Victoria Unveiled: Your Guide to an Epic Family Surprise Day
The Surprise Day
Recently, I got to experience my very first surprise day that I didn’t have to plan. It was amazing. Nothing feels better as a parent than when your kids run with some of the traditions you have created over the years and make them their own. Emma let our family know a couple of weeks in advance that she was planning a surprise day for us and to mark the Saturday in our family calendar. I thought you might be interested in what a 14-year-old can plan on her own and what she decided to surprise us with.
She let us know that we needed to be ready with our runners on by 10 am on Saturday. We got in the car and she navigated us using Google Maps to our first of five stops. All of which she researched and picked because we had never been to them together before.
Our Stops
1. Quarry Park
As we headed to our first stop, with Emma letting us know that it was about 10 minutes away, we started guessing. We were all wrong as we found parking on a side street beside the entrance to Quarry Park. Located near the base of Dean Park in Central Saanich, this short loop trail took us about 15 minutes. It was a pretty walk through a lush green forest and we had the place to ourselves.
2. Bear Hill
After sharing that we had a surprise day playlist and providing us with some car snacks (Oreo cookies) we made our way to our second stop. While we had hiked Bear Hill before, we realized we hadn’t yet done it with the kids. We set off on a fairly steep climb through the Garry Oak Forest and were amazed by the wildflowers that covered the ground. Spring is the time for this hike if you want to take in all the wildflowers. It took us about an hour round trip with Robin stopping to chat with a colleague he spotted at the top. The rest of us took a rest and enjoyed the view. Before heading down, Jack clarified with Emma that this was the last hike of the day.
3. RockCoast Chocolates
We love RockCoast Chocolates and make a beeline for their homemade salted toffee ice cream bars at the Sidney Market in the summer. This was our first visit to their new store in Saanichton. We tried a bag of chocolate-dipped mango (yum) and all got to pick a fancy chocolate to eat while we drove to our next stop.
4. Craigdarroch Castle
We got a few clues for our big stop of the day and set off for a bit of a drive to get there. Craigdarroch Castle was busy with lots of tourists visiting and Emma got out her bag of cash that she had counted out to treat us to our visit. Luckily we had a little extra to cover the taxes on hand.
We headed over to the castle and walked through the enormous house. The kids were both interested in the history of the castle and all its uses through the ages. We were all surprised by how big it was and how many stairs and rooms there were. We spent just over an hour and got to talk to some of the staff about the restoration and research they were doing.
5. Tallest Freestanding Totem Pole
Our final stop was in Beacon Hill Park, a nod to our previous surprise days, which usually involved the petting zoo or a walk to see the ducks. We walked by fields of wildflowers to see the world’s tallest (or second tallest, depending on who you ask) free-standing totem pole. At 127 feet this totem pole was amazing.
We stopped for sushi on the way home, although Emma was clear lunch was not included in the surprise day as she spent all her money on the castle ?. We had an amazing day together and found some new local spots. The best was seeing Emma plan, research and execute the day for our family. I have no doubt that Emma will continue our surprise day tradition going forward. Inspired to plan your own surprise day, check out this post to learn more.