Butchart Gardens Review: Tourist Trap – Red Alert

We went to Butchart Gardens in Victoria, British Columbia,  for a day trip on our last vacation.  I would say the only thing remarkable about these gardens is how well they are marketed for such ordinary gardens.  Most of the flowers are just the same kind you see at theme parks.  The price we paid for entry is even similar to many theme parks, only you don’t get to go on any rides.  You only get the same types of flower beds,  crowded walkways and overpriced cafeteria food.  You can walk around the whole gardens in less than an hour.

I feel compelled to write this review because there are so many reviews on the Internet talking about how breath taking the gardens were and how extraordinary they are.  Don’t believe them.  I suspect those reviews must either be from paid marketing shills or people who don’t get out much.  It took us hours of ferry and driving time each way to get there and back from our Seattle hotel and it sure wasn’t worth the hassle.

If you are in the area of Butchart Gardens, instead of spending your hard earned money on an over priced tourist trap, take a half hour on the ferry and see Olympic National Park.  The hike on Hurricane Ridge has one of the most spectacular views I’ve ever seen in my life.  And you can go there for about $5 per car instead of almost $30 a person.  There are deer strolling around everywhere and they seem to peacefully coexist with all of the hikers. A nature lover could easily spend a whole week at Olympic National Park and not be bored.

Here is a link to a web cam on Hurricane Ridge.

Another cool hike, and this one is totally free, is to Marymere Falls.  We have hiked this trail twice and each time had deer sauntering right along the path with us.

The popularity of Butchart Gardens versus Olympic National Park is a testament to the power of marketing.  If you want to get good value for your money and avoid another tourist trap, skip the gardens with their overhyped reviews, expensive entrance fees,  artificial fountains and boring flower beds and head on over for some amazing natural scenery at Olympic National Park.