philip in 1987, to coincide with a royal tour of that year. The museum merged with the British Columbia Provincial Archives in 2003.

Wikipedia: Royal British Columbia Museum (EN), Website

Thunderbird Park is a park in Victoria, British Columbia next to the Royal British Columbia Museum. The park is home to many totem poles and other First Nation monuments. The park takes its name from the mythological Thunderbird of Indigenous North American cultures which is depicted on many totem poles.

Wikipedia: Thunderbird Park (Victoria, British Columbia) (EN), Website

Helmcken House is a museum in Victoria, British Columbia, located in Thunderbird Park. It was built in 1852 by Dr. John Sebastian Helmcken, a surgeon with the Hudson's Bay Company and the first doctor in Victoria. Some interesting items on display include his medical kit. It is one of the oldest houses in British Columbia still on its original site.

Wikipedia: Helmcken House (EN), Website

The bronze sculpture of Canadian physician John Sebastian Helmcken was installed outside the Helmcken House, in Victoria, British Columbia, in 2011. The statue was designed and created by artist Armando Barbon, and cost $180,000.

Wikipedia: Statue of John Sebastian Helmcken (EN)

Carr House is a National Historic Site of Canada located in Victoria, British Columbia. It was the childhood home of Canadian painter Emily Carr, and had a lasting impression on her paintings and writings.

Wikipedia: Emily Carr House (EN), Website