Victoria Bug Zoo
A small downtown attraction for insects, arachnids, and curious kids.
Hold a stick insect a block from the Empress, no flinching allowed.
Two warm, humid rooms at 631 Courtney Street, a block north of the Empress, packed with roughly fifty species: glow-in-the-dark scorpions, hairy tarantulas, praying mantises, giant walking sticks, and Canada's largest ant colony hauling leaves on an endless loop. Entomologist Carol Maier started it in 1997, and it still runs on the same idea: hand a kid a millipede and watch the parent quietly fall for it harder. The educators do the real work, talking you down from a phobia one species at a time. Small, and far more alive than its square footage suggests.
The move
Take the guided tour, not the self-walk: the educators are the whole experience, and they will put a stick insect or scorpion in your hand if you ask. Hang at the leafcutter colony, the largest in Canada. Tarantula handling is 18-plus.
Go when
Weekday late morning, once the school groups have cleared and a guide can give you proper time. A rainy afternoon is ideal cover. Dress light: the bug rooms run hot and humid year-round.
Known for
Perfect for