Fort Rodd Hill and Fisgard Lighthouse National Historic Sites of Canada
The world's best-preserved coastal artillery fort (it dates to 1895) and Canada's oldest west coast lighthouse occupy a parklike backdrop 13 km (8 miles) west of Victoria. You can walk through most of the buildings, including the lighthouse keeper's house, guardhouses, and the delightfully named fortress-plotting room. Interactive exhibits in the lighthouse let you navigate a 19th-century schooner. Wandering deer, forest trails, an interpretive nature trail, and historic military hardware share the rolling seaside site, and the views from the gun emplacements over the entrance to Esquimalt Harbour are fabulous. Between mid-May and mid-October you can stay the night in one of five oTENTiks (a cross between a tent and cabin) on-site. Each sleeps six and must be reserved in advance. To get here, take Highway 1A west to Ocean Boulevard.
