I have visited the gardens several times and at various times of the year. If you are in Victoria in the Spring or Summer, don't miss the Gardens. It can be crowded in the Summer, but you won't notice the crowd until you get to the rose garden. There the crowd can be slow moving, but it's well worth the wait. The rest of the gardens are wide open so you won't feel claustraphobic. Beautiful place!

The Butchart Gardens Fireworks display north of Victoria, BC, is worth a trip in itself. It occurs on Saturday evenings in July and August each year inside the Gardens which are beautiful in themselves. These fireworks are different from and better than any I've ever seen in the States. They are choreographed to music and take place in the sky and just above the ground also. Don't miss this! There's also a concert earlier in the evening; it was a really fine Celtic singing group when I was there (bring a dropcloth or a blanket and sit on the hillside). There's also a great pipe organ concert after the fireworks (you must stand for this on the paths in a garden area). The organ is inside and you stand outside. Allow three to four hours for all of this including seeing the gardens themselves. The cost is about $26 in US dollars!

There is public transportation (BC transit - takes about an hour) so one can get to the Gardens and back for the price of a daypass which is less than $10. Buy a two-area daypass at a 7-11 (or another location on their website) and catch the bus on the main N-S street going north (I think it's #25 - check the BC transit website). You won't find this info on any website, and I had a heck of a time finding this out on-line, but on fireworks Saturdays several BC buses leave the Gardens after the display and drop you at Centennial square which is on the north end of the downtown area.

I would plan to stay the night (at least one) in Victoria. The hotels are REALLY expensive - start at $100 per night - you might find something for $70 - but I would definitely NOT recommend the Turtle Refuge Hostel - loud-noisy, dirty, and smoking outside the (open) windows of bedrooms.

If you take the boat from Port Angeles, WA to get to Victoria, BC it's much less $ than going from Seattle. One can take public transportation from Seattle to Port Angeles to avoid having to rent a car while in Seattle. Check out the Jefferson County Transit website for the schedules and connections.

I did a lot of research for this trip and if I can, I will try to help if you have questions. E-mail me at rabenajk@yahoo.com

I visited here in June of 2006. All I can say is that I was very, very, pleased with these magnificent gardens. I have done a lot of travelling since last year and I havent seen nicer gardens. The ones in Bogota and Spain compare, but dont beat Butchart because Butchart offers the unbeilevable diversity. STAY FOR THE FIREWORKS. I did, and I have only seen one better show in my whole life. They last for a whole 30 minutes. The fireworks started at approximetly 10 pm and went to about 10:30! If you decide to go, put down a blanket at 3 pm in the park to get a good seat. You can make a day at Butchart easily fly by, so staying in the park for 7 hours is easy. I also reccomend the guided 3 hour tour of the gardens. There is detailed information about the plants, the architecture and the history of the gardens and they make time for resting at the cafe. The italian restraunt at Butchart is a lovely senic place for lunch. I recommend the salads, because the rest of the dishes likely have upwards of 300 calories per plate!!! I spent about $840 US at Butchart that day, including all of my purchases at the gift boutique. This is one of my favorite places in North America, and I plan on visiting Victoria next year to expierence the magic again! :)

What can I say about the gardens...awesome, fantastic, gorgeous, and more superlatives. But the crowds were horribe! We went on a fireworks Saturday so maybe they aren't so bad on a weekday but it was really too much. The fireworks were very cool, but again, the crowded conditions were terrible. Trying to get out was even worse. Dinner at the restaurant in the main house was lovely...be sure to make reservations in advance, they were turning folks away when we went it. Was it worth it? Yes. Would I do it again? Not on a fireworks Saturday, but maybe on a weekday.