This expansive, mostly outdoor heritage attraction includes a menagerie of pioneer-era buildings and hulking old logging machinery. But the main attraction for many is the working steam-train rides that recall bygone days. It's across the parking lot from the Cowichan Regional Visitor Centre.
BC Forest Discovery Centre
Vancouver Island
Lonely Planet's must-see attractions
19.97 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…
10.46 MILES
At the best market in British Columbia, the gigantic cornucopia of produce, edible goodies and locally made artworks lures everyone like a magnet on…
21.35 MILES
Once upon a time you had to fly to France for the kind of idyllic wine-supping experience offered at Sea Star. Water glistens like tin-foil through the…
13.04 MILES
A family-friendly farmstead with a strollable garden, wandering chickens and a winery-like tasting room and shop, this quintessential Salt Spring spot…
9.84 MILES
Colonizing a rustic, cedar-built shack in the woods, this microbrewery's standing-room-only tasting room offers a roster of all-organic brews, from…
24.1 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…
3.44 MILES
Thought tea was a tropical plant? Not always. Hidden in bucolic farmland 8km north of Duncan, the improbably located Westholme grows its own tea plants…
27.03 MILES
This popular museum just off the Commercial St main drag showcases the region's heritage, from First Nations to colonial, maritime, sporting and beyond…
Nearby Vancouver Island attractions
1.73 MILES
There’s plenty of history lovingly stuffed into this museum in the town’s former train station. Closely packed exhibits cover the favorite BC topics:…
2.36 MILES
An upmarket glass-fronted winery that’s popular with tour groups, Averill is cradled by mountains guarding terrain that’s ideal for producing the vineyard…
3.44 MILES
Thought tea was a tropical plant? Not always. Hidden in bucolic farmland 8km north of Duncan, the improbably located Westholme grows its own tea plants…
4. Cowichan Estuary Nature Centre
5.75 MILES
This small and mildly interesting interpretive center overlooks the water and illuminates the area's flora and fauna. Nip inside the shed-like facility…
5.99 MILES
A lovely pier-length attraction aimed at anyone with more than a passing interest in salty history, this folksy facility is lined with intricate models,…
9.27 MILES
One of the Cowichan Valley's original wineries is now on its third owners, Colombians who have added a bit of Latin panache to wines such as the crisp,…
9.84 MILES
Colonizing a rustic, cedar-built shack in the woods, this microbrewery's standing-room-only tasting room offers a roster of all-organic brews, from…
10.46 MILES
At the best market in British Columbia, the gigantic cornucopia of produce, edible goodies and locally made artworks lures everyone like a magnet on…