Hatley Park is Canada's largest and most diverse National Historic Site. Visitors will enjoy going on a tour of Hatley Castle, which sits in the center of the site and was built in 1908. Movie fans will be interested to know that this castle is where XMen II and XMen III was filmed.

On the tours, you’ll learn many of the secrets of Hatley Castle through its evolution from private home, to military college to present day university. Re-live the life and times of James Dunsmuir, coal baron, Premier & Lieutenant-Governor of B.C., and his wife Laura.

Then discover what it was like to be a cadet at a military training institution! While at Hatley Park, it’s also a pleasant experience to take your time and go strolling through the Japanese, Italian and Rose Gardens; guided tours of this are also available.

The 565-acre Edwardian estate also contains an old growth forest with walking paths, a lagoon, and wetlands. Nature trails and bird watching sites can be enjoyed by wildlife enthusiasts on guided walks, where informative tour guides can help you identify some of the 150 species of birds found at Hatley Estate.

Some people may be interested in learning about the newest form of treasure seeking, geocaching, while visiting this park. You can join a 90-minute introductory class about geocaching where you will learn how to use this piece of technology, mark way-points, and discover the difference between a physical cache, virtual cache, mini cache before you ‘hunt for treasure’.

To get here you’ll travel north out of downtown Victoria on Hwy #1, taking the exit towards Colwood. Then follow route 14 West – known as the Old Island Hwy – to Sooke Road.